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THE    ROYAL    NAVY 

A    HISTORY 

FROM    THE    EARLIEST    TIMES    TO    THE    DEATH    OF 
QUEEN    VICTORIA 


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A     History 
From  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Death  of  Queen  Victoria 


By 

Sir  Wm.   Laird  Clowes 

Fellow  of  King's  College,  London  ;  Gold  Medallist  U.S.  Naval  Institute  ; 

Hon.  Member  of  the  Roynl  United  Service  Institution  ; 

Assoc.f  Institute  of  Nnval  Architects 

Assisted  by 

Sir  Clements  Markham,  K.C.B.,  P.R.G.S. 
Captain  A.  T.  Mahan,  U.S.N. 

Mr.  H.  W.  Wilson 
Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  President  of  the  United  States 


Thirty-five   Photogravures 

and 

Hundreds    of    Full    Page    and    other 
Illustrations 

Maps,    Charts 

etc. 


In  Seven   Volumes 
VOL.    VII. 


LONDON 

SAMPSON    Low,    MARSTON    AND   COMPANY 

LIMITED 

&t.  Suniitan'iS  Souse,  jfcttrr  Eanc,  tE.C. 

1903 


uri 


LONDON : 

PRINTED  BY   WILLIAM   CLOWES  AND  SONS,   LIMITED, 
DUKE  STREET,   STAMFORD  STREET,   S.E.,   AND  GREAT   WINDMILL  STREET,   W. 


INTRODUCTION   TO   VOLUME   VII. 


THE  present  volume  completes  the  History  of  the  Eoyal  Navy 
from  the  earliest  times  down  to  the  date  of  the  death  of  her  late 
Majesty,  Queen  Victoria,  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1901. 
Publication  of  the  work,  which,  it  was  originally  intended,  should 
be  finished  in  about  three  years  and  a  half,  counting  from  the 
summer  of  1896,  has  unfortunately  occupied  instead  a  period  of 
nearly  seven  years  ;  and  I  fear  that  the  unpremeditated  delay  in 
the  appearance  of  volume  after  volume  has  been  not  only  a  dis- 
appointment to  many  people  who  have  been  good  enough  to  take 
a  lively  interest  in  the  progress  of  the  work,  but  also  a  source 
of  great  additional  expense  to  my  most  courteous  and  considerate 

publishers. 

Begun  at  a  time  when  I  was  in  my  usual  good  health,  Volume  I. 
was  still  in  the  rough  when  I  was  attacked  by  a  malady,  which, 
though  its  action  is  sometimes  slow,  seldom  spares  the  life  of  its 
victim ;  and,  in  consequence,  I  was  suddenly  ordered  away  from 
England,  where  alone  I  could  have  prosecuted  the  work  under 
conditions  entirely  favourable.  Except  during  brief  intervals,  I 
had  to  remain  abroad  or  in  the  Channel  Islands  until  the  autumn 
of  1902.  These  facts  account  for  some  part  of  the  delay. 

Another  part  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  a  determination,  arrived 
at  about  the  year  1898,  that  the  book  should  consist  of  a  larger 
number  of  volumes  than  had  been  originally  contemplated.  The 
number  first  fixed  upon  had  been  five  :  it  grew  to  six,  and  then 
to  seven.  I  do  not  think  that  this  extension  of  scope  is,  upon 
the  whole,  to  be  regretted,  although  undoubtedly  it  postponed  the 
publication  of  the  final  volume  for  more  than  two  years.  It  has 
enabled  a  more  liberal  allowance  of  space  than  otherwise  would 


VI 


INTRODUCTION   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


have  been  available  to  be  devoted  to  an  account  of  the  marvellous 
material   changes  which   revolutionised   naval  warfare   in   the   last 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  it  afforded  room  for  the  inclu- 
sion of  what  I  trust,  will  be  found  to  be  a  sufficiently  full  history 
the ,  Navys  share   in  the   important  operations  in  South  Africa 
China  m  the  closing  days  of  the  Victorian  era.     The  lamented 
ieath  of  the  great  Queen,  at  the  very  threshold  of  a  new  century 
immediately   after   success   had    been   secured   in   China   and 
assured  m  South  Africa,  furnished  me  with  a  date  obviously  suit- 
>le,  in  every  respect,  at  which  to  bring  my  task  to  a  halt 

'not  wish   to   insist   too   strongly  upon  the  disadvantages 
under   which,   as   I   have   explained,   I  laboured   almost   from   the 
3ommencement :    but   it   is  necessary  that  I  should   ask   that  any 
unfavourable  sentence  which  may   be  passed   upon  my  work  shall 
^mitigated  m  consideration  of  the  hostile  circumstances  in  which 
-  have  been  obliged  to  perform  it.     I  know,  far  better  than  anyone 
who  may  be  my  critic,  the  numerous  shortcomings  of  these  seven 
volumes.     I  know,  too,  how  much  fewer  those  shortcomings  would 
have   been,  ,f  I  had   had   good   health  instead  of  bad,  throughout' 
these  seven  years.      Excellent  searchers,  and  other  fellow-workers 
have  aided  me  from  the  beginning  to  the  utmost  of  their  power' 
[  would  have  preferred  to  do  for  myself  what  they  have  done 
me ;  and,  had  I  been  in  a  position  to  do  so,  the  results  would 
have   been   more  satisfactory,  certainly  to   myself,  possibly  also  to 
3  reader;    for  it  hardly  needs  saying   that   notes  and  documents 
m  one's  own   handwriting  are   less   likely  to   be  misunder- 
>d,  mis-transcribed  in  quotation,  and  misapplied,  than  notes  and 
xmmenfe.  copied  in  a  score  of  different  writings,  not  all  of  which 
are   equally   legible.      Nevertheless,    thanks   to   the    large   revision 
which  most  of  the  history  of  the  events  of  the  second  half  of  the 
last  century  has  undergone  at  the  kind  hands  of   those  who   took 
personal    part   in    them,    I   have   reason   to   hope   that,    upon    the 
whole,  the   contents   of  this  volume   are  very  trustworthy  records 
or  the  facts. 

During   the   long  and   interesting   period   covered   by  this  final 

instalment   of   the  work,  Great   Britain  was  engaged  in  no  purely 

maritime  war   of   any  importance.      She  was   not   called    upon   to 

fight  one  considerable  action  in  the  open  sea;  and  such  bombard- 

her  ships  were  concerned  in  were  far  less  serious  matters 

the  bombardment  of  Copenhagen,  in  1801,  or  even  the  naval 


INTRODUCTION   TO    VOLUME    VII.  Vll 

attack  upon  Sebastopol  in  1854.  Yet  at  no  period  has  the  British 
Navy  been  more  continuously  engaged,  or  more  widely  employed, 
in  small  wars,  and  in  those  too  soon  forgotten  police  duties,  which 
confer  so  many  benefits  upon  the  Empire,  and  often  lack,  never- 
theless, any  chronicler  other  than  the  officer  who  reports  them 
dryly  to  the  Admiralty.  Some  hundreds  of  these  minor  operations 
will  be  found  described  in  the  present  volume  ;  and  few  readers, 
I  suspect,  will  fail  to  be  surprised  at  the  number  of  them.  They 
give  one  a  new  idea  of  the  wakefulness  and  ubiquity  of  the  Empire's 
maritime  forces.  Here  a  rebel  tribe  is  chastised  ;  there  a  consul 
is  protected  and  vindicated  ;  elsewhere  a  slaver  is  captured  and  her 
cargo  of  slaves  set  at  liberty ;  and  much  of  this  is  done  without 
the  great  public  hearing  a  word  about  it  at  the  time.  The  extent 
and  usefulness  of  this  quiet  work  of  the  Navy  is  one  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  period  under  review. 

Another  is  the  frequency,  previously  unparalleled,  with  which 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  service,  either  with  troops  or  alone,  have 
been  employed  to  do  what  should  be  purely  landsmen's  work,  all 
over  both  hemispheres,  sometimes  fighting  hundreds  of  miles  from 
the  sea.  I  venture  to  think  that  this  employment  of  them  has 
tended  of  late  to  become  far  too  common.  The  naval  officer  and 
the  bluejacket  are  expensive  servants  of  His  Majesty.  They 
cannot  be  trained  or  replaced  quickly,  and  they  are  entered  and 
educated  for  another  object.  When  a  ship  disembarks  and  sends 
up-country  a  large  contingent  of  her  people,  and  possibly  also  a 
number  of  her  guns,  she  reduces  her  own  usefulness,  perhaps 
to  vanishing  point ;  and,  on  certain  stations,  it  might  be  an 
extremely  serious  matter  if,  in  the  event  of  a  large  man-of-war 
being  suddenly  required  to  cope  with  an  emergency,  she  could 
neither  move  nor  fight.  One  can  hardly  resist  the  conclusion  that 
if  the  army,  regular  and  irregular,  were  formed,  organised,  armed, 
and  stationed  as  it  should  be,  the  calls  for  the  assistance  of  the  Navy 
on  shore  would  be  fewer.  It  is,  however,  a  subject  for  congratulation 
that  the  Navy,  when  thus  summoned,  has  never  failed  to  respond  in 
the  handsomest  and  noblest  manner ;  and  that,  whether  working 
single-handed  or  with  the  army,  alike  in  New  Zealand,  in  India,  in 
the  Soudan,  in  South  Africa,  and  in  China,  it  has  gathered  to  itself 
fresh  laurels.  The  Royal  Marines,  of  course,  are  properly  enough 
regarded  as  an  amphibious  corps ;  yet  the  manner  in  which,  on  at 
least  one  occasion,  they  were  employed  in  South  Africa  suggests  that 


Vlli  INTRODUCTION   TO    VOLUME    VII. 

those  generals  who  recollected  that  the  Marines  are  soldiers  may 
have  forgotten  that  they  are  also  part  of  every  efficient  British 
man-of-war's  complement.  Even  more  than  the  seamen,  if  that  be 
possible,  have  the  Royal  Marines  added,  since  1856,  to  their 
magnificent  reputation. 

Yet  another  characteristic  of  the  period  -  and  I  greet  it  as  a 
happy  omen — is  the  increasing  frequency  with  which  the  officers 
and  bluejackets  of  the  United  States  of  America  have  found  them- 
selves ranged  side  by  side  with  their  cousins  of  the  British  Navy. 
In  the  Pei-ho,  in  Japan,  in  Central  America,  in  the  far  North-West, 
on  the  Atlantic  during  the  laying  of  the  early  cables,  in  Egypt,  in 
Chile,  in  Samoa,  and,  more  recently,  in  China,  American  seamen  and 
marines  have  been  the  loyal  comrades  of  British  ones  ;  nor,  I  believe, 
has  any  unpleasantness,  jealousy,  or  friction  ever  arisen  when  men 
of  both  nations  have  served  together,  as  has  often  happened,  under 
the  leadership  and  command  of  a  single  officer,  British  or  American. 
The  naval  services  of  the  two  English-speaking  nations  have  shown 
their  trust  in,  and  sympathy  with,  one  another  so  repeatedly,  and 
have  so  often  cemented  their  good  feeling  with  the  shedding  of 
blood  and  the  sacrifice  of  gallant  life,  that  one  is  entitled  to  hope 
that  never  in  the  future  will  the  relations  between  them  be  less 
frank  and  cordial,  and  that  the  general  body  of  the  people  of  the  two 
countries  will  soon  learn  to  look  towards  one  another  as  generously 
and  confidently  as  the  two  navies  do  already.  Britain  and  America, 
acting  together,  should  always  be  able  to  ensure  the  peace  of  the 
world.  Their  action  on  opposite  sides  would  be  the  greatest  catas- 
trophe that  could  possibly  happen  to  the  interests  of  civilisation, 
freedom,  and  progress. 

To  name  here  all  those  who  have  encouraged  and  assisted  me  in 
the  final  stage  of  my  long  task  would  be  impossible.  His  most 
gracious  Majesty  has  been  pleased  to  show  his  personal  interest  in 
the  undertaking  by  conferring  upon  me  an  honour  which  only  his 
kindness  could  have  deemed  me  deserving  of.  From  Viscount 
Goschen,  the  late,  and  the  Earl  of  Selborne,  the  present,  First  Lord 
of  the  Admiralty,  I  have  received  help  for  which  I  cannot  too  fully 
express  my  gratitude.  To  the  Foreign  Office  also  I  am  much 
indebted.  The  authorities  of  the  British  Museum  Library,  and  the 
Library  of  the  Patent  Office,  as  usual,  have  given  ready  help  to  my 
assistants ;  and  Sir  William  Howard  Eussell  has  facilitated  their 
researches  in  certain  directions  by  placing  at  their  disposal,  and 


INTRODUCTION   TO    VOLUME    Vll. 

allowing  to  be  removed  from  his  office,  his  own  file  of  the  Army  and 

Navy  Gazette. 

To  Mr.  A.  F.  Yarrow,  the  well-known  builder  of  fast  small  craft, 
I  am  deeply  obliged  for  the  personal  interest  which  he  has  taken  in 
.the  completion  of  the  work,  and  for  the  sympathetic  manner  in 
which  he  has  aided  me. 

To  mention  the  naval  officers  who  have  furnished  me  with  facts 
.and   suggestions  would  almost   involve   the   transcription  to  these 
pages  of  the  entire  list  of  living  and  lately  living  flag-officers  and 
-captains.     It  has  been  my  aim,  whenever  possible,  to  secure  personal 
narratives,  in  the  shape  of   letters,    diaries,    and   private   journals, 
wherewith  to  supplement   the  information,  often  very  meagre  and 
•defective,  contained   in  official  despatches :    and  my  efforts  in  that 
direction  have  brought  me  into  correspondence,  during  the  past  ten 
years,  with  no  fewer  than  741  naval  and  Marine  officers,  who,  nearly 
without  exception,  have  taken  much  trouble  on  my  behalf,  and  have 
generously  placed  at  my  disposal  everything  in  their  possession  that 
could  be  of  use  to  me.     Many  valuable  facts  relating  to  the  work  of 
the  Eoyal  Marines  have  been  brought  to  my  notice,  thanks  to  the 
.courtesy  of  the  officers  editing  the  Globe  and  Laurel,  the  admirable 
journal  of  that  distinguished  corps. 

Of  officers  who,  though  not  in  the  Navy,  were  associated  in- 
timately with  duties  in  which  the  Navy  was  employed,  no  one 
.showed  me  greater  kindness,  or  took  more  pains  to  be  of  real  service 
to  me  than  the  late  General  Sir  Andrew  Clarke. 

To  Miss  E.  M.  Samson,  who  has  again  undertaken  the  difficult 
business  of  providing  the  index,  I  tender  my  grateful  thanks.     To 
my  publishers,  Messrs.  Sampson  Low,  Marston  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  and,  in 
particular  to  Mr.  E.  Marston  and  to  his  son,  Mr.  E.  B.  Marston, 
members  of  the  Directorate,  I  owe  more  gratitude  than  I  can  express 
for  the  generous  and  cheerful  way  in  which  they  have  borne  wit 
the   numerous  disappointments  and   annoyances  incidental  to   1 
association  with  them  in  a  great  and  costly  undertaking  of  one  wh< 
too  frequently  has  been  incapable,  for  weeks  at  a  time,  of  carrying 
•out  the  letter  of  his  agreements  with  them.     The  kindly  allowances 
which  Mr.  K.  B.  Marston,  with  whom  I  chiefly  corresponded,  was 
ever  willing   to  make,  and  the  thoughtful  way  in  which  he  ever 
.considered   my  health  rather  than  his  convenience,  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  me.     If  this  History,  as  I  hope  it  may,  be  welcomed  as 
.a  chronicle  of  affairs  which  hitherto  have   never   been  chronicled 


X  INTRODUCTION   TO    VOLUME    VII. 

together  in  a  single,  work ;  if  it  aid,  as  I  trust  it  will,  in  streng- 
thening my  countrymen  for  many  a  year  to  come  in  their  deter- 
mination that  the  British  Navy  shall  be  second  to  none  in  the 
world ;  and  if,  in  the  future,  the  long  story  which  is  told  in  it  shall 
contribute  aught  to  the  encouragement  of  Britons  who  are  inclined 
to  despair,  or  to  the  ardour  of  those  who  believe  in  the  glorious 
destinies  of  their  race,  then  let  the  credit  be  given  to  the  Messrs. 
Marston,  but  for  whose  patriotic  co-operation  it  could  not  have  been 
offered  to  the  public. 

WM.  LAIRD  CLOWES. 

April,  1903. 


CONTENTS, 

VOLUME    VII. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

PAGE 

CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1857-1900    ....         1 
By  Sir  Win.  Laird  Clmces. 

APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  XLVI. : 

FLAG-OFFICERS  HOLDING  THE  PRINCIPAL  COMMANDS,  1857-1900   .       85 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1857-1900       .          .          .91 
By  Sir  Win.  Laird  Clowes. 

CHAPTER  XLVIII 

VOYAGES  AND  DISCOVERIES,  1857-1900  ...  .     562 

By  Sir  Clements  E.  MarMam,  K.C.B.,  P.R.G.S. 

APPENDIX  A.  TO  CHAPTKRS  XLVI.-XLVIII.  : 

LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS  PROMOTED  1857-1900  .          .  .     569 

APPENDIX  B.  TO  CHAPTERS  XLVI.-XLVIII. : 

LIST  OF  H.M.  SHIPS  LOST,  ETC.,  1857-1900     .  .     582 


INDEX  .  .          .     585 


EBEA  TA. 

Page      8,  col.  1,  line  18,  for  Balfour  read  Balfour  (2). 
„         8,    „    2,    „      3,  for  John  read  James. 
„       87,    „    2,    „    39,/or  Farquhar  read  Farquhar  (2). 

„  103,  line    6  from  bottom,  for  Abercrombie  Brown  read  Abercrombie  Otto  Bi;own. 

„  217,    „      5  from  bottom,  for  Edge  read  Edye. 

„  221,    „    38,  for  Rutherlbld  read  Rutherford. 

„  238,    „      4,  for  Cresswell  read  Creswell. 

„  246,    „      G,  for  Alexander  read  Victor  Alexander. 

„  246,    „      8,  for  Valentia  read  Valencia. 

„  292,    „    17,  for  Sir  Edmund  read  Sir  John  Edmund. 

„  207,    „      2  from  bottom,  for  Balfour  read  Balfour  (2). 

„  298  n.^for  Henry  Boys  read  Henry  Boys  (2). 

„  299,  line  6  from  bottom, /or  Sir  Edmund  read  Sir  John  Edmund. 

„  324,  last  col.  line  22,  for  S.  John  read  St.  George. 

„  324,  line  13,  for  Balfour  read  Balfour  (2). 

„  336,  line  14,  for  Balfour  read  Balfour  (2). 

„  336,    „    21,  for  Herbert  read  Hubert. 

„  396,    „      2  from  bottom,  after  Pigeon  insert  Lieut. 

„  401,    „      9  from  bottom,  for  Parrayon  and  McCann  read  McCann  and  Parrayon. 

„  428  n.2  for  Gore-Brown  read  Gore-Browne. 

„  429,  line  14,  for  Campbell  read  Campbell  (2). 

„  431,    „      9,/o)-  Carnegie  Codringtyn  read  Codrington  Carnegie. 

„  493,    „    14, /or  Ethelstone  read  Ethelston. 

„  508  n.2/o?-  Lieut.  England  read  Lieut.  George  Plunkett  England. 

„  527,  line    9  from  bottom,  for  Captain  read  Captains. 

„  557,    „      9,/or  Captain  James  read  Captain  George  James,  etc. 

„  571,  col.  1,  line  26,  for  Nicolson  read  Nicholson. 

„  581,  line  33,  for  Hawkworth  read  Hawksworth. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

VOLUME  VII. 
PHOTOGRAVURE  PLATES. 

TYPES  OF  THE  OLD  NAVY Frontispiece 

ADMIRAL  SIR  MICHAEL  SEYMOUR  (2),  G.C.B.           .          .  Facing  p.      96 

THE  JUBILEE  REVIEW  AT  SPITHEAD,  JULY  23RD,  1887    .  „           232 
THE  DIAMOND  JUBILEE  REVIEW  AT  SPITHEAD,  JUNE  26TH, 

1897 400 

VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  EDWARD  HOBART  SEYMOUR,  G.C.B.    .  ,,           520 


FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

H.M.S.  "  BLACK  PRINCE,"  1861    .          .  .      Facing  p.      23 

ARMOUR  OP  BRITISH  IRONCLADS,  1859-73       .  24 

H.M.S.  "GLORY,"  1899        ....  ,,34 

H.M.S.  "  VIPER,"  1900        ...  38 

H.M.S.    "POLYPHEMUS,"    1881           .  40 

H.M.S.  "  VULCAN,"  1889     .          .  42 
NAVAL    CARRIAGE    AND    SLIDE    FOR    T-IN.    R.B.L.    GUN, 

1860-70 ,,44 

TURRET    AND    MOUNTING    FOR   A    16-iN.    80-TON    R.M.L. 

GUN,  1876 ,,46 

SECTION  THROUGH  TURRET  OF  H.M.S.  "VICTORIA,"  1887  „            48 

A  4'7-iN.  Gus  ON  CENTRE-PIVOT  MOUNTING  .  ,, 

A  6-iN.  45-CAL.  Q.F.  GUN  os  UPPER-DECK  MOUNTING     .  52 

ARMOUR  OF  BRITISH  IRONCLADS,  1874-94       .  „ 


XIV  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

H.M.  TRAINING  BRIG  "NAUTILUS,"  1879          .          .          .       Facing  p.      62 

REAR-ADMIRAL  H.R.H.  PRINCE  GEORGE  OF  WALES          .  „  83 

THK  ACTION  IN  FATSHAN  CREEK,  JUNE  IST,  1857  .          .  ,,  104 

THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  TAKU  FORTS,  MAY  20TH,  1858       .  „  118 

THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  PEI-HO  FORTS,  JUNE  25'fH,  1859    .  „  126 

AFTER  THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  PEI-HO  FORTS,  1859   .          .  ,,  128 

H.M.    ARMOURED    SHIP  "  AoiNCOURT,"    1865        ...  ,,  162 

H.M.  PADDLE-YACHT  "VICTORIA  AND  ALBERT,"  1855      .  „  217 

MAP  OF  THE  GOLD  COAST  AND  PART  OF  ASHANTEE          .  „  249 

MAP  OF  PART  OF  THE  MALAY  PENINSULA       ...  ,,  269 

ALEXANDRIA,  1882      .......  „  324 

H.M.S.  "ALEXANDRA,"  1875-90  .          .  330 

H.M.S.    "INFLEXIBLE,"    1876 „  332 

THE    "  SAFIEH,"   IN    THE    ACTION   WITH    FORT    WAD-EL- 

HABESHI,  FEB.  SRD  AND  4TH,  1885         ...  „  366 

H.M.  CRUISER  "  CALLIOPE,"  1884  ....  ,,394 

A  COAST-DEFENCE  GUNBOAT,  1870-73 '  .          .          .          .  „  426 

MAP  OF  UPPER  BURMAH      ......  „  376 

H.M.S.    "RATTLESNAKE,"    1886 „  .        440 

H.M.S.  "TERRIBLE,"  1895  .          .  ...  ,,464 

THE  LEGATIONS  AT  PEKING,  1900          .          .          .          .  550 


ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   THE   TEXT. 

PACE 

THE  CRIMEA  MEDAL    .........  1 

THE  RT.  HON.  GEORGE  JOACHIM,  IST  VISCOUNT  GOSCHEN        .          .  9 

SIGNATURE  OF  SIR  EDWARD  JAMES  REED,  K.C.B.,  F.R.S.         .          .  10 

SIGNATURE  OF  SIR  NATHANIEL  BARNABY,  K.C.B.    ....  10 

H.M.S.  "  ROYAL  SOVEREIGN,"  1857-64 22 

PLAN  OF  H.M.S.  "LONDON" 34 

PLAN  OF  H.M.S.  " ESSEX" 35 

PLAN  OF  H.M.S.  "CRESSY"          ...  .  .37 

EGYPTIAN  MEDAL,  1882        .          .          .          .          .          .          ...  84 

SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  SIR  HENRY  CHADS,  K.C.B.         ...  90 

SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  SIR  EDWARD  GENNYS  FANSHAWE,  G.C.B.      .  90 

SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  SIR  JOHN  KENNEDY  ERSKINE  BAIRD,  K.C.B.  90 

SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  SIR  WILLIAM  GRAHAM,  K.C.B.  .          .          .  103 

MAP  OF  FATSHAN  CREEK  AND  NEIGHBOURHOOD,  1857       .  105 


ILL  US  Til  A  TIONS.  XV 

PAGE 

MAP  OF  CANTON  AND  NEIGHBOURHOOD,  1857  .....  113 
SIGNATURE  OF  THE  RT.  HON.  RICHARD  JAMES,  EARL  OF  CLANWILUAM, 

G.C.B.,  K.C.M.G.,  ADMIRAL  OF  THE  FLEET  .  .  .  .115 
SIR  JAMES  HOPE,  G.C.B.,  ADMIRAL  OF  THE  FLEET  .  .  .123 

SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  SIR  GEORGE  OMMANNEY  WILLES,  G.C.B.  .  125 

THE  POSITION  AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  PEI-HO,  28TH  JUNE,  1859  .  126 
SIGNATURE  OF  STAFF-CAPT.  JOHN  PHILLIPS,  R.N.  .  .  .  .127 
SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  THE  RT.  HON.  LORD  WALTER  TALBOT 

KERR,  K.C.B .  141 

SIGNATURE  OF  SIR  NOWELL  SALMON,  G.C.B. ,  ADMIRAL  OF  THE  FLEET  153 

SIGNATURE  OF  VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  EDWARD  HOBART  SEYMOUR,  G.C.B.  173 
PART  OF  THE  NORTH  ISLAND  OF  NEW  ZEALAND,  TO  ILLUSTRATE  THE 

OPERATIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1860-64      .          .          .          .          .175 

KAGOSIMA  HARBOUR,   1863  .  •  .         .          .          .          .          .198 

THE  STRAIT  OF  SIMONOSEKI,  SEPTEMBER,  1864         ....  202 

SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  SIR  WILLIAM  MONTAGU  DOWELL,  G.C.B.  .  207 

SIGNATURE  OF  REAR-ADMIKAL  SIR  LAMBTON  LORAINE,  BART.  .  .  235 
SIGNATURE  OF  ADMIRAL  THE  HON.  SIR  EDMUND  ROBERT.  FREMANTLE, 

G.C.B.,  C.M.G 251 

CAPTAIN  JAMES  GRAHAM  GOODENOUGH,  C.B.,  C.M.G.  .  .  .  266 
SIR  GEOFFREY  THOMAS  PHIPPS  HORNBY,  G.C.B.,  ADMIRAL  OF  THE 

FLEET          ..........  291 

SIGNATURE  OF  SIR  GEOFFREY  THOMAS  PHIPPS  HORNBY  .  .  .  296 
H.R.H.  ALFRED  ERNEST  ALBERT,  DUKE  OF  SAXE-COBURG  AND 

GOTIIA,   DUKE  OF  EDINBURGH,  ADMIRAL  OF  THE  FLEET    .          .  301 

ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  FREDERICK  HOTHAM,  K.C.B.       .          .          .  326 

ADMIRAL  LORD  ALCESTER,  G.C.B.          .          .          .          .          .          .  329 

SIGNATURE  OF  VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  JOHN  ARBUTHNOT  FISHER,  K.C.B.  331 

MAP  OF  THE  RlVFR  NlLE  BETWEEN  KHARTUM  AND  DoNGOLA   .          .  358 

COMMANDER  ALFRED  PIGOTT          .......  362 

CAPTAIN  ROBERT  WOODWARD,  C.B.,  R.N.                 .                    .          .  378 

ADMIRAL  THE  HON.  SIR  EDMUND  ROBERT  FREMANTLE,  G.C.B.,  C.M.G.  395 
VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  GEORGE  TRYON,  K.C.B.  (AND  SIGNATURE)  .  .417 

THREE  DIAGRAMS  ILLUSTRATING  THE  Loss  OF  H.M.S.  "  VICTORIA  "  .  424 
SIGNATURE  OF  REAR-ADMIRAL  SIR  GERARD  HENRY  UCTRED  NOEL, 

K.C.M.G.  .  .;',; 448 

CAPTAIN  FREDERICK  CHARLES  DOVETON  STURDEE,  C.M.G.  (WITH 

SIGNATURE)  ..........  456 

CAPTAIN  PERCY  SCOTT,  C.B.          .......  464 

A  12-PR.  12-cwT.  Q.F.  GUN  ON  SCOTT'S  MOUNTING  .  .  .  465 

A  4-7-iN.  Q.F.  GUN  ON  SCOTT'S  PLATFORM  MOUNTING  465 


XVI  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

f 

PAGE 

A  4-7-iN.  Q.F.  GUN  ON  SCOTT'S  IRON  MOUNTING    ....  467 

A  4' 7. IN.  Q.F.  GUN  ON  SCOTT'S  IMPROVED  MOUNTING     .          .          .  467 

A  4'7-iN.  Q.F.  GUN  MOUNTED  ON  A  RAILWAY  TRUCK        .          .          .  469- 

A  6-iN.  Q.F.  GUN  ON  SCOTT'S  MOUNTING       .          .                    .          .  469- 

TRACKS  OF  THE  NAVAL  BRIGADES  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA,  1899-1900       .  472 

COMMANDER  ALFRED  PEEL  ETHELSTON  ......  474 

MAJOR  JOHN  HULKE  PLUMBE,  R. M.L.I.         .....  475- 

DEFENCE  OF  LADYSMITH,  1899-1900      ......  495 

COMMANDER  FREDERICK  GREVILLE  EGERTON   .          .                    .  498 

SIGNATURE  OF  CAPTAIN  EDWARD  PITCAIRN  JONES,  C.B.,  R.N.  .          .  502' 

FINAL  OPERATIONS  FOR  THE  RELIEF  OF  LADYSMITH,  1900         .          .  509 

SIGNATURE  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  RUSHWORTH  JELLICOE,  C.B.,  R.N.       .  530- 
SIGNATURE    OF    REAR-ADMIRAL   SIR  JAMES  ANDREW  THOMAS  BRUCE, 

K.C.B 531 

ATTACK  ON  THE  PEI-HO  FORTS,  1900     .          .          ,          .          .          .  533 

KHEDIVE'S  BRONZE  STAR,  EGYPT,  1882,   1884,  ETC.          .          .          .  561 

BADGE  OF  THE  DISTINGUISHED  SERVICE  ORDER       ....  562 

BADGE  OF  THE  DISTINGUISHED  SERVICE  ORDER  (REVERSE)         .          .  568 


NAVAL    HISTORY, 


CHAPTEE  XL VI. 

CIVIL  HISTORY   OF   THE   BOYAL  NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Administrative  Officials  at  the  Admiralty  and  the  Dockyards — Changes  at  the 
Admiralty — Division  of  Admiralty  Work — The  Navy  Estimates — Alterations 
in  the  Active  List — Admirals  of  the  Fleet — Flag-Officers—Ensigns — The  Navi- 
gating Branch — New  Ranks — Retirement — Pay — Wages — Naval  Reserves — Naval 
Architecture — Ironclads — Experimental  Types — New  factors  in  Naval  Warfare — 
Armoured  Cruisers — Unarmoured  Cruisers — Gunboats — Torpedo-boats — Torpedo- 
boat  Catchers — Destroyers — Miscellaneous  Craft — Yachts — Mercantile  Auxiliaries 
— Ordnance — The  first  Breech-loaders — Improved  Muzzle-loaders — The  later 
Breech-loaders — Quick-firing  Guns — Small  Arms — Machine-guns — Gunnery — 
Engines  and  Boilers — Screws — Turbines — Water-tube  Boilers — Armour — Pro- 
jectiles— Torpedoes — Torpedo-nets — Submarine  Boats — Illumination — Electricity 
— Masts  and  Sails — Conning-towers — Signalling — Uniform — Health  of  the  Navy 
— Training  and  Technical  Education — The  Britannia — Gunnery  and  Torpedo 
Schools — Training-ships — Technical  Schools — Guardships — Royal  United  Service 
Institution — Miscellaneous  Innovations — Orders  and  Medals — Naval  Clubs — 
Influence  of  the  British  Navy  on  Foreign  Services — Attaches — The  Naval 
Intelligence  Department — The  Bluejacket — Sailors'  Homes — Royal  Naval  Fund — 
Influence  of  popular  Interest  in  the  Navy — Naval  Reviews — The  Royal  Naval 
Exhibition — The  Navy  League — The  Navy  Records  Society— The  Jubilee  Reviews. 


ITIHE  SUC- 
cession 
of  the  more 
important  ad- 
ministrative 
officers  of  the 
Koyal  Navy 
from  1857  to 
the  end  of  the 
reign  of  Queen 


THE   CRIMEA    MEDAL. 

^Victoria  was  as  follows  : — 

VOL.   VII. 


CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   TEE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


FIRST   LORDS   OF   THE   ADMIRALTY.1 

Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Charles  Wood,  Bart.,  M.P. 

Mar.     8,  1858.  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  John  Somerset  Pakington,  Bart.,  M.P.  (G.C.B.  1859). 
June  28,  1859.  Edward  Adolphus,  12th  Duke  of  Somerset,  K.G. 
July  13,  1866.  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  John  Somerset  Pakington,  Bart.,  G.C.B.,  M.P. 
Mar.     8,  1867.  Rt.  Hon.  Henry  Thomas  Lowry  Corry,  M.P. 
Dec.  18,  1868.  Rt.  Hon.  Hugli  Culling  Eardley  Childers,  M.P. 
Mar.  13,  1871.  Rt.  Hon.  George  Joachim  Goschen,  M.P. 
Mar.     6,  1874.  Rt.  Hon.  George  Ward  Hunt,  M.P. 
Aug.  15,  1877.  Rt.  Hon.  William  Henry  Smith,  M.P. 
May  13,  1880.  Thomas  George,  1st  Earl  of  Northbrook,  G.C.S.I. 
July     2,  1885.  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  George  Francis  Hamilton,  M.P. 
Feb.  16,  1886.  George  Frederick  Samuel,  1st  Marquess  of  Ripon,  G.C.S.I. 
Aug.    6,  1886.  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  George  Francis  Hamilton,  M.P. 
Aug.  23,  1892.  John  Poyntz,  5th  Earl  Spencer,  K.G. 
July    4,  1895.  Rt.  Hon.  George  Joachim  Goschen,  M.P. 
Nov.         1900.  William  Waldegrave,  2nd  Earl  of  Selborne. 

SECRETARIES  OF  THE  ADMIRALTY. 

June  29,  1869.  Vernon  Lushington,  Q.C. 


FIRST  SECRETARY. 

Ralph     Bernal     Osborne, 

M.P. 
Mar.     9,  1858.  Rt.  Hon.  Henry  Thomas 

Lowry  Corry,  M.P. 
June  30,  1859.  Lord    Clarence     Edward 

Paget,   C.B.,  M.P.,   R.- 

Adm.  (V.-Adm.  1865). 
Apr.  30,  1866.  Hon.      Thomas      George 

Baring,      M.P.      (Lord 

Northbrook,  1866). 
July  16,  1866.  Lord      Henry       Charles 

George  Gordon-Lennox, 

M.P. 
Dec.  18,  1868.  William  Edward  Baxter, 

M.P. 

(  Title  changed  to  that  of  Parliamentary 
Secretary,  1870.) 


May 


SECOND  SECRETARY. 

Thomas  Phinn. 

7,  1857.  William  Govett  Romaine, 
C.B. 


(Title  changed  to  that  of  Permanent 
Secretary,  1870.) 

PARLIAMENTARY  SECRETARY. 

Mar.  17,  1870.  George       John       Shaw- 

Lefevre,  M.P. 
July  12,  1870.  William  Edward  Baxter, 

M.P. 
Mar.     6,  1874.  Hon.     Algernon     Fulke 

Egerton,  M.P. 
May  15,  1880.  Rt.    Hon.    George    John 

Shaw-Lefevre,  M.P. 
Dec.     1,  1880.  George    Otto    Trevelyan, 

M.P. 
May  13,  1882.  Henry  Campbell-Banner- 

man,  M.P. 
Nov.  20,  1884.  Sir      Thomas      Brassey, 

K.C.B.,  M.P.  [M.P. 
July  3,  1885.  Charles  Thomson  Ritchie, 
Feb.  16,  1886.  Rt.  Hon.  John  Tomlinson 

Hibbert,  M.P.  [M.P. 
Aug.  6,  1886.  Arthur  Bower  Forwood, 


1  For  convenience  of  reference,  the  names  of  the  Prime  Ministers  from  1857  to  the 
end  of  1900,  with  the  dates  of  their  accession  to  office,  are  appended :  Feb.  10,  1855, 
Lord  Palmerston ;  Feb.  25,  1858,  Earl  of  Derby ;  June  18,  1859,  Lord  Palmerston ; 
Nov.  6,  1865,  Earl  Russell ;  July  6,  1866,  Earl  of  Derby ;  Feb.  27,  1868,  Mr.  Disraeli ; 
Dec.  9,  1868,  Mr.  Gladstone ;  Feb.  21,  1874,  Mr.  Disraeli  (Earl  of  Beaconsfield,  1876)  ; 
Apr.  28,  1880,  Mr.  Gladstone;  June  24,  1885,  Marquess  of  Salisbury;  Feb.  6,  1886, 
Mr.  Gladstone;  Aug.  3,  1886,  Marquess  of  Salisbury;  Aug.  18,  1892,  Mr.  Gladstone; 
Mar,  3,  1894,  Earl  of  Rosebery  ;  July  2,  1895,  Marquess  of  Salisbury  (again  1900). 


ADMIRALTY   OFFICIALS. 


3 


Aug.  24,  1892.  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Ughtred 
James  Kay  -  Shuttle- 
worth,  Bart.,  M.P. 

July  4,  1895.  William  Grey  Ellison- 
Macartney,  M.P. 

Nov.  1900.  Hugh  Oakeley  Arnold- 
Forster,  M.P. 

PERMANENT  SECRETARY. 

( This  office  was  established  in  1870,  and 
abolished  on  Nov.  1,  1877.  It  was 
re-established  in  1882,  upon  the  aboli- 
tion of  the  office  of  Naval  Secretary.) 

July  12,  1870.  Vernon  Lushington,  Q.C. 
(till  Nov.  1877). 

{Office  temporarily  abolished,  and  duty 

done  by  the  Naval  Secretary.) 
May     8,  1882.  Robert     George     Crook- 
shank  Hamilton. 

May  15,  1882.  Robert    Hall    (3),    C.B., 
retd.    v.-adm.,    (actg.), 
(died  June  11,  1882). 
June  13,  1882.  George  Tryon,  C.B.,  Capt., 

R.N.  (actg.). 
May     3,  1883.  George  Tryon,  O.B.,  Capt., 

R.N. 

Apr.  2,  1884.  Evan  Macgregor,  C.B. 
(K.C.B.,  1892). 

NAVAL  SECRETARY. 

May  8,  1872.  Robert  Hall  (3),  C.B., 
Capt.,  R.N.  (later  retd. 
r.-adm.  and  v.-adm.) 

(This  office  was  abolished,  May  8,  1882.) 

SURVEYOR  OF  THE  NAVY. 

Sir  Baldwin  Wake  Walker 
(1),  Bart.,  K.C.B.,  Capt., 
R.N.  (R.-Adm.  1858). 

(This  office  became  in  1860  that  of 
Controller.) 

CONTROLLER  OF  THE  NAVY. 

1860.  Sir  Baldwin  Wake  Walker 
(1),  Bart.,  K.C.B.,  R.- 
Adm. 


Feb.  7,  1861.  Robert  Spencer  Robinson,1 
R.-Adm.(V.-Adm.l866, 
K.C.B.  1868). 

Feb.  14,  1871.  Robert  Hall  (3),1  C.B., 
Capt.,  R.N. 

Apr.  29,  1872.  William  Houston  Stewart, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm.  (V.-Adm. 
1876 ;  K.C.B.  1877 : 
Adm.  1881). 

Dec.  1,  1881.  Thomas  Brandreth,  R.- 
Adm.1  (V.-Adm.  1884). 

Nov.  28,  1885.  William  Graham,  C.B., 
V.-Adm.1  (K.  C.  B., 
1887). 

Aug.  6,  1888.  John  Ommanney  Hop- 
kins, R.-Adm.1  (V.- 
Adm.  1891). 

Feb.  2,  1892.  John  Arbuthnot  Fisher, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm.1  (K.C.B., 
1894  :  V.-Adm.  1896). 

Aug.  24,  1897.  Arthur  Knyvet  Wilson, 
C.B.,  V.C.,  R.-Adm.» 

(!  From  Jan.  14,  1869,  to  Mar.  19,  1872, 
and  again  from  April  18th,  1882,  to 
the  end  of  the  century,  the  Controller 
was  a  Lord  of  the  Admiralty.) 


CONTROLLER  OF  THE  VICTUALLING. 

Thomas  T.  Grant,  F.R.S.2 
May  10,  1858.  Charles  Richards,  Paym., 
R.N.2 

(This  title  was  changed  in  1870  to  that  of 
Superintendent  of  Victualling  Stores.) 


SUPERINTENDENT  OF  VICTUALLING 
STORES. 

Apr.     1,  1870.  Samuel  Sayer  Lewes. 

(This  title  was  changed  in  1878  to  that 
of  Director  of  Victualling. ) 

DIRECTOR  OF  VICTUALLING. 

Aug.  12,  1878.  Samuel  Sayer  Lewes  (Kt. 

1886). 
Feb.     1,  1886.  Henry    Francis   Redhead 

Torke  (late  R.N.),  (C.B. 

1897). 

(2  Also,  from  1857  to  1862,  Controller  of 
the  Transport  Service.) 

B   2 


CIVIL   HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


DIRECTOR  OF  TRANSPORTS  AND 
PRISONERS  OF  WAR. 

Feb.  21,  1855.  William  Drew. 

(In  1857  the  duties  of  this  office  were 
added  to  those  of  the  Controller  of 
the  Victualling ;  but  the  services  were 
again  separated  in  1862.) 


DIRECTOR  OF  TRANSPORTS. 

Apr.  30,  1862.  William  Robert  Mends, 
C.B.,  Capt.  R.N.  (retd. 
r.-adm.  1868;  K.C.B.; 
retd.  v.-adm.  1874 ; 
retd.  ad.,  1879 ;  G.C.B. 
1882). 

Apr.  1,  1883.  Sir  Francis  William  Sulli- 
van, K.C.B.,  C.M.G., 
B.  -  Adm.  (V.  -  Adm. 
1885). 

Aag.  20,  1888.  Harry  Woodfall  Brent, 
Capt.,  R.N.  (retd.  1889  ; 
retd.  r.-adm.  1890). 

Aug.  20,  1896.  Bouverie  Francis  Clark, 
Capt.,  R.N.  (retd.  1897  ; 
retd.  r.-adm.,  1899.) 


STOREKEEPER-GENERAL. 

Hon.  Robert  Dundas. 

(Title  changed  in  1869  to  that  of 
Superintendent  of  Stores.) 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  STORES. 

Apr.  13,  1869.  Nelson  Girdlestone. 
Jan.   23,  1872.  Coghlan  McLean  Hardy. 

(Title  changed  in  1876  to  that  of 
Director  of  Stores.) 

DIRECTOR  OF  STORES. 

1876.  Coghlan  McLean  Hardy. 
Apr.     1,  1889.  William     George     Front 

Gilbert. 
Apr.     1,  1895.  Gordon  William  Miller. 


HYDROGRAPHER. 

John  Washington,  Capt., 

R.N. 
Sept.  19,  1863.  George    Henry   Richards, 

Capt.,    R.N.    (R.-Adm. 

1870 ;  C.B.  1871 ;  retd. 

r.-adm.,  Jan.  19,  3874). 
Feb.     3,  1874.  Frederick  John  0.  Evans, 

C.B.,   retd.  capt.,    H.N. 

(later  K.C.B.) 
Aug.    1,  1884.  William     James     Lloyd 

Wharton,    Capt,,    R.N. 

(retd.  1891 ;  retd.  r.-adm. 

1895;  C.B.  1895  ;K.C.B., 

1897). 


CHIEF  CONSTRUCTOR. 

Isaac  Watts  (C.B.  1862). 
July     9,1863.  Edward  James  Reed  (C.B., 
1868,  K.C.B.,  1880). 

Resigned  July  8,  1870, 
whereupon  the  office  was 
left  open  until 

Aug.  17,  1872.  Nathaniel  Barnaby  (C.B., 
1876 ;  K.C.B.,  1885.) 

(Title  changed  in  1875  to  that  of  Director 
of  Naval  Construction.) 


DIRECTOR  OF  NAVAL  CONSTRUCTION. 

1875.  Nathaniel  Barnaby. 
Oct.      1,  1885.  William  Henry  White. 

(Title  of  Assistant  Controller  added 
Dec.  17,  1885.) 


ASSISTANT  CONTROLLER  AND  DIRECTOR 
OF  NAVAL  CONSTRUCTION. 

Dec.  17, 1885.  William  Henry  White 
(C.B.  1891 ;  K.C.B. 
1895). 

CHIEF  ENGINEER  AND  INSPECTOR  OF 
STEAM  MACHINERY. 

Thomas  Lloyd. 
(Title  abolished,  Feb.  4,  1869.) 


ADMIRALTY   OFFICIALS. 


SURVEYOR  OP  FACTORIES  AND  WORK- 
SHOPS AND  CONSULTING  ENGINEER. 

Jan.   19,  1869.  Andrew  Murray. 

(Title  abolished,  Feb.  24,  1870.) 

ENGINEER- ASSISTANT. 
Oct.    20,  1860.  James  Wright. 

(  Title  changed  in  1872  to  that  of  Engineer- 
in-Chief.) 


ENOINEER-IN-CHIEF. 


(C.B. 


Aug.  17,  1872.  James      Wright 

1880). 
May     1,  1887.  Richard  Sennett,  Insp.  of 

Mach.,  R.N. 
May     6,  1889.  Albert     John     Durston, 

Insp.    of    Mach.,    R.N. 

(Chf.    Insp.    of    Mach. 

1893;  C.B.  1895;  K.C.B. 

1897). 


ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL  OF  THE  NAVY. 

Sir  Richard  Madox  Brom- 
ley, K.C.B. 

Apr.     1,  1863.  James  Beeby. 

Oct.  31,  1872.  Henry  William  Routledge 
Walker. 

June  1,  1878.  Robert  George  Crook- 
shank  Hamilton. 

May     8,1882.  William  Willis  (Kt.  1885). 

June  1,  1885.  Sir  Gerald  Fitzgerald, 
K.C.M.G. 

Dec.  1,  1896.  Richard  Davis  Awdry, 
C.B. 


DIRECTOK-GENEKAL  OF  THE  MEDICAL 
DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  NAVY. 

Sir  John   Liddell,   M.D., 

F.R.S.,  R.N. 
Jan.  21,  1864.  Alexander  Bryson,   C.B., 

M.D.,  R.N. 
Apr.  15,  1869.  Alexander        Armstrong, 

M.D.,     R.N.      (K.C.B. 

1874). 


Feb.     1,  1880.  John   Watt  Reid,   M.D., 

R.N.  (K.C.B.  1882). 
Feb.   27,  1888.  James     Nicholas    Dick, 

C.B.,      R.N.      (K.C.B. 

1895). 
Apr.     1,  1898.  Sir  Henry  Frederick  Nor- 

bury,      M.D.,     K.C.B., 

R.N. 

COMPTROLLEU-GENERAL  OF  THE 
COAST  GUARD. 

Charles  Eden,  Commodore. 
Aug.    3,  1859.  Hastings  Reginald  Yelver- 

ton,  C.B.,  Commodore. 
Apr.  27,  1863.  Alfred    Phillipps    Ryder, 

Commodore. 
Apr.     9,  1866.  John     Walter    Tarleton, 

C.B.  (R.-Adm.  1868). 

(This  office  was  abolished  in  1869.) 


ADMIRAL  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  NAVAL 
RESERVES. 

Jan.  1,1875.  Sir  John  Walter  Tarleton, 
K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Nov.  13,  1876.  Augustus  Phillimore,  R.- 
Adm.  (V.-Adm.  1879). 

Nov.  21,  1879.  H.R.H.  Alfred  Ernest 
Albert,  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, K.G.,  etc.,  R  - 
Adm. 

Nov.  23,  1882.  Sir  Anthony  Hiley  Hos- 
kins,  K.C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
(V.-Adm.  1885). 

Sept.  6,  1885.  John  Kennedy  Erskine 
Baird,  R.-Adm.  (V.- 
Adm.  1886). 

Apr.  17,  1888.  Sir  George  Tryon,  K.C.B., 
R.  -  Adm.  (V.  -  Adm. 
1889). 

Apr.  21,  1891.  Robert  O'Brien  FitzRoy, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Apr.  25,  1894.  Edward  Hobart  Seymour, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm.  (V.-Adm. 
1895). 

May  10,  1897.  Compton  Edward  Dom- 
vile,  V.-Adm.  (K.C.B. 
1898). 

May  21,  1900.  Sir  Gerard  Henry  Uctred 
Noel,  K.C.M.G.,  R.- 
Adm. 


6 


CIVIL   HISTOSY   OF  THE  BOYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 


DIHECTOB  OF  NAVAL  INTELLIGENCE. 

Feb.     1,  1887.  William      Henry     Hall, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.     1,  1889.  Cyprian    Arthur    George 

Bridge,     Capt.,      R.N. 

(R.-Adm.  1892). 
Sept.    1,  1894.  Lewis  Anthony  Beaumont, 

Capt.,    R.N.    (E.-Adm. 

1897). 
Mar.  20,  1899.  Reginald  Neville  Custance, 

C.M.G.,      Capt.,     R.N. 

(R.-Adm.  1899). 


SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  H.M.  DOCKYARDS. 
Chatham. 

George    Goldsmith,   C.B., 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Apr.     1,  1861.  Edward      Gennys     Fan- 

shawe,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Nov.  19,  1863.  William  Houston  Stewart, 

C.B.,  Capt,  K.N. 

Dec.  1,1868.  William  Charles  Chamber- 
lain, Capt.,  R.N. 

Jan.  19,  1874.  Charles  Fellowes,  C.B., 
Capt.,  R.N.  (R.-Adm. 
1876). 

Feb.  3,  1879.  Thomas  Brandreth,  R.- 
Adm. 

Dec.     1,  1881.  Georges   WilleR   Watson, 
R.  -  Adm.       (V.  -  Adm. 
1886). 
May     1,1886.  William  Codrington,  C.B., 

R.-Adm. 

Nov.     1,  1887.  Edward  Kelly,  R.-Adm. 
Jan.   25,  1892.  George     Digby     Morant, 
R.  -  Adm.      (V.  -  Adm. 
1895). 
Sept.    2,  1895.  Hilary   Gustavus  Andoe, 

C.B.,  B.-Adm. 

Sept.  2,  1899.  Swinton  Colthurst  Hol- 
land, R.-Adm. 

Portsmouth. 

William  Fanshawe  Martin, 
R.-Adm. 

Feb.  25,  1858.  Hon.  George  Grey  (2) 
R.-Adm. 

Feb.  19,  1863.  George  Elliot  (4),  R.- 
Adm. 


July  1,  1865.  George  Greville  Wellesley, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

July  1, 1869.  Astley  Cooper  Key,  C.B., 
R.-Adm. 

Nov.  20,  1871.  William  Houston  Stewart, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Apr.  29,  1872.  Sir  Francis  Leopold 
M'Clintock,  R.-Adm. 

Apr.  30,  1877.  Hon.  Fitzgerald  Algernon 
Charles  Foley,  R-.Adm. 
(V.-Adm.  1881). 

May  1,  1882.  John  Dobree  M'Crea,  R.- 
Adm. 

Apr.  6,  1883.  Frederick  Anstruther  Her- 
bert, R.-Adm. 

Nov.  1,  1886.  John  Ommanney  Hopkins, 
R.-Adm. 

Aug.  6,  1888.  William  Elrington  Gordon, 
R.-Adm. 

May  21,  1891.  John  Arbuthnot  Fisher, 
C.B.,  B.-Adm. 

Feb.  1,  1892.  Charles  George  Fane,  R.- 
Adm. 

Feb.  1,  1896.  Ernest  Rice,  R.-Adm.  (V.- 
Adm.  1899). 

Sept.    1,  1899.  Pelham  Aldrich,  R.-Adm. 


Feb.  19,1855. 
Dec.  9,  1857. 
Nov.  28,  1862. 
May  9, 1866. 
July  13, 1870. 
Nov.  22,  1871. 
Aug.  12,  1875. 
May  1,  1876. 
Feb.  1, 1879. 
Feb.  23,  1880. 
Feb.  23,1885. 
July  10,  1885. 


Devonport. 

Sir  James  Hanway  Plum- 
ridge,  K.C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
Sir  Thomas  Sabine  Pasley, 

Bart.,  R.-Adm. 
Thomas  Matthew  Charles 

Symonds,  C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
Hon.  James  Robert  Drum- 

mond,  C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
William  Houston  Stewart, 

C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
Sir   William   King   Hall, 

K.C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
William    Charles   Cham- 
berlain, R.-Adm. 
George  Ommanney  Willes, 

C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
Charles     Webley     Hope, 

R.-Adm. 
Charles    Thomas   Curme, 

R.-Adm. 
John    Crawford    Wilson, 

B.-Adm.  (died). 
Henry     Duncan     Grant, 

C.B.,  R.-Adm.  (V.-Adm. 

1888). 


SUPERINTENDENTS   OF  DOCKYARDS. 


Aug.  1,  1888.  Sir  Walter  James  Hunt- 
Grubbe,  K.C.B.,  R.- 
Adm.  (V.-Adm.  1890). 

Aug.  4,  1891.  Sir  Robert  Henry  More- 
Molyneux,  K.C.B.,  R.- 
Adm.  (V.-Adm.  1894). 

Aug.  7,  1894.  Edmund  John  Church, 
R.-Adm. 

Nov.  3,  1896.  Henry  John  Carr,  R.- 
Adm. 

July  7,  1899.  Thomas  Sturges  Jackson, 
R.-Adm. 


Woolwich  ("  Commod.  in  Charge"). 

(Dec.31,  1853.)  John  Shepherd  (2),  Com- 
mod. 2nd  Cl. 

Dec.  20,  1858.  Hon.  James  Robert  Drum- 
mond,  Commod.,  2nd  Cl. 

June  29,  1861.  Sir  Frederick  William 
Erskine  Nicholson,  Bart., 
Commod.,  2nd  Cl. 

Jan.  1,  1864.  Hugh  Dunlop,  C.B.,  Corn- 
mod.,  2nd  Cl. 

Apr.  9,  1866.  WilliamEdmonstone.C.B., 
Commod.,  2nd  Cl. 

(Dockyard  dosed  1869.) 


Deptford. 

Horatio  Thomas    Austin, 

C.B.,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Dec.   12,  1857.  Claude      Heury      Mason 

Buckle,     C.B.,     Capt., 

R.N. 

Feb.     9,  1863.  Heury  Chads,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Apr.  10,  1866.  Arthur     Parry     Eardley 

Wilmot,     C.B.,     Capt., 

R.N. 

(Dockyard  closed,  1869.) 


Shcerness. 

John  Jervis  Tucker,  Capt., 

R.N. 
Sept.  23,  1857.  John  Coghlan  Fitzgerald, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
June    9,  1859.  Rundle    Surges    Watson, 

C.B.,  Capt.,  R.N. 


July    3,  1860.  Charles  Wise,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Apr.  27, 1865.  William  King  Hall,  C.B., 

Capt.,  R.N. 

Apr.     1,  1869.  Hon.    Arthur    Auckland 
Leopold     Pedro    Coch- 
rane,  C.B.,  Capt.,  R.N. 
May  25,  1870.  William  Garnham  Luard, 

C.B.,  Capt.,  R.N. 

Jan.     9,  1875.  Hon.  Fitzgerald  Algernon 
Charles     Foley,    Capt., 
R.N. 
Jan.     9,  1877.  Thomas  Brandreth,  Capt., 

R.N. 
Jan.     4,  1879.  Theodore    Morton   Jones, 

Capt.  R.N. 
Jan.     1,  1883.  John  Ommanney  Hopkins, 

Capt.,  H.N. 
Apr.     6,1883.  William  Codrington,  C.B.. 

Capt.,  R.N. 

July  17,  1885.  Henry  Frederick  Nichol- 
son, C.B.,  Capt..  R.N. 
July     1,  1886.  Sir  Robert   Henry  More- 
Molyneux,  K.C.B.,  Capt., 
R.N. 
June    1,1888.  Charles  George  Fane,  Capt., 

R.N. 
Aug.    6,  1890.  Richard  Duckworth  King, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.   25,  1892.  Armand  Temple  Powlett, 

Capt.  R.N. 
Jan.     1,  1894.    John     Fellowes,     C.B., 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.   15,  1895.  John  Coke  Burnell,  Capt., 

R.N. 

Jan.  11,  1898.  Andrew  Kennedy  Bick- 
ford,  C.M.G.,  Capt., 
R.N. 

June  28,  1899.  Reginald  Friend  Hannam 
Henderson,  C.B.,  Capt., 
R.N. 


Pembroke. 

(May  22,  1854.)  Robert      Smart,      K.H., 

Capt.,  R.N. 
July  27,  1857.  George  Ramsay,  C.B., 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Sept.  1,  1862.  William  Loring,  C.B., 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Mar.  21,  1866.  Robert  Hall  (3),  C.B., 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Mar.  22,1871.  William  Army  tage,  Capt. , 

R.N. 


8 


CIVIL   HISTORY   OF  THE  110 YAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 


Jan.   22,  1872.  Richard  William  Courte- 

nay,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Mar.  15,  1875.  Richard  Vesey  Hamilton, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Oct.    16,  1877.  George     Henry     Parkin, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
(let.    15,  1882.  Alfred     John     ChatHeld, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.     1,  1886.  Edward      Kelly,      Capt., 

R.N. 
June  22,  1887.  George     Digby    Morant, 

Capt.,  R.N. 

Jan.     7,  1889.  Samuel  Long,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Aug.  28,  1891.  Walter     Stewart,     Capt., 

R.N. 
Jan.      1,  1893.  Charles    Cooper    Penrose 

FitzGerald,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Mar.  21,  1895.  Charles     John     Balfour, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Oct.     4,  1896.  Burges     Watson,     Capt., 

R.N. 
Oct.     2,  1899.  Charles     James     Barlow, 

D.S.O.,  Capt.,  R.N. 

(In  1895  Capt.  William  Henry  Hall,  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  Capt.  FitzGerald, 
died  be/ore  he  assumed  office."). 


Gibraltar  ("  N.O.  in  Charge  "). 

Apr.  14,  1862.  Erasmus          Ommanney, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.     1,  1865.  James     Charles    Prevost, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Feb.     1,  1870.  Augustus          Phillimore, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.     1,  1874.  John      Dobree      M'Crea, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.   16,  1878.  William     Henry     Edye, 

Capt,  R.N. 
Jan.   10,  1881.  Hon.     Edmund     Robert 

Fremantle,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Dec.   27,  1883.  John    Child    Purvis  (2), 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Dec.   15,  1886.  Henry  Craven  St.  John, 


Sept.    3,  1889.  Claude    Edward    Buckle, 
Capt.,  R.N. 


Jan.     7,  1892.  Atwell  Peregrine  Macleod 

Lake,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.   20,  1895.  John     Andrew     Thomas 

Bruce,  Capt.,  R.N. 
Jan.   20,  1898.  Charles     Carter     Drury, 

Capt.,  R.N. 
Sept.    1,  1899.  William    Harvey   Pigott, 

Capt.,  R.N. 

Malta. 

Hon.  Sir  Montagu  Stop- 
ford,  K.C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

July  27,  1858.  Henry  John  Codrington, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Apr.  6,  1863.  Horatio  Thomas  Austin, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Nov.  26,  1864.  Henry  Kellett,  C.B.,  R.- 
Adm. 

May  25,  1868.  Edward  Gennys  Fan- 
shawe,  R.-Adm. 

June  6,  1870.  Astley  Cooper  Key,  C.B., 
R.-Adm. 

Aug.  8,  1872.  Sir  Edward  Augustus 
Inglefield,  Kt.,  C.B.,  R.- 
Adm. 

Dec.  22,  1875.  Edward  Bridges  Rice,  R.- 
Adm. 

May  30,  1876.  William  Garnham  Luard, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm  (temp.). 

Apr.  13,  1878.  William  Garnham  Luard, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

July  18,  1879.  John  Dobree  M'Crea,  R.- 
Adm. 

Mar.  24,  1882.  William  Graham,  C.B., 
R,-Adm. 

Mar.  25,1885.  Hon.  William  John  Ward, 
R.-Adm. 

May  4,  1887.  Robert  Gordon  Douglas, 
R,-Adm. 

Jan.  10, 1889.  Alexander  Buller,  R.- 
Adm. 

Jan.  12, 1892.  Richard  Edward  Tracey, 
R.-Adm. 

Jan.  20,1894.  Richard  Duckworth  King, 
R.-Adm. 

Feb.  1,  1897.  Rodney  Maclaine  Lloyd, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Feb.     1,  1900.  Burges  Watson,  R.-Adm. 


Some  of  the  changes  in  the  administrative  methods  of  the 
Admiralty  may  be  traced  in  the  foregoing.  Under  the  rule  of 
Mr.  Childers  it  was  felt  that  the  position  of  the  Controller,  who 


REORGANISATION   OF  THE  ADMIRALTY. 


had  not  then  a  seat  at  the  Board,  was  anomalous  and  unsatisfactory  ; 
and,  by  an  Order  in  Council  of  January  14th,  1869,  the  Board  was 
accordingly  reconstructed,  as  follows  : — 


THE  OLD  BOARD. 
The  First  Lord. 
Four  Naval  Lords. 
The  Civil  Lord. 

The  First,  or  Parliamentary  Secretary. 
The  Second,  or  Permanent  Secretary. 


THE  NEW  BOARD. 

The  First  Lord. 
The  First  Naval  Lord. 
The  Third  Lord  and  Controller. 
The  Junior  Naval  Lord. 
The  Civil  Lord. 
The  Parliamentary  Secretary. 
-  The  Permanent  Secretary. 


X 


BT.    HON.   GEORGE   JOACHIM,    FIRST   VISCOUST   GOSCHEN ;     FIRST   LORD   OF 

THE    ADMIRALTY,    1871-74,   1895-1900. 
(From  a  photograph  by  the  London  Stereoscopic  Company.'} 

The  Order,  however,  besides  effecting  this  reconstruction,  re- 
stricted each  Lord  to  the  peculiar  business  assigned  to  him,  and  so 
rendered  meetings  of  the  Board  almost  unnecessary.  An  embarrass- 
ment of  affairs  resulted.  It  was  sought  to  reduce  this  by  creating 


10 


CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 


temporarily  a  "  Chief  of  the  Staff,"  by  establishing  the  Contract  and 
Purchase  Department,  and  by  transferring  the  offices  of  the  Civil 
Departments  from  Somerset  House  to  Whitehall  and  Spring 


SIR    EDWARD   JAMES   REED,    K.C.B.,    F.R.S.,    CHIEF   CONSTRUCTOR   OF 
THE   NAVY,    1863-1870. 

Gardens.  Under  Mr.  Goschen,  a  new  Order  in  Council,  of 
March  19th,  1872,  made  all  the  Lords  directly  responsible  to  the 
First  Lord,  appointed  a  Second  Naval  Lord,  deprived  the  Con- 
troller of  his  seat,  and  added  to  the  Board  a  Third,  or  Naval 
Secretary.  But  under  Lord  Northbrook,  by  Order  in  Council  of 
March  10th,  1882,  the  Naval  Secretary  disappeared,  the  Permanent 
Secretary  was  revived,  the  Controller  resumed  his  seat  at  the  Board, 
and  a  non-parliamentary  Civil  Lord  was  given  him  as  his  assistant. 
This  non-parliamentary  Civil  Lord l  disappeared  in  1885  ;  and,  at 
about  the  same  time,  the  Accountant-General  of  the  Navy  was 


SIR   NATHANIEL    BARNABY,    K.C.B.,   CHIEF   CONSTRUCTOR   OF    THE    NAVY. 

ordered  to  act  as  deputy  and  assistant  to  the  Parliamentary  and 
Financial  Secretary.2  The  Board  as  thereafter  constituted  con- 
sisted of : — 

The  First  Lord  (salary  £4500,  with  house). 

The  First  Sea  Lord  (salary  £1500,  with  house,  and  naval  pay). 

The  Second  Sea  Lord  (salary  £1200,  with  naval  pay). 

The  Third  Lord  and  Controller  (salary  £1700,  with  naval  pay). 

The  Junior  Sea  Lord  (salary  £1200). 

The  Civil  Lord  (salary  £1000). 

The  Parliamentary  and  Financial  Secretary  (salary  £2000). 

The  Permanent  Secretary  (salary  £2000). 


1  Mr.  George  Wightwick  Eendel. 


0.  in  C.  of  Nov.  18,  1885. 


CONSTITUTION   OF   THE  ADMIRALTY. 


11 


The  manner  in  which  the  business  of  the  Board  is  divided,  and 
the  relationship  of  the  various  Lords  and  the  Parliamentary  Secre- 
tary to  the  subsidiary  departments,  is  shown  in  the  following  table, 
which  is  adapted  from  Admiral  Sir  E.  Vesey  Hamilton's  useful 
volume  on  '  Naval  Administration '  (1896)  : — 


PARLIA- 
MENTARY 

AND 

FINANCIAL 
SECRETARY. 


Accountant-General. 

Director  of  Contracts  (who  is  also  under  the 

particular    Lord    of   the  department    for 

which  purchases  are  made). 
All  Departments  (for  questions  of  finance). 


Finance. 


- 

f 

THIRD  LORD  | 
AND  Cox-  *j 

TROLLEK. 
I 

J 

FIRST 
LORD. 

JUNIOR  SEA 
LORD        ' 

SECOND  SEA 
LORD. 

[ 

FIRST  SEA 
LORD. 

Works 
and  Civil 
Personnel. 


Material  of 
the  Fleet'. 


I  Director  of  Works. 

CIVIL        I  Accountant-General    (for    special    questions 
LORD.       j      affecting  pay  and  allowances). 

I  Director  of  Greenwich  Hospital. 

Director  of  Naval  Construction. 
Director  of  Dockyards. 
Engineer-in-Chief  (for  material). 
Director  of  Naval  Ordnance  (for  material). 
Director  of  Stores  (except  for  coals). 
Expense  Accounts  Branch. 

Director  of  Transports. 

Director-General  of  the  Medical  Department. 

Director  of  Victualling. 

Director  of  Stores  (for  coals). 

Accountant-General  (for  allowances,  table- 
money,  etc.). 

Chaplain  of  the  Fleet  (for  chaplains  and 
naval  instructors). 

Intelligence  Department  (for  mobilization 
business  affecting  the  above). 

Adm.-Supt.  of  Naval  Reserves  (for  personnel). 
Engineer-in-Chief  (for  personnel). 
Chaplain  of  the  Fleet  (for  naval  schools). 
Manning  the  Navy. 
Intelligence  Department  (for  mobilisation  of 

the  Fleet). 
D.A.G.,  Royal  Marines. 

I  Adm.-Supt.  of  Naval  Reserves  (for  ships). 
Hydrographer. 
Director   of    Naval   Ordnance   (for    training 

establishments  for  gunnery  and  torpedo). 
Intelligence  Department. 
Discipline. 

The  business  of  the  Permanent  Secretary  is  to  superintend  all 
correspondence  in  the  name  of  the  Board  ;  to  prevent  independent 
action  by  any  department ;  to  provide  for  the  transmission  and 
execution  of  orders ;  and  to  keep  unbroken  the  administrative 
machinery  of  the  Admiralty. 

The  sums  voted  for  the  service  of  the  Navy,  and  the  numbers  of 
seamen  and  Eoyal  Marines  authorised  to  be  borne  each  from  1856-57 
to  1900-01  inclusive  were  : — 


Naval 

personnel 
organisation  ; 

condition  ; 
mobilisation  ; 
stores ;  coals ; 

education ; 

manning ; 

surveying ; 
iline. 


12 


CIVIL   HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


Financial 
Year.i 

Total  Naval 
Supplies  Granted. 

Seamen  and  Boys             **£. 
Voted. 

Total  Numbers 
Voted. 

Total  Numbers 
Actually 
Borne. 

£ 

1856 

16,568,614 

/60,000  (3  mos.)\ 
\40,000  (9  mos.)/ 

16,000 

/  76,  000  (3  mos.)\ 
\56,000(9  mos.)/ 

60,659 

1857 

q  ofio  o40  J  38,  700  (3  mos.)\ 
J,  962,  84)   |40)700(9  mosj) 

15,000 

|53,700(3  mos/n      54  991 
\  55,  700  (9  mos.)/      °*'*vl 

1858  2 

9,878,859  :          44,380 

15,000 

59,380 

1859 

11,775,718             47,400          \  15,000 

62,400 

1860 

11,836,100 

66,100             18,000 

84,100 

1861 

12,640,588 

59,000             18,000 

77,000 

1862 

11,794,305 

56,850 

18,000 

74,850 

1863 

10,736,032 

57,000 

18,000 

75,000 

1864 

10,708,651 

53,000 

18,000 

71,000 

1865 

10,392,224 

52,000 

17,000 

69,000 

1866 

10,434,735 

51,450 

16,400 

67,850 

1867 

10,978,253 

52,912 

16,400 

69,312 

1868 

11,157,290 

52,070 

14,700 

66,770 

1869 

9,996,641 

49,000 

14,000 

63,000 

1870 

9,370,530 

47,000 

14,000 

61,000 

1871 

9,789,956 

47,000 

14,000 

61,000 

1872 

9,532,149 

47,000 

14,000 

61,000 

1873 

9,899,725 

46,000 

14,000 

60,000 

1874 

10,440,105 

46,000             14,000 

60,000 

1875 

10,825,194 

46,000          !  14,000 

60,000 

1876 

11,288,872 

46,000             14,000 

60,000 

1877 

10,971,829 

46,000 

14,000 

60,000 

1878 

12,129,901 

46,000 

14,000 

60,000 

1879 

10,586,894 

45,800 

13,000 

58,800 

1880 

10,566,935 

45,800 

13,000 

58,800 

1881 

10,945,919 

45,100 

13,000 

58,100 

1882 

10,483,901 

45,100             12;400 

57,500 

1883 

10,899,500 

44,850 

12,400 

57,250 

1884  8 

11,185,770 

44,550 

12,400 

56,950 

1885 

12,694,900 

45,564 

12,770 

58,334 

1886 

13,270,100             48,500 

12,900 

61,400 

1887 

12,476,800             49,600          :  12,900 

62,500 

62,072 

1888  4 

13,082,800             49,500             ]2,900 

62,400               62,600 

1889 

13,685,100             51,400             14,000 

65,400               63,598 

1890 

13,786,600             54,795 

14,005 

68,800               66,566 

1891 

14,215,100             56,995 

14,005 

71,000               68,805 

1892" 

14,240,200             59,595             14,505 

74,100               72,245 

1893" 

14,240,100             61,695             15,005 

76,700               75,207 

1894 

17,366,100 

67,895             15,505 

83,400               79,862 

1895 

18,701,000 

73,345          i  15,505 

88,850               84,569 

1896 

21,823,000 

77,745             16,005 

93,750               90,160 

1897 

22.338,000 

83,045          '  17,005 

100,050               92,322 

1898 

23,778,000 

88,583             17,807 

106,390               97,518 

1899 

26,594,500' 

92,350             18,290 

110,640 

104,239 

1900 

28,791,900 

96,290             18,590 

114,880 

112,255 

1  The  financial  year  began  on  April  1st  of  the  year  named,  and  ended  on  the  following  March  31st :  thus,  for 
1856,  read,  from  April  1st,  1856,  to  March  31st,  1857. 

2  In  1858  the  Coast  Guard  was  transferred  from  the  Customs  to  the  Admiralty. 
»  "Truth  Abont  the  Navy"  Agitation. 

<  City  Agitation,  followed  by  Naval  Defence  Act,  62  Viet.  cap.  8,  authorising  special  expenditure  of 
£10,000,000  out  of  the  Consolidated  Fund  in  the  seven  years  ending  Mar.  31,  1896,  and  of  £11,000,000  out  of  the 
Naval  Votes  for  the  five  ytars  ending  Mar.  31,  1894  :  all  for  building  purposes.  The  £10,000,000  was  in  addition 
to  the  above. 

»  Supplementary  Naval  Defence  Act  of  1893. 

«  "  Needs  of  the  Navy  "  Agitation. 

'  Of  this  a  sum  of  £863,278  was  not  e.xpeuded. 


STSENOTff  OF  THE   OFFICERS'   LIST. 


13 


During  the  changeful  and  progressive  period  under  review,  im- 
mense alterations,  as  might  be  expected,  were  made  in  the  con- 
stitution of  the  active  list  of  officers.  For  convenience  of  reference, 
the  numbers  of  officers  of  the  various  ranks,  both  active  and  retired, 
included  in  the  official  lists  for  January,  1857,  and  January,  1901, 
respectively,  are  here  given  side  by  side  : — 


— 

Jan.  1857  (complete  to                 Jan.  1901  (complete  to 
Deo.  20,  1856).                            Dec.  20,  1900). 

Active. 

Retired. 

Active. 

Retired. 

Admirals  of  the  Fleet  . 

4 

51 

Admirals   ..... 

21 

12 

10 

81 

Vice-Admirals     .... 

29 

21 

21 

42 

Rear-  Admirals    .... 

51 

188                  37 

94 

Captains    ..... 

389 

372                200 

359 

Commanders       .... 

542 

489                303 

432 

Lieutenants         .          .          .          .        1,138 

641            1,163s 

211 

Masters3    ..... 

336 

143 

57 

Mates  (later  Sub-Lieuts.) 

154 

286* 

44 

Second-Masters  5 

105 

4 

Engineer  Officers 

123 

916 

441 

Chaplains6          .... 

142 

13                118 

72 

Naval  Instructors  '       . 

51 

39 

24 

Medical  Officers  .... 

618 

387                400 

244 

Accountant  Officers     .          .          .1         447 

221                578 

256 

Royal  Marine  Officers  .          .          .            481 

344 

473 

309 

Midshipmen       ....             8                    > 

703 

Naval  Cadets      .... 

8 

8 

32 

Staff-Captains9   .... 

8 

8 

14 

Staff-Commanders  10    . 

8 

8 

22 

27 

Chief  Gunners  and  Gunners.          .              8 

8 

715 

76" 

Chief  Boatswains  and  Boatswains  . 

8 

8                   451 

101" 

Chief  Carpenters  and  Carpenters    . 

8 

^'52 

56 

Artificer  Engineers  12  . 

8 

99 

Head  Schoolmasters     . 

8 

15 

Head  Wardmasters 

8 

3 

1  Including  2  Honorary  Admirals  of  the  Fleet. 

2  including  139  Supplementary  Lieutenants. 

s  Masters  became  Navigating-Lieutenants  by  0.  in  C.  of  June  26,  1867.     No  additions  to  special  navigating 
list  after  1883. 

*  Including  1  Supplementary  Sub-Lieutenant. 

»  Second-Masters  became  Navigating-Sub-Lieutenanta  by  0.  in  C.  of  June  26,  1867. 

«  Including  the  Chaplains  who  were  also  Naval  Instructors. 

7  Naval  Instructors  only  who  were  not  also  Chaplains. 

»  These  ranks  were  either  non-existent  in  1857,  or  not  then  included  In  the  Navy  List. 

»  Bank  of  Staff-Captain  (navigating  officer)  created  July  1st,  1867. 

10  Kank  of  Staff-Commander  (navigating  officer)  created  June  llth,  1863. 

11  Some  of  these  are  Honorary  Lieutenants  under  Os.  in  C.  of  Sept.  15,  1887,  and  Aug.  19,  1889. 

12  Katik  of  Artificer  Engineer  created  Apl.  1st,  1898. 

Although  there  was  no  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  at  the  beginning  of 
1857,  the  rank  was  in  temporary  abeyance  only.  Admiral  of  the 
Fleet  Sir  Thomas  Byarn  Martin  had  died  in  October,  1854,  leaving 
Admiral  Thomas  Le  Marchant  Gosselin  at  the  head  of  the  active 
list.  Gosselin,  though  in  the  early  part  of  his  career  he  had  been 
on  full  pay  for  twenty-nine  years,  had  subsequently  been  on  half-pay 


14  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

for  no  fewer  than  forty-five  years  in  succession,  and  had  never 
hoisted  his  flag.  Moreover,  he  was  eighty-nine  years  of  age.  He 
lived,  nevertheless,  until  nearly  the  last  days  of  1857.  Not  until 
then  was  the  officer  next  on  the  list,  Admiral  Sir  Charles  Ogle, 
Bart.,  promoted.  Ogle  had  hoisted  his  flag  more  than  once;  and 
his  claim  to  promotion,  when  his  turn  came,  could  hardly  have 
been  resisted.  Nevertheless,  be  it  noted,  although  Gosselin  had  not 
been  promoted,  he  had  not  been  passed  over.  While  he  lived  he 
simply,  as  it  were,  blocked  the  way. 

For  many  years  after  1857  the  flag-officer  at  the  top  of  the  list  of 
Admirals  always  received  promotion  as  a  vacancy  occurred  ;  and  in 
1862  a  second  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  was  appointed,  a  third  being 
added  in  1863.  Three  remained  the  extreme  number  until  nearly  the 
close  of  the  century.  In  making  the  appointments,  provided  that 
the  officer  next  on  the  list  had  served  as  a  Commander-in-Chief,  or 
had  commanded  at  sea  as  a  flag-officer  for  two  years,  seniority  was 
never  ignored  until,  in  1892,  came  the  turn  of  Admiral  Algernon 
Frederick  Eous  de  Horsey,  who  had  been  Commander-in-Chief  in  the 
Pacific  for  nearly  three  years,  and,  in  addition,  had  been  senior  officer 
in  the  Channel  for  about  five  months.  On  that  occasion,  her  Majesty 
the  Queen,  exercising  her  right  of  selection,  saw  fit  to  pass  over  de 
Horsey,  and  to  promote  Sir  John  Edmund  Commerell,  whose  name 
stood  next  on  the  active  list.  Thenceforward  seniority,  subject  to  the 
provisions  above  indicated,  was  not  interfered  with,  except  in  the  case 
of  H.E.H.  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,1  until  1898,  when  Sir  Frederick 
William  Eichards 2  was  promoted  as  a  fourth  Admiral  of  the  Fleet, 
although,  at  the  time,  he  was  not  next  on  the  list,  but  third  on  it.  This 
promotion,  however,  differed  from  that  of  Commerell  in  that  it  was  an 
extra  one,  and  was  not  made  to  the  permanent  prejudice  of  any  other 
officers ;  for  when,  in  1899,  the  turn  came  of  the  officer,  Sir  Nowell 
Salmon,  who  had  all  along  stood  first  for  promotion  (assuming  an 
establishment  of  only  three  Admirals  of  the  Fleet),  he  was  promoted. 

It  may  be  noted  here  that  the  rank  of  Honorary  Admiral  of  the 
Fleet  was  first  created  in  1887  in  favour  of  his  present  Majesty, 
then  Prince  of  Wales,  on  the  occasion  of  Queen  Victoria's  Jubilee, 
and  that  his  Majesty,  William  II.,  German  Emperor,  was  honoured 
with  the  like  dignity  in  1889. 

On  July  9th,  1864,  an  Order  in  Council  discontinued  the  time- 
honoured  classification  which  had  previously  subdivided  the  various 
ranks  of  flag-officers  into  those  of  the  Eed,  the  White,  and  the  Blue 
1  0.  in  C.  of  Nov.  23,  1893.  2  0.  in  C.  of  Nov.  29,  1898. 


CHANGES  IN   OFFICERS'   BANK. 


15 


Squadrons  respectively ;  and  by  an  Admiralty  circular  of  August  5th 
following  it  was  directed  that,  for  the  future,  all  flag-officers  should 
wear  a  white  flag  with  a  red  Cross  of  St.  George  therein,  with,  in  the 
case  of  Vice- Admirals,  one  red  ball,  and,  in  the  case  of  Kear-Admirals, 
two  red  balls,  in  the  upper  part,  near  the  staff.  At  the  same  time 
it  was  ordered  that  all  Commodores  should  wear  a  white  broad- 
pennant,  with  a  red  St.  George's  Cross  therein ;  that  all  her 
Majesty's  ships  in  commission  should  fly  the  White  Ensign ;  that 
the  Blue  Ensign  should  be  borne  by  vessels  "  in  the  service  of  any 
public  office,"  and  by  ships  commanded  by  officers  of  the  Eoyal 
Naval  Keserve,1  and  having  a  fourth  part  of  the  crew  composed  of 
reserve  men  ;  and  that  the  Ked  Ensign  should  continue  to  be  flown 
by  all  other  British  vessels,  with  the  exception  of  certain  yachts, 
and  craft  authorised  to  bear  distinguishing  flags. 

An  Order  in  Council  of  June  26,  1867,  transformed  the  then 
existing  Masters  into  Navigating-Lieutenants ;  the  Second  Masters 
into  Navigating-Sub-Lieutenants ;  the  Masters'  Assistants  into 
Navigating- Midshipmen ;  and  the  Naval  Cadets,  2nd  Class,  into 
Navigating-Cadets. 

The  title  of  Sub-Lieutenant  was  substituted  for  that  of  Mate 
in  1861. 

The  commissioned  ranks  of  Chief  Gunner,  Chief  Boatswain,  and 
Chief  Carpenter  were  created  by  an  Admiralty  Circular  of  July 
25th,  1864. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  much  here  on  the  large  subject  of  naval 
retirement.  The  chief  Orders  in  Council  which  affected  it  during 
the  period  under  review  are  those  of  :— 


I860.  Aug.  1. 

1864.  July  9. 

1865.  Mar.  31. 

1866.  Feb.  23 ;  Mar.  24 ; 
Aug.  9. 

1870.  Feb.  22. 


1878.  Jan.  15. 

1879.  Nov.  29. 

1881.  Nov.  29. 

1882.  Nov.  30. 
1887.  July  12. 
1890.  Mar.  21. 


1895.  June  29 ;  July  16. 

1896.  Mar.  6. 

1897.  Feb.  26  ;  Aug.  3. 

1898.  Nov.  29. 

1900.  Jau.  29 ;  Mar.  3. 


The  Order  of  November  29th,  1898,  fixed  the  limit  of  strength  of 
the  active  list,  so  far  as  certain  ranks  were  concerned,  at : — 


Admirals  of  the  Fleet  . 
Admirals     
Vice-  Admirals  . 

3 
12 

22 

Chief  Gunners      •) 
Chief  Boatswains/  ' 
Chief  Carpenters    . 

...       100 
...         20 

Rear-  Admirals. 

43 

Gunners        ^ 

Captains      

245 
360 

Boatswains  / 

.      .      .       240 

Lieutenants      . 

.   1,550 

, 

See  also  Circ.  of  Aug.  3,  1864. 


16  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

and  made  provision  for  the  rate  at  which  the  flag-officers',  Captains', 
and  Commanders'  lists  were  to  be  increased  annually.  In  several  of 
the  ranks  at  the  end  of  the  century  (see  Table  on  p.  13)  the 
numbers  fell  far  short  of  what  they  then  should  have  been. 

Under  the  regulations  which  remained  in  force  at  the  end  of 
1900,  Admirals  of  the  Fleet  were  compulsorily  retired  at  seventy ; 
Admirals,  at  sixty-five  (or  seven  years  after  last  active  service) ; 
Vice-Admirals  at  sixty-five  (or  seven  years  after  last  active  service) ; 
Rear-Admirals  at  sixty  (or  seven  years  after  last  active  service)  ; 
Captains  at  fifty-five  (or  six  years  after  last  active  service)  ;  Com- 
manders at  fifty  (or  five  years  after  last  active  service) ;  Lieutenants 
at  forty-five  (or  four  years  after  last  active  service) ;  Chief  Inspectors 
and  Inspectors  of  Machinery  at  sixty  (or  seven  years  after  last  active 
service) ;  Fleet  Engineers,  Staff  Engineers,  and  Chief  Engineers  at 
fifty-five  (or  five  years  after  last  active  service)  ;  Engineers  at  forty- 
five  (or  five  years  after  last  active  service) ;  Assistant  Engineers  at 
forty  (or  five  years  after  last  active  service) ;  Chaplains  and  Naval 
Instructors  at  sixty ;  Inspectors-General,  and  Deputy  Inspectors- 
General  of  Hospitals  at  sixty ;  Fleet  Surgeons,  Staff  Surgeons,  and 
Surgeons  at  fifty-five  ;  and  Fleet  Paymasters,  Staff  Paymasters  and 
Paymasters  at  sixty. 

All  things  considered,  the  pay  of  naval  officers  underwent  singu- 
larly little  alteration  during  the  period.  The  good  executive  officer 
of  1857  was,  relatively  speaking,  little  more  scientific  than  his 
predecessor  of  1805.  It  was  not  necessary  that  he  should  know 
much  about  steam ;  the  gunnery  requirements  of  the  day  were 
simple ;  and  hydraulics,  electricity,  Morse  signalling,  and  torpedoes 
were  unknown  in  the  service.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  required 
of  the  good  executive  officer  of  1900  that  he  should  be  not  only  a 
seaman  and  a  gunner,  but  also  something  of  an  engineer,  something 
of  a  physicist,  something  of  a  chemist,  and  much  more.  Yet  his 
emoluments  were  hardly  increased  in  proportion.  Still  more 
modestly  were  the  emoluments  of  the  Accountant  branch  added  to. 
The  most  notable  advances  were  in  the  pay  of  officers  of  the  purely 
and  avowedly  scientific  branches,  the  engineering  and  the  medical. 
It  is  impracticable  to  give  here  a  full  statement  of  all  such  changes  as 
were  made ;  but  the  full  pay  received  by  officers  of  a  few  typical 
ranks  and  standings  in  1857  and  1900  respectively  is  shown  in  the 
appended  table  : — 


PAY  AND    WAGES. 


17 


ANNUAL  FULL  PAY,  WITH  ALLOWANCES,  ETC.,  OF  CERTAIN  NAVAL  OFFICERS 

IN  1857  AND  1900. 

(Fractions  of  pounds  omitted.) 


— 

1S57. 

1900. 

Remarks. 

Admiral  of  the  Fleet  

£ 
2  190  I 

£ 

Table  .Money  (to  C.  in  Chief)     . 

M95J3'285 
1  8201 

1,095*101,642)  3,832 

cumstauce*,         these 

Table  Money  (to  C.  in  Chief)     . 

IS2'910 

1    4(jQ| 

1,0*5  to  1.M3J  3,467 

from  £250  to  £500  as 

Table  Money  (to  C.  in  Chief)     . 
IJear-Admiral,  or  Commodore  (1st  Cl.) 
Table  Money  (to  C.  in  Chief)     . 

ijmr'*** 

!&>'•• 

l,095*tol,642/  3,102 
1,095          12,180  to 
1,095  to  1,6421  2,737 

of     the    retinue     of 
servants    which    had 
been  allowed  in  1857. 

Additional  to  pay  as  Captain      .  j 
Captain  

182  to  365 

182  to  365 

Total,  with  Command  Money 

501  to  930 

66 

31 

'Less  a  deduction  of  £">  if 
1     receiving    instruction. 

Naval  Cadet      

16 

/     Xaval    cadets   in   the 

Chief  Gunner,  Boatswain  or  Carpenter 
Gunner,  Boatswain,  Carpenter   . 
Chief  Inspector  of  Machinery     .     .     . 

Fleet,  Staff,  or  Chief  Engineer    .     .     . 

86  to  124 

182  to  328 
182 

182  to  237 
100  to  182 
730  to  784 

255  to  638 

Britannia  receive  no 

I  i»y. 

£45  to  £91  extra  to  senior 
engineer     officers     of 
flag-ships. 

56  to  158 

Inspector  General  of  Hospital  •;    . 
Deputy  Inspector  General  of  Hospitals. 

574  to  766 
3o5 

1,003 

766 
383  to  693 

Surgeon,  or  Assistant-Surgeon    .     .     ./ 
Fleet  and  Staff  Paymaster,  or  Paymaster 

182  to  328 

249  to  600 
91  to  155 

209  to  282 
255  to  693 

Clerk      

73 

45 

The  continuous  service  wages  of  Able  Seamen  (£28  17s.  lid.), 
Ordinary  Seamen  (£22  16s.  3d.),  and  First  Class  Boys  (£10  12s.  lid.), 
fixed  in  1853,  were  not  altered  ere  the  end  of  the  century ;  but  the 
introduction  of  extra  pay  for  good  conduct  badges,  for  re-engagement, 
etc.,  and  the  creation  of  numerous  new  and  specially  paid  ratings, 
gave  the  ambitious  and  capable  seaman  many  opportunities  of 
increasing  his  wages  from  time  to  time,  and  vastly  ameliorated  his 
financial  prospects. 

Up  to  1859  the  naval  reserves  of  the  country  consisted  of  (a) 
Eoyal  Marines  quartered  ashore ;  (b)  the  Coast  Guard,  which  in 
the  previous  year  had  been  transferred  from  the  control  of  the 
Customs  to  that  of  the  Admiralty ;  (c)  the  Eoyal  Naval  Coast 
Volunteers l ;  and  (d)  short  service  pensioners.  In  spite  of  the 
introduction  of  the  Continuous  Service  System,2  in  1853,  and  of  the 
entry  of  seamen  for  ten  years,  considerable  difficulty  was  still 


1  Raised  1853.     They  died  out  in  1873. 
VOL.    VII. 


2  See  Vol.  VI.  p.  207. 
C 


18  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

experienced  in  manning  the  fleet.     For  example,  the  Diadem,  com- 
missioned in    August,   1857,   could   not   complete  her  crew  unt 
January,  1858  ;  the  Benown,  commissioned  in  November  1 
detained  by  lack  of  men  for  172  days,  and  then  sailed  62  short  of 
her  complement ;  and  the  Marlborough,  commissioned  in  3 
1858,  was  similarly  delayed  for  129  days. 

To  consider  this  unsatisfactory  condition  of  affairs,  and  to  rnal 
recommendations   for  its   amelioration,   a  Royal   Commission  was 
appointed.     It  reported  on  February  19th,  1859,  advocating  among 
other  things,  the  maintenance  of  at  least  five  large  traming-srnps 
the  preparation  of  boys  for  the  Navy  ;  the  creation  of  larger  reserves 
the  better  training  of  the  reserves  in  gunnery  ;  improvements 
comforts  and  dietary  of  seamen  ;  modifications  in  the  system  o 
payment  of  wages,  and  of  allotments,  etc.,  etc. 

The  first  effect  of  the  report  was  the  issue,  on  April  27th,  1859, 
of  an  Admiralty  Order,  which  slightly  altered  the  scale  of  victual] 
authorised  the  supply  to  all  boys  and  men  on  joining  of  bed,  blanket, 
and  bedcover,   free   of   charge ;  gave  continuous   service  men    < 
entering,   and  boys,  on  being  rated   as  men    a  free  part 
money  in  lieu  of  it*;  and  promised  the  gratuitous  supply  to  ships 
commissioning   of  mess  utensils,  so   soon   as   suitable  ones 

be  found.  .     ,      -onva] 

Other  results  which  followed  were  the  increase  of   the 
Marines,  and   of   the   Coast  Guard,  the  introduction   of   training- 
ships  for  boys,  and  the  establishment  of  a  corps  of  Royal  Nav; 
Volunteers,   a  force  which    ultimately   developed   into   the  Royal 
Naval  Reserve,  the  earliest   commissions  to  which,  as  such,  were 
dated  in  February,  1862.     Various   regulations  for  the  officers 
this  corps  were  subsequently  embodied  in  Orders  in  Council  dated 
respectively  March  1st,  1864,  October  15th,  1872,  June  28th,  1 
and  May  3rd,  1882.     These  were  consolidated  and  revised  by  an 
Order  of  June  26th,  1886,  which  was  further  modified  by  Orders  of 
February  7th,  1888,  July  23rd,  1889,  February  23rd,  1891,  March 
20th  1891,  May  9th,  1892,  and  May  16th,  1893.     The  whole  regula- 

1^*t-*&i3£ttZ£iXZ£Z3" 

2  The  uniform  articles  .„     „    ,  ,,s   -,1.    HJ  .  vo,,Q. 

fh  '    \  t  (No  2  cloth)  17s.  8d. ;  blue  clot 

kerchief,  2s.  lOd. ;  and  shoes,  6s.  Id. 


NAVAL    BE  SERVES.  19 

tions  were  again  consolidated  and  revised  in  1896  ;  when  the  number 
of  officers  was  fixed  at  1800.  An  Order  of  June  29th,  1895,  author- 
ised the  entry  of  100  officers  of  the  mercantile  marine  (nearly 
all  of  whom  were  of  the  Koyal  Naval  Eeserve)  as  Supplementary 
Officers  of  the  Koyal  Navy  in  the  ranks  of  Lieutenant  and  Sub- 
Lieutenant,  and  provided  for  their  full  pay,  half  pay,  and  retirement. 
An  increase  of  this  number  was  subsequently  ordered.  The  total 
strength  of  the  Eoyal  Naval  Eeserve  at  the  end  of  the  nineteenth 
century  was  28,700  officers  and  men.  In  addition,  there  were  also 
available  as  reserves  11,952  seamen  and  Eoyal  Marine  pensioners. 
The  whole  number  of  officers  and  men,  including  the  active  list  and 
all  reserves,  at  disposal  for  naval  services  was,  nominally,  145,532. 
A  new  force,  the  Eoyal  Fleet  Eeserve,  designed  to  consist  of  seamen 
and  Eoyal  Marines  who  have  been  discharged  with  or  without 
pensions,  and  eventually  to  supersede  the  old  seamen  pensioner 
reserve,  was  planned  and  decided  upon  in  1900  •  but  no  men  were 
entered  until  later.  In  the  same  year  also  two  important  steps 
were  taken  towards  the  creation  of  additional  and  more  efficient 
naval  reserve  forces  in  her  Majesty's  dominions  beyond  the  seas. 
New  Zealand  initiated  the  discussion  among  the  Australasian 
colonies  of  a  project  for  the  establishment  of  reserves  both  military 
and  naval ;  and  fifty  Newfoundland  fishermen  belonging  to  the 
naval  reserve  of  the  island  were  embarked  in  H.M.S.  Ckanjbdis, 
Captain  George  Augustus  Giffard,  for  a  six  months'  training  cruise 
in  the  West  Indies.  Concerning  the  ordinary  naval '  resources  of 
the  colonies  a  few  words  will  be  said  later.1 

For  nearly  twenty  years,  towards  the  end  of  the  century,  yet 
another  naval  reserve  existed  in  the  shape  of  the  Eoyal  Naval 
Artillery  Volunteers,  which  were  raised  under  an  Act  of  August  5th, 
1873. 2  This  body  was  intended  to  provide  trained  gunners  for 
service  within  the  home  seas,  and  consisted  for  the  most  part  of 
yacht-owners  and  professional  men  of  good  social  standing.  Its 
headquarters  and  drill-ship  (first  the  Rainbow,  and  later  the  Frolic) 
was  moored  in  the  Thames,  off  Somerset  House.  Owing  to  re- 
grettable misunderstandings,  frictions  and  jealousies,  the  corps  was 
disbanded  on  April  1st,  1892.  A  few  months  before  that  date  it  had 
included  66  officers  and  1849  men.3 

For  several  years  after  1856  the  construction  of  wooden   men- 

1  See  p.  77  and  note.  2  Modified  in  1882  by  the  National  Defence  Act. 

3  Report  of  Sir  Gr.  Tryon's  Committee,  Apr.  7,  1891. 

C  2 


20  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

of -war,1  of  all  classes,  continued.  The  lessons  of  Kinburn,  indeed, 
seemed  to  produce  in  England  no  tangible  results  whatsoever  until 
the  spring  of  1859,  when  the  first  British  sea-going  armoured  iron 
ship,  the  Warrior,  was  laid  down  at  Blackwall.  The  armoured 
wooden  floating  batteries  of  the  Trusty  class,  and  the  armoured  iron 
floating  batteries  of  the  Erebus  class,2  built  in  1854-56,  remained, 
up  to  the  Warrior's  launch  in  December,  1860,  the  only  ironclads 
belonging  to  her  Majesty's  fleet.  Progress  was  at  length  forced 
upon  the  country  by  the  action  of  France,  which,  suspending  the 
completion  of  the  original  designs  of  four  large  and  fast  wooden 
screw  ships  which  she  had  upon  the  stocks  at  Brest  and  Toulon, 
had  begun  to  armour  them,  and  to  convert  them  from  90-gun 
vessels  of  the  line  to  36-gun  frigates.  One  of  these,  the  Gloire,  was 
actually  launched  in  November,  1859. 

Great  Britain  also  adapted  as  ironclads  a  certain  number  of  fine 
wooden  ships  which  were  available  for  the  purpose  at  the  time  when 
it  became  evident  that  the  armoured  vessel  must  be  the  battleship 
of  the  future.  These  adapted  ships  were  the  following  : — 

Royal  Oak,  Caledonia,  Prince  Consort,  and  Ocean,  originally  designed  and  begun 
as  wooden  line-of-battleslrips  of  91  guns,  3716  tons  (old  measurement),  and 
800  H.P.  nom.,  but  converted,  in  accordance  with  an  Admiralty  Order  of 
May  14,  1861,  to  armour-plated  ships  of  about  6400  tons  displacement,  and 
from  3700  to  4240  H.P.I.  As  adapted,  they  were  full-rigged  broadside  ships, 
with  iron  armour  of  a  maximum  thickness  of  4J  inches,  carrying  24  6J-ton 
7-in.  muzzle-loaders.  They  had  single  screws,  and  an  extreme  speed  of  from 
12  to  13  knots.  All  were  launched  in  1862  and  1863. 

Royal  Alfred,  originally  designed  and  begun  as  a  wooden  line-of-battle  ship  of 
91  guns,  3716  tons  (old  measurement),  and  800  H.P.  nom.,  but  converted, 
in  accordance  with  an  Admiralty  Order  of  June  5,  1861,  to  an  armour-plated 
ship  of  6720  tons'  displacement,  and  3434  H.P.I.  As  adapted,  she  was  a 
full-rigged  broadside  ship,  with  iron  armour  of  a  maximum  thickness  of 


1  This  sketch  of  the  progress  of  Naval  Architecture  during  the  years  1857-1900  is 
mainly  based  upon   the   following  authorities : — King,   '  The   Warships  of  Europe ' 
(1878);  Very,  'Navies  of  the  World'  (1880);  Heed,  'Our  Ironclad  Ships'  (1869); 
Brassey,  'The  British  Navy '  (1882-83) ;   White,  'A  Manual  of  Naval  Architecture' 
(1882) ;   The  Catalogue  of  the  Museum  at  Greenwich,  and  the   Collection  of  Ship 
Models  there;    Brassey,    'The   Naval   Annual'   (1886-1901);   Clowes,  'The   Naval 
Pocket  Book'   (1896,  etc.);    Lloyd's    'Warships  of  the   World'  (annually);   Busk, 
'  The  Navies  of  the  World '  (1859) ;  Armstrong,  '  Torpedoes   and  Torpedo  Vessels ' 
(1896) ;  AVilliams,  '  The  Steam  Navy  of  England '  (1893) ;  and  numerous  articles  and 
papers,  especially  in   the   Transactions  of  the  Institution  of  Naval  Architects;  The 
Year's  Naval  Progress  (Washington) ;  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  United  Service  Insti- 
tution ;   the  Proceedings  of  the    United  States'  Naval  Institute  (Annapolis) ;    the 
Engineer ;  and  Engineering. 

2  See  Vol.  vi.,  p.  198. 


THE  FIRST  IRONCLADS.  21 

6  inches,  carrying  18  6^-ton  7-in.  muzzle-loaders.  She  had  a  single  screw, 
and  a  speed  of  12  •  3  knots,  and  was  launched  in  1864. 

Repulse,  originally  designed  and  begun  as  a  wooden  line-of-battle  ship  of  tO  guns, 
3074  tons  (old  measurement),  and  800  H.P.  nom.,  but  converted,  in  accord- 
ance with  an  Admiralty  Order  of  October  9,  1866,  to  an  armour-plated  ship 
of  6190  tons'  displacement,  and  3350  H.P.I.  As  adapted,  she  was  a  full- 
rigged  broadside  ship,  with  iron  armour  of  a  maximum  thickness  of  6  inches, 
carrying  12  8-in.  9-ton  (but  later  10  9-in.  12-ton)  muzzle-loaders.  She 
had  a  single  screw,  and  a  speed  of  about  12  knots,  and  was  launched  in  1868. 

Favorite,  originally  designed  and  begun  as  a  wooden  corvette  of  22  guns,  but  con- 
verted, according  to  designs  by  Mr.  E.  J.  Reed  and  the  Controller's  Department, 
in  1862,  to  a  rigged,  armour-plated  corvette  of  3169  tons'  displacement,  and 
1773  H.P.I.,  with  iron  armour  of  a  maximum  thickness  of  4J  inches,  carrying 
10  8-in.  9-ton  muzzle-loaders.  She  had  a  single  screw,  and  a  speed  of  11 '8 
knots,  and  was  launched  in  1864. 

Ret-earcli,  designed  and  begun  as  a  wooden  17-gun  sloop  in  1861,  but  converted  in 
1862  to  an  armoured,  rigged  vessel,  and  launched  in  1863.  Displacement, 
1680  tons;  speed  10'3  knots;  thickest  armour  4J  inches;  4  7-in.  6i-ton 
muzzle-loaders. 

The  above,  as  converted,  differed  outwardly  in  no  essential 
respects  from  their  immediate  predecessors,  the  wooden  screw 
battleships  and  frigates.  They  were  still  fine  specimens  of  the 
old  picturesque  style  of  naval  architecture,  and  were  fairly  good 
craft  under  sail. 

The  only  other  wooden  ship,  the  Royal  Sovereign,  which  was 
converted  to  an  ironclad  for  the  British  Navy  received  very  different 
treatment.  She  was  cut  down,  armoured  all  over,  supplied  merely 
with  three  light  pole  masts,  and  furnished  with  four  armoured 
revolving  turrets,  which  were  placed  on  the  upper  deck  in  the 
middle  line  of  the  ship.  Although  herself  of  little  practical  use, 
she  was  a  most  important  and  significant  craft,  in  that  she 
embodied  the  first  British  admission  of  two  novel  principles  which, 
many  years  afterwards,  obtained  universal  acceptance;  viz.,  that 
sail-power  had  ceased  to  be  useful  in  vessels  intended  for  heavy 
fighting ;  and  that  the  main  armament  of  every  ship  intended  for 
heavy  fighting  should  be  protected  as  completely  as  possible,  and 
should  moreover  be  so  mounted  as  to  have  as  near  an  approach 
as  might  be  to  all-round  fire.  In  addition,  possessing  a  relatively 
low  freeboard,  the  converted  Royal  Sovereign  had  the  advantage. of 
offering  but  a  proportionately  small  target  to  an  enemy.  These 
features  were  all  due  to  the  advocacy  of  Captain  Cowper  Phipps 
Coles,  E.N.,  C.B. 

Royal  Sovereign,  originally  launched  in  1857  as  a  wooden  line-of-battle  ship  of  131 
guns,  3765  tons  (old  measurement),  and  800  H.P.  nom.,  was  converted,  in 


22  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

accordance  with  an  Admiralty  Order  of  April  3rd,  1862,  to  an  armoured 
turret-ship  of  4965  tons'  displacement,  and  800  H.P.  nom.  As  adapted,  she 
had  iron  armour  of  a  maximum  thickness  of  5J  inches,  and  carried  5  9-in. 
12-ton  muzzle-loaders,  one  in  each  of  her  three  aftermost  turrets,  and  two  in 
the  foremost  one.  She  had  a  single  screw,  and  a  speed  of  11  knots,  and  was 
undocked  in  1864. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  iron-hulled  armoured  ship  Warrior 
was  laid  down  in  the  spring  of  1859 ;  yet  it  should  be  added  here 
that,  for  several  years  later,  the  Admiralty  seemed  unable  to  make 
up  its  mind  whether,  after  all,  iron  was  or  was  not  to  be  the  building 
material  of  future  heavy  fighting  ships.  In  that  period  of  apparent 


H.M.S.    '  ROYAL   SOVEREIGN.' 

[Launched  as  a  131-gun  ship  of  the  line,  1857  :  converted  to  an  ironrlad  turret-ship,  at 

Portsmouth,  1802-64.] 

doubt  and  hesitation  it  caused  both  iron-hulled  and  wooden-hulled 
armoured  ships  to  be  constructed.  The  wooden-hulled  ones  are 
briefly  noted  below  :  — 

Lord  Clyde  and  Lord  Warden,  laid  down  in  1863,  after  designs  hy  Mr.  E.  J.  Reed, 
and  the  Controller's  Department,  as  single-screw,  wooden-hulled,  armoured 
broadside  ships  of  7602  and  7839  tons'  displacement,  and  6034  and  6706 
H.P.I,  respectively ;  each  fully  rigged,  and  ultimately  carrying  18  6£-ton  7-in. 
muzzle-loaders.  Speed,  about  13 '5  knots.  Launched  respectively  in  1864 
and  18C5.  Maximum  thickness  of  iron  armour  5£  inches. 

Zealous,  laid  down  in  October,  1859,  after  designs  by  the  same,  as  a  single-screw, 
wooden-hulled,  armoured,  broadside  ship  of  6102  tons'  displacement,  and 
3623  H.P.I. ;  rigged ;  and  ultimately  carrying  20  6^-ton  7-in.  muzzle-loaders. 
Speed,  11 -7  knots.  Launched  in  1864.  Maximum  thickness  of  iron  armour, 
4J  inches. 


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23 


Pallas  (laid  down  1863,  launched  1865),  a  single-screw,  wooden-hulled,  rigged, 
armoured,  broadside  corvette,  designed  by  Mr.  E.  J.  Reed,  and  the  Controller's 
Department.  Displacement,  3661  tons ;  H.P.I.,  3581 ;  speed  13  knots ; 
maximum  thickness  of  armour  4j  inches ;  ultimate  armament,  8  8-in.  9-ton 
muzzle-loaders. 

Enterprise,  laid  down  in  1862,  after  designs  by  the  same,  as  a  single-screw, 
wooden-hulled,  rigged,  armoured  sloop  of  993  tons'  displacement,  and  9'9 
knots'  speed,  carrying  4  7-in.  6i  ton  guns.  Launched  iu  1864.  Maximum 
thickness  of  iron  armour,  4J  inches.  In  this  case,  although  the  hull  was  of 
wood  the  upper  works  were  of  iron. 

'  Thus,  from  1859  until  1866,  the  Admiralty  still  thought  it  worth 
while  either  to  build  wooden  ironclads  or  to  armour  existing  wooden 
hulls.  From  1866,  however,  that  idea  was  definitely  abandoned, 
the  Order  for  the  conversion  of  the  Repulse  being  the  final  symptom 
of  official  hesitation. 

The  rise  of  the  iron-built,  sea-going  ironclad,  and  its  develop- 
ment may  now  be  studied  without  further  interruption. 

At  first  the  traditions  of  the  old  wooden  navy  greatly  influenced 
the  designs  of  all  new  fighting-ships,  and  vessels  continued  to  be 
built  not  only  with  heavy  rigging  and  large  sail-power,  but  also 
with  their  guns  disposed,  as  previously,  in  broadside  along  the 
major  parts  of  their  length.  The  armoured  ships,  arranged  in 
order  of  their  launch,  which  were  constructed  on  this  principle 
were  :— 

CLASS  1. — BROADSIDE  IRONCLAD. 


^ame. 

Date  of 
Launch. 

Displace- 
ment in 
Tons. 

H.P.I. 

Speed. 

Thickest 
Armour. 

Heaviest 
Gun.  3 

No.  of 
Guns. 

Comple- 
ment. 

Knots. 

11. 

Warrior  1  . 

1S60 

9,210 

5,469 

14-3 

•5 

95  cwt.  68  pr. 

40 

C35 

Black  Prince  1 

1*61 

9,210 

5,772 

13'6 

•5 

95  cwt.  68  pr. 

40 

635 

Defence  i    .... 

18ol 

6,270 

2,540 

11-6 

•5 

95  cwt.  68  pr. 

22 

450 

Resistance  '     .     .     . 

1861 

6,270 

2,430 

11-8 

•5 

6J  ton  7  in. 

22 

450 

1862 

6,710 

3,256 

12'3 

•5 

7  in.  B. 

32 

500 

Valiant      .... 

1863 

6,710 

3,350 

12-6 

•5 

6iton  7  in. 

24 

500 

5  720 

14-3 

•5 

6i  ton  7  in. 

20 

705 

Minotaur  2. 

1863 

10,690 

5,722 

14'3 

5-5 

7  in.  B. 

50 

705 

Agincourtz 

1865 

10,690 

6,870 

15-4 

5-5 

12  ton  9  in. 

26 

705 

Northumberland  2 

1866 

10,780 

6,621 

15-4 

5-5 

12  ton  9  iu. 

26 

705 

'  Only  central  part  armoured.  2  End  to  end  armour  on  water-line. 

3  As  originally  designed.    The  largest  guns  in  nil  these  cases,  except  where  otherwise  slated,  were  muzzle- 
loaders.     The  breech-loaders  were  of  the  early  Armstrong  screw  type.     See  p.  44.     They  were  soon  superseded. 

The  next  developments  which  were  generally  adopted  were  the 
confinement  of  the  heavy  armament  of  the  ironclad  vessel  to  a 
central  battery,  where  it  was  mounted  behind  comparatively  thick 
iron  armour,  and  shut  off  fore  and  aft  by  armoured  bulkheads  ;  and 
the  restriction  of  armour  elsewhere  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
water-line.  The  ships  of  this  class,  as  successively  launched,  are 


24 


CIVIL   HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


catalogued  below.  All  were,  as  before,  heavily  rigged ;  and,  as 
regards  general  appearance,  the  old  lines  were  preserved,  except 
that  the  ram  bow,1  which  was  not  introduced  in  some  of  the  earliest 
ironclads,  and  which  was  adopted  largely  in  consequence  of  the 
advocacy  of  Admiral  Sir  George  Kose  Sartorius,  had  become  a 
regular  feature. 

CLASS  2. — CENTRAL  BATTERY  IROXCLADS. 


Name                    Date  of 
Launch. 

Displace- 
ment in        H.P.I. 
Tons. 

Speed. 

Thickest 
Armour.3 

Heaviest 
Gun.* 

No.  of 

Uuns. 

Comple- 
ment. 

Knots. 

In. 

Ton.      In. 

Bellerophon                       1865 

7,650           6,520 

14 

6-0 

12          9 

14 

475 

Penelope^  .                       1867 

4,470           4,700 

12-7 

6-0 

12          9 

10 

350 

Hercules    .                  :    1868 

8,680           7.840 

13'8 

9-0 

18         10 

14 

600 

Audacious  1                   '     18«9 

6,010            4,830 

12-8 

8-0 

12           9 

10 

450 

Invincible^                   <     1869 

6,010           4,830 

14 

8-0 

12          9 

10 

450 

Iron  Duke  '                   ]     1870 

6,010           3,520 

13-6 

8-0 

12           9 

10 

450 

Vanguard  l                       1869 

6,010            3,.  ',00 

13-6 

8-0 

12           9 

10 

450 

Sultan  .     .                   '     1870 

9,200            7,7'JO 

14'1 

9*0 

18         10 

12 

600 

Bmiftsure  .                       1870 

6,910            4,910 

13  7 

8-0 

12          9 

10 

480 

Triumph     .                         1870 

6,640             5,110 

14 

8-0 

12          9 

10 

490 

.Alexandra  '                         1875 

9,490            8,610 

14 

12-0 

25         11 

12 

670 

Su/erb^     .                       1875 

9,170            6,r,80 

13-1 

12'0 

18         10 

16 

no 

BelleisleU                        1876 

4,870            3,200 

11-5 

12'0 

25         12 

4 

280 

tOrwm'2    .                        1879 

4,870           4,040 

11.7 

12-0 

V5         12 

4 

280 

l  Twin  screws. 


2  Purchased  in  1874  :  originally  ordered  for  Turkey. 
*  All  l.eavy  guns  were  muzzle-loader.*. 


Armour  iron. 


Each  of  the  above  had  a  complete  water-line  belt,  with  good 
protection  over  the  central  battery.  The  Alexandra  was  the  earliest 
of  the  above  to  be  provided  with  a  substantial  deck  of  steel  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  water-line ;  but  it  was  not  curved  below  the 
water-line  at  its  edges,  and  was  not  so  arranged  as  to  deflect 
upwards  any  projectiles  that  might  enter  the  vessel  near  the  line  of 
flotation,  and  thus  to  protect  the  machinery.  In  her  case  this  deck 
was  two  inches  thick.  It  was  mainly  designed  as  a  protection 
against  plunging  fire.  Save  for  this  belt,  the  entire  hull  of  the 
Alexandra,  as  of  the  other  craft  in  the  list,  was  of  iron,  neither 
compound  armour  nor  steel  as  a  building  material  having  yet  come 
into  use. 

Although,  for  the  six  years  after  1859  the  broadside-rigged  iron- 
clad, and  for  the  ten  or  twelve  years  after  1865  the  central- battery 
rigged  ironclad  met,  upon  the  whole,  with  most  favour  at  the 
Admiralty,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  these  types  of  heavy 
fighting  ships  were  ever  without  competitors.  Captain  Cowper 

1  The  popular  and  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  value  of  this  was  greatly  increased 
in  1875,  when,  c>n  Pept.  2,  the  Iron  Duke,  in  a  fog  off  Wicklow,  accidentally  rammed 
her  sister  ship,  the  Vanguard,  which  sank  within  an  hour.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
ram  has  proved  to  be  irore  dangerous  in  accident  than  formidable  in  action.  See 
Author's  Lecture  at  R.U.S.I.,  Jan.  19,  189i. 


r 


M 


ArmJron. 


Warrior.    1859. 


5-5 


«     » 


Minotaur.    1861. 


.J.5 


/ro/r.        Royal  Sovereign.        Hull  *u 


. ,         ,    ,         

Arm  Iron. Betlerophon  .  1864-  Hull  Iron.    J 


V1-  ••  ;;;•••-  •••••v^ 


t.'t  C-1.'  *•£'«"  «  i 


Arm   Iron. Hercules    1866. Huirtron../ 


Arm. Iron.  Monarch  .   1866. 


fTFE 


Arm.  Iron.  Audacious .  1867  Hull. Iron. 


Arm  Iron.         Glatton.  1869.  Hull  Iron. 


//-on  Devastation   1869 .  Hull  Iron 


B       12 


ndra.  1873. 


I  y*rm  iron.  Temeraire. 


1873.  Hull.  I 


British     Ironclads  .         1859  —  1573 
Figures  give  the    thickness    of  armour  in  inches* 

^By  kind  permission,  from  Mr.  H.  W~  Wilsun'ts  'Ironclads  in  Action.") 

(.To  face  p.  24. 


EXPERIMENTAL    TYPES    OF  FIGHTING   SHIPS.  25 

Phipps  Coles,  who  had  been  mainly  responsible  for  the  cutting 
down  and  conversion  of  the  Royal  Sovereign  in  1862-64,  was  still 
a  living  and  very  active  advocate  of  the  turret  principle ;  and 
Mr.  E.  J.  Eeed,  who  was  Chief  Constructor  from  1863  to  1870, 
while  disagreeing  with  Captain  Coles  on  most  points  of  detail, 
realised  that  the  plan  of  giving  the  maximum  protection  and  the 
maximum  arc  of  fire  to  an  armoured  ship's  heaviest  guns  was  one 
which  deserved  the  most  favourable  consideration.  Moreover,  the 
battle  of  Hampton  Koads,  in  March,  1862,  and  numerous  other 
actions  during  the  Civil  War  in  America,  demonstrated  that,  for 
work  of  certain  kinds,  the  monitor,  or  turret-ship,  was  a  most  useful 
and  formidable  craft. 

Other  ideas,  also,  were  abroad  as  to  the  best  methods  of  com- 
promising the  claims  of  the  various  new  factors  which,  as  time  went 
on,  seemed  to  demand  inclusion  in  the  ideal  fighting  ship,  yet  which, 
it  was  amply  evident,  could  not  all  receive  equal  consideration. 
Very  heavy  guns  were  called  for  by  some ;  very  thick  armour  was 
considered  indispensable  by  others ;  and  while  one  party  asked  for 
a  complete  water-line  belt,  another  party  urged  the  naval  architects 
to  devote  even  more  attention  to  the  protection  of  the  armament 
than  to  the  protection  of  the  life  of  the  ship.  Yet  other  conflicting 
and  almost  irreconcilable  claims  were  put  forward  on  behalf  of 
high  speed,  of  great  coal-capacity,  of  large  sail-power,  of  lofty  free- 
board, of  seaworthiness  and  steadiness  of  gun-platform,  and  of  small 
size,  shallow  draught,  and  comparative  invisibility  to  an  enemy's 
gunners. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  these  and  other  problems  troubled  the 
minds  of  naval  architects  all  the  world  over.  In  Great  Britain  they 
led  to  the  construction  of  numerous  armoured  ships  which  are 
catalogued  below.  Some  of  them  were  not  sea-going ;  others, 
though  sea-going,  were  scarcely  fit,  even  in  their  best  days,  for  the 
line-of-battle ;  but  they  are  all  included,  for  the  reason  that  each 
one  may  be  deemed  to  have  contributed  something,  if  only  a  little, 
either  to  the  development  of  that  type  of  heavy  fighting  ship  which 
was  generally  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  at  the  end  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  or  to  the  establishment  of  certain  doctrines  which 
began  to  be  accepted  about  the  years  1870-74,  and  which  led  later 
to  the  subdivision  of  all  new  vertically-armoured  warships  into 
three  definite  groups,  viz.,  battleships,  armoured  cruisers,  and  coast- 
defence  ironclads. 


26 


CIVIL   mSTOUY    OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,    1857-1900. 


CLASS  3. — EXPERIMENTAL  AND  TRANSITIONAL  IRONCLADS. 


Name. 

Type.' 

Date  of 
Launch. 

Displace- 
ment in 
Tons. 

H.P.I. 

Speed. 

Thickest 
Armour. 

Heaviest 
Gun. 

No.  Of 
Guns. 

Comple- 
ment. 

Kts. 

In. 

Ton.  In. 

Scorpion  l  . 

E.  T.  2. 

1863 

2,750 

1,450 

10-5 

5-0 

12-    9 

4 

150 

Wirern  1     ... 

li.  T.  2. 

1863 

2,7;o 

1,450 

10-0 

5-0 

12      9 

4 

150 

Prince  A  tbe't.     . 

M.  T.  4. 

1864 

3,880 

2,130 

11-li 

4-s 

12       9 

4 

200 

Viper  2  .... 

Br. 

1866 

1,230 

700 

9-5 

4-5 

64     7 

.-  2 

80 

Vixen  -. 

Br. 

1866 

1,230 

740 

8-8 

4-ij 

6*     1 

2 

80 

Waterwitchs  .     . 

Br. 

1866 

1,280 

780 

9-2 

4-5 

6*     7 

2 

80 

Monarch     . 

E.  T.  2. 

1868 

8,320 

7,840 

14-9 

10-0 

2)     12 

7 

525 

Captain 

R.  T.  -2. 

1869 

6,950 

900  N. 

14-0 

13-0 

25     12 

6 

500 

Hotspur?   . 

R.  T.  1. 

1870 

4,010 

3,060 

12-6 

11-0 

25     12 

4 

240 

G'latton  - 

11.  I'   1. 

1871 

4,910 

2,870 

12-1 

18-0 

25     12 

2 

191 

Cyclop*  2 

AI  r  2 

1871 

3,480 

1,660 

11-0 

*10'0 

18     10 

4 

175 

Gorgtm  2 

'M  r  2 

1871 

3,480 

1,670 

11-1 

10.0 

18     10 

4 

175 

Hecate  - 

•\i.  r  2. 

1871 

3,480 

1,750 

1(1.9 

10-0 

18     10 

4 

175 

Hydra.  2 

M    J'  2 

1871 

3,480 

1,470 

It  -2 

10-0 

18     10 

4 

175 

Devastation-  . 

M.  r.2. 

1871 

9,330 

6,650 

13-8 

14-0 

35     12 

4 

420 

Thunderer  2     . 

M.T.2. 

1872 

9,330 

6,270 

13-4 

14-0 

38     12-5 

4 

420 

Rupert-     .     .     . 

E.  T.  1. 

1872 

B.440 

4,630 

13-5 

14.0 

18     10 

4 

232 

A'eptunc  1  .     .     . 

R.  T.  2. 

1874 

9,310 

8,000 

14-2 

13MI 

38     12-6 

6 

465 

Dreadnought  - 

M.  T.2. 

1875 

10,820 

8,210 

14-2 

14-0 

38     12-5 

4 

440 

Shannon    . 

Pt.  Bl.  Cr. 

1875 

5,310 

3,370 

12-3 

9-0 

18     105 

9 

454 

Nelson?      .     .     . 

K.  Bl.  Cr. 

1876 

7,630 

6,64'l 

14.4 

9-0 

18     10s 

12 

560 

Xorlhampton  - 

Pt.  111.  Cr. 

1876 

7,630 

6,070 

13-2 

9.0 

18     10* 

12 

560 

Trmtrttirt  - 

Bar.  2,  0  -B. 

1876 

8,640 

7,520 

14-5 

11-0 

2.)     12 

8 

535 

Inflexible  -     .     . 

K.T.  2. 

1876 

11,8*0 

8,010 

13-8 

24  '0 

80     165 

4 

470 

Agamemnon  - 

R.  T.  2. 

1879 

8,510 

6,360 

13-2 

18-0 

38     12-55 

6 

40  i 

AJax?  .... 

R.T.2. 

18*0 

8,510 

6.440 

13-2 

18  0 

33     12-55 

6 

405 

1  Originally  built  for  abroad  ;  purchased  by  the  Admiralty. 

-  Twiu  screws. 

*  Hydraulic  gunboat,  designed  by  V.-Adm.  (Jcortre  Elliot  (4).     Ruthveu's  propelling  system. 

4  In  this  column,  R.  means  rigged;    'I'.  1,  turret-ship  with  onetunet;  T.  2,  tunet-ship  with  two  turrets; 
Br.,  having  guns  behind  a  breastwork;  II.,  mastless  j  Pt.  Bl.  Cr.,  partially  belted  cruiser  ;  .Bar.  2,  C.-B.,  ship 
with  two  barbettes  and  a  central  battery. 

5  These  ships  had  armoured  protective  decks,  intended  to  f'efk'ct  upwards  projectiles  entering  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  llie  water-line. 

NOTE. — All  heavy  guns  in  the  above  were  muzzle-loaders.  All  the  above  vessels  had  iron  hulls.  Very 
.-iinilar  to  the  fyclops  and  her  >isters  were  the  Cerberus,  built  in  lif«S  for  Victoria,  and  the  Magdala  and 
Abyssinia,  built  in  1870  for  India. 

The  most  interesting  and  significant  ships  in  the  above  list  were 
the  Monarch,  the  Captain,  the  Devastation  (with  her  two  kindred 
ships,  Thunderer  and  Dreadnought),  the  Shannon,  the  Temcraire, 
and  the  Inflexible  (with  her  smaller  cousins,  Agamemnon  and  Ajax). 
It  has  been  already  pointed  out  that  in  the  ten  or  twelve  years  after 
1865  the  central-battery  rigged  ironclad  (class  2  above)  met  upon 
the  whole  with  most  favour  at  the  Admiralty  as  the  best  type  of 
heavy  fighting-ship.  The  vessels  in  class  3  may  be  regarded  as 
experiments  in  the  direction  of  finding  a  yet  better  type. 

The  Monarch,  designed  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  E.  J.  Eeed, 
embodied  an  attempt  to  combine  the  advantages  of  a  high-freeboard 
masted  ship  with  those  of  a  turret  vessel.  In  addition  to  her  four 
heaviest  guns  in  the  two  turrets,  she  carried  somewhat  lighter 
weapons  under  her  raised  poop  and  forecastle ;  and  in  that  respect 
she  differed  from  previous  British  turret  ships,  each  of  which  had 
carried  the  whole  of  her  heavy  armament  in  the  turrets.  It  was 


SEA-GOING    TUSliET  SHIPS.  27 

a  gain,  of  course,  to  be  able  thus  to  carry  six  or  seven  guns  instead 
of  only  four.  On  the  other  hand,  the  raised  poop  and  forecastle 
masked  part  of  the  fire  from  the  turrets,  and  so  limited  the  useful- 
ness of  the  powerful  and  well-protected  guns  there.  This  defect 
constituted  the  Monarch's  great  drawback.  Her  freeboard  of  14  ft. 
made  her  a  useful  ship  at  sea. 

The  Captain,  designed  by  Captain  Cowper  Phipps  Coles, 
E.N.,C.B.,  assisted  by  Messrs.  Laird,  of  Birkenhead,  was  the  pro- 
duction of  an  amateur.  Coles  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  high  free- 
board, which  formed  one  of  the  leading  features  of  the  Monarch.  He 
desired  a  low  freeboard  turret-ship,  in  order  that  she  might  present  as 
small  a  target  as  possible  to  the  enemy.  Curiously  enough,  how- 
ever, he  reverted  to  masts  and  sails,  and  rigged  his  vessel  heavily. 
Even  with  her  intended  freeboard  of  8  ft.  6  in.,  she  would  have  been 
unsafe  in  a  heavy  sea  unless  very  carefully  handled ;  but  unfortu- 
nately, owing  to  errors  on  the  part  of  her  designer,  her  actual  free- 
board was  but  6  ft.  8  in.  After  having  made  two  cruises  in  the 
Channel,  and  having,  by  her  behaviour,  caused  some  of  her  bitterest 
opponents  to  modify  their  opinion  of  her,  she  sailed  again  with  the 
Channel  Fleet  under  Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Milne,  K.C.B. ;  and,  on 
the  night  of  September  6th,  1870,  during  a  south-westerly  gale,  she 
capsized  in  a  fierce  squall,  and  went  to  the  bottom,  carrying  with 
her  the  whole  of  those  on  board  except  eighteen  persons.  The 
number  of  souls  who  perished  was  475,  among  them  being  her  com- 
mander, Captain  Hugh  Talbot  Burgoyne,  V.C.,  and  her  misguided 
designer,  Captain  Coles.1  This  terrible  catastrophe  condemned  for 
ever  the  low  freeboard  rigged  turret-ship. 

The  Devastation,  and  her  successors,  the  very  similar  Thunderer 
and  Dreadnought  (all  of  which  were  closely  allied  to  the  smaller 
non-seagoing  ironclads,  Glatton,  Cyclops,  Gorgon,  Hecate,  and 
Hydra),  forestalled  rather  than  profited  by  the  dreadful  lesson  taught 
by  the  fate  of  the  Captain,  for  the  Devastation  was  laid  down  ten 
months  before  the  disaster.  The  type  was  designed  by  Mr.  E.  J. 
Eeed,  C.B.  In  it  masts  and  sails  were  frankly  and  completely 
abandoned,  the  result  being  the  creation  of  some  most  successful 
and  safe  low  freeboard  turret-ships.  But  in  one  respect  the  new 
vessels  were  inferior  to  the  Monarch.  Though  they  possessed  all- 
round  fire,  they  mounted  only  four  heavy  guns  apiece,  and  had  no 
secondary  armament  whatsoever. 

1  Proe.  of  C.  M. :  Parl.  Paper  1871,  42. 


28  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900, 

The  Shannon,  with  her  larger  but  similar  successors,  the  Nelson 
and  the  Northampton,  is  interesting  for  more  than  one  reason ; 
although  the  type  was  not  a  very  successful  one.  The  Shannon  was 
not  a  battleship,  but  she  was  intended  to  combine  some  of  the 
features  of  the  battleship  with  those  of  the  cruiser,  and  she  was 
specially  designed  for  fighting  bows  on.  Abaft  her  foremast,  there- 
fore, she  had  a  respectably  thick  armoured  bulkhead  with  recessed 
ports.  Forward  of  this,  there  was  no  vertical  armour ;  but  there 
was  an  under-water  steel  protective  deck,  curving  downwards 
towards  the  ram,  and  shielding  the  ship's  vitals.  Abaft  the  bulkhead, 
as  far  as  the  stern,  ran  a  water-line  belt  of  vertical  armour,  the  lower 
edge  of  which  touched  the  lower  edge  of  the  protective  deck ;  but, 
except  the  forward  bulkhead,  there  was  no  protection  for  the  men  at 
the  guns,  so  that  the  vessel,  if  regarded  broadside  on,  might  be 
called  a  partially  belted  cruiser,  while,  if  regarded  bows  on,  she 
resembled  a  central-battery  battleship  with  an  unarmoured  bow. 
The  protective  deck,  as  employed  in  the  Shannon,  was  built  into 
nearly  all  subsequent  British  ironclads,  and  into  all  large  cruisers, 
whether  armoured  or  not. 

The  Temeraire  marked  a  great  advance,  and  embodied  more  than 
one  valuable  new  feature,  though  she  was  without  the  protective 
deck,  and  had  merely  thin  horizontal  above-water  plating  to  keep 
out  light  plunging  fire.  Near  each  end  of  the  ship,  above  the  upper 
deck,  rose  an  armoured  barbette,  or  open  non-revolving  turret ;  and 
in  each  of  these  was  a  heavy  gun,  which  fired  over  the  edge  of  the 
barbette  and  had  a  very  wide  command.  The  guns  in  this  case 
were  so  arranged  as  to  disappear  behind  the  protection  after  their 
discharge,  and  to  be  revolved,  and  again  brought  up  to  the  firing 
position  by  hydraulic  power.  Between  these  two  barbettes,  with  its 
guns  on  a  lower  level,  was  an  armoured  central-battery,  mounting 
six  heavy  pieces ;  and  lower  down,  along  the  entire  length  of  the 
ship,  was  a  water-line  belt  of  thick  vertical  armour.  In  this  type, 
the  biggest  guns  of  all  were  in  two  barbettes  on  the  upper  deck, 
above  the  keel-line  of  the  ship ;  and  a  strong  secondary  armament 
was  in  an  armoured  box-battery  between  them.  The  design,  due  to 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Barnaby,  had  in  it  the  germ  of  ideas  which  a  few 
years  later,  entered  into  the  normal  and  accepted  battleship  types  of 
Great  Britain,  the  United  States,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Eussia,  and 
to  some  extent  of  France  also. 

The  Inflexible  and  her  kindred  were  set-backs.     Each  of  them 


THE  FORCES   OF  EVOLUTION.  29 

had  two  very  heavily  armoured  turrets,  placed  close  together  diagon- 
ally across  the  upper  deck  ;  and  in  each  turret  each  had  two  very 
heavy  guns.  Under  and  around  the  turrets,  from  the  deck  to  below 
the  water-line,  was  a  thickly  armoured  rectangular  citadel,  forming 
the  central  third  of  the  ship,  but  elsewhere  there  was  neither  vertical 
armour  nor,  in  the  case  of  the  Inflexible,  heavy  gun  of  any  sort. 
The  only  armoured  protection  to  the  long  ends  of  the  ships  were 
steel  3-in.  decks,  and  it  was  generally  supposed  that  if  one  of  the 
unarmoured  ends  of  any  of  these  vessels  were  much  injured  by  shot 
or  otherwise  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  water-line,  the  result  would 
be  fatal.  It  was  an  extreme  instance  of  taking  care  of  the  gun  at 
the  expense  of  the  ship. 

At  about  the  time  when  these  last  vessels  were  in  process  of 
construction  several  significant  and  revolutionary  facts  forced  them- 
selves before  the  attention  of  the  naval  architect : — 

a.  Not  only  the  automobile  torpedo,  but  also  the  fast  torpedo-boat, 
had  brought  forward  factors  which  could  not  be  neglected.  Provision 
must  be  made  for  defence  against  them,  and  also  for  their  due 
utilisation. 

5.  The  development  of  the  power  of  the  heavy  gun  had  rendered 
the  old  iron  armour  almost  useless.  If,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Agamemnon,1  it  were  piled  on  in  some  places  to  a  thickness  of  18 
inches,  it  would,  it  was  true,  defeat  all  save  the  very  largest  guns, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  it  could  be  carried  only  on  a  very  small  pro- 
portion of  the  total  exposed  surface.  An  armour  giving  equal  or 
more  resistance  with  less  thickness  and  weight  must  be  sought  for. 

c.  Steel  had  become  available  as  a  building  material,  and  was 
about  to  supersede  iron  entirely  for  that  purpose. 

d.  The  slowness  of  fire  of  heavy  muzzle-loading  guns,  even  when 
worked  hydraulically,  and  their  other  disadvantages,  taken  in  con- 
junction with  the  general  adoption  of  breechloaders  by  foreign  nations, 
had  long  since  called  for  a  change  in  the  armament  of  British  warships. 

e.  The  invention  of  slow-burning  powders  for  heavy  guns,  destined 
to  give  high  velocities  to  their  projectiles,  demanded  the  use  of  a 
much  longer  barrel  than  could  be  given  to  any  ship's  muzzle-loader  ; 
which  had  necessarily  to  be  sponged  and  loaded  from  the  forward 
end,  and  to  be  run  in-board  for  that  purpose.     Therefore,  unless 
high  velocities  as  well  as  quickness  of  fire  were  to  be  dispensed  with, 
long  breechloading  guns  must  be  mounted.     Long  guns,  which  did 

1  Some  of  the  Inflexible s  armour  was  compound. 


30  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

not  require  to  be  run  in,  could  easily  be  fought  from  positions 
whence  even  much  shorter  and  vastly  inferior  guns,  if  muzzle- 
loaders,  could  not  be  fought  at  all. 

/.  The  appearance  of  the  quick-firing  gun,  and  of  machine-guns, 
indicated  that  it  was  time  to  devote  attention  to  the  secondary  and 
subsidiary  as  well  as  to  the  primary  armaments  of  new  ships.  The 
ideal  fighting  craft  could  no  longer  afford  to  mount  two,  four,  or  six 
very  heavy  guns,  and  little  or  nothing  else.  She  must  be  able  to 
meet  quick-firing  gun  with  quick-firing  gun,  and  machine-gun  with 
machine-gun,  or  risk  finding  herself  at  the  mercy  of  an  opponent 
perhaps  far  smaller  than  herself.  If  heavy  armour  was  necessary  to 
keep  out  heavy  projectiles,  light  armour  was  equally  necessary  to 
keep  out  light  ones. 

g.  Marine  engines  and  boilers  had  been  immensely  improved  ;  and 
the  importance  of  speed  was  becoming  clearer  daily,  from  the  point 
of  view  not  only  of  tactics  but  also  of  strategy.  It  was  obviously 
not  sufficient  that  Great  Britain's  fastest  armoured  ship  should  have 
a  paper  speed  of  only  14  •  9  knots,  and  an  actual  continuous  steaming 
speed  of  at  least  two  knots  less.  Great  radius  of  action,  meaning 
great  bunker  capacity,  was  another  desideratum,  if  fast  vessels  were 
to  maintain  their  speed  over  long  distances,  and  so  derive  full 
advantage  from  it. 

h.  Finally,  apart  from  many  other  considerations,  masts  and  yards 
had  ceased  to  be  useful  in  heavy  fighting  ships.  They  would  be 
sources  of  danger  in  action,  especially  when  exposed  to  the  effect 
of  quick-firing  guns ;  and  besides  involving  weight  to  be  carried, 
they  involved  weight  to  be  carried  in  the  most  inconvenient  position. 
They  also  afforded  great  resistance  to  the  course  of  a  vessel  steaming 
against  a  wind.  Ships  of  the  Devastation  type  had  proved  that  they 
could  dispense  with  them.  At  the  same  time,  if  only  for  signalling  and 
look-out  purposes,  masts  of  some  sort  were  desirable  ;  and  if  machine- 
guns  could  be  mounted  in  their  tops,  perhaps  so  much  the  better. 

The  result  was  the  construction  in  England  of  a  certain  number 
of  heavy  fighting  ships  of  what  may  be  called  tentative  types.  The 
time  had  come  when  the  nature  of  most  of  the  problems  needing 
solution  was  recognised,  and  when  it  was  known  what  desirable 
features  presented  themselves  for  inclusion  in  that  all-round  com- 
promise which,  unfortunately,  even  the  finest  and  largest  battleship 
stands  for.  The  upshot  of  the  work  done  in  this  tentative  period 
was  (a)  the  realisation  of  the  fact  that  many  ironclads  of  earlier 


TRANSITIONAL    TYPES    OF  FIGHTING   SHIPS. 


31 


dates  had  ceased  to  be  useful  save  for  coast-defence  or  guardship 
purposes,  although  they  had  been  built  originally  for  sea-service,  and 
(b)  the  appearance  of  the  fast  armoured  cruiser  as  a  vessel  distinct 
from  the  battleship,  yet  capable,  perhaps,  of  doing  some  of  her  work. 
CLASS  4. — TENTATIVE  TYPES  OF  IBOXCLADS. 


No.  of  Guns. 

Name. 

Bute  of 
Launch. 

Type.» 

Dis- 
place- 
ment In 

H.P.I. 

Speed. 

Thickest 
Armour. 

Heaviest 
Gun. 

6? 

. 

". 

b 

Comple- 
ment. 

Tons. 

| 

|bJ>5 

a 

dB<3 

£3 

Kts. 

In. 

Tons   In. 

Conqueror 

1881 

C  M.  T.  1.   ) 
{     Br.  B.    / 

6,200 

6,000 

15-6 

12-0 

45    12 

2 

4 

6 

335 

Colossus  i 

1882 

M.  T.  2. 

9,420 

6,500 

15-5 

18-0 

45     12 

4 

5 

14 

396 

Collingwood  .     . 

1882 

<  M.  Bar.  2.  1 
I      C.  B.      ) 

9,500 

9,500 

16-4 

18-0 

45     12 

4 

6 

20 

460 

Impe'rieuse-  . 

1883 

R.  liar.  4. 

8,400 

10,000 

17-0 

10-0 

22      9-2 

4 

10 

13 

527 

Rodney  *  . 

18S4 

/  M.  Bar.  2.  \ 
\      C.  B.      / 

10,300 

11,500 

16-7 

18-0 

67     13-5 

4 

6 

22 

510 

Hero    .... 

1885 

;  M.T.I,  \ 

(     Br.  B.      1 

6,200 

6,000 

15-5 

12-0 

45     12 

2 

4 

12 

335 

Jlenbmv     . 

1885 

/  M.  Bar.  2.  \ 
{      C.  B.      ) 

10,600 

11,500 

17.5 

18-0 

111     16-25 

2 

10  |  26 

525 

Camperdown  4    . 

1885 

f  M.  Bar.  2.1 
I     C.  B.      / 

10,600 

11,500 

17-2 

18-0 

67     13-5 

4 

6 

22 

515 

Oilando5. 

1886 

Pt.  Bl.  Cr. 

5,600 

8,500 

17-1 

16-0 

22       9 

2 

10 

10 

497 

Sans  Pareil  ' 

1887 

I  M.  T..1.   1 
I     Br.  B.     ) 

10,740 

14,000 

17-5 

18-0 

111     16-25 

3 

12 

24 

630 

Trafalgar  ~  . 

188T 

f    M.  T.  2.    ) 
I     C.  B.      ) 

11,940 

12,000 

17-0 

20-0 

67     13-5 

4 

6 

19 

520 

1  Similar  to  the  Coloiias  was  the  Edinburgh  (1882).  2  Similar  to  the  Imperieuit  was  the  Warspite  (1884). 
3  Similar  to  the  Rodney  was  the  Howe  (1885).  *  Similar  to  the  Camperdown  was  the  Anson  (1886).  5  Similar 
to  the  Orlando  were  ihe  Australia,  Narcissus,  and  Undaunted  (1886),  and  Aurora,  Galatea,  Immortality  (1887). 
«  Similar  to  the  Sans  Pareil  was  the  Victoria  (1887).  '  Similar  to  the  Trafalgar  was  the  Hile  (1888). 

8  In  this  column,  M.,  mastless ;  T.  1,  T.  2,  turret-ship  with  one  or  two  turrets ;  Br.  B.,  broadside  battery ; 
Bar.  2,  ship  with  two  barbettes;  C.  B.,  central  battery;  K.,  rigged;  Pt.  Bl.  Cr.,  partially  belted  cruiser. 

'  Exclusive  of  machine  and  boat  guns. 

' '  NOTE. — All  the  above  had  twin-screws  and  were  fitted  with  tubes  for  the  discharge  of  Whitehead  torpedoes. 
All,  also,  carried  breech-loading  guns  exclusively,  and  had  compound  vertical  armour,  and  steel  protective  decks. 
All  had  steel  hulls. 

The  above  vessels,  especially  so  far  as  the  battleships  among 
them  are  concerned,  represent  the  efforts  of  the  designers  not  only 
to  protect  the  vitals  of  the  ship  and  the  primary  armament  as  well 
as  possible,  but  also  to  provide  a  respectable  secondary  armament, 
and  to  mount  it  in  the  best  part  of  the  ship.  The  Conqueror  and 
Sans  Pareil  show  a  tendency  in  one  direction.  In  them,  as  in  the 
Shannon,  of  Class  3,  the  plans  were  based  chiefly  upon  the  assumption 
that  the  vessels  would  do  their  main  fighting  bows  on  to  the  foe. 
Both  the  heavy  armour,  therefore,  and  the  heavy  armament  were 
put  forward  ;  the  protection  of  the  aftermost  compartments  was  left 
to  the  armoured  deck  ;  and  the  stern  fire  was  relatively  weak.  The 
Hero  was  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  replica  of  the  Conqueror,  except 
that  she  carried  her  secondary  armament,  of  6-inch  guns,  on  her 
upper  instead  of  on  her  main  deck.  The  type  soon  fell  into  disfavour. 


32  CIVIL    1I1STOBY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  Colossus  embodied  a  development  of  the  Inflexible  and 
Agamemnon  types  of  Class  3,  the  diagonal  arrangement  of  turrets 
being  retained,  but  an  effort  also  being  made  to  provide  in  a  satis- 
factory manner  for  a  fairly  powerful  secondary  battery.  The  attempt 
was  not  very  successful ;  and  no  further  experiments  were  made  along 
those  lines.  The  type  is  one  which  died  out  quickly. 

The  Collingwood,  the  earliest  of  the  "Admiral"  type  of  battle- 
ships, was  similar  in  general  arrangement  to  the  Rodney,  Eenbow, 
and  Camperdown,  which  followed  her,  and,  to  some  extent  also,  to 
the  Trafalgar.  She  may  be  regarded  as  a  development  of  the 
Temeraire  type,  in  Class  3,  the  Temeraire  herself  being  a  kind  of 
compromise  between  the  central-battery  ships  of  Class  2  and  the 
sea-going  monitors  of  Mr.  E.  J.  Eeed's  design,  such  as  the  Devasta- 
tion. It  was  no  longer  assumed  by  the  constructors  that  the  ship 
would  be  called  upon  to  do  her  hardest  fighting  bows  on  to  the 
enemy.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  sought  to  give  the  ship,  so  far  as 
it  could  be  managed,  equal  offensive  strength  in  all  directions.  With 
this  aim  in  view,  the  primary  armament  was  equally  divided,  and 
placed  half  at  one  end  and  half  at  the  other  end  of  the  ship  in 
barbettes  or  turrets,  where  it  could  fire  both  parallel  with  and  at 
right  angles  to  the  keel-line  of  the  vessel ;  and  the  secondary 
armament,  half  on  each  broadside,  in  a  battery  occupying  the  middle 
space  on  deck  between  the  barbettes  or  turrets,  was  so  arranged  that 
all  the  guns  on  each  side  had  a  wide  arc  of  fire,  while  the  end  guns 
—those  at  each  corner  of  the  central  battery — could  also  fire  in  a 
direction  nearly  parallel  with  the  keel-line. 

This  type  of  battleship  found  favour  at  once.  The  earliest 
exponents  of  it  had  too  little  water-line  protection.  For  example, 
the  Collingwood,  though  325  feet  long,  had  only  150  feet  of  that 
length  protected  with  vertical  armour.  Again,  the  earliest  expo- 
nents of  the  type  had  no  armour  whatsoever  to  cover  the  men 
at  the  guns  in  the  central  battery.  Improvements  were  presently 
made  in  the  direction  of  lengthening  the  armoured  belt ;  armouring 
the  central  battery ;  dividing  off  the  guns  in  the  central  battery  by 
means  of  screens,  or  by  placing  them  singly  in  armoured  casemates  ; 
sponsoning  out  the  broadside  guns,  so  as  to  give  them  a  still  wider 
radius  of  fire  ;  giving  the  ships  higher  freeboard,  and  raising  the 
height  above  water  of  the  primary  armament ;  and,  in  cases  where 
turrets  were  not  used,  covering  the  breech-ends  of  the  barbette  guns 
with  armoured  hoods  which  revolved  with  them.  The  outcome  of 


THE   STANDARD    TYPE   OF  BATTLESHIP. 


33 


these  and  other  improvements  was  the  standard  type  of  British 
battleship,  which  held  its  position  almost  unchallenged  during  the 
last  twelve  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  although,  of  course,  it 
still  continued  to  be  improved  in  detail  year  after  year. 

Of  the  two  types  of  armoured  cruisers  in  Class  4,  the  earlier,  the 
Imperieuse  type,  though  it  proved  itself  useful,  developed  no  further. 
The  later,  the  Orlando  type,  had  an  arrangement  of  its  primary  and 
secondary  armaments  similar  to  that  which  formed  the  peculiar 
feature  of  the  Collingwood  and  her  successors.  For  some  years 
after  the  building  of  the  Orlando  and  her  consorts,  the  construction 
of  armoured  cruisers  was  neglected  in  England ;  but  when  it  was 
resumed,  in  1897,  the  standard  type  selected  bore  a  strong  resem- 
blance, so  far  as  disposition  of  armament  was  concerned,  both  to  the 
Collingwood  and  to  the  Orlando. 

It  now  remains  to  complete  the  list  of  British  ironclads  up  to 
the  end  of  1900  by  giving  tables  of  the  battleships  and  armoured 
cruisers  of  what  I  have  ventured  to  call  the  standard  types  :— 

CLASS  5. — STANDARD  BATTLESHIP  TYPES. 


No.  of  Guns. 

Name. 

Date  of 
Launch. 

Displace- 
ment  in      H.P.I. 
Tons. 

Speed. 

Thickest 
Armour. 

Heaviest 
Gun. 

1 

S  b 

.     Comple- 
E>      ment. 

S 

&* 

£% 

Knots.          In. 

Ton.   In. 

Hood'.     .     .     . 

1891 

14,150        13,000 

17'6 

18-011 

67    13-5 

4 

10 

22           634 

Itrryal  Sovereign  2 

1891 

14,150        13,000 

17-0 

IS-O" 

67     13-5 

4 

10 

22           712 

C'enturion3                  1892 

10,500        13,000 

18-5 

12-013 

29     10 

4 

10 

20           620 

Renown  *  .                    1H95 

12,350        12,000 

18-0 

10-0" 

29     10 

4 

10 

24           674 

Magnificent  '                1894 

14,900        12,000 

17  -S 

14-OH 

46     12 

4 

12 

28     1       757 

Canopus'.                     1897       '     12,950        13~500        18-25 

12-0" 

46     12 

4 

12 

16           750 

formidable"                1898           15,000       15,000 

18-0 

50     12 

4 

12 

22     i       750 

Aondon'  .                      1899 

15,000        15.000 

18-0 

12-015 

50     12 

4 

12 

•22            750 

Russell".                Mdg.  1900       14,000        18JOOO 

19-0          12-0" 

50     12 

4 

12 

16             750 

Queen"   .                pro.  1900       15,000       15,000 

18-0          12-0" 

50     12 

4 

I  Laid  down  under  the  Naval  Defence  Act,  1889  ;  a  turret-ship.    Otherwise  practically  the  same  as  tlie  ships 
»f  the  Royal  Sovereign  type. 

*  Laid  down  under  the  Naval  Defence  Act,  1889 ;  a  barbette  ship.  Similar  to  the  Royal  Sovereign  were  the 
Kmpress  of  India,  (1X91),  and  Ramillies,  Repulse,  Resolution,  Revenge,  and  Royal  Oak  (1892). 

s  Estimates  of  1890-91 ;  a  barbette  ship.    Similar  to  the  Centurion  was  the  Harfleur  (1892). 

4  Estimates  of  1892-93;  a  barbette  ship. 

»  Estimates  of  1893-94,  and  1894-95 ;  a  barbette  sbip.  Similar  to  the  Magnificent  were  the  Majestic, 
Hannibal,  Jupiter,  Prince  George,  and  Victorious  (1895),  and  the  Ccesar,  Illustrious,  and  Mars  (1896). 

«  Estimates  of  1896-97  ;  a  barbette  ship.  Similar  to  the  Canopus  were  the  Albion,  Goliath,  and  Ocean  (1898), 
and  the  Vengeance  and  Glory  (1899). 

'  Estimates  of  1897-98 ;  a  barbette  ship.  Similar  to  the  Formidable  were  the  Irresistible  (1898)  and  the 
Implacable  (1899). 

»  Estimates  of  1898-99  ;  a  barbette  ship.    Similar  to  the  Ixmdon  were  the  Rulwark  and  Venerable  (1899). 

»  Supplementary  Estimates  of  1898,  and  Estimates  of  1899-1900;  a  barbette  ship.  Similar  to  the  Russell 
were  the  Duncan,  Cornwallis,  Exmoutli,  Mbemarle  and  Montagu,  all  still  building  at  the  end  of  1900. 

i»  Estimates  of  1900-1901 ;  a  barbette  ship.  Similar  to  the  Queen  was  the  Prince  of  Wales.  Neither  had 
bee"  laid  down  at  the  end  of  1900. 

I 1  Compound,  and  steel  armour. 

12  Compound,  and  steel  armour,  the  latter  being  mckel-eteel  in  the  case  of  the  Ramillies,  Repulse,  Revenge, 
anil  Royal  Oak. 

"  Compound,  and  nickel-steel  armonr.  "  Harveyed  steel  armour.  »  Krupp  steel  armour. 

VOL.    VII.  D 


34  CIVIL   HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  modifications  in  the  disposition  of  the  armour  on  the  citadel 
in  these  successive  types  will  best  be  understood  after  an  examina- 
tion of  the  accompanying  plans.  It  will  be  noticed  that  although 
throughout  the  heaviest  armour  continued  to  be  concentrated  about 
the  vitals  of  the  ship,  a  tendency  gradually  sprang  up  to  armour  the 
forward  end  of  the  ship  as  well,  even  although  only  comparatively 
thin  plates  could  be  carried  there.  An  increasing  amount  of  protec- 
tion, also,  was  given  to  the  secondary  armament. 

The  Formidable,  London,  and  Queen  types  in  the  above  list  were 
practically  identical.  Together  they  constituted  a  homogeneous 
group  of  eight  first-class  battleships,  which  may  be  regarded  as  the 


LONDON. 


Armour,  K.S. 

A.  12  in.  B. 

B.  6  in.  Q. 

pr.  Q. 
D.  3  pr.  Q. 


H.M.    BATTLESHIPS   "LONDON,"    "BULWARK,"    AND    "VENERABLE,"    1898-99. 
(From  '  Tlie  Naval  Pocket  Book,'  1901.) 

best  heavy  fighting  vessels  that  British  naval  architects  and  ship- 
builders of  the  nineteenth  century  were  capable  of  producing.  Some 
additional  description  of  them  should,  therefore,  be  given  here.  The 
following  details  are  chiefly  from  my  '  K aval  Pocket  Book  ' : — 1 

Hull,  steel.     Hooded  barbettes,  2.     Funnels,  fore  and  aft,  2.     Military  masts  with 

1  top  on  each,  2. 

Length,  400  ft.     Beam,  75  ft.     Mean  draught,  20  ft,  9  in. 
Displacement,  15,000  tons.     H.P.I.  15,000.     Extreme  speed,  18  knots. 
Coal  capacity :  from  900  to  2200  tons,  giving  a  radius  of  action  of  from  3000  to 

7000  miles  at  10  knots. 


1  Edition  for  1901,  by  L.  G.  Carr  Laughton. 


8 

0 

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4 

10  6 

— 
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a 

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IS 

J 

c  ^ 

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i 

S.H10 

?  '•=  U" 

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=  2!« 

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a    .  c-r  ?'"•  a 

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E    s  •3d 

a  I!B 


THE  "FORMIDABLE"    CLASS. 


35 


Engines:  Two  sets  of  3-cylinder  triple-expansion.  Boilers,  for  the  most  part 
Belleville  water-tube,  20  in  number,  with  economisers,  and  with  a  heating- 
surface  of  37,000  square  feet.  The  Queen  was  to  have  Yarrow  boilers. 

Armour:  Krupp  steel  partial  belt,  21G  ft.  long,  15  ft.  deep,  and  9  in.  thick. 
Cross  bulkheads  9  to  12  in.  Barbettes,  12,  10,  and  6  in.  Barbette-hoods,  10, 
8,  and  3  in.  Protective  deck,  2  to  3  in.  Main  deck,  1  in.  From  fore-end  of 
citadel  to  point  of  ram,  a  2  in.  belt,  15  ft.  deep.  Fore  conning-tower,  14  in., 
with  8-in.  communication  tube.  After  couning-tovver,  3  in.,  with  3-in.  tube. 

Armament;  4-12  in.  50-ton  wire-bound  breechloaders:  12  6-in.  45  calibre  quick- 
firers  in  armoured  casemates;  16  12-pr.  quickfirers ;  2  12-pr.  boat  or  field 
guns;  6  3-pr.  quickfirers;  8'45-in.  Maxim  automatic  machine-guns.  The 
heavy  guns  capable  of  being  loaded  in  any  position.  Torpedo  ejectors  (18  in.) 
4 ;  3  being  submerged,  and  1  above  water  at  the  stern.  Search-lights,  C. 
Boats,  18,  4  being  steam-boats,  and  3  being  fitted  to  discharge  14-in. 
torpedoes. 

The  ships  were  divided  into  about  150  water-tight  compartments,  and  had 
upwards  of  200  water-tight  doors.  Apart  from  the  main  (propelling)  engines, 
there  were  about  100  others,  for  driving  pumps,  fans,  dynamos,  steering- 
gear,  capstans,  hoisting  apparatus,  etc.,  etc.  The  cost  of  a  completed  ship 
of  the  type,  when  ready  for  sea,  was  about  £1,250,000. 


ESSEX. 


Armour,    K.S.,     but 
H.N.S.  on  turrets. 

A.  6  in.  Q. 

B.  12  pr.  Q. 


H.M.  AltMOURKD  CRUISERS  "  KEXT,"  "ESSEX,"  "  MONMOUTH,"  "  BEDFORD," 
"CORNWALL,"  "SUFFOLK,"  ETC. 

("  County  "  Class  of  1899-1SW1.) 
(.From  '  The  Naval  Pocket  Book,'  1901.) 

After  the  building  of  the  two  ships  of  the  Imperieuse  type  in 
1883-84,  and  of  the  seven  of  the  Orlando  type  in  1886-87  (see 
Class  4),  the  construction  of  armoured  cruisers  by  Great  Britain 
was  completely  suspended  for  ten  years.  The  numerous  and  fine 
cruisers  which  were  built  had  no  vertical  armour  whatsoever,  except, 
in  some  cases,  over  their  principal  guns,  and,  in  most  cases,  on  their 
conning-towers ;  and  they  relied  for  the  maintenance  of  their 
buoyancy  in  action  upon  steel  protective  decks,  and  upon  the  sub- 

D  2 


36 


CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


division  of  their  hulls  into  very  numerous  water-tight  compartments. 
By  1897,  however,  certain  foreign  powers  had  embarked  so  decisively 
upon  a  policy  of  building  fast  armoured  cruisers  that  the  Admiralty 
could  no  longer  hold  back.  Accordingly,  in  the  Supplementary 
Estimates  for  1897-98,  and  in  the  regular  Estimates  for  1898-99, 
1899-1900,  and  1900-1901  respectively,  provision  was  made  for  the 
construction  of  twenty  vessels  of  this  class,  as  follows  :— 

CLASS  6. — STANDARD  ARMOURED  CHUISEK  TYPES. 


.No.  of  Guns. 

— 

Date  of 
Lannch. 

Displace- 
ment in 
Tons. 

H.P.I. 

Speed. 

Thickest 
Armour. 

Heaviest 
Gnn. 

i  i^ 

D3     gj<9 

A 

Comple- 
ment. 

*„«„•.  .  .  . 

1899 

12,000 

21,000 

Knots. 
21-0 

In. 
6-0« 

Ton.     ]n. 
26       9'2 

2        12 

15 

"00 

Kent"-.     .     .     . 

1900 

9,800 

22,000 

23-0 

5-0  = 

7*    6 

—        14 

13 

Good  Hope  *  . 

bldg.  1900 

14,100 

30,000 

23-0 

6-0« 

26       9-2 

2        16 

1? 

900 

1  To  this  class  belong  also  (Supplementary  Estimates,  1895-98)  the  Cressy  (1S99),  AlouJeir  and  HogKe  (1900) 
and  (Estimates,  1898-99)  Bacchante  and  Euryalus  (building  1900)  :  six  ships  in  all. 

2  To  Ibis  class  belong  also  (Supplementary  Estimates,  1898)  the  Essex  (building  1900),  (Estimates,  1899- 
1900),  the  Monmoulh  and  Bedford  (building  1900)  i  and  (Estimates,  1900-1901)  the  Cornwall,  Suffolk,  Berwick, 
Cumberland,  Donegal,  and  Lancaster :  ten  ships  in  all. 

3  To  this  class  belong  nlso  (Supplementary  Estimate,  1 898)  the  Leviathan  (building  1900),  and  (Estimates^ 
1898-99)  the  Drake  and  King  Alfred  (fX  Africa),  (building  1900) :  four  ships  in  all. 

*  Krupp  steel  and  nickel  steel.  s  Krupp  steel  and  Harveyed  nickel  sleel.  u  Krnpp  steel. 

The  9'2-inch  guns  of  the  above  were  of  the  Vickers  pattern  on 
special  mountings  on  the  central-pivot  system,  with  endless  dredger 
hoists  worked  by  electric  motors.  The  training  was  done  alter- 
natively by  hand  or  by  electricity.  Some  ships  of  the  Kent  type 
had  four  of  their  6-inch  guns  in  pairs  in  turrets  fore  and  aft,  so- 
arranged  that  each  ~  gun  of  a  pair  could  be  used  independently,  or 
that  both  could  be  trained  together  and  fired  as  one  piece.  Later 
ships  of  the  Kent  type  were  to  carry  one  7'5-inch  gun  instead  of  each 
of  these  two  pairs. 

The  Sutlej  type,  440  feet  long,  had  230  feet  of  that  length  belted 
with  6-inch  armour,  and  the  forward  end,  to  the  ram,  covered  with 
2-inch  plates.  The  Kent  (or  "  County  ")  type,  also  440  feet  long,  but 
of  less  beam,  had  a  4-inch  midship  belt,  and  2-inch  plating  at  the 
bow.  The  Good  Hope  type  had  a  6-inch  midship  belt,  and  2-inch 
plating  at  the  bow,  and  was  500  feet  long  between  perpendiculars. 
Further  particulars  may  be  gathered  from  the  accompanying  plans. 

It  would  be  quite  hopeless  to  attempt  to  analyse  the  very 
numerous  designs  of  unarmoured  cruisers  which  found  favour  at 
various  times  between  the  beginning  of  1857  and  the  end  of  1900. 


GUN-VESSELS  AND    GUN-BOATS. 


37 


All  that  can  be  done  here  is  to  give  a  few  particulars  of  some  of  the 
more  noteworthy  types.     These  will  be  found  over-leaf. 

The  gunboats  built  previous  to  1890  had  wood,  composite,  or 
iron  hulls.  Of  sea-going  gunboats,  the  Bramble  type  (1886-87 ; 
composite ;  715  tons ;  13  knots ;  1  screw ;  6  4-inch  B.) ;  the  Pheasant 
type  (1888 ;  composite ;  755  tons ;  13  •  2  knots  ;  1  screw  ;  6  4-inch 
B.)  ;  and  the  Lapwing  type  (1889  ;  composite ;  805  tons  ;  13  knots  ; 

1  screw;  6  4-inch  B.),  may  be  cited  as  specimens  which  showed  a 
distinct  advance  upon  the  types  of  the  period  of  the  Crimean  War. 
In  1897-98,  the  Dwarf  class  (steel,  sheathed ;  710  tons  ;  13 '5  knots  ; 

2  screws ;  2  4-inch  Q.)  was  built.     Of  iron  coast-defence  gunboats, 


CRESSY. 


A  rmour,  II. N.S. 

A.  9-2  in.  B. 

B.  0  <n.  Q. 

C.  IZpr.  Q. 

S.  Search-light. 


H.M.  ARMOURED  CRUISERS  "  SUTLEJ,"  "  CRESSY,"  "  AliOUKIR,"  "  HOGUE,"  "EURTALUS," 
AND  "BACCHANTE,"  1899-1901. 

(From  '  The  Naval  Pocket  Book,'  1901.) 

each  mounting  from  one  to  three  comparatively  heavy  muzzle- 
loaders,  and  having  twin  screws  but  very  low  speed,  many  were 
built  between  1870  and  1882.  Their  displacement  was  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  260  tons ;  and  they  were  chiefly  designed  for 
bows-on  fighting.  In  the  last  decade  of  the  century  several  very 
shallow  draught  gunboats  were  constructed  for  use  in  the  rivers  of 
Africa  and  China.  Some  of  these  were  fitted  with  a  single  stern- 
wheel,  others,  with  twin  screws  working  in  raised  tunnels.  The 
draught  of  a  craft  displacing  upwards  of  100  tons  was  kept  as  low  as 
20  inches  by  the  ingenuity  displayed  by  the  designers,  a  leader  of 


38 


CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,   1857-1900. 


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TORPEDO   BOATS. 


39 


whom  in  this  branch,  as  in  other  special  branches  of  naval  architec- 
ture, was  Mr.  A.  F.  Yarrow. 

The  most  important  of  the  special  branches  in  question  was 
called  into  existence,  about  the  year  1877,  by  the  demand  for  small 
fast  craft  suitable  for  the  most  advantageous  utilisation  of  the 
Whitehead  torpedo,  which,  at  that  date,  was  forcing  its  way  into 
general  notice  as  a  weapon  with  immense  possibilities  before  it. 
Two  or  three  years  earlier  fast  craft  had  been  constructed  for  using 
with  a  towing-torpedo,  a  type  which  speedily  became  obsolete.  In 
1877,  after  the  great  improvements  effected  in  the  Whitehead  in 
1876,  Messrs.  Thornycroft  built  the  Lightning  (later  known  as 
No.  1),  and  Mr.  Yarrow  almost  simultaneously  produced  two  some- 
what bigger  and  faster  boats,  subsequently  known  as  Nos.  17  and  18, 
for  the  Admiralty.  Large  orders  for  similar  vessels  were  quickly 
issued  ;  and  within  the  following  twelve  months  numerous  torpedo- 
boats  were  constructed  for  the  British  Government,  though  certain 
foreign  powers  lost  no  time  in  acquiring  even  more ;  so  that  for  many 
years,  as  regards  her  torpedo-flotilla,  Great  Britain  was  inferior  to 
some  of  her  rivals.  Particulars  of  a  few  typical  British  boats, 
arranged  so  as  to  direct  notice  to  the  developments  in  size,  and 
particularly  in  speed,  are  appended.  Smaller  (2nd  class)  boats, 
intended  for  carrying  on  board  ship,  and  capable  of  being  hoisted  in 
and  out,  were  also  built,  and  were  eventually  supplied  to  all  battle- 
ships and  large  cruisers. 


1st  Class  Torpedo-         Date  of 
Boats.                  Launch. 

Length.          Beam. 

Draoght.  D^natM-      H.P.I. 

Speed. 

Comple- 
ment. 

Ft.     In. 

Ft.    In. 

Ft.    In.      Tons.                            Knots. 

No.  1  .      .      .        1877 

84      6 

10     9 

5      0 

27 

460 

19-0 

12 

Nos.  17,  18    .        1877 

86      0 

11     0 

4      6 

33 

450 

21-0 

15 

Nos.  21,  22    .        1885 

113    0 

12     6 

5    8 

63 

730 

20-0 

15 

No.  79     ..        1886 

125     0 

13    0 

5    6 

75 

1,000 

22-4 

15 

No.  80     .      .        1887 

135     0 

14    0 

6     0 

105 

1,540 

23-0 

21 

No.  93     .      .   i     1893 

140    0 

15     6 

5     5 

130 

2,200' 

23-5 

18 

Nos.  98-101  .    {  fgg  } 

155     0 

17     0 

8     5     150 

2,800 

25-0       20 

i  Twin-screws.    The  others  had  but  one  screw. 

NOTK. — The  number  of  torpedo-ejecting  tubes  carried  by  the  above  varied  from  one  to  five.    The  later  boats 
carried  a  few  3-pr.  quickfiring  guns. 

By  the  end  of  1895,  Great  Britain  possessed  no  fewer  than  82 
craft  of  the  above  and  similar  types,  exclusive  of  boats  less  than  100 
feet  long.  On  the  other  hand,  France  had  195  ;  Germany  had  158 ; 
Italy  had  121 ;  Japan  had  124  ;  and  Russia  had  94  of  corresponding 
classes.  About  three  years  before  that  date  Britain's  striking  weak- 


40  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

ness  in  this  respect  had,  however,  been  somewhat  tardily  recognised 
by  the  Admiralty ;  and  measures  had  been  adopted  with  a  view  to 
providing  compensation.  These  measures  involved  the  creation  of 
yet  another  class  of  special  vessels. 

Ever  since  the  introduction  of  the  torpedo-boat,  the  experts  had 
sought  for  a  craft  wherewith  to  meet  and  checkmate  it.  In  1885 
they  had  evolved  the  torpedo  gunboat,  familiarly  known  in  the  Navy 
as  the  torpedo-boat  catcher,  the  first  of  the  type  being  the  Battle- 
snake,  the  precursor  of  the  vessels  of  the  Sharpshooter,  Alarm,  and 
Dryad  classes  in  the  list  of  Typical  Cruising  Ships  on  p.  38.  But 
the  "  catchers,"  small  cruisers  in  effect,  had  proved  too  big,  too 
visible,  and,  above  all,  too  slow  for  their  intended  mission,  which 
was  to  overhaul  the  torpedo-boat,  and  sink  her  by  gun-fire,  or  by 
running  her  down.  In  the  annual  naval  manoeuvres  of  1888-93  they 
failed  over  and  over  again  to  protect  the  fleets  to  which  they  were 
attached.  It  became  evident  that  something  else  must  be  devised  ; 
and  accordingly,  in  1893,  the  first  of  the  torpedo-boat  destroyers 
were  ordered. 

The  "catcher"  had  been  too  large  on  the  one  hand,  and  not 
large  enough  on  the  other,  to  attain  and  maintain  really  high  speed. 
Moreover,  she  had  been  an  expensive  craft,  and,  while  useless  as  a 
snapper  up  of  torpedo-boats,  had  been  equally  useless  as  a  torpedo- 
vessel,  owing  to  her  visibility  and  lack  of  speed.  It  was  determined 
that  the  new  craft  should  be  a  "  catcher  "  and  a  torpedo-boat  in  one, 
a  vessel  able  to  overhaul  and  reduce  a  hostile  torpedo-boat  by  means 
of  gun-fire  or  running  down,  and  also  able  to  act  as  a  first-class 
torpedo-boat  of  the  most  effective  sort.  Mr.  Yarrow's  pioneer 
destroyer,  the  Havock,  launched  in  the  autumn  of  1893  in  response 
to  the  requirements  of  the  Admiralty,  was  from  the  beginning  so 
obvious  a  success  that  other  craft  of  the  kind  were  promptly  ordered 
from  various  firms  ;  and  a  considerable  flotilla  of  these  boats  was 
created  by  Great  Britain  almost  before  any  other  power  secured  so 
much  as  a  single  specimen.  In  the  table  on  p.  41  will  be  found  an 
epitome  of  the  rapid  development  of  the  torpedo-boat  destroyer  in 
the  few  years  which  elapsed  between  its  original  evolution  and  the 
end  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

A  few  miscellaneous  craft  of  special  nature  remain  for  notice. 
In  1878  the  importunate  advocacy  of  the  ram  by  Admiral  of  the 
Fleet  Sir  George  Rose  Sartorius,  then  eighty-eight  years  of  age, 
induced  the  Admiralty  to  lay  down  the  Polyphemus,  a  steel  twin- 


O   ='  a  li 

W   5   Sa: 


Iliil 

«  I  |s= 


111 


1  § 

I  i 

«  o 

O  p 


DESTROYERS  AND    SPECIAL    SERVICE   CEAFT. 


41 


screw  vessel  designed  solely  for  ramming  and  for  discharging 
torpedoes.  She  was  of  2640  tons'  displacement,  and  had  a  speed  of 
17 '8  knots.  Owing  to  alterations  made  in  her  plans  while  she  was 
building,  she  was  not  launched  until  1881,  and  was  not  ready  for 
sea  until  several  years  later.  A  most  expensive  craft,  and  of  doubtful 
value,  she  remained  the  sole  representative  of  her  class. 


Destroyer's  Name. 

Date  of 
Launch. 

Length. 

Beam. 

Draught. 

Displace- 
ment. 

H.P.I. 

Speed. 

Comple- 
ment. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Tons. 

Knots. 

Havock 

1893 

180 

18  -n 

7-5 

240 

3,000 

26-7 

43 

Lynx    .... 

1894 

194 

19-2 

5-6 

290 

4,400 

27-3 

50 

Handy. 

1895 

200 

19-0 

7-8 

275 

4,000 

27-8 

50 

Foam  .... 

1896 

210 

19-5 

7-2 

310 

5,400 

30-0 

60 

Wolf    .... 

1897 

210 

21-7 

5-3 

360 

6,000 

31-2 

58 

Express 

1897 

227 

22-0 

9-0 

430 

9,250 

33-0 

60 

Viper   .... 

1899 

210 

21-0 

8-2 

325 

10,000 

36-58 

68 

NOTE. — .Of  the  above,  the  Havock  was  huilt  by  Yarrow;  the  Lynx  and  Wolf  were  built  by  Lairds;  the 
Handy  and  Express  were  built  by  the  Fairfield  Co. ;  the  foam  was  built  by  Thornycroft ;  and  the  Viper  was 
built  by  Hawthorn,  I.cslit  and  Co.  The  Savock  and  Viper  had  Yarrow;  the  Lynx,  Wolf  and  Express  bail 
Normand ;  and  ihe  Handy  and  Foam  had  Thornycroft  water-tube  boilers.  All  were  built  of  steel ;  all  had  twiu- 
screws,  except  the  Viper,  which  was  driven  by  Parson's  steam  turbines  (four  shafts  with  two  propellers  on  each)  ; 
the  usual  gun  armament  was  1  12-pr.,  and  5  6-pr.  quickfirers;  and  most  of  the  boats  carried  two  training 
ejection  tubes  for  18-in.  Whitehead  torpedoes. 

The  addition  to  the  Navy  of  large  numbers  of  torpedo-boats 
rendered  it  desirable  that  a  large  vessel  should  be  provided  to  act  as  a 
kind  of  nursing-mother,  storeship,  and  repairing  shop  for  such  craft 
while  at  sea.  In  1878,  the  iron  steamship  Hecla,  of  6400  tons'  dis- 
placement, was  purchased  by  the  Admiralty  for  this  purpose,  and 
adapted  as  a  torpedo  dep6t  ship  ;  and  in  1889  a  second  sea-going 
depot  ship,  the  Vulcan,  a  fast  steel  twin-screw  vessel,  of  6620  tons' 
displacement,  was  added  to  the  service.  The  latter  was  built 
expressly  for  the  objects  in  view,  and  was  also  a  mining  and  electric 
cable  depot,  a  floating  workshop,  forge,  and  foundry,  and  a  repository 
for  six  second-class  torpedo-boats,  which  she  carried  on  her  deck, 
and  could  hoist  in  and  out  by  means  of  specially  fitted  hydraulic 
cranes.  In  addition,  she  was  an  efficient,  though  lightly  armed, 
cruiser,  with  protective  deck.  Despatch  vessels,  tugs,  storeships, 
troopships,  yachts,  surveying  vessels,  and  harbour  craft  served 
throughout  the  period  as  complements  of  the  fighting  navy,  but  were 
far  too  numerous  for  mention  here.- 

A  word  may-  be  added  as  to  the  royal  yachts.  In  1857  the 
principal  yacht  was  the  second  Victoria  and  Albert  (ex  Windsor 
Castle),  particulars  of  which  have  been  given  in  Vol.  VI,  p.  199.  A 
most  useful  and  comfortable  craft,  she  retained  her  position  until  the 


42  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

end  of  1900,  although  a  third  Victoria  and  Albert,  a  twin-screw 
steel  ship  of  4700  tons'  displacement  and  17  knots'  speed,  had  been 
laid  down  in  1897  and  launched  in  1899.  This  fine  vessel  was 
nearing  completion  at  the  end  of  the  century.  At  that  date,  the 
other  royal  yachts  were  the  wooden  paddle  vessels  Osborne,  of  1850 
tons'  displacement  and  14  knots'  speed,  built  in  1870;  Alberta,  of 
370  tons'  displacement  and  13  knots'  speed,  built  in  1863  ;  and  the 
little  tender  Elfin,  of  93  tons'  displacement  and  11  knots'  speed, 
dating  from  as  far  back  as  1849. 

During  the  Russian  scare  of  1885,  numerous  fast  and  large 
merchant  vessels  were  taken  over  and  employed  temporarily  as  naval 
cruisers,1  one,  the  Oregon,  being  actually  commissioned  by  officers 
and  men  of  the  Navy.  Many  years  earlier,  viz.,  in  December,  1876, 
the  Admiralty  had  opened  a  register  for  ships  complying  with  certain 
stipulated  conditions,  and  therefore  suitable  for  employment  in  time 
of  war.  In  1885  the  number  of  vessels  on  this  list  was  155,  of  12 
knots'  speed  and  upwards.  In  the  estimates  for  1887-88,  provision 
was  made  for  the  payment  of  small  subsidies,  by  way  of  retaining 
fees,  to  the  owners  of  a  few  of  the  most  serviceable  of  these  craft ; 
and  at  the  same  time  it  was  arranged  that  the  subsidised  owners 
should  hold  other  ships  at  the  disposal  of  the  Admiralty  without 
further  retaining  fee.  At  the  end  of  1900  the  number  of  large  fast 
vessels  thus  secured  as  "  Royal  Naval  Reserved  Merchant  Cruisers," 
or  as  additional  cruisers  for  instant  use  in  case  of  need,  was  fifty,  the 
contributing  companies  being  the  Cunard,  the  Peninsular  and 
Oriental,  the  White  Star,  the  Canadian  Pacific,  the  Orient,  the 
Royal  Mail,  and  the  Pacific.  For  each  of  the  subventioned  vessels 
a  suitable  light  armament  was  stored  at  the  British  port  to  which 
she  belonged. 

The  end  of  the  Crimean  War  marks  the  end  also  of  what  may  be 
called  the  stagnation  period  in  the  history  of  naval  gunnery.  In  the 
previous  half  century  the  use  of  shells  had  become  more  general  than 
before,  and  the  shell  itself  had  been  improved,  though  it  was  still 
employed  chiefly  in  mortars  ;  and  attention  had  begun  to  be  directed 
to  the  problem  of  the  diminution  of  windage,  with  a  view  to 
obtaining  greater  accuracy  and  velocity  by  utilising  as  much  as 
possible  of  the  elastic  force  of  the  explosion,  and  allowing  as  little  of 
it  as  possible  to  pass  the  projectile  and  escape  without  doing  its  due 
share  of  the  work.  In  certain  small  arms  the  problem  had  been 
!•  Admiralty  Return  of  Aug.  5,  1885. 


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THE  EARLIEST  BREECHLOADERS.  43 

dealt  with  long  before  by  the  adoption  of  the  device  of  rifling  the 
interior  of  the  barrel,  and  giving  to  the  grooves  of  the  rifling  a  slight 
but  constant  or  even  an  increasing  twist,  which  was  found  to  increase 
accuracy  by  imparting  a  corresponding  axial  twist  to  the  bullet  in 
its  flight.  In  the  old  muzzle-loading  days,  the  bullet  of  a  rifle  was 
hammered,  or  violently  forced  down  upon  the  powder;  but  very 
little  experiment  showed  that  it  would  be  vain  to  attempt  to  do  with 
an  iron  projectile,  weighing  perhaps  681bs.,  what  could  be  done 
easily  with  a  leaden  bullet  weighing  a  few  grains.  Whitworth  and 
others,  therefore,  devised  an  elongated  bolt  or  projectile  which, 
instead  of  being  forced  into  the  bore  of  a  heavy  gun  by  the  exertion 
of  main  strength,  was  of  size  and  shape  to  permit  of  its  being  pushed 
home  with  comparatively  little  exertion,  but  which,  nevertheless, 
acquired  a  twisting  motion  in  its  outward  flight  by  reason  of  some 
peculiar  correspondence  between  a  cross  section  of  the  projectile  and 
a  cross  section  of  the  bore  of  the  gun,  the  bore  itself  being  twisted. 
Whitworth's  section  was  hexagonal ;  the  section  chosen  by  Lancaster 
was  slightly  oval.  Yet  still,  as  the  projectile  would  not  fit  with 
more  than  approximate  accuracy,  there  was  much  windage  ;  and  at 
length  it  became  obvious  that  if  windage  was  to  be  reduced  to  the 
lowest  practicable  point,  the  gun  must  be  loaded  not  at  the  muzzle 
but  at  the  breech.1 

In  1858  the  first  great  step  was  taken.  In  that  year  the  Com- 
mittee on  Kifled  Cannon  recommended  the  introduction  of  the  rifled 
breechloading  Armstrong  gun  into  the  naval  service.  In  the  earliest 
days  of  the  new  guns  there  was  no  improved  velocity,2  but  there 
was  immensely  improved  accuracy.  Comparing,  for  example,  the 
velocities  and  energies  of  the  32-pr.  smooth  bore  and  of  the  40-pr. 
3.B.L.  gun  which  took  its  place,  Sir  Andrew  Noble  puts  the 
muzzle  velocity 3  of  the  old  weapon  at  1600,  and  that  of  the  newer 
at  only  1200  foot-seconds,  and  the  muzzle  energy  *  at  570  and  400 
foot-tons  respectively ;  but  he  adds  that,  using  the  method  of  least 
squares  to  determine  the  relative  accuracy  of  the  rifled  and  of  the 
smooth  bore  gun  of  approximately  the  same  weight,  he  found  that, 

1  Author,  in  '  Social  England,'  vi.,  496. 

2  For  a  discussion  of  this  question,  see  Noble,  'Rise  and  Progress  of  Rifled  Naval 
Artillery ' ;  Inst.  of  Nav.  Arch.,  July,  1899. 

3  Muzzle  velocity  means  the  rate  in  feet  per  second  at  which  the  projectile  moves 
on  quitting  the  gun's  muzzle. 

4  Muzzle  energy  means  the  power  developed  at  the  gun's  muzzle,  as  measured  by 
the  weight  in  tons  which  that  power  would  raise  to  the  height  of  one  foot. 


II 


CIVIL   HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 


at  a  range  of  1000  yards,  half  the  shot  from  a  rifled  gun  fell  in  a 
rectangle  about  23  yards  long  by  1  yard  wide,  while,  in  the  case  of 
the  smooth  bore,  the  corresponding  rectangle  was  about  145  yards 
long  by  10  yards  wide.  The  velocity  was  afterwards  improved,  first 
by  using  various  obturators  and  "  driving  bands,"  the  effect  of  which 
was  to  enable  the  pressure  of  the  gases  of  explosion  to  squeeze  the 
basic,  or  part  of  the  cylindral,  periphery  of  the  projectile  into  the 
grooves  of  the  rifling,  and  so  prevent  those  gases  from  escaping 
before  the  expulsion  of  the  projectile ;  later  by  the  gradual  adoption 
of  more  suitable  powders,  which,  being  of  slower  combustion,  set  up 
growing  rather  than  sudden  pressures,  and  so  reduced  the  violence 
of  the  strains ;  and,  last  of  all,  by  the  adoption  of  much  longer  guns, 
so  as  to  allow  of  the  slower  burning  powders  perfecting  their  com- 
bustion while  the  projectile  was  still  within  the  muzzle  and  fully 
subject  to  the  pressure. 

But  these  were  the  improvements  of  years.  Armstrong's  first 
breechloader  was  a  tube,  cut  into  near  its  rear  end  so  as  to  admit  of 
the  dropping  in  of  a  breech  block,  which  then  filled  the  aperture  and 
closed  the  bore.  A  hollow  screw,  working  in  the  tube  or  bore  from 
the  rear,  pressed  the  block  home,  and  held  it  fast.  The  gun  was 
loaded  through  the  hollow  screw,  the  block  being  displaced  for  the 
purpose ;  and  for  that  reason  it  soon  became  known  as  the  Arm- 
strong screw  gun.  The  following  are  particulars 1  of  various  types 
of  this  weapon  which  were  used  in  the  Navy  from  about  the  year 
1860  onwards  : — 


E.B.L.  (SCREW)  GUNS. 

,>^                         WEIGHT  OF 

KULLCHAKliE. 

Nature. 

Weight. 

Length. 

Diam. 

•Powder       Proiectilc    Pr°jeclile       Muzzle        Muzzle 
"•ojectile.     Diam.        Energy.      Velocity. 

Cwts. 

Ins. 

Ins.        Lbs.  Oz.     Lbs.  Oz.         Ins.        Foot-tons.    ^JJJJJJ" 

9-pr.      .       .       . 

6 

52-5 

3-2 

12         88 

3'0           66         1055 

12-pr.     .      .      . 

8 

61-3 

3-2 

1      8 

11     4 

3-0         118 

1239 

20-pr.,  L.S.  .      . 

16 

84-0 

3-94 

2     8 

21  13 

3-75       193 

1130 

40-pr.,  patt.  G.  .        35 

106-3 

4-96 

5     0 

40    2 

4-75       388 

1180 

7-in.,  heavy     . 

82 

99-5 

7-2 

11     0 

109    0 

7-0         915 

1100 

All  these  guns  were  rifled  on  the  polygroove  system,  with  a  uniform  twist  which 
varied  from  one  turn  in  38  calibres  in  the  9-pr.,  12-pr.  and  20-pr.,  to  one  in  37  in  the 
7-in.,  and  one  in  36' 5  in  the  40-pr.  The  powders  used  were  R.L.G.  (rifled  large- 
grain  black)  or  P.  (prism  black).  The  20-pr.  L.S.  (land-service)  was  used  in  two 
rather  lighter  forms  for  ship  and  boat  service. 

1  '  Text  Book  of  Gunnery,'  1887  ;  Cat.  of  Mus.  of  Artillery,  Woolwich. 


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BEVEBSION   TO    THE  MUZZLE-LOADER.  45 

This  system,  though  embodying  great  improvements,  proved 
unsatisfactory,  owing,  among  other  reasons,  to  the  tendency  of  the 
breech-block  to  jump  out  of  its  place  upon  the  firing  of  the  gun,  and 
to  the  general  weakness  of  the  breech.1  With  its  introduction  came 
the  general  adoption  of  iron  or  steel  carriages  for  naval  guns.  The 
new  carriages  survived  the  new  breech-loaders,  which,  after  they 
had  undergone  but  little  trial  in  action,  and  before  the  system  could 
be  applied  to  weapons  of  larger  calibre  than  7  in.,  were  abandoned, 
mainly  on  account  of  their  danger.  The  7-in.  guns,  and  most  of 
the  40-prs.  were  quickly  got  rid  of ;  but  some  of  the  lighter  guns 
remained  in  certain  ships  for  twenty  years  or  longer. 

It  is  a  strange  thing  that,  although  at  the  time  when  the  R.B.L. 
gun  was  thus  discredited  the  necessity  for  a  breech-loader  of  some 
sort  was  generally  recognised  by  experts,  the  British  Navy  reverted 
to  the  muzzle-loading  system.  It  was  about  the  year  1865  when 
the  Admiralty  realised  that  it  must  seek  perfection  in  a  new  path. 
Abroad,  several  excellent  breech-loading  systems  were  coming  into 
prominence ;  yet  Great  Britain  went  back  deliberately  to  the  muzzle- 
loader,  and,  having  taken  it  up  again,  clung  to  it  devotedly  for  almost 
twenty  years,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that,  in  the  interim,  nearly  every 
other  naval  power  had  armed  itself  with  breech-loaders. 

The  new  British  muzzle-loader,  however,  of  7-in.  calibre  and 
upwards,  was  not  like  the  old  gun  of  Crimean  war  days.  In  one 
respect,  indeed,  it  resembled  the  E.B.L.,  in  that  it  was  a  built-up 
gun,  made  on  the  Armstrong,  the  Fraser,  or  the  modified  Eraser 
system ;  but  it  was  a  far  larger  weapon  than  had  been  employed  ever 
before.  In  each  case  wrought-iron  coils  were  shrunk  over  a  steel 
tube  with  a  solid  end  which  was  supported  in  the  rear  by  a  cascable 
screwed  up  against  it  through  the  breech.  The  constructions  varied 
chiefly  in  the  number,  arrangement,  and  cost  of  the  portions  shrunk 
round  the  inner  tube,  in  the  diameter  of  the  cascable,  and  in  the 
thickness  of  the  inner  tube  in  which  were  cut  the  grooves  of  the 
rifling.  All  except  the  16-in.  80  ton  gun,  were  rifled  on  the  Wool- 
wich system  of  wide  grooves  having  rounded  sides ;  and  the  grooves 
were  fitted,  more  or  less  loosely,  by  projecting  gun-metal  studs  on 
the  circumference  of  the  projectiles,  there  being,  of  course,  as  many 
rows  of  studs  as  there  were  grooves.  The  principal  heavy  naval 
guns  of  this  nature  (M.L.)  were : — 

1  These  were  not  the  only  defects.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  Thistle,  iu  China,  a 
20-pr.  Armstrong  breech-loader  blew  off  the  whole  of  the  chase  when  firing  empty 
common  shell  at  target  practice. 


CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 


M.L.  Onus. 

BORE. 

WKIGHT  OF 

1   1-1  T    C  I|H  l.'lil  . 

— 

— 

Nature  and  "  Murk."        Weight. 

Length. 

Powder. 

Projec- 
tile. 

Muzzle 

Velocity. 

Muzzle 
Energy. 

Penetration. 

Tons. 

7-in.  M.IV.    .      .          7 
8-in.  M.II1.         .   |       9 

I  us. 

126 
118 
125 
145-5 
145 
145 
162 
198 
288 

IDS. 
30 
35 
50 

70 
85 
85 
140 
210 
450 

Ibs. 
112 
175 
253 
406 
543 
608 
707 
809 
1684 

Foot- 
seconds. 
1561 
1384 
1440 
1379 
1360 
1292 
1390 
1575 
1590 

Foot-tons. 
1895 

2323 
3643 
5356 
7015 
7046 
9469 
13930 
29530 

In?,  of  wrought 
iron  at  muzzle. 

9-5 
9-6 
11-3 
12-9 
14-3 
13-5 
15-9 
18-4 
24-7 

9-in.  M.V.      .      .        12 
10-iu.  M.II.     .      .        18 

11-in.  M.II.     .      .        25 
12-in.  M.II.     .      .        25 

12-in.  M.II.     .      .        35 
12-5-in.  M.H.        .        3S 
16-in.  M.I.       .      .   ;     80 

The  7-in.  gun  had  a  rifling  of  uniform  twist  of  1  in  35  calibres.  The  others  had 
an  accelerating  twist  varying,  in  the  case  of  the  10-in.  gun,  from  1  in  100  to  1  in 
40  calibres.  The  powders  giving  the  above  velocities  were,  for  the  guns  of  12-in.  and 
less,  Pebble;  for  the  12'5-in.,  Prism  black;  and  for  the  16-in.,  Prism  brown.  The 
16-in.  gun  was  rifled  on  the  polygroove  plain  section  system.  For  further  particulars 
of  these  guns,  see  Owen,  '  Modern  Artillery,'  1873 ;  '  Text  Book  of  Gunnery,  1887,'  etc. 

The  M.L.  gun  held  its  place  in  the  Navy  from  the  middle 
sixties  until  about  1881,  and,  during  that  period,  was  supreme. 
But,  as  early  as  1877,  discoveries  which  had  the  effect  of  increasing 
the  initial  velocities  of  rifled  projectiles  from  about  1600  to  2100 
foot-seconds,  and  the  energies  by  nearly  75  per  cent.,  had  rendered 
inevitable  another  reconstruction  of  guns  and  their  mountings.  The 
Thunderer  gun  accident  in  January,  1879,  tended,  also,  to  shake 
faith  in  the  muzzle-loader.  At  the  same  time,  as  Sir  Andrew  Noble 
points  out,  from  the  increase  in  the  length  of  guns  demanded  by 
the  slow-burning  powders  and  high  energies  then  introduced,  it 
became  necessary  to  return  to  the  breech-loader.  But  apart  from 
the  mechanical  and  dynamic  considerations  which  prompted  the 
step,  there  were,  so  it  appears  to  me,  far  more  important  tactical 
reasons  ;  one  being  the  impossibility  of  serving  a  broadside  muzzle- 
loader  in  a  ship  in  a  hot  action  without  exposing  the  crew  unduly 
to  the  small  projectiles  of  the  enemy ;  and  another  being  the  fact, 
well  ascertained  even  when  Great  Britain  foolishly  reverted  to 
muzzle-loaders,  that,  weight  for  weight,  a  breech-loader  is  a  much 
more  rapid-firing  weapon  than  a  muzzle-loader,  no  matter  how  good 
or  how  smartly  worked. 

In  the  early  eighties  the  new  breech-loaders  began  to  be  mounted 
in  new  battle-ships  and  cruisers  ;  but  only  very  slowly  did  they  dis- 
place the  old  weapons.  In  1885  I  went  to  sea  with  the  Particular 
Service  Squadron,  under  Sir  Geoffrey  Thomas  Phipps  Hornby. 


H 

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WOOLWICH-ARMSTRONG   BREECHLOADERS. 


47 


There  was  at  that  time  some  fear  of  trouble  with  Eussia,  and  the 
squadron,  one  of  the  best  that  could  then  be  sent  to  sea  by  Great 
Britain,  sailed  not  knowing  whether  it  might  not  be  in  action  ere  it 
sighted  England  again.  None  of  the  battleships  in  it,  however — and 
there  were  thirteen — carried  so  much  as  a  single  breech-loader  of 
more  than  6-in.  calibre ;  while  every  one  of  the  big  ships  in  the  navy 
of  Eussia  was  armed  entirely  with  breech-loaders.  In  1894  I  was 
again  afloat  with  the  fleets  which  manoeuvred  that  summer  under 
Yice-Admiral  Eobert  O'Brien  FitzEoy,  and  Eear-Admiral  Edward 
Hobart  Seymour.  Of  twelve  battleships  then  engaged,  two  still  had 
muzzle-loaders  as  part  of  their  armament ;  and  on  the  last  day  of 
the  century,  fully  eighteen  or  twenty  years  after  muzzle-loaders  had 
been  finally  condemned  even  by  Great  Britain,  there  remained  on 
the  active  list  of  the  Navy  several  large  vessels  armed  in  the  old 
discredited  way.  Progress,  therefore,  was  terribly  slow ;  and  it 
should  ever  be  a  subject  of  congratulation  that,  during  the  many 
years  when  the  transition  was  in  process  of  accomplishment,  the 
British  Navy  never  had  to  measure  itself  with  one  of  the  great 
navies,  which,  ere  Britain  had  begun  to  move  in  the  matter,  had 
completed  their  rearmament. 

The  Woolwich-Armstrong  breech-loading  guns  thus  tardily  intro- 
duced were  of  the  following  chief  types  :— 


B.  L 

Gnus. 

—  • 

BOBE. 

WKIGHT  OF 
FDI.L  CHAIIGK.* 

— 

tiou. 

Nature  and  "  Hark." 

Weight. 

Length. 

Powder. 

Projec- 
tile. 

Muzzle 
velocity. 

Muzzle 
Energy. 

Penetra 

Tons.      Calibres,      l-eet,          Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Foot- 
seconds. 

*<"**»••    ironatmSi:' 

12-pr. 

3-in     . 

•35;  28 

7 

•89 

4 

12-5 

1710 

254 



4-in. 

13  cwt. 

•65   14-81 

3-25 

25 

1180 

241 



4-in. 

M.VI.  . 

1-3 

27 

10 

12 

25 

1900 

625 

7' 

o 

5-in. 

M.V.    . 

2 

25 

11 

•69 

15-5 

50 

1770 

1124 

9- 

0 

6-in. 

M.VI.  . 

5 

26 

14 

•4 

48 

100 

1960 

2665 

13- 

3 

8-in. 

M.III.  . 

13 

25-6 

18 

•8 

104 

210 

1953 

5554 

16- 

5 

8-in. 

M.VI.  . 

14 

29-6 

21 

•2 

118 

210 

2150 

6730 

22- 

8 

9-2-in 

.  M.VII. 

22 

31-5 

25 

•9   166 

380 

2035 

10,910 

24- 

4 

10-in. 

M.I  I.    . 

29 

32 

28 

•5   252 

500 

2040 

14,430 

23- 

0 

12-in. 

M.V.    . 

45 

25-25   25 

•71259 

714 

1M10 

18,060 

22- 

5 

13-  5-in.  67-ton 

67           30       36 

.  -i 

630 

1250 

2000 

34,675 

30- 

0 

16-25-in.  111-| 
ton        .      .  / 

110-5       30       43 

•66 

960 

1800 

2087 

54,390 

36- 

18 

*  Armour-piercing  shell.     With  common  shell  less  powder  was  used. 

The  larger  guns,  including  the  8-in.,  were  built  to  burn  Prism  brown  powder ;  the 
others,  Pebble,  or  Rifle  large  grain  The  number  of  grooves  in  the  rifling  varied.  In 
the  8-in.  M.VI.,  it  was  32 ;  in  the  6-in.  M.VI.,  24.  The  rifling  system,  except  in  the 
16'25-in.,  was  polygroove,  with  hook  section.  In  every  case  there  was  au  increasing 
twist.  See  also  '  Text  Book  of  Gunnery.' 


48  CIVIL  EISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1857-1900. 

The  next  improvements  in  heavy  guns  were  indirectly  the  out- 
come of  the  practical  supersession  of  gunpowder  by  cordite,  ballistite, 
and  similar  propellents.  These  give  much  greater  energy,  with 
no  greater  chamber  pressure,  and,  producing  no  smoke,  possess 
manifest  advantages ;  although  probably  they  may  yet  be  vastly 
bettered. 

The  new  developments  were  in  two  directions,  namely,  in  the 
direction  of  increased  power  without  relative  increase  of  weight  of 
gun,  and  in  the  direction  of  accelerated  rate  of  fire.  An  example  of 
development  in  the  first  of  these  directions  was  the  12-in.  46-ton 
wire  gun,  which  formed  the  chief  armament  of  the  battleships  laid 
down  in  1894-97.  This  gun,  with  a  length  of  37 '1  feet,  or  35 '43 
calibres,  was  built  to  throw  an  armour-piercing  shell  of  850  Ibs., 
and,  with  a  full  charge  of  167 '5  Ibs.  of  cordite,  gave  a  muzzle 
velocity  of  2400  foot-seconds,  and  a  muzzle  energy  of  33,940  foot- 
tons.  It  had  a  muzzle  penetration  of  36 '8  inches  of  wrought  iron  ; 
and,  though  it  weighed  but  46  tons,  was  practically  as  powerful  a 
weapon  as  the  13'5-in.  67-ton  gun  which  it  took  the  place  of.  A 
somewhat  heavier  and  more  powerful  12-in.  wire  gun  was  introduced 
for  the  battleships  laid  down  in  and  after  1898.  It  weighed  about 
50  tons.  The  developments  in  the  direction  of  accelerated  rate  of 
fire  must  be  dealt  with  at  somewhat  greater  length. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  year  1881,  the  British  government  invited 
designs  for  a  gun  which  should  fulfil  the  following  among  other 
requirements.  The  weight  of  the  gun  and  its  mounting  should  not 
exceed  half  a  ton  ;  the  projectile  should  weigh  six  pounds,  and 
should  have  a  muzzle  velocity  of  not  less  than  1800  foot-seconds ; 
the  projectile  and  powder  charge  should  be  made  up  in  one  cartridge  ; 
the  gun  should  need  a  crew  of  not  more  than  three  men ;  and  the 
weapon  should  be  capable  of  discharging  at  least  twelve  aimed  shots 
per  minute.  In  reply  to  this  invitation,  and  to  a  somewhat  similar 
one  for  a  three-pounder  from  the  French  government,  the  Hotchkiss 
and  the  Nordenfelt  companies,  as  well  as  other  firms,  drew  up  plans 
and  specifications  for  what  afterwards  became  known  as  quick-firing 
or  rapid-firing  guns.  Weapons  of  this  description  were  presently 
adopted  as  part  of  the  armament  of  every  warship.  As  soon  as  it 
became  clear  that  they  were  destined  to  be  successful,  the  Elswick 
company  constructed  larger  weapons,  of  4'7-in.  and  6-in.  calibre, 
also  on  quick-firing  principles,  and  submitted  them  to  the  Admiralty. 
In  the  case  of  the  larger  guns  the  projectile  and  the  powder  charge 


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QUICK-FIRING    GUNS. 


49 


were  not  made  up  into  one  cartridge  ;  but  in  most  other  respects  the 
characteristics  of  the  G-pr.  Q.F.  were  reproduced.  The  new  guns 
speedily  gained  favour,  and  within  a  very  few  years  displaced  all 
others  in  the  secondary  batteries  of  warships.  The  general  effect 
of  the  innovation,  supplemented  by  the  adoption  of  greatly  improved 
mountings,  was  to  multiply  sixfold  a  battery's  rate  of  fire.  At  a 
trial  in  1887  on  board  the  Handij,  at  Portsmouth,  a  4'7-in.  gun  on 
centre  pivot  recoil  mounting,  the  whole  weighing  4  tons  12  cwt., 
fired  ten  rounds  in  47 '5  seconds.  The  gunboat  Mastiff  was  subse- 
quently ordered  to  fire  ten  rounds  as  rapidly  as  possible  from  her 
service  5-in.  B.L.  gun.  These  rounds  took  six  minutes  sixteen 
seconds  to  discharge  ;  so  that  the  new  gun  fired  ten  times  while  the 
old  one  fired  twice.  The  new  gun  afterwards  fired  fifteen  rounds  in 

one  minute.1 

It  would  be  tedious,  and,  in  a  work  like  the  present,  unnecessary, 
to  describe  in  detail  the  various  types  or  "  Marks  "  of  British  quick- 
firing  guns,  and  of  the  mountings  which  have  been  devised  for  them. 
It  will  suffice  to  give  the  appended  general  particulars  of  some 
leading  varieties  of  these  guns 2 :— 


Q.F.  GONS. 

Calibre. 

Weight. 

Length 
over  all. 

Length 
of  Bore. 

Powder 
Charge 
with 
Com. 
Shell. 

Weight 
of  Pro- 
jectile. 

Muzzle 
Velocity. 

Muzzle 
Energy. 

Penetration 
in  Ins.  of 
wrought 
iron  at 
muzzle. 

Foot- 

Foot- 

In.         Tons. 

Feet      Calibres. 

Lns.          Lbs. 

seconds. 

tons. 

6-in.wire,M.II. 

o 

7 

20-08 

40 

13-25 

100 

2200 

3356 

15-9 

6-in.  wire  \ 

(Tickers)  (    ' 

6 

7-4 

45 

13-25 

100 

2784 

5373 

22-7 

4'7-in.     .      . 

4-72 

2-07 

15-3 

40 

5-6 

45 

2188 

1494  !     11-9 

4-in.    . 

4           1-05 

.. 

40 

3-87 

25 

2456 

1046 

11-2 

3-in.  12-pr.     . 

3 

•6 

9 

40 

1-62 

12-5 

2200       423 

8-1 

3-in.  Field) 

3 

•4 

7'3 

28 

•84 

12-5 

1584       218 

5-0 

12-pr.     f  ' 

Hotchkiss  6-pr 

2-24 

•4 

8-1 

40 

•49 

6 

1820       138 

3-7 

Nordenfelt6-pr 

2-24 

•3 

8-7 

42-3 

•49 

6 

1820       138 

3-7 

Hotchkiss  3-pr 

1-85        '25 

6-72 

40 

•4 

3-3   1875         80 

3-1 

Nordenfelt3-pr 

1-85        -2 

•• 

45-4 

•4 

3-3 

1875         80 

3-1 

The  weights  of  the  charges  above  are  for  cordite. 
There  are  different  "  Marks  "  of  most  of  the  above  guns. 
A  1  •  5  In.  gun  was  also  introduced. 

1  Author  in  U.  S.  Magazine,  Feb.,  1891  ;  Noble,  '  Rifled  Nav.  Art.,'  1899  ; 
Nav.  Art.,'  1891. 

2  '  Naval  Pocket  Book,'  1899. 

VOL.   VII.  E 


'  Mod. 


50 


CIVIL   HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


In  the  meantime  there  were  equally  important  improvements  in 
the  small-arms  which  were  used  in  the  Navy.  At  the  close  of  the 
Crimean  War,  the  service  rifles  were  on  the  Delvigne-Minie  principle, 
and  of  the  1851  pattern.  These  had  a  calibre  of  0'702  in.,  and 
were  muzzle-loaders.  In  1856  and  1858,  new  patterns  were  adopted 
for  different  branches  of  the  Navy ;  and  the  calibre  was  reduced  to 
0-577  in.  Then,  about  the  year  1861,  came  the  Enfield  small-bore 
rifle  of  the  experimental  pattern,  with  a  calibre  of  0' 453  in. ;  but 
still  the  muzzle-loader  only  was  employed.  The  first  breech-loader 
used  in  the  Navy  was  the  Snider ;  and  in  1864  a  number  of  muzzle- 
loaders  were  converted  on  Snider's  principle  from  0'577-in.  muzzle- 
loaders,  the  calibre  remaining  as  before.  A  new  Snider  naval  rifle 
of  0-577  in.  calibre  was  also  issued.  Many  years  afterwards  followed 
the  Martini-Henry  rifle,  with  a  calibre  of  0'45  in.,  to  be  superseded  in 
the  last  decade  of  the  century  by  the  Lee-Metford,  and  the  closely 
related  Lee-Enfield,  of  only  0'303  in.  calibre.  These  last  were 
adopted  nearly  simultaneously  with  the  general  substitution  of 
cordite  for  black  powder  in  all  arms,  small  as  well  as  large.  The 
following  are  some  particulars  of  the  Martini-Henry  and  the  Lee- 
Metford  :— 


KlFLK. 

Calibre. 

Length  of   Weight  with.      B  ,,  . 
Arm.          Bayonet. 

Powder. 

luitial 
Velocity. 

In. 

Ins. 

Lbs.     On. 

Gre. 

On. 

Foot- 
secouds. 

Martini-Henry,  M.IV.    . 

•45 

49 

10        9 

480 

85' 

1800  (?) 

Lee-Metford,  M.II.    .      . 

•303 

49-5 

10        4 

216 

30  2 

2200 

i  Black  powder.  *  Cordite. 

The  Franco-Prussian  War  of  1870-71  brought  the  mitrailleuse 
into  celebrity.  The  weapon  seems  to  have  accomplished  little  in 
that  campaign ;  but  its  use  directed  attention  to  the  far  more 
serviceable  Gatling  gun,  another  variety  of  small-arm  battery,  or 
"  machine-gun,"  the  object  of  which  was  to  pour  out  a  rapid  and 
continuous  hail  of  comparatively  small  bullets.  Gatling  guns  had 
been  shown  at  the  Paris  exhibition  of  1867  by  their  inventor, 
R.  J.  Gatling  of  Indianapolis,  and  had  attracted  much  notice.  The}7 
were  of  1  in.  and  0'58  in.  calibre,  with  six  barrels  revolving  round  a 
central  axis.  By  turning  a  crank,  cartridges,  supplied  by  feed  boxes, 
could  be  discharged  at  a  great  rate.  Yet  other  types  of  machine- 
guns,  and  especially  the  Nordenfelt,  the  Gardner,  and  subsequently 
the  Maxim  single-barrelled  automatic,  won  their  way  to  favour,  all 


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GUNNERY. 


51 


being  used  in  the  Navy  during  the  last  years  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  although  the  Maxim  was  then  rapidly  displacing  the  others. 
The  leading  particulars  *  of  them  are  set  forth  below : — 


MACHINE  GUNS. 

Weight. 

Length. 

Projectile. 

Powder. 

Rate  of  fire 
per  Min. 

Nature  and  Calibre. 

Lbs. 

Ft.     In. 

Nordenfelt, 

1-in.  4  barrelled  . 

447 

4     9 

7J  oz. 

625  grs. 

360 

]-in.  2  barrelled  . 

180 

4     7| 

7i  oz. 

625  grs. 

180 

'45-in.  5  barrelled  . 

143 

3     61 

480  grs. 

85  grs. 

660 

Gardner, 

•45-in.  1  barrelled  . 

76 

3  11 

480  grs. 

85  grs. 

200 

•45-in.  2  barrelled  . 

218 

3  11 

480  grs. 

85  grs. 

400 

•45-in.  5  barrelled  . 

290 

4    5fc 

480  grs. 

85  grs. 

650 

Gatling, 

•65-in.  10  barrelled 

817 

5     6i 

1422  SJK. 

270  grs. 

— 

•45-in.  10  barrelled 

444 

4  11J 

480  grs. 

85  grs. 

400 

Maxim  Automatic, 

1-46-in  

364 

4     5 

7000  grs. 

1233  grs. 

300 

•45-in  

63 

3     7J 

480  grs. 

85  grs.            600 

•303-in  

216  grs. 

30  grs.1           600 

1  Cordite,  taking  Lee-Metford  auimmiition. 

In  spite  of  the  introduction  of  the  torpedo,  and  of  the  fact  that 
all  large  ships  of  war  built  towards  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century 
were  designed  to  serve  as  rams,  the  gun  maintained  its  ancient 
position  as  the  first  and  principal  weapon  of  the  Navy.  While, 
however,  the  unshaken  position  of  the  gun  was  frankly  recognised 
by  all  the  most  respectable  authorities  on  naval  tactics,  the  import- 
ance of  good  gunnery  was,  in  practice,  still  strangely  and  culpably 
neglected  throughout  the  British  fleet : — so  much  so,  indeed,  that, 
according  to  the  prize-firing  returns  for  1900,  the  mean  percentage 
of  hits  scored  by  all  the  ships  in  commission  in  that  and  the  previous 
year  was  no  more  than  the  following  :— 

Percentage  of  Hits. 


Goxs. 

Increase  or 
Decrease. 

1899. 

1900. 

B.L.  16-25-in.,andl3'5-in  

33-33 

28-2 

-    5-13 

12-in.  wire  B.L  

33-68             35-07 

+    1-39 

10-in.  wire  B.L.  ...... 

34-00 

46-91 

+  12-91 

9-2-in.  and8-in.  B.L  

34-72 

28-37 

-    6-35 

6-in.  quick-firers.         ..... 

28-29 

36-95 

+    8-66 

4'7-in.  quick-firers       ..... 

33-57 

30-02 

-    3-55 

For  further  details,  see  Clowes, '  Nav.  Pocket  Book,'  1900. 


E   2 


52  CIVIL  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Looking  to  the  easy  conditions  under  which  prize-firing  was  carried 
out,  and  bearing  in  mind  that  the  speed  of  the  firing  ship  was  always 
relatively  low,  that  the  range  was  never  great,  and  that  the  target, 
instead  of  being  an  enemy's  vessel,  which  could  retaliate  and  confuse 
the  gunners,  was  only  a  floating  screen  of  spars  and  canvas,  these 
results  were  certainly  indifferent.  But  in  the  year  1900,  one  ship, 
the  first-class  cruiser  Terrible,  Captain  Percy  Scott,1  distinguished 
herself  by  making  no  less  a  percentage  than  76 '92  of  hits,  and 
so  showed  how  very  far  short  of  attainable  efficiency  was  the 
gunnery  of  other  vessels.  Her  efficiency  was  due  not  only  to  the 
ingenious  devices  which  were  invented  or  employed2  by  Captain 
Scott,  but  also  to  the  personal  attention  which  he  and  his  officers 
devoted  to  the  training  of  their  men.  The  consequences  were  that 
almost  immediately  the  Admiralty  turned  its  attention  to  Captain 
Scott's  inventions,  with  a  view  to  their  general  adoption,  and  that 
the  Terrible's  brilliant  example  engendered  a  healthy  emulation 
which  promised  to-  lead  to  a  very  notable  heightening  of  the 
standard  of  gunnery  in  every  ship  in  commission. 

The  subject  of  engines  and  boilers  is  one  into  which  it  is  not 
possible  here  to  enter  very  deeply.  Those  specially  interested  in  it 
will  find  it  dealt  with  in  a  manner  worthy  of  its  importance  in 
various  technical  works,  to  some  of  which  the  note3  below  will 
refer  them. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  as  regards  engines,  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
period  under  review,  nearly  all  British  men-of-war  were  fitted  either 
with  trunk  or  with  return  connecting-rod  engines ;  that,  in  the 
early  "  sixties,"  compound  engines  were  experimented  with,  notably 
in  the  case  of  the  Constance  (built  in  1846,  and  converted  to  a  screw- 
ship  in  1862),  but  were  not  then  sufficiently  understood  to  be  worked 
successfully  ;  and  that  the  earliest  efficient  application  of  compound 
engines  to  a  British  war-ship  was  made  in  the  case  of  the  small 

1  For  some  account  of  Capt.  Scott's  improvements  in  mountings  for  heavy  guns  for 
service  on  shore,  see  next  chapter. 

"  Including  the  Barr  and  Stroud  Range-finder. 

3  Sennett,  "The  Marine  Steam  Engine"  (1888);  Seaton,  "A  Manual  of  Marine 
Engineering ''  (1893) ;  Yeo,  "  Steam,  and  the  Marine  Steam  Engine  "  (1894) ;  Williams, 
"  The  Steam  Navy  of  England  "  (1895) ;  S.  W.  Barnaby,  "  Marine  Propellers  "  (1885)  ; 
Bertin,  "Machines  Marines"  (1899);  Busley  (tr.  by  Cole),  "The  Marine  Steam 
Engine";  Oldknow,  "The  Mechanism  of  Men  of  War"  (1896);  "Notes  on  Steam 
Engineering"  (Annapolis,  1901);  Tompkins,  "Text  Book  of  Marine  Engineering"; 
Bourne,  "Catechism  of  the  Steam  Engine";  Murray,  "Marine  Engines  and  Steam 
Vessels"  (1886),  etc. ;  and  works  on  Boilers,  for  which  see  note  on  p.  55. 


O 
2 


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SCREWS.  53 

wooden  ironclad  Pallas,  of  1865.  These  were  two-cylinder  engines, 
by  Messrs.  Humphrys,  with  surface  condensers.  Not,  however, 
until  several  years  later  were  compound  engines  generally  adopted 
by  the  Navy,  for  the  next  ironclad  to  be  provided  with  them  was 
the  Alexandra,  of  1875.  At  first  such  engines  were  horizontal,  in 
order  that  the  cylinders  and  machinery  might  be  kept  low  in  the 
hold,  and  enjoy  the  protection  of  the  water ;  but  it  was  all  along 
recognised  that  the  vertical  was  the  proper  position,  and  in  the 
Dreadnought  and  the  Shannon,  both  launched,  like  the  Alexandra, 
in  1875,  vertical  engines  were  employed.  To  Captain  Eobert 
Anthony  Edward  Scott,1  better  known  for  his  inventions  in 
connection  with  gun-mountings,  belongs,  I  believe,  the  credit  of 
suggesting  the  use  of  a  curved  steel  deck  and  armoured  coamings 
over  a  ship's  engine-room  as  protection  for  the  upper  parts  of 
vertical  engines,  and  of  thus  enabling  such  engines  to  be  fitted  in 
cruisers  as  well  as  in  vertically-armoured  vessels.  Triple-expansion 
engines  were  first  given  in  the  Navy  to  the  torpedo  gun-vessel 
Battlesnake,  of  1886,  and  then  to  the  battleships  Victoria,  Sans 
"Par ell,  and  Nile  (1887-88).  Soon  afterwards  they  became  the 
ordinary  service  engines  throughout  the  British  Navy,  subject,  how- 
ever, to  various  modifications.  To  the  Blake  and  Blenheim,  first- 
class  cruisers  of  1889-90,  four  sets  of  triple  expansion  inverted 
cylinder  engines  were  given.  Two  sets  remained,  however,  the 
more  usual  number  until  the  close  of  the  century. 

Twin  screws  were  fitted  in  numerous  small  craft  in  the  later 
"  sixties " ;  and  in  1868  they  were  also  given  to  the  ironclad 
Penelope,  the  first  of  her  class  to  have  them.  Not,  however,  until 
about  ten  years  afterwards  did  the  Admiralty  make  up  its  mind  that 
they  were  necessary  to  all  large  men-of-war.  It  may  be  noted  that 
the  earlier  twin  screws  rotated  outwards,  and  the  later  ones  inwards. 
The  earlier  single  screws,  as  applied  to  large  vessels  with  full 
sail-power,  were  so  fitted  that  they  could  be  disconnected  from  the 
machinery,  and  either  left  to  revolve  with  but  little  friction  while 
the  vessel  was  under  canvas,  or,  in  other  cases,  raised  entirely  out 
of  the  water,  a  well,  generally  from  the  upper  deck,  being  made 
above  them  for  that  purpose.  Yet  other  screws  fitted  to  sailing 
vessels  had  feathering  blades,  which,  when  the  screw  shaft  was  not 
rotating,  could  be  unlocked,  and  left  to  trail  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
offer  a  minimum  of  resistance  to  the  water. 

1  Captain  of  Nov.  22,  1866 ;  retd.  Oct.  20,  1870  ;  retd.  r.-adm.  Mar.  27,  1885. 


54  CIVIL  HISTORY  Ot    THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Besides  their  main  engines,  all  the  large  ships  of  the  close  of 
the  century  had  numerous  others,  often  in  duplicate,  for  various 
purposes.  Thus,  for  example,  the  Vulcan  had  98  separate  engines, 
with,  in  all,  194  cylinders ;  the  Powerful  and  Terrible  had  each  85 
auxiliary  engines ;  and  the  battleships  of  the  Eoijal  Sovereign  class 
(1891-92)  had  each  86. 

During  the  whole  period   the  machine-driven   screw-propeller, 
single  or  twin,  advanced  in  favour;  and,  ere  the  beginning  of  the 
last  quarter  of  the  century,  it  had  entirely  ousted  the  paddle-wheel 
as  a  warship  motor,  although  the  paddle-wheel  was  still  retained  in 
certain  tugs,  surveying-vessels  and  harbour-craft  which  were   not 
intended  for  fighting  purposes  or  general  service.     More  than  once, 
however,  experimental  craft  with  other  forms  of  motor  were  tried 
by  the  Admiralty.     The  armoured  gun-vessel  Waterwitch,  of  1866, 
designed  by  Bear-Admiral  George  Elliot  (4)   and   the  Controller's 
Department,  was  driven  hydraulically,  but  was  a  complete  failure. 
The.   second-class   66-ton   torpedo-boat,  No.   98,   built  by   Messrs. 
Thornycroft  in  1883,  was  also  driven  hydraulically,  and  proved  a 
disappointment  to  her  projectors.     Some  years  later,  however,  the 
success  of  a  vessel  called  the  Turbinia,  the  motor  of  which  was  the 
invention  of  the  Hon.  C.  A.  Parsons,  drew  the  attention  of  the 
Admiralty   to   the    merits   of  the   compound   steam   turbine   as   a 
substitute,  in  certain  kinds  of  craft,  for  the  ordinarily  driven  screw. 
The  'Turbinia  created  an  immense  impression  on  the  occasion  of 
the  Diamond  Jubilee  Eeview  of  1897,  when  she  appeared  among 
the  British   and  foreign  men-of-war  assembled   at    Spithead,    and 
astonished  all  observers  by  her  speed.     The  result  was  the  fitting 
of  somewhat  similar  turbines  to  the  torpedo-boat  destroyer  Viper 
which  was  built  in   1899,  and  which  attained  the  extraordinary 
speed  of  36-58  knots,  or  upwards  of  42  statute  miles,  an  hour 
at  her  trials   on    July  13th,   1900.      She   had   4   shafts    with   2 
propellers  on  each,  and  Yarrow  water-tube  boilers ;    and    on  the 
occasion  in  question,  with  200  Ibs.  of  steam  pressure,  her  propellers 
made  1180  revolutions  a  minute.     Another  destroyer  of  much  the 
same  type,  the  Cobra,  built  in  1900  at  Elswick,  for  sale,  if  successful 
to  the  Admiralty,  did  almost  equally  well  at  her  first  trials  in  June 
that  year;  and,  although  the  new  system  of  propulsion  was  not 
without  Borne  defects  and  drawbacks,  it  then  became  evident  that 
had  established  itself  firmly  as  a  means  whereby  speeds  not  other- 
wise attainable  might  be  secured  for  craft  of  certain  classes 


BOILERS.  55 

Triple  screws,  though  fitted  in  the  warships  of  more  than  one 
foreign  power,  and  in  several  of  the  larger  and  faster  of  foreign 
merchant  steamers,  failed  to  recommend  themselves  to  British 
naval  constructors. 

The  marine  boilers l  of  the  period  were  first  of  the  square  box 
type,  and,  later,  of  short  cylindrical  or  ellipsoidal  shape,  having,  as  a 
rule,  furnaces  below  and  in  front,  and  fire-tubes  above  and  behind. 
In  all  these  boilers  the  tubes  conducted  the  heat  through  the  water. 
Other  boilers  of  the  same  class  had  furnaces  at  both  ends.  To  pro- 
duce more  rapid  combustion  in  the  furnaces,  and  quicker  evolution 
of  steam  in  the  boilers,  what  was  known  as  "  forced  draught  "  was 
at  length  employed.  The  stoke-holds  were  closed,  and  by  means  of 
fans,  air  was  pumped  into  the  stoke-hold  ends  of  the  furnaces,  the 
air-pressure  in  the  stoke-holds  being  thus  increased,  and  additional 
oxygen,  in  proportion,  being  fed  to  the  fires.  The  use  of  forced 
draught,  however,  was  found  to  be  very  trying  to  the  tubes,  and 
especially  to  the  tube-plates  at  their  ends ;  and  it  was  to  protect 
the  tube-plates  and  the  ends  of  the  fire-tubes  that  a  strengthening 
device,  commonly  called  "  the  Admiralty  ferrule,"  was  adopted. 
This  enabled  forced  draught  to  be  used  with  less  damage  to  the 
boilers.  Another  method  of  feeding  additional  oxygen  to  the  fires 
was  by  Mr.  W.  A.  Martin's  system  of  "  induced  draught."  In  this 
system,  the  air  was  drawn  through  the  furnaces  and  tubes  by  means 
of  fans  placed  at  the  bottoms  of  the  funnels.  The  results  aimed  at 
were  in  both  cases  the  same. 

But,  in  practice,  forced  or  induced  draught  was  so  seldom  used 
in  men-of-war,  except  at  their  trials ;  it  added  so  little,  compara- 
tively, to  their  speed  ;  and  it  was,  in  spite  of  everything,  so  destruc- 
tive to  the  boilers,  that  the  wisdom  of  providing  apparatus  for  it 
was  never  conclusively  demonstrated.  It  might  be  important,  it  was 
recognised,  to  enable  a  ship  to  add  a  knot  or  two  to  her  speed  at  a 
critical  moment ;  but  if  the  effort  was  to  be  accompanied  by  a  risk 
of  a  subsequent  total  breakdown,  possibly  in  presence  of  an  enemy, 
it  was  urged,  and  with  some  justice,  that  the  temporary  extra  speed 
might  be  too  dearly  purchased. 

These  and  other  considerations  led  to  experiments  with  boilers 
of  new  types,  which  promised  to  permit  of  the  use  of  higher 

1  Traill,  "Boilers,  Marine  and  Land "(1890);  E.  Wilson,  "A  Treatise  on  Steam 
Boilers"  (revised  by  J.  J.  Flather,  1893);  "Interim  Report  of  the  Admiralty  Boiler 
Committee  "  (1901) ;  "  The  Naval  Annual  "  ;  and  hooks  dealing  with  marine  engines, 
for  which  see  note  on  p.  52. 


56  CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  BOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

pressures,  and  to  facilitate  a  more  rapid  raising  of  steam,  than  the 
old  boilers.  The  new  types  were  many,  but  those  of  them  which 
obtained  any  degree  of  success  had  all  one  feature  in  common. 
Instead  of  having  tubes  which  conducted  the  heat  through  the 
water,  they  had  tubes  which  conducted  the  water1  through  the  heat. 
Of  these  water-tube  boilers,  the  chief  varieties  which,  experimentally 
or  otherwise,  were  fitted  in  ships  of  the  British  Navy  were,  the 
Belleville,  the  Yarrow,  the  Thornycroft,  the  Normand,  the  Eeed, 
the  White,  the  Blechynden,  the  du  Temple,  the  Babcock  and 
Wilcox,  the  Mumford,  and  the  Niclausse,  though  at  least  half  a 
dozen  other  kinds  were  in  use  elsewhere. 

It  was  recognised  from  the  beginning  that  these  water-tube 
boilers  were  especially  suitable  for  destroyers,  and  other  light  fast 
craft,  which,  in  all  probability,  would  not  be  required  to  remain 
under  steam  for  long  periods  at  a  time,  and  which,  therefore,  would 
enjoj"  frequent  opportunities  for  overhauling,  cleaning,  and  repairing 
their  generators.  When,  however,  upon  the  laying  down  of  the 
gigantic  first-class  protected  cruisers,  Poiverful  and  Terrible,  which 
were  launched  in  1895,  Mr.  Albert  John  Durston,  Engineer-in-Chief 
of  the  Navy,  determined  to  fit  them  with  batteries  of  Belleville 
boilers,  fears  were  very  widely  expressed  as  to  the  unwisdom  of  the 
scheme.  He  persisted,  however,  in  giving  Belleville  boilers  not  only 
to  these  vessels,  but  also  to  other  large  cruisers,  both  protected  and 
armoured,  and  to  all  the  battleships  which  were  laid  down  in  and 
after  1897.  Mr.  Durston  won  a  K.C.B.  in  1897  on  the  strength  of 
his  bold  departure ;  but  opposition  to  his  principles  continued  to 
grow,  and  by  the  end  of  the  century  it  had  become  clear  that  the 
Belleville  was  not,  upon  the  whole,  the  best  of  the  water-tube  boilers 
for  use  in  big  ships,  while  many  grounds  had  arisen  for  the  con- 
viction that,  although  water-tube  boilers  possessed  some  striking 
advantages,  they  were  in  some  respects  un  suited  for  heavy  war  vessels 
from  which  prolonged  steaming  and  very  varying  speeds  would,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  be  demanded.2  It  must  be  remembered,  however, 
that  at  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century  all  the  naval  powers  were 
freely  fitting  water-tube  boilers  of  one  type  or  another  to  their  war- 
ships, both  small  and  large. 

1  A  water-tube  boiler,  the  invention  of  Rear-Adm.  the  Hon.  A.  L.  P.  Cochrane,  was 
fitted  experimentally  to  several  vessels  soon  after  1870,  but  was  presently  discarded. 

2  The  risk  of  breakdown  may  be  estimated  to  some  extent  from  the  fact  that  in 
each  of  the  armoured  cruisers  of  the  King  Alfred  class  there  were  5348  tubes  in  the 
43  Belleville  boilers,  and  5328  tubes  in  the  economisers. 


rm  Compound  Conqueror  1879. 


Arm  Compound 


Hull  Steel 


|  firm   Compound Collmgnood      1879. 


]Ar, 


•m.  Compound  Impcneuse  1881 


Hull  Steel.. 


X^ — 
Arm. 


Compound 


Victoria  1883 


Arm.  Compound 

Royal   Sovereign    1883. 

**—  -^ 

Hull  Sfee/___^/ 

KrmHarveyecf  Majestic  189*. 


British    Ironclads.  1874.    1894. 
figures    oiVo  thicknea    of    Armour     in    inches 

(By  kind  permission,  from  Mr.  H.  W.  Wilson's  '  Ironclads  in  Action.'') 

[To  face  p.  56. 


THE  DEVELOPMENT   OF  ARMOUR.  57 

The   development   of   armour   has   already   been   touched   upon 
incidentally  in  the  sketch  which  has  been  given  of  the  history  of 
battleship  building.     Until  about  1875   all  British  vertical  armour 
for  ships  of  war  was  of  wrought  iron.     Compound  armour,  or,  i 
other  words,  iron  armour  with  its  face  steeled,  was  introduced  for 
the  turrets  of  the  Inflexible,  which  was  launched  in  1876. 
forward  compound  armour  was  generally  used  for  about  thirtee] 
years      To  some  of  the  ships  of  the  Royal  Sovereign  class  (1891-92) 
nickel-steel  armour  was  applied  as  protection  for  the  central  battery, 
nickel-steel  being  steel  with  a  small  toughening  admixture  of  nickel ; 
but  the  thicker  belt  and  barbette  armour  continued  to  be  compound. 
In  the  Benown,  launched  in  1895,  Harvey  steel  was  employed  for 
the  heavy  armour.     This  is  steel  the  surface  of  which,  to  a  slight 
•depth,  has   been   rendered   intensely  hard   by  a   process  of   super- 
carbonisation.     The  effect  of  the  hardened  surface  was  to  distribute 
the  blow  of  the  projectile  over  a  comparatively  large  extent  of  the 
.softer  steel  beneath.     In  the  battleships  which  were  laid  down  in 
the  last  two  years  of   the  nineteenth  century,  Harvey  steel  gave 
place  to  Krupp  steel,  a  steel  surface  hardened  and  highly  tempered 
by  a  process  analogous  to  Harvey's,  but  of  better  quality  than  the 
steel  or  nickel-steel  which  had  previously  been  treated  in  England. 
Speaking    roughly,    the    relative   resisting   powers    of   the   various 
armours  were  as  follows:  1-inch  Krupp  steel  =  1  •  25-inch  Harveyed 
nickel-steel  =  1' 5-inch    Harvey   steel  =  2-inch    compound    armour  = 
2-5-inch  mild  steel  =  3.inch  wrought-iron   armour.     Therefore  the 
thickest  wrought-iron  armour  of  the  Inflexible  (24  inches)  may  be 
considered  as,  upon  the  whole,  inferior  to  the  9-inch  Krupp  steel 
belt  of  the  ships  of  the  London  class,  the  thickest  armour  of  which 
(12  inches)  represents  something  like  36  inches  of  wrought-iron -an 
armour  which,  on   account  of   its  weight,  could  never  have 
employed  afloat,  except  over  very  small  areas  indeed. 

During  the  period  which  witnessed  such  vast  improvements 
armour,  there  was,  strange  to  say,  no  commensurate  improvement  in 
the  projectiles1  designed  to  attack  it.  Guns  improved,  and  gunnery 
improved;  but,  after  the  introduction  of  face-hardened  armour, 
projectiles  made  but  little  progress.  Indeed,  the  armour-piercing 
shells  (shells  with  small  bursting-charges  and  hardened  points),  and 
common-shells  (shells  with  large  bursting  charges  and  thinner  wal 

•  Generally  made  of  chrome  steel   after  about   1886,  by  the  Holtzer  and  other 
processes,  or  of  nickel-steel.     American  projectiles  made  more  progress 
pean  ones. 


58  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

used  in  1900  were  very  little  different  from  those  used  in  1890, 
except  in  one  feature,  which,  however,  was  extraneous  to  the  shell 
itself.  About  the  year  1894,  the  device  of  capping  projectiles  with  a 
small  mass  of  soft  steel  was  invented  by  Mr.  Isaac  G.  Johnson,  in 
America,  and,  it  is  said,  almost  simultaneously  in  Eussia.  The 
capped  projectile,  when  striking  at  right  angles,  was  found  to  have 
a  penetrating  force  10,  15,  or  even  20  per  cent,  greater  than  that  of 
the  uncapped  one.  Several  theories  were  advanced  to  account  for 
this,  but  what  seems  to  be  the  true  one  may  be  thus  stated  :— 

"  The  function  of  the  cap  is  to  prepare  the  plate  so  that  the  projectile  strikes  it  at 
the  most  advantageous  moment.  When  the  mass,  consisting  of  the  cap  and  projectile, 
strikes  the  plate,  the  hard  surface  of  the  latter  is  'dished'  elastically,  and  absorbs  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  energy  of  impact.  This  energy  does  not,  however,  react 
on  the  projectile,  the  velocity  of  which  is  barely  checked,  its  progress  through  the  soft 
cap  being  comparatively  easy.  The  projectile,  therefore,  reaches  the  plate  with  nearly 
all  its  original  inertia,  and  finds  the  hard  surface  of  the  latter  already  '  dished '  to  its 
elastic  limit.  The  resistance  then  becomes  purely  local,  and  the  hole  gradually 
enlarges  as  the  projectile  moves  ou." ' 

The  invention  was  quickly  adopted  by  the  United  States,  Russia, 
and  France,  but  at  the  end  of  the  century  it  had  not  fully  com- 
mended itself  to  the  British  Admiralty,  although  official  experiments 
had  been  made  with  it  in  England.  In  fact,  with  regard  to  nearly 
all  new  inventions  bearing  upon  naval  warfare,  Great  Britain  showed 
herself  intensely  conservative. 

Upon  the  whole  it  may  be  said  that  no  invention  of  the  latter 
part  of  the  nineteenth  century  exercised  a  greater  influence  upon  the 
principles  of  naval  warfare  than  that  of  the  automobile  torpedo. 

As  has  been  shown  in  previous  volumes,  torpedoes  or  "  infernal 
machines,"  of  one  kind  or  another,  were  employed  by  or  against  the 
Royal  Navy  from  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  onwards. 
Prince  Rupert's  semi-piratical  attempt  to  blow  up  the  Leopard* 
involved  the  use  of  a  device  of  this  sort;  the  "machine"3  of  1694 
was  of  similar  character ;  the  Americans  endeavoured  to  explode 
mines  or  torpedoes  under  British  vessels  in  both  their  wars  with 
the  parent  country;  the  "catamaran"4  of  1804  was  a  towing 
torpedo  under  another  name ;  and  the  Russians  did  some  little 
damage  with  their  stationary  torpedoes*  or  mines  in  1855. 

1  See  papers  by  Lieut.  Cleland  Davis,  U.S.N.,  and  Prof.  P.  R.  Alger,  U.S.N.,  in 
Proceedings   of  the  U.S.  Naval  Inst.,'  Vol.  xxvii.,  No.  3.      See  also  'The   Naval 
Annual,'  1901. 

2  Vol.  ii.,  p.  127.  *  Vol.  v.,  p.  69. 

8  Vol.  ii.,  p.  407  n.  5  Vol.  vi.,  p.  483. 


THE    WHITE  HE  AD    TORPEDO.  5 

The  forms  of  torpedo  principally  used  in  the  British  service  after 
the  Bussian  war  were  five  in  number,  viz.,  stationary  torpedoes  or 
submarine  mines,  to  be  exploded  by  the  concussion  of  a  passing 
vessel,  or  by  electricity  or  mechanical  means  at  a  desired  moment ; 
spar  torpedoes,  or  explosive  charges  carried  at  the  end  of  a  spar  at  a 
boat's  bows ;  towing  torpedoes,  of  which  class  the  best  known 
example  was  the  short-lived  and  unsatisfactory  Harvey  ;  automobile 
torpedoes,  such  as  the  Whitehead  ;  and  controllable  torpedoes,  such 
as  the  Brennan.  In  the  earlier  days  the  charge  was  gunpowder ;  in 
the  later  ones,  guncotton  or  some  other  "  high  explosive." 

The  first  and  most  successful  of  all  automobile  torpedoes  was  the 
Whitehead,  so  called  from  the  name  of  its  inventor,  to  whom 
belongs  the  great  credit  of  utilising  hydrostatic  pressure  to  regulate 
the  depth  of  the  weapon's  immersion  in  the  water.  It  seems  to 
have  been  in  1864  that  Mr.  Whitehead's  attention  was  originally 
directed  to  the  subject,  it  having  been  then  suggested  to  him  by 
Captain  Luppis,  of  the  Austrian  Navy,  to  build  a  surface-floating 
vessel  which,  without  the  aid  of  a  crew  on  board,  could  be  propelled 
against  an  enemy.  Whitehead  used  as  his  motive  power  compressed 
air,  which  he  stored  in  a  strong  steel  receptacle,  and  which,  on  being 
released,  drove  an  engine  and  worked  a  screw.  He  passed  four 
years  in  study  and  labour,  spent  about  £40,000  in  experiments,  and 
then  produced  his  invention.  It  was  still  very  imperfect,  although 
of  wonderful  ingenuity  ;  but  after  its  adoption  by  the  British  Navy 
it  was  continuously  improved  until  it  became  a  most  efficient  and 
trustworthy  weapon  of  considerable  range  and  great  speed.  Full 
accounts  of  its  history  and  development  may  be  found  in  the  works 
mentioned  in  the  note  below.1 

At  the  end  of  the  century  two  sizes  of  these  torpedoes  were  used 
in  the  British  service,  the  14-inch,  and  the  so-called  18-inch.  The 
real  diameter  of  the  latter  was  17 '71  inches,  or  45  centimetres. 
Torpedoes  for  the  Navy  were  at  that  time  made  not  only  at  Fiume, 
where  Mr.  Whitehead's  parent  works  were,  but  also  at  the  Eoyal 
Gun  Factory,  Woolwich2  (E.  G.  F.  type),  at  the  Portland  Harbour 
Torpedo  Works  (Mr.  Whitehead's),  and  by  Messrs.  Greenwood  and 

1  Clowes,  "  The  Naval  Pocket  Book  "  (1896  and  annually)  ;  "  The  Naval  Annual " 
(1886  and  annually);  Sleeman,  "Torpedoes  and  Torpedo  Warfare"  (2nd  Ed.  1889); 
Armstrong,  "Torpedoes  and  Torpedo  Vessels"  (1896);   Publications  of  the  Torpedo 
Station,  Newport,  Rhode  Island  (1874,  etc.) ;  "  The  Torpedo  Manual "' ;  Jane,  "  The 
Torpedo  in  Pc>ace  and  War." 

2  They  had  previously  been  made  at  the  Royal  Laboratory  (type  R.  L.). 


60  CIVIL    HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Batley,  of  Leeds.  All  were  then,  however,  manufactured  according 
to  the  K.  Gr.  F.  specifications,  it  having  been  decided  to  discontinue 
the  use  of  other  designs.  Among  the  improvements  of  the  last  few 
years  of  the  century  was  the  fitting  to  the  torpedo  of  the  Obry 
gyroscope  steering  apparatus,  for  the  automatic  correction  of  any 
tendency  on  the  part  of  the  weapon  to  deflect  from  the  original  line 
of  fire. 

Particulars  of  a  few  of  the  numerous  types  of  automobile 
torpedoes  which  were  produced  at  different  times  for  the  Navy  are 
appended . 

The  ranges  given  in  the  table  are  those  to  which  the  torpedo 
would  travel  with  fairly  sustained  speed  ;  but  some  of  the  perfected 
long  18-inch  weapons,  fitted  with  the  gyroscope,  would  travel 
accurately,  although  at  a  very  much  diminished  velocity,  up  to 
about  2000  yards.  The  explosive  charge  in  all  of  them  consisted  of 


Type  and  "  Mark."                    Date. 

Leugth.         Weight. 

.Speed  up  to 
600  yards. 

B"*'        EChParT 

ft.     in. 

Ibs. 

Kts. 

Yds.               Ibs. 

14-in.  R.L.,  Mk.  1**  .      .   j  1876-80 

14     6 

525 

19-5 

600 

32 

14-in.  R.L.,  and  Leeds,  \      ,QQK 
Mk.  IV*    .      .     .      ./j 

14  11| 

670 

23-5 

600 

60 

14-in.  R.L.,  and   Leeds,  \!     ,„,,„ 
Mk.  VIII.      .      .      J 

14  Hi 

705 

26 

600 

65 

14-in.  R.G.F.,  Mk.  IX   .        1897 

14  llf 

725 

27 

600 

79 

18-in.,  Mk.  I       .      .      .        1891 

16     7i 

1,140 

29 

800 

199 

18-in.,  Mk.  II     .      .      .        1895 

16     74 

1,130 

29 

800 

185 

18-in.  R.G.F.,  Mk.  IV  .   !     1897 

16     74 

1,217 

30 

800 

171 

18-in.  Short  (for  boats)  .        1895 

12     4 

875 

28 

600 

85  -5 

guncotton.  The  air-chamber,  of  finest  Whitworth  compressed  steel, 
from  •  275  to  •  365-inch  thick,  contained  air  compressed  by  means  of 
special  pumps  fitted  on  board  the  discharging  ships,  the  pressure  in 
some  of  the  later  "  marks  "  of  torpedo  running  as  high  as  1350  Ibs. 
per  square  inch. 

These  torpedoes  could  be  discharged  in  several  ways,  e.g.,  from 
ejector  tubes,  by  means  of  the  initial  impulse  of  compressed  air,  or 
of  the  explosion  of  a  small  charge  of  gunpowder  ;  or  from  dropping- 
gear — a  clip-like  device  by  means  of  which  the  torpedo  was  lowered 
overboard  into  the  water,  and  there  started  and  released  without 
extraneous  impulse.  The  ejector-tubes  fitted  to  torpedo-boats  and 
destroyers  were,  for  the  most  part,  training  tubes  mounted  on  deck. 
The  tubes  fitted  in  larger  craft  were  chiefly  either  similar  tubes, 
which  were  trained  through  above-water  ports  ;  or  submerged  tubes, 


SUBMARINE  BOATS.  61 

which  were  fixed  in  position,  and  which  had  to  be  aimed  by  means 
of  the  vessel's  helm.  Towards  the  end  of  the  century  the  tendency 
lay  in  the  direction  of  fitting  only  submerged  tubes  to  large  ships,  as 
it  was  recognised  that  a  hostile  projectile  striking  the  detonator  or 
air-chamber  of  a  torpedo  in  an  above-water  tube  would  probably 
explode  it  with  disastrous  results. 

It  was  sought  to  afford  protection  to  ships  against  torpedoes  by 
fitting  them  with  moveable  nets,  or  crinolines,  which  could  be 
boomed  out  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  hulls.  Nets  of  this 
nature  were  supplied  to  the  Thunderer  as  early  as  1877.  They  were 
subsequently  much  improved,  and  after  1898  were  made  so  sub- 
stantial as  to  be  almost  impregnable  to  the  assaults  of  the  various 
cutters,  nippers,  and  other  devices  with  which  the  noses  of  White- 
heads  were  at  length  provided. 

Controllable  torpedoes,  such  as  the  Brennan,1  the  principle  of 
which  was  purchased  by  the  British  Government  in  1882,  were 
never  part  of  the  armament  of  the  Navy,  but  were  employed  by  the 
War  Department  for  purposes  of  coast  defence.  The  Brennan  was 
a  torpedo  driven  and  directed  by  means  of  wires,  the  home  ends  of 
which  were  on  drums  in  the  operating  station  on  shore,  and  the 
outward  ends  of  which  were  on  much  smaller  drums  inside  the  body 
of  the  weapon.  The  very  rapid  winding-in  of  the  shore  ends  of 
the  wires  worked  the  propellers  of  the  torpedo ;  and  a  very  ingenious 
device  enabled  the  Weapon  to  be  steered  with  great  accuracy.  Such 
a  torpedo  could  not  be  outmanoeuvred,  and  it  possessed  many  other 
advantages ;  but  it  was  not  suitable  for  use  by  ships,  which  would 
have  been  liable  to  have  their  screws  fouled,  or  to  foul  the  screws 
of  their  consorts,  by  the  wires,  and  which  would  have  been  obliged 
to  carry  special  engines  of  considerable  size  wherewith  to  drive  the 
drums  at  the  necessary  speed. 

Akin  to  the  torpedo  is  the  submarine  boat.  Until  the  autumn  of 
1900  the  British  Admiralty  appeared  to  pay  but  little  attention  to 
the  assiduity  with  which  certain  foreign  powers  had  been  experi- 
menting with  submarines  during  the  previous  twelve  or  fifteen  years. 
It  then  suddenly  ordered  the  construction  of  five  craft  of  the  kind 
by  Messrs.  Vickers,  Sons  and  Maxim,  of  Barrow.  The  type  chosen 
was  that  of  the  American  Holland  boat ;  and  the  dimensions  were 
to  be  :  length,  63  feet  4  inches ;  beam.  11  feet  9  inches ;  submerged 
displacement,  120  tons.  Propulsion  was  to  be  by  means  of  an  Otto. 
Invented  in  1877  by  Mr.  Louis  Brennan,  of  Melbourne. 


62  CIVIL  HlSTOltY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

gasolene  engine  for  surface  steaming,  and  by  means  of  an  electric 
motor  of  the  waterproof  pattern  for  work  when  submerged.  The 
speed  aimed  at  was  7  knots. 

It  was  explained  on  behalf  of  the  Admiralty  that  the  ordering  of 
these  boats  did  not  necessarily  imply  that  the  authorities  had  any 
faith  in  their  usefulness  for  the  purposes  of  war.  The  boats  were 
required  chiefly  for  experimental  purposes.  There  were  indications, 
however,  that,  even  before  the  year  1900,  the  progress  of  invention 
had  rendered  it  needless  further  to  experiment  with  submarine  boats 
which  demanded  the  employment  of  officers  and  men  in  them,  and 
which  inevitably  exposed  their  crews  to  extraordinary  risks.  Just 
as,  by  the  Marconi  system,  it  had  been  found  possible  to  telegraph 
without  wires,  so,  by  the  systems  of  Orling  and  Armstrong,  Fiske, 
Govan,  and  others,  it  had  been  found  possible  to  transmit  to  a 
distance,  without  the  intervention  of  wires  or  other  artificial 
connections,  electrical  impulses  whereby  automobile  torpedoes  or 
larger  vessels  could  be  started,  stopped,  steered,  and  otherwise 
controlled.  It  seemed,  therefore,  at  the  end  of  the  century,  as  if 
the  future,  so  far  as  submarine  warfare  was  concerned,  lay  rather 
with  some  weapon  like  a  wireless  Brennan  l  than  with  the  wholly 
self-contained  and  self-dependent  submarine  boat  and  its  crew. 

Concerning  the  progress  of  materiel  in  other  directions  there  is 
room  to  say  little  here.  The  internal  illumination  of  ships  was 
revolutionised  during  the  period  under  review,  the  old-fashioned 
lantern,  with  its  dim  candle,  giving  place  first  to  the  scarcely 
brighter  and  far  more  cumbrous  oil-lamp,  and  finally  to  the  electric 
light.  Electric  night  sights,  for  guns,  were  also  introduced ; 
and,  indeed,  electricity  on  ship-board  became  of  ever  increasing 
importance  as  the  century  drew  to  its  end,  until  at  last  it  was 
employed,  in  preference  to  steam  or  hydraulics,  as  a  power  for  the 
general  service  of  many  ships  of  war,  and  was  applied,  for  example, 
to  the  loading,  training,  and  elevating  of  heavy  guns,  as  well  as  to 
the  firing  of  them ;  to  steering  gear ;  to  the  working  of  ammunition 
hoists,  capstans,  and  cranes ;  and  to  the  transmission  of  orders 
within  the  vessel,  by  means  not  only  of  telephones,  but  also  of 
speed,  course,  and  other  indicators.  It  was  also  used  in  search- 
lights ; 2  in  the  working  of  mast-head  and  other  signals,  and  of 

1  For  convenience  of  reference,  all  torpedoes  or  other  vessels  thus  controlled  by 
electrical  impulses  without  wires  may  be  styled  "  actinauts." — Author  in  New  Liberal 
Review,  June,  1901.  See  also  Author's  paper  read  to  the  I.N.A.,  Mar.  21,  1902. 

1  The  searchlight  was  fitted  in  the  Alexandra  in  1876. 


,  IV  <• 


MASTS  AND    SAILS.  63 

ventilating  machinery ;  and  in  a  hundred  other  ways  far  too 
numerous  to  specify.  Apparatus  for  wireless  telegraphy  on  the 
Marconi  s}'stem  was  fitted  in  several  British  ships  in  the  year 
1900. 

Masts  and  sails  died  out  very  slowly ;  and,  even  at  the  end  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  when  they  had  all  but  disappeared  from  the 
ships  of  the  Navy,  their  revival,  especially  in  sea-going  training 
vessels,  was  strenuously  advocated  by  a  certain  number  of  naval 
officers  who  had  been  accustomed  to  them  in  their  youth,  and  who 
retained  exaggerated  ideas  of  their  value,  if  only  as  a  means  of 
giving  physical  exercise  to  seamen,  and  developing  self-reliance, 
smartness  and  resourcefulness.  By  that  date,  however,  the  training 
squadron  itself,  which  until  two  or  three  years  before  had  consisted 
exclusively  of  masted  cruisers,  was  composed  solely  of  modern 
vessels  without  a  single  sail  among  them ;  and  almost  the  only 
sailing-craft  that  lingered  in  commission  were  a  few  old  brigs 
attached  as  tenders  to  the  stationary  training-ships  for  boys  at 
Portland,  Portsmouth,  and  Devonport,  the  Cruiser,  training  sloop 
for  ordinary  seamen  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  some  semi-obsolete 
ironclads  and  cruisers  of  little  or  no  fighting  value,  which,  though 
they  had  masts  and  sails,  seldom  moved  except  under  steam. 

In  the  larger  craft,  the  military  mast,  and,  in  smaller  vessels, 
the  mere  pole  for  signalling  purposes,  had  taken  the  place  of  the 
old  mast  with  yards  and  sails.  The  military  mast  began  to  come 
into  vogue  in  the  early  'seventies  with  the  advent  of  the  low- 
freeboard  sea-going  turret  ships  of  the  Devastation  type ;  and,  upon 
the  general  adoption  eight  or  ten  years  later  of  machine  and  small 
quick-firing  guns,  the  mast  was  generally  provided  with  one  or  more 
capacious  fighting  tops  in  which  such  weapons  could  be  mounted  so 
as  to  command  an  enemy's  upper  deck  in  action,  and  in  which 
searchlights  could  be  placed.  The  military  mast  was  of  steel,  and 
hollow ;  and  the  top  could  be  reached  either  by  shrouds  or  by 
footholds  let  into  the  mast,  while,  in  some  cases,  there  was  also 
a  ladder  or  stairway  within  the  mast.  It  served  not  only  to  support 
the  top,  and  to  furnish  lofty  look-out  posts,  but  also  to  carry  light 
cross-jack  yards  and  topmasts,  whence  signals  could  be  advantageously 
displayed.  To  the  topmasts  semaphore  arms  and  flashing  lamps 
were  also  frequently  fitted,  and  so  arranged  as  to  be  worked  by  men 
under  shelter  below. 

Conning-towers  were  provided  in  all  large  war-ships  of  the  last 


64  CIVIL   HISTOHY   OF   THE  XOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

quarter  of  the  century.  In  these,  which  were  heavily  armoured,, 
fittings,  electrical  and  otherwise,  were  placed,  by  means  of  which 
a  commanding  officer  could  control  the  general  management  of  his 
vessel  without  quitting  the  position.  But  the  conning-tower  had 
the  necessary  disadvantage  of  occupying  a  known  and  exposed  post, 
upon  which  an  enemy  would  naturally  endeavour  to  concentrate  his 
fire  ;  and  it  was  recognised  that  the  protection  afforded,  even  by 
very  thick  armour,  would  scarcely  save  an  officer  within  the  tower 
from  disabling  if  not  fatal  shock  in  case  the  tower  should  be  struck 
fairly  by  a  heavy  projectile ;  while  the  effects  of  the  impact  would 
certainly  involve  the  putting  out  of  action  of  the  various  fittings  and 
the  delicate  machinery  within  the  tower.  While,  therefore,  conning- 
towers  continued  to  be  built  into  all  large  ships  of  war,  many 
officers  held  the  opinion  that  their  own  efficiency  in  action  would 
be  best  assured  by  taking  up  a  position  in  some  other  part  of  the 
vessel.  To  meet  their  views,  alternative  fighting  stations  were 
almost  always  provided  elsewhere,  and  furnished  with  facilities  for 
transmitting  orders  throughout  the  ship. 

The  introduction,  in  1857,  of  the  International  Commercial  Code 
of  flag-signals  led  to  gradual  improvement  in  the  flag-signalling 
system  in  use  in  the  Koyal  Navy.  The  Commercial  Code  is  used 
by  British  men-of-war  for  communicating  with  merchant-vessels  or 
foreign  war-ships.  This  Code  originally  employed  eighteen  flags ; 
to  which  eight  have  since  been  added.  The  Naval  Code  requires 
as  many  as  forty-five  different  flags  and  pennants. 

Great  improvements  in  naval  night-signalling l  began  to  be  made 
in  the  early  sixties,  indirectly  in  consequence  of  suggestions  put 
forward  by  Mr.  Charles  Babbage,  and  directly  in  consequence  of  the 
energetic  advocacy  of  Lieutenant  Philip  Howard  Colomb,  R.N.,  who 
induced  Kear-Admiral  Sidney  Colpoys  Dacres  to  adopt  his  new 
system  of  night-signalling  in  the  Channel  Squadron  towards  the 
end  of  1863,  although  Bear-Admiral  Hastings  Beginald  Yelverton 
temporarily  restored  the  old  system  in  1866.  What  the  old  systems 

1  Charles  Babbage,  in  1851,  invented  a  numerical  system  of  flashing  signals  to 
lighthouses  and  ships  by  night.  See  his  book,  "  The  Exposition  of  1851."  See  also 
his  letter  in  the  Times  of  June  16,  1855,  and  the  Mechanics'  Magazine,  1854,  and 
Aug.  1861.  This  last  brought  the  subject  to  Colomb's  notice,  as  shown  iu  a  letter  of 
Aug.  22,  1861,  from  him  to  C.  Babbage,  cited  in  a  letter  of  Henry  P.  Babbage  to  the 
Times  of  Oct.  25,  1899.  Colomb's  patent  was  sealed  on  Oct.  31,  18(i2.  He  adopted 
the  Morse  system  ;  Babbage  preferred  the  simpler  numerical  system  :  otherwise  the  in- 
ventions were  much  the  same.  See  also  Journal  of  tlie  M.U.S.  Inst.,  1863,  pp.  285,  386. 


SIGNALLING.  65 

were  may  be  gathered  from  a  paper  contributed  by  Colomb  to  the 
Journal  of  the  Royal  United  Service  Institution  : — 

"  Our  naval  night-signals,"  he  said,  "  are  now  more  inefficient  than  they  were  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  [eighteenth]  century.  They  are  indeed  so  bad  that  a  flag-officer 
recently  in  command  assured  me  that  he  dated  not  make  more  than  six  out  of  the  one 
hundred  and  three  signals  in  the  night-signal  book,  BO  much  less  were  the  chances  of 
error  with  no  signals  at  all  than  with  the  naval  night-signal  system.  Simultaneously 
with  the  numbering  of  the  flags,  the  plan  adopted  to  get  over  the  night-signalling 
difficulty  was  this  : — One  light  meant  one :  two  lights  two ;  three  lights  three ;  four 
lights  four;  then  five  was  represented  by  false  tires  in  any  number;  one  gun  meant 
ten!;  two  guns  twenty  ;  three  guns  thirty.  Each  night-signal  set  down  was  then 
numbered  as  the  day-signals,  from  one  upwards.  The  signal  twenty-one  was  made  by 
two  guns  for  twenty,  and  one  light.  The  signal  seventeen,  by  one  gun  for  ten,  false 
fires  in  any  number  for  five,  and  two  lights  for  two,  making  seventeen  in  all.  This 
was  the  system  in  use  sixty-four  years  ago,  and  I  am  quite  satisfied  that  our  present 
arrangements  are  not  so  good.  It  is  found  in  practice  that  not  more  than  fifteen  forms 
of  light  can  be  used.  They  are  all  made  with  not  more  than  four  lights  at  a  time.  If, 
therefore,  fifteen  signals  were  all  that  could  be  required  for  night  communication  at  sea, 
we  might  suppose  that  the  want  was  fulfilled ;  and  neither  I  nor  anyone  else  would 
have  much  to  say  against  it.  Seeing,  however,  that  14,000  signals  are  the  require- 
ments of  a  fleet  in  the  daytime,  it  would  be  rather  a  strain  upon  our  imagination  to 
suppose  we  could  contentedly  drop  13,985  of  them  the  moment  darkness  came  on ;  so 
that  it  has  all  along  been  the  struggle  to  extend  the  number  of  our  signals  by  night  to 
some  quantity  less  disproportionate  than  15  to  14,000." 

Lieutenant  Colomb's  energy  was  rewarded  by  his  promotion  to 
the  rank  of  Commander  on  December  12th,  1863. 

The  wreck  of  the  gun-vessel  Griffon,  in  October,  1866,  after 
collision  with  the  Pandora,  consequent  upon  the  defective  condition 
of  the  night-signalling  system,  once  more  directed  attention  to 
Colomb's  plan  of  conveying  night  messages  by  means  of  flashing- 
signals  based  upon  the  Morse  Code  of  longs  and  shorts ;  and  early 
in  1867  his  plan  was  officially  adopted  throughout  the  service. 

In  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  uniform  of 
British  naval  officers  underwent  numerous  modifications.  At  the 
end  of  the  Russian  war1  changes  were  made  in  the  distinction 
marks  on  the  epaulettes ;  Mates  were  given  two  shoulder-straps, 
or  "scales";  Midshipmen  were  provided  with  dirks  instead  of 
swords ;  the  special  engineer  button  was  abolished ;  the  cap-badge 
was  established ;  and  mohair  instead  of  gold  lace  became  the 
material  for  the  cap-band.  Further  alterations  were  made  in  I860,2 
1861 ,3  and  1863.4  The  curl  on  the  sleeve  of  officers  of  the  executive 
branch  dates  from  1860 ;  and  in  1863, 5  owing  to  changes  which  had 

1  Circ.  of  Ap.  11,  1856.  2  Circ.  of  July  3,  1860.  3  Mem.  of  Sept.  5,  1861. 

4  Circ.  of  June  5,  1863,  and  a  subsequent  codification  of  the  regulations. 
6  Mem.  of  Mar.  25,  1863. 
VOL.    VII.  F 


66  CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

been  made  in  the  relative  rank  of  officers,  Captains  were  given  four, 
Commanders  three,  and  Lieutenants  two  stripes,  and  Sub-Lieutenants 
one  stripe  of  distinction  lace  on  the  sleeve.  The  distinctive  coloured 
stripes  between  the  stripes  of  distinction  lace  on  the  sleeves  of  non- 
military  officers  also  date  from  1863,  when  scarlet  was  assigned  to 
Surgeons,  white  to  accountant  officers,  and  purple  velvet  to  Engineers. 
Blue  velvet  was  subsequently  assigned  to  the  navigating  branch,  but 
it  was  abolished  in  1867, l  and  afterwards  given  to  Naval  Instructors. 
Narrow  gold  lace  stripes  were  given  to  Sub-Lieutenants,  and  chief 
warrant  officers ;  and  crimson  and  gold  sashes,  superseded  in  1874 
by  aiguillettes,  were  ordered  to  be  worn  by  naval  aides-de-camp  to 
the  Sovereign.  In  1867,  moreover,  the  distinguishing  marks  for 
gunnery  instructors  and  seamen-gunners  were  introduced.  Beards 
and  moustaches,  if  worn  together  and  kept  close  trimmed,  were  first 
allowed  in  1869.2 

In  1877 3  Lieutenants  of  eight  years'  standing  and  upwards  in 
that  rank,  and  some  other  officers,  were  granted  an  additional 
narrow  stripe  between  the  two  broader  ones;  and  Honorary 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  to  the  Sovereign  were  given  a  black  and 
gold  sash.  In  1879 4  a  ship-jacket  was  introduced,  and  buttons 
were  ordered  to  be  worn  upon  the  sleeves  below  the  stripes.  In 
1885  tunics  and  helmets,  with  puggarees  for  hot  climates,  were 
authorised.  In  1888  torpedo-men  were  granted  distinguishing 
badges.  In  1889  the  monkey-jacket  was  substituted  for  the  blue 
tunic.  The  entire  regulations  were  amended  in  1891, 5  when 
shoulder-straps  indicative  of  rank  were  directed  to  be  worn  on 
great-coats,  on  white  undress,  and  on  white  jackets ;  and  in 
December,  1900,  among  other  alterations,  the  collars  and  cuffs 
of  flag-officers'  full  dress  coats  were  directed  to  be  decorated  with 
gold  oak-leaf  embroidery. 

Seamen's  uniform,  very  similar  to  that  which  was  worn  until 
the  end  of  the  century,  was  established  in  1857. 6  The  tarpaulin  hat 
and  blue  jacket  which  formed  part  of  this  were,  however,  abolished 
in  1891.  Further  instructions,  involving  other  modifications,  were 
issued  in  1893,'  and  February,  1897.  The  conferring  of  good- 
conduct  badges,  first  established  under  an  Order  in  Council  of 

1  Mem.  of  July  2,  1867.  2  Circ.  of  June  24,  1869. 

3  The  regulations  had  been  re-codified  on  Oct.  16,  1875 :  see  Circ.  of  Oct.  30,  1877. 

4  Begs,  of  May  7,  1879.  «  Circ.  of  Oct.  10,  1891. 
6  Circ.  of  Jan.  30,  1857.  '  Jan.  11,  1893. 


HEALTH   OF   THE  NAVY.  67 

January  15th,  1849,  was  the  subject  of  revised  regulations  which 
were  promulgated  in  1857,1  and  which  were  subsequently  amended 
from   time  to  time.     After   1892   patterns  of  naval   uniform  were 
exhibited  at  the  Admiralty,  and  an  illustrated  manual  on  the  subject 
was  issued,  with   the  object  of  ensuring  that  thenceforward  there 
should  be  as  little  divergence  as  possible  from  the  established  types. 
The   healthiness   of   the   Navy   improved   astonishingly   in   the 
period   under  review.      The    improvement   was   due   to   numerous 
causes,  such,  for  example,  as  the  general  substitution  of  iron  or 
steel  ships  for  wooden  ones,  and  the  consequent  disappearance  of 
bilge-water  and  its  noxious  exhalations ;    the  better  education  and 
finer  moral  character  of  the  continuous-service  seaman;    the  fact 
that   the  crews  of   the  ships   of  the   last   half   of  the   nineteenth 
century  were  composed  of  picked  individuals,  trained  and  hardened 
from  boyhood,  and  not,  as  had  been  the  case  previously,  of  men 
drawn  from  none  knew  whence,  and  often  old  or  constitutionally 
broken ;  the  general  advances  in  sanitation ;  the  use  of  antiseptics, 
and  the  progress  of  medicine  and  surgery ;  the  practice  of  employing 
distilled  water  for  drinking  purposes ;  and  the  closer  attention  paid 
to  the  men's  comfort  on  board  ship.     The  passing  of  the  Contagious 
Diseases  Act  in  1866  was  another  most  beneficent  factor,  until  the 
unwise  agitation  of  a  few  well-meaning  but  fanatical  enthusiasts 
induced  the  legislature,  not  many  years  later,  to  stultify  its  previous 
policy  by  resolving  that  the  Act  should  no  longer  be  enforced.     But 
for  that  unfortunate  retrogressive  step  the  health  of  the  Navy,  in 
1900,  would  have  been  even  better  than  it  was. 

In  that  year,  as  shown  by  the  Report  which  was  issued  in 
January,  1902,  the  death-rate  in  the  service  was  but  7 '27  per  1000, 
or  about  3  per  cent,  less  than  the  general  death-rate  in  the  healthiest 
town  in  the  United  Kingdom— and  that  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
list  included  74  deaths  from  wounds  received  in  South  Africa  and 
China,  and  17  suicides.  The  bluejacket,  however,  was  by  no  means 
specially  exempt  from  slight  illnesses,  for  during  the  year  there 
were  no  fewer  than  84,550  cases  under  medical  treatment,  or,  in 
other  words,  882-29  men  out  of  every  1000  experienced  some  kind 
of  sickness  or  accident  in  ^he  course  of  the  twelve  months.  It  must 
be  admitted,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  seaman  of  the  end  of  the 
century  was  encouraged  to  appeal  to  the  surgeon  upon  the  smallest 
excuse,  and  that  every  attempt  was  made  by  the  medical  staff  to 

1  Circ.  of  May  20,  1857. 

F   2 


68  CIVIL  SISTOSY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

induce  him  rather  to  spend  a  day  or  two  in  the  sick-bay  than  to 
risk  serious  results  by  neglecting  himself  even  for  an  hour.  It  is 
mentioned  incidentally  in  the  Eeport  that,  during  the  fighting  round 
Tientsin,  the  Americans,  Germans,  Italians,  and  Eussians  had 
neither  medical  officers  nor  hospitals,  and  that  their  sick  and 
wounded  were  tended  by  the  British — a  pleasant  testimony  to  the 
efficiency  of  the  organisation  of  the  medical  department  of  the 
Navy.  It  is  also  mentioned  incidentally  that  the  Boers  painted  the 
red  cross  of  Geneva  on  all  sorts  of  vehicles ;  that  at  Belmont  they 
fired  on  the  British  from  under  the  cover  of  "  ambulance  "  wagons ; 
and  that  at  Magersfontein  they  used  "  ambulance "  wagons  to 
convey  rifles  and  ammunition  across  exposed  positions.1 

The  period  of  the  war  with  Russia  marks,  in  a  rough  and  general 
way,  the  line  of  demarcation  between  the  old  Navy  of  wood  and 
sails,  and  the  new  Navy  of  iron  and  steam-power ;  but  it  also  marks 
the  opening  of  an  era  of  progress  and  advancement  more  rapid  as 
well  as  more  striking  than  had  ever  been  witnessed  previously. 
When  once  the  Navy  began  to  change,  it  changed  with  almost 
bewildering  speed,  and  continued  to  change  with  steadily  increasing 
quickness.  So  much,  indeed,  was  this  the  case,  that  it  may  be 
said  with  little  or  no  fear  of  exaggeration  that  the  best  ship  existing 
in  1867  would  have  been  more  than  a  match  for  the  entire  British 
fleet  existing  in  1857,  and,  again,  that  the  best  ship  existing  in 
1877  would  have  been  almost,  if  not  quite,  equal  to  fighting  and 
beating  the  entire  fleet  of  only  ten  years  earlier.  By  1890,  the 
ships  of  1877  had  become  well-nigh  obsolete;  and  by  1900  the 
best  ships,  even  of  1890,  were  hardly  worthy  of  a  place  in  the 
crack  fleets  of  the  country.  Nay,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  of  the  eight 
battleships  which  belonged  to  the  Channel  squadron  at  the  end 
of  1900,  the  oldest  had  been  less  than  eight  years  off  the  stocks  ; 
and  of  the  ten  battleships  which  at  the  same  date  were  attached 
to  the  sea-going  Mediterranean  fleet,  not  one  had  been  launched 
nine  years.  As  with  the  battleships,  so  with  the  cruisers.  By  the 
end  of  1900  the  best  cruisers  of  1890  had  been  told  off  to  the  less 
important  stations  ;  and,  in  the  meantime,  the  fleets  everywhere 
had  been  reinforced  with  craft,  such  as  destroyers,  of  types  which 
in  1890  had  been  utterly  unknown. 

To  keep  pace  with  these  continuous  changes  it  was  early 
recognised  that  fresh  provision  must  be  made  for  the  technical 
1  Evidence  of  Dept.-Insp.-Genl.  James  Porter,  R.N. 


SCIENTIFIC    TllAINING.  69 

and  scientific  training  of  officers  and  men.  Up  to  1854,  Naval 
Cadets,  upon  nomination,  went  at  once,  as  a  rule,  to  sea-going  and 
regularly  commissioned  ships,  where  they  had  to  pick  up  their 
professional  education  as  best  they  could  from  the  Naval  Instructors 
and  other  officers  who  were  their  shipmates.  In  1854  an  improve- 
ment was  made  by  the  commissioning  at  Portsmouth  of  an  old 
wooden  ship  of  the  line,  the  Illustrious,  Captain  Eobert  Harris,  as 
a  stationary  training  ship,  or  school,  for  Naval  Cadets.  A  similar 
school  was  opened  in  the  Implacable,  at  Devonport,  in  1855  ;  but 
one  school  was  soon  found  to  be  enough  for  the  purpose,  and  the 
Devonport  establishment  was  closed.  New  regulations  for  the 
entry  and  training  of  Naval  Cadets  were  issued  in  1857  * ;  and  on 
January  1st,  1859,  the  Britannia,  120,2  was  commissioned  at 
Portsmouth  by  the  same  Captain  Robert  Harris  to  take  the  place 
of  the  less  suitable  Illustrious.  She  was  removed  to  Portland  in 
1862,  and  to  more  appropriate  moorings  at  Dartmouth  on  September 
30th,  1863 ;  and  although  the  original  Britannia  was  later  con- 
demned, a  new  Britannia,  previously  known  as  the  Prince  of 
Wales,3  took  her  place  in  July,  1869,  and  retained  it  until  the  end 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  at  which  time,  however,  preparations 
were  in  progress  for  the  removal  of  the  whole  establishment  to 
quarters  on  shore  hard  by.  In  1870,  the  Trafalgar,  60,  screw,  was 
commissioned  as  a  sea-going  training-ship  for  cadets ;  and  the 
Bristol,  31,  Aurora,  28,  and  other  vessels  were  subsequently  used 
for  the  same  purpose  until  the  establishment  of  the  regular  Training 
Squadron  in  1885. 

Something  has  been  written  already 4  concerning  the  origin  of 
the  naval  gunnery  schools  at  Portsmouth  and  Devonport.  At 
Portsmouth  the  establishment  was  housed  afloat  for  many  years 
in  the  Excellent  (ex  Boyne,  built  in  1810),  and  subsequently  in 
another  Excellent  (ex  Queen  Charlotte,  built  also  in  1810).  In  1891, 
however,  when  barracks,  practice-batteries,  etc.,  had  been  erected 
on  Whale  Island,  a  piece  of  made  land  in  Portsmouth  Harbour, 
the  establishment  was  transferred  to  the  shore  and  housed  in  the 
commodious  new  buildings,  although  the  officers  and  men  attached 
to  the  school  continued  to  be  nominally  borne  afloat.  The  Excellent, 
which  had  been  the  Queen  Charlotte,  was  in  that  year  condemned ; 
and  the  conventional  headquarters  of  the  school  were  lodged  in  a 

1  Admlty.  Circ.  No.  588,  of  Feb.  23,  1857.  2  Bit.  in  1820. 

3  A  131-gun  ship  of  6201  tons,  built  in  1800.  «  See  Vol.  VI.  p.  203. 


70  CIVIL  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1857-1900. 

508-ton  gunboat,  the  Handy  (built  in  1883),  which  thereupon  took 
over  the  name  Excellent,  and  retained  it  until  the  end  of  the  period 
under  review.  Numerous  tenders  were  attached  to  her  for  gunnery 
training  afloat;  and  on  shore  at  Whale  Island  such  parts  of  the 
gunnery  course,  including  field  exercises  and  theoretical  instruc- 
tion, as  could  be  carried  out  as  well  or  better  on  dry  land  were 
attended  to. 

The  Devonport  gunnery  school  was  established  in  1856  on  board 
the  Cambridge  (built  in  1815),  and  was  eventually  transferred  to 
another  Cambridge  (ex  Windsor  Castle,  built  in  1858),  in  which 
it  remained  afloat  for  the  rest  of  the  century.  A  gunnery  school 
on  shore  was  subsequently  established  at  Sheerness,  the  staff  and 
other  officers  and  men  attached  to  it  being  borne  in  the  Wildfire, 
flagship  at  the  Nore. 

In  the  meantime,  the  increasing  importance  of  electricity  and 
submarine  mining,  and  the  introduction  of  the  torpedo,  necessitated 
the  establishment  of  torpedo  schools,  the  Vernon  1  being  told  off 
for  the  purpose  at  Portsmouth  in  1876, 2  and  the  Defiance 3  at 
Devonport  in  1884.  After  the  usefulness  of  destroyers  had  become 
evident,  and  when  sufficient  numbers  of  such  craft  became  available, 
sea-going  instructional  flotillas  of  them  were  formed  in  1895,  with 
headquarters  at  Portsmouth,  Devonport,  and  in  the  Medway 
respectively ;  and  large  numbers  both  of  stokers  and  of  seamen 
were  systematically  passed  through  them  for  purposes  of  practical 
training.  It  may  be  added  that  a  signal  school  was  established  at 
Portsmouth  in  1888 ;  and  a  school  of  telegraphy  at  Devonport  in 
1899 ;  and  that  homing-pigeon  lofts  were  opened  at  Portsmouth  in 
1896,  and  at  Devonport  in  1897.  Several  years  earlier,  while  afloat 
during  the  Naval  Manoeuvres,  the  author,  from  a  ship  thirty  or 
forty  miles  from  the  Irish  coast,  sent  by  pigeon  a  message  which 
duly  reached  and  was  published,  with  an  explanatory  note,  by  the 
Times.  The  bird  used  on  that  occasion  belonged  to  Kingstown, 
and  its  services  were  lent  to  the  writer  by  its  owner,  a  naval  officer. 

Of  the  training  establishments  for  boys  for  the  Navy,  the  one 
at  Devonport,  known  as  the  Lion,4  and  previously  known  as  the 

1  The  Vernon  in  1900  was  the  en-Donegal,  100,  built  in  1858. 

2  The  Vernon  had  previously,  from  1873,  been  a  kind  of  torpedo  tender  to  the 
Excellent.     The  (T)  prefixed  to  the  names  of  Torpedo-Lieutenants  first  appeared  in  the 
Navy  List  of  November,  1878. 

s  The  Defiance  was  an  old  91-gun  ship  of  ]  861. 
4  The  Lion,  built  in  1847. 


TRAINING    OF  RESERVES.  71 

Implacable  l  (the  two  ships  being  ultimately  combined),  dates  from 
I860 ;  the  one  at  Portland  (formerly  in  Southampton  Water), 
known  as  the  Boscaicen,2  from  1861 ;  and  the  one  at  Portsmouth, 
known  as  the  St.  Vincent,3  from  1862.  Other  boys'  training-ships 
were  added  from  time  to  time,  sailing  brigs  being  attached  to  most 
of  them  for  instructional  purposes.  The  education  of  the  boys 
was  continued,  at  one  time  in  the  flying  squadrons  which  were 
temporarily  organised,  and  afterwards  in  the  regularly  constituted 
Training  Squadron,  which,  only  in  the  last  year  of  the  century, 
was  modernised  and  made  to  consist  exclusively  of  mastless  ships.4 

The  education  of  engineer  officers  for  the  Navy  was  furthered 
by  the  establishment  of  a  school  for  engineer  students  in  the 
Marlborough,  and  by  the  opening  of  Keyham  College  in  1880 ; 
the  advanced  training  of  officers,  and  especially  of  executive  officers, 
in  theoretical  subjects,  by  the  opening  of  the  Eoyal  Naval  College 
at  Greenwich  in  1873 5 ;  and  the  development  of  the  science  of  naval 
architecture,  by  the  establishment  of  a  Eoyal  School  of  Naval 
Architecture 8  at  Kensington  in  1863,  and  by  the  re-organisation 
of  the  Eoyal  Corps  of  Naval  Constructors  in  1883. 7  The  training 
of  the  reserves  was,  perhaps  rather  inadequately,  provided  for  by 
the  stationing  at  various  points  round  the  coast  of  antiquated  vessels 
as  drill  ships  for  the  Eoyal  Naval  Eeserve ;  for  all  these  craft 
mounted  guns  which  were  obsolete  and  useless,  and  only  in  the 
last  few  years  of  the  century  were  comparatively  modern  ships 
substituted  for  a  few  of  the  old  ones,  and  better  guns  supplied  here 
and  there  for  exercise  purposes.  The  sea-training  of  the  Coast 
Guard  was  carried  on  in  the  Coast  Guard  District  Ships.  These, 
like  the  Drill  Ships  of  Eeserve,  were  often  most  unsuitable  craft 
until  1870,  when  the  ironclad  Repulse  was  sent  as  guard-ship  to 
Queensferry.  Efficient  fighting  vessels  gradually  thenceforward 
found  their  way  to  the  various  ports,  not  only  as  coast  guard- 
ships,  but  also  as  port  guard-ships.  These  last,  originally  the 
flagships  of  the  Port  Admirals,  were,  in  1857  and  for  many  years 

1  In  1900,  ex-Duguay  Trouin,  taken  1805 ;  the  last  surviving  prize  of  the  long 
French  wars. 

2  The  Bosca-wen,  built  in  1841.  3  The  St.  Vincent,  built  in  1815. 

4  The  Training  Squadron  became  the  Cruiser  Squadron  in  1901. 

5  The  first  President  was  B.-Adrn.  Sir  Astley  Cooper  Key.     See  Admlty.  Min.  of 
Jan.  17, 1873. 

6  The  Admiralty  section  of  this  was  transferred  to  the  H.  N.  Coll.  at  Greenwich 
in  1873. 

7  Parl.  Paper,  No.  277  of  1883. 


72  CIVIL  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

afterwards,  old  sailing  ships  of  the  line,  with  no  fighting  value  save 
perhaps  as  floating  batteries.  In  course  of  time,  however,  the 
salutary  practice  arose  of  employing  as  port  guard-ships  fighting 
craft  ready  to  go  to  sea  at  a  few  hours'  notice.  It  then  became 
the  custom  to  fly  the  Port  Admiral's  flag,  not  in  the  guard-ship, 
but  in  some  yacht  or  other  non-fighting  vessel.  Thus,  in  1900, 
the  flagships  at  the  principal  ports  were  :  at  the  Nore,  the  yacht 
Wildfire,  with  the  battleship  Sans  Pareil  as  guard-ship;  at 
Portsmouth,  Nelson's  Victory,  with  the  battleships  Trafalgar  and 
Inflexible  as  guard-ships ;  and  at  Plymouth,  the  yacht  Vivid,  with 
the  battleships  Nile  and  Devastation  as  guard-ships. 

The  higher  naval  education  was  furthered  somewhat,  especially 
towards  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century,  by  the  influence  of  the 
Koyal  United  Service  Institution.  The  establishment  of  this  was 
first  advocated  in  1829.  The  actual  establishment  dates  from 
June  25th,  1831,  when  it  was  formed  as  "  The  Naval  and  Military 
Library  and  Museum,"  and  was  lodged  in  Vanbrugh  House, 
Whitehall  Yard,  a  small  building  furnished  for  the  purpose  by  the 
Government.  In  1833  a  larger  house,  the  old  office  of  the  Board 
of  Works  in  Inner  Scotland  Yard,  was  also  provided  at  the  national 
expense,  and  the  two  buildings  were  connected.  A  lecture  theatre 
was  added  in  1849-50.  In  the  meantime  the  name  had  been 
changed  to  the  one  which  the  Institution  now  bears.  The  Journal, 
in  which  the  proceedings  of  the  Institution  and  other  matters  of 
naval  and  military  interest  are  recorded,  has  been  published 
periodically  since  1857  ;  in  which  year  also  the  Government  began 
to  recognise  the  usefulness  of  the  Institution  by  making  an  annual 
contribution  to  its  funds.  In  1860  a  royal  charter  of  incorporation 
was  granted ;  from  1874  onwards  a  gold  medal  was  offered  yearly 
for  the  best  naval  or  military  essay  read  before  the  members  ;  and  in 
1890  Queen  Victoria  granted  to  the  Institution  the  use  of  its  present 
quarters,  the  Banqueting  House,  Whitehall,  to  which  additions  were 
made  at  the  south  end.  These  were  completed  and  opened  by 
H.E.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales  on  February  20th,  1895. 

The  Institution  includes  a  very  valuable  museum,  a  large  theatre, 
a  council  room,  a  library,  two  reading  rooms,  and  a  topographical 
room.  Lectures  on  naval  and  military  subjects  are  delivered 
periodically  in  the  theatre,  and  are  subsequently  discussed.  Ordinary 
membership  is  confined  to  officers,  active  or  retired,  of  the  two 
services,  and  to  officials  of  the  naval  and  military  departments,  the 


THE  ROYAL   MARINES.  73 

entrance  fee  being  £1,  and  the  annual  subscription  a  like  sum.1 
The  Institution  deserves  the  support  of  all  naval  officers. 

To  attempt  to  give  even  a  mere  bald  catalogue  of  the  minor 
legislative  and  administrative  changes  which  influenced  the  Navy 
during  the  second  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  here  impossible. 
A  few  departures  of  special  interest  which  may  be  noted  are :  the 
establishment  in  1866  of  savings'  banks  for  the  Navy  and  Eoyal 
Marines  (29  &  30  Viet.  c.  43) ;  the  introduction  in  1860  of  uniform 
watch-bills,  quarter-bills,  and  station-bills ;  the  passing  of  the  Naval 
Discipline  Act  of  1861,  and  of  the  New  Naval  Discipline  Act  of 
1866 ;  the  issue  in  1871 2  of  a  circular  restricting  the  infliction 
of  corporal  punishment  in  peace  time ;  the  practical  abolition  of 
flogging  in  1879 ;  the  withdrawal,  in  1874,  of  flag-officers'  privileges 
in  connection  with  the  filling  of  death  vacancies,  and  with  the 
making  of  haul-down  promotions3;  and  the  adoption,  in  1875,  of  a 
special  form  of  service,  compiled  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
for  use  at  the  launching  of  H.  M.  ships.4 

On  March  21st,  1862,  the  Eoyal  Marine  Artillery,  with  its 
headquarters  at  Eastney,  was  formed  into  a  separate  division ;  and 
in  1869  the  Woolwich  division  of  the  Eoyal  Marines  was  abolished. 
Unhappily  it  has  been  impossible  in  these  volumes  to  do  full  justice 
to  the  splendid  services  of  this  magnificent  corps,  which  during  the 
reign  of  Queen  Victoria  amply  maintained  its  old  glorious  reputation. 
When,  for  example,  on  December  14th,  1864,  the  screw  line-of- 
battle  ship  Bombay  was  destroyed  by  fire  off  Montevideo,  34  of  the 
97  officers  and  men  who  perished  were  Marines,  every  sentry  dying 
at  his  post.  The  record  of  the  corps,  indeed,  has  been  equally  fine 
in  peace  and  in  war.  All  its  more  conspicuous  war  services  will,  of 
course,  be  found  chronicled  in  this  book,  but  not,  it  may  be  feared, 
with  as  much  detail  as  they  deserve. 

A  valuable  innovation,  due,  however,  not  to  official  but  to  private 
initiative,  was  the  publication  for  the  first  time  in  January,  1878,  of 
Lean's  '  Eoyal  Navy  List,'  a  quarterly,  giving  the  dates  of  all 
commissions,  and  a  record  of  the  war  services  of  every  officer  of  the 
Eoyal  Navy  and  Eoyal  Marines,  retired  as  well  as  active.  This 
indispensable  work  of  reference  continued  to  be  edited  until  the  end 
of  the  century  by  its  founder,  Lieut. -Colonel  Francis  Lean,  E.M. 

1  Information  kindly  supplied  by  Lieut.-Colonel  R.  Holden,  secretary. 

2  Dec.  18,  187.1.  3  Giro,  of  Nov.  10,  1874. 

4  First  used  on  Jan.  19,  1875,  at  the  launch  of  the  tug  Perseverance,  nt  Devonport. 


74  CIVIL  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Several  orders  and  distinctions  which  were  first  created  during 
the  period  under  review  have  been,  or  may  be,  conferred  upon  naval 
officers,  and  should,  therefore,  be  mentioned  here.  Of  these  are  the 
Most  Exalted  Order  of  the  Star  of  India,  established  in  1861,  the 
ribbon  of  which  is  of  light  blue  with  a  white  stripe  near  each  edge  ; 
the  Most  Eminent  Order  of  the  Indian  Empire,  instituted  in  1878, 
and  enlarged  in  1887,  the  ribbon  of  which  is  of  "  imperial "  blue ; 
the  Distinguished  Service  Order,  instituted  in  1886,  the  ribbon  of 
which  is  of  red,  with  blue  edges ;  and  the  Eoyal  Victorian  Order, 
instituted  in  1896,  the  ribbon  of  which  is  of  dark  blue  with  a  narrow 
edging  of  three  stripes,  red,  white,  and  red.  Open  to  all  ranks  is 
the  Albert  Medal,  instituted  in  1866  for  gallantry  in  saving  or 
attempting  to  save  life  at  sea,  and  enlarged  in  1877  so  as  to  be 
available  for  rewarding  similar  acts  performed  ashore.  The  Eoyal 
Humane  Society's  medals  for  saving  or  attempting  to  save  life  at 
sea,  and  the  same  Society's  Stanhope  Gold  Medal,  granted  for  the 
greatest  act  of  gallantry  of  each  year,  may  be  worn  by  naval  officers 
and  men,  if  specially  authorised,  upon  the  right  breast,  as  also  may 
be  the  medals  awarded  by  the  Eoyal  National  Lifeboat  Institution, 
the  Shipwrecked  Fishermen  and  Mariners'  Eoyal  Benevolent  Society, 
the  honorary  silver  medal  of  Lloyd's,  the  Board  of  Trade  medal, 
and  the  medal  of  the  Liverpool  Shipwreck  and  Humane  Society. 

In  connection  with  this  subject  it  may  be  added  that  the  naval 
and  Marine  winners  of  the  gold  medal  of  the  Eoyal  United  Service 
Institution,  with  their  rank  at  the  time,  were  as  follows  :— 

1875,  Commander  Gerard  Heury  Uctred  Noel;  1877,  Commander  Philip  Howard 
Colonab ;  1879,  Captain  the  Hon.  Edmund  Robert  Fremantle ;  1881,  Captain 
Lindesay  Brine ;  1883,  Captain  Charles  Johnstone ;  1885,  Lieutenant  Frederick 
Charles  Doveton  Sturdee;  1888,  Captain  (R.M.)  John  Frederick  Daniell; 
1889,  Captain  Henry  Forster  Cleveland;  1891,  Captain  Robert  William 
Craigie;  1893,  Commander  Frederick  Charles  Doveton  Sturdee;  1895, 
Commander  Joseph  Honner;  1897,  Commander  George  Alexander  Ballard ; 
and  1899,  (again)  Commander  George  Alexander  Ballard. 

A  few  words  on  the  subject  of  naval  clubs  may  find  a  fit  place 
here. 

Clubs  of  naval  officers  existed  in  London  in  the  seventeenth 
century ;  and,  about  the  year  1675,  one  of  them  was  in  the  habit 
of  meeting  at  the  Vulture  Tavern  in  Cornhill  on  Tuesdays,  and  of 
dining  there,  assembling  at  1  P.M.,  and  separating  at  5  P.M.  Not 
many  years  afterwards  a  naval  club  existed  at  a  tavern  or  coffee- 
house at  Portsmouth.  The  oldest  institution  of  the  kind,  however, 


NAVAL    CLUBS.  75 

that  survived  at  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  the  Eoyal 
Navy  Club  of  1765,  which,  since  January,  1889,  had  been  united 
with  an  organisation,  the  Navy  Club,  only  a  few  years  its  junior. 

The  Eoyal  Navy  Club  of  1765  was  founded  on  February  4th, 
1765,  at  a  meeting  which  was  held  at  the  house  of  Captain  (later 
Sir)  Basil  Keith,  E.N.,  among  the  other  officers  present  being 
Captain  (afterwards  Admiral  Sir)  Eichard  Onslow,  and  Captain 
(afterwards  Admiral  Sir)  Hyde  Parker  (2).  The  proceedings  of 
that  day  were  confirmed,  and  rules  were  drawn  up,  at  a  meeting 
at  the  St.  Alban's  Tavern  on  February  llth,  when  the  club  was 
formally  named  "  The  Navy  Society."  In  the  beginning  it  seems 
to  have  dined  on  Tuesdays  during  the  season  between  November 
and  April,  first,  for  a  short  time,  at  the  St.  Alban's  Tavern,  then  at 
the  Castle  Tavern,  Henrietta  Street,  and  then  at  the  Shakespeare's 
Head.  At  that  time  twelve  dinners  a  year  were  held.  Subsequently 
the  number  was  thirteen.  In  1806  it  removed  to  the  Crown  and 
Anchor ;  in  1826,  to  the  Piazza  Coffee  House,  in  Covent  Garden  ; 
and  in  1850,  to  the  Thatched  House  Tavern,  St.  James's  Street. 
In  1829  the  title  of  the  society  became  "  The  Eoyal  Naval  Club  of 
1765."  Among  the  distinguished  officers  who  at  various  times 
belonged  to  it  were  Kempenfelt,  St.  Vincent,  Duncan,  Hyde 
Parker  (1),  Howe,  Bridport,  Collingwood,  Exmouth,  de  Saumarez, 
Nelson,  Sidney  Smith,  Troubridge,  and  King  William  IV. 

The  Navy  Club,  founded  in  1785,  was  also  a  dining  club,  but 
with  a  limited  membership.  It  met  while  Parliament  was  sitting. 
Its  first  house  was  the  Star  and  Garter,  in  the  City,  where  it  dined 
on  alternate  Wednesdays.  In  1800  it  migrated  to  the  Thatched 
House  Tavern  in  St.  James's  Street,  and  dined  first  at  4  P.M.,  then 
at  5,  and,  after  1810,  at  6  P.M.  In  1825  the  hour  was  7  P.M.  from 
Lady  Day  to  the  end  of  the  season,  the  meeting  days  being  then, 
or  soon  afterwards,  Thursdays.  In  1858  the  dinner-hour  became 
7.30  P.M.,  and  in  1861  the  club  removed  to  Willis's  Eooms  (late 
Alrnack's).  Among  its  members  have  been  Keppel,  Barrington, 
Hotham,  Cornwallis,  Gardner,  Keith,  Gambier,  Nelson,  Warren, 
Stopford,  Hardy,  Blackwood,  Codrington,  Hoste,  and  Broke.  As 
has  been  mentioned  already,  it  amalgamated  with  the  older  society 
in  1889. *  After  the  closing  of  Willis's  Eooms  the  club  held  its 
dinners  at  various  places. 

1  For  much  of  the  above  I  am  indebted  to  Fleet-Paymaster  Edward  Madgewick 
Roe,  the  Secretary  |of  the  Royal  Navy  Club  of  1765  and  1785. 


76  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Attempts  to  found  other  exclusively  naval  clubs  in  London  have 
not  been  on  the  whole  successful ;  but  naval,  as  well  as  military, 
officers  are  admitted  to  the  United  Service1  (founded  1815),  the 
Junior  United  Service  (1827),  the  Army  and  Navy2  (1838),  the 
Naval  and  Military  (1862),  the  Junior  Army  and  Navy  (1869),  etc. 
At  Portsmouth,  however,  an  exclusively  naval  club,  carried  on  after 
the  fashion  of  the  large  clubs  in  London,  has  existed  for  many 
years ;  and  there  are  clubs  of  the  same  kind  at  naval  stations 
abroad. 

England  has  been  described  as  Mother  of  Parliaments.  With 
almost  equal  fitness  she  may  be  called  a  Mother  of  Navies.  Already 
in  these  volumes  many  examples  have  been  given  of  services  rendered 
by  her  officers  to  the  rising  or  struggling  navies  of  other  powers, 
and  especially  to  those  of  Eussia,  Portugal,  and  the  South  American 
republics.  In  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  she  was 
frequently  appealed  to  to  furnish  instructors  and  leaders  to  nations 
desirous  either  of  creating  fleets  or  of  improving  such  fleets  as  they 
already  possessed ;  and,  with  or  without  permission  of  the  Admiralty, 
numerous  British  officers,  whose  names  deserve  to  be  remembered, 
went  abroad  at  various  times,  and  devoted  themselves  to  the  develop- 
ment of  foreign  navies. 

Turkey,  for  example,  secured  the  assistance  of  Captain  Adolphus 
Slade,3  who  served  her  for  about  sixteen  years,  ending  with  1866, 
and  was  known  in  the  East  as  Muchaver  Pasha.  Captain  the  Hon. 
Augustus  Charles  Hobart4  (later  Hobart-Hampton),  served  her  for 
many  years  from  1868  onwards,  and  as  Pasha  commanded  her  fleet 
during  her  war  with  Eussia  in  1877-78.  Navigating-Lieutenant 
Henry  Felix  Woods 5  also  entered  her  service  about  1868,  and  was 
created  a  Pasha  in  1883 ;  and  Commander  Charles  William  Man- 
thorpe"  assumed  the  Ottoman  uniform  about  the  year  1877. 

Egypt  benefited  by  the  services  of  Captain  'Henry  Frederick 
M'Killop 7 ;  Commander  George  Morice,8  who  joined  the  Khedive 
in  1871,  and  was  made  a  Ferik  in  1886 ;  and  Lieutenant  Arthur 
Charles  Middlemass,  who  was  lent  to  the  Egyptian  coastguard 
in  1884. 

China  obtained  at  various  times  the  professional  assistance  of 

1  Known  as  "  The  Senior."  2  Known  as  "  The  Rag." 

3  Born  1804;  Capt.  R.N.  1849;  died  v.-adm.  on  retd.  list,  1877. 

4  Born  1822  ;  Capt.  R.N.  1863 ;  died  188G. 

6  Nav.-Lieut.  1867  ;  retd.  1874.  «  Com.  1866 ;  capt.  on  retd.  list,  1873. 

7  Capt.  R.N.  1862 ;  retd.  1870.  •  Com.  1869 ;  capt.  on  retd.  list,  1884. 


INFLUENCE  ON  FOREIGN  NAVIES.  77 

Captains  Eichard  Edward  Tracey,  Percy  Putt  Luxmoore,  and 
AVilliam  Metcalfe  Lang,  as  well  as  of  Commander  Lawrence  Ching, 
and  of  several  Lieutenants  and  other  officers.  Both  China  and 
Japan  also  sent  some  of  their  own  young  officers  to  serve,  by  per- 
mission, in  the  British  Navy,  as  did  Germany,  Chili,  Denmark, 
Sweden,  Norway,  Greece,  and  other  nationalities. 

The  Japanese  Navy,  which,  in  the  last  thirty  years  of  the 
century,  grew  in  efficiency  as  well  as  in  size  until  it  ranked  with 
the  navies  of  the  great  continental  European  powers,  was,  in  its 
infancy,  developed  and  trained  entirely  by  British  officers ;  among 
whom  should  be  mentioned  Commander  Archibald  Lucius  Douglas, 
Lieutenant  (retd.  commander)  Charles  William  Jones  (who  died 
Director  of  the  Japanese  Naval  College  in  1877),  Navigating- 
Lieutenant  Charles  William  Baillie,  Lieutenant  Albert  George 
Sidney  Hawes,  E.M.,  Chief -Engineer  Frederick  William  Sutton  (2), 
and  Engineer  Thomas  Skinner  Gissing,  all  of  whom  served  Japan 
during  the  decade  1870-1880,  and  Captain  John  Ingles,  who  was 
naval  adviser  to  the  Japanese  government  from  1887  to  1893. 

In  addition,  many  British  officers  served  in  the  various  Indian 
marines,  all  of  which  were  amalgamated  in  1877 ;  and  others  had 
a  share  in  the  development,  if  not  in  the  establishment,  of  the 
Colonial  Navies  which  sprang  into  existence  in  the  last  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  in  New  South  Wales,  Victoria,  South  Australia, 
and  Queensland.1  Some  of  these  were  able  to  contribute  to  the 
general  service  of  the  Empire  during  the  troubles  in  North  China 
in  1900. 

Great  Britain  never  derived,  nor  endeavoured  to  derive,  com- 
pensating advantages  from  abroad.  Instead  of  following  the 
example  of  the  other  great  powers,  and  appointing  a  naval  attache 
to  her  diplomatic  representative  in  each  country  possessed  of  a  navy 
of  any  importance,  she  made  it  a  practice  to  appoint  one  attache, 
who  had  to  divide  his  attentions  over  the  whole  of  Europe,  and 
one  other,  accredited  to  the  United  States.  Only  occasionally  and 

1  There  were  in  existence  in  1900  the  following  among  other  Colonial  naval  forces: 
the  New  South  Wales  Naval  Defence  Force ;  the  New  South  Wales  Naval  Artillery 
Volunteers ;  the  South  Australia  Naval  Defence  Force ;  the  Queensland  Naval  Defence 
Force;  the  Victorian  Naval  Defence  Force ;  the  Victorian  Naval  Brigade  (a  militia)  ; 
the  Natal  Naval  Volunteers;  and  some  naval  or  semi-naval  organisations  in  Canada, 
Western  Australia,  New  Zealand,  and  Tasmania,  chiefly  established  under  the  Colonial 
Defence  Act  of  1865,  though,  in  most  cases,  not  until  many  years  after  it.  In  New 
South  Wales  and  New  Zealand  naval  volunteers  were  formed  und.er  local  acts.  To 
these  may  be  added  the  Royal  Indian  Marine  alluded  to  above. 


78  CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

temporarily  did  she  depart  from  this  custom,  the  result  being  that, 
in  spite  of  the  goodwill  and  energy  of  her  representatives,  she  has 
always  been  very  indifferently  served,  at  least  in  Europe.  Among 
the  officers  who  did  duty  for  her  as  naval  attaches  at  different  times 
were,  in  Europe,  Captains  Edward  George  Hore  (who  made  Paris 
his  official  headquarters  for  eleven  years  prior  to  his  death  in  1871), 
James  Graham  Goodenough,  Edward  Henry  Howard  (1874-77), 
Henry  Frederick  Nicholson,  Hubert  Henry  Grenfell,  and  Ernest 
Bice,  and,  at  Washington,  Bear-Admirals  Edward  Augustus  Ingle- 
field,  and  William  Gore  Jones,  and  Captain  the  Hon.  William  John 
Ward.  The  Naval  Intelligence  Department  at  the  Admiralty,  under 
the  Director  of  Naval  Intelligence,  was  formed  in  January,  1887.  Its 
establishment  should  have  been  followed  at  once  by  the  appointment 
of  many  more  attaches  ;  for  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  capable  and 
active  attaches,  especially  if  they  be  good  linguists  and  professional 
enthusiasts,  may  be  most  valuable  collectors  of  useful  information, 
and  that  countries  like  France,  Bussia,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Japan 
are  each  worthy  of  having  a  representative  sent  to  them  by  any 
navy  which  desires  to  keep  abreast  of  all  modern  progress.  At  the 
end  of  the  century,  nevertheless,  there  were  still  only  three  officers 
so  employed. 

In  the  days  of  non-continuous  service  the  British  bluejacket  was 
never  properly  appreciated  by  his  country,  except,  indeed,  during 
the  great  wars.  Over  and  over  again,  when  his  services  became 
urgently  necessary,  Great  Britain  was  reminded  by  costly  experience 
of  his  inestimable  value,  and  of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  him  keen, 
sound,  and  already  trained  for  effective  work  in  her  fleets.  Over 
and  over  again,  when  the  peril  had  passed  away,  she  thanklessly 
set  him  adrift  in  the  world,  and  left  him  to  shift  for  himself  until 
she  should  again  have  need  of  men.  It  is  true  that  Greenwich 
Hospital  was  open  to  him  in  the  event  of  his  disablement  by 
wounds,  disease,  or  old  age,  provided  always  that  he  could  first 
qualify  for  admission  to  it ;  but,  if  he  were  still  fit  for  service,  his 
country  was  so  short-sighted  as  to  neglect  him  almost  entirely,  not 
only  after  he  had  been  paid  off,  but  also  when  he  happened  to  be 
ashore  for  a  few  days'  leave.  Indeed,  it  seemed  to  be  accepted  that 
the  country  had  little  or  no  interest  in  him  except  when  he  was 
actually  doing  duty. 

Wiser  views  began  to  prevail  in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century ;  and  nothing,  perhaps,  is  better  illustrative  of  the  change 


THE   CHARACTER    OF   THE  BLUEJACKET.  79 

which  has  come  over  the  bluejackets  in  regard  as  well  to  the 
estimation  in  which  he  is  held  as  to  the  estimation  in  which  he 
holds  himself,  than  the  history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Sailors' 
Home  at  Portsmouth,  and  of  similar  institutions  there  and  else- 
where. 

In    1850   or   1851,  just   before  the   introduction  of   continuous 
service,  and  when  men  were  still  being  paid  off  with  pockets  full  of 
money,  to  be  the  prey  of  sharks  and  harpies,  far,  perhaps,  from 
home  and  friends,  it  occurred  to  three  officers,  Sir  Edward  Parry, 
Captain  Eobert  Fitzgerald  Gambier,  and  Captain  William  Hutcheon 
Hall,  to  found  a  home  where  bluejackets  might  find  shelter  from 
the  perils  and  snares  of  the  Portsmouth  streets.     Many  excellent 
people  laughed  at  the  scheme ;  but  Queen  Victoria  and  the  Prince 
Consort  at  once  gave  their  support  and  subscriptions  to  it,  and  in 
1852   the   Home   was   established    and    opened,   with   twenty-four 
cabins,  containing  thirty  beds.     Fresh  accommodation  was  quickly 
discovered  to  be  necessary.     On   the  first  Christmas   night  of  the 
Home's  existence,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  had  already  been  twice 
enlarged,  more  than  half  of  the  250  men  who  slept  in  it  had  to 
lie  on  the  bare  floors.     There  could  no  longer  be  any  doubt  as  to 
its  utility.     Supported  chiefly  by  outside  contributions,  it  continued 
to   do   steadily-increasing   good   work   until    1864,   when   five-and- 
twenty  petty  officers  and  seamen  who  had  enjoyed  its  hospitality 
set  the  example  of  contributing  to  its  funds.     From  that  time  the 
Home  began  to  become  a  club  rather  than  a  mere  refuge,  and  soon 
seamen  by  the  hundred  subscribed  to  it.     In  1869  a  canteen  for  the 
sale  of  malt  liquors  was  opened ;    in  1870  an  additional  hundred 
cabins  were  fitted  up ;    and  it  became  a  common  practice  among 
bluejackets  and  Marines  to  allot  their  half-pay  to  the  manager  for 
safe-keeping,  and  to  entrust  him  with  their  little  valuables.     In  1871 
a  large  recreation  room  was  added,  a  room  which  soon  became  a 
favourite  meeting-place  for  the  members  of  naval  friendly  societies, 
and  for  parties  of  various  kinds.     In  time — and,  strangely  enough, 
at  the  instigation   of   a  distinguished  teetotaler — the   canteen  was 
authorised  to  supply  not  only  beer,  but  also  all  the  liquors  which  are 
ordinarily  provided  at  taverns,  care  being,  of  course,  taken  to  supply 
them  of  good  quality.     The  experiment,  though  bold,  was  in  every 
way  successful,  and  immensely  increased  the  popularity  and   use- 
fulness  of   this   admirable   institution,  which  was   obliged   to   add 
largely  to  its  sleeping  accommodation  in  1887,  and  again  in  1897. 


80  CIVIL  IIISTOItY  OF  THE  BOYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

At  the  end  of  the  century  upwards  of  100,000  men  per  annum  lodged 
under  its  roof.  Its  influence  in  developing  among  bluejackets  self- 
respect,  esprit  de  corps,  providence,  and  general  culture  has  been 
most  beneficial.  Conversely,  the  ever-growing  intelligence  and 
good  character  of  the  men  has  enabled  the  managers  of  the  Home 
gradually  to  broaden  its  scope  and  its  rules  without  imperilling  its 
orderliness  and  efficiency.1 

Miss  Agnes  E.  Weston's  Eoyal  Sailors'  Eests  at  Devonport 
(established  in  1873)  and  Portsmouth,  have  done  equally  good 
work,  but  are  conducted  on  somewhat  narrower  lines.  The  long 
devotion  of  this  excellent  lady,  and  her  assistant,  Miss  Wintz,  to 
the  interests  of  bluejackets  and  other  seamen,  has  had  a  powerful 
influence  in  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  temperance,  besides  being 
most  beneficial  in  other  directions. 

Another  sign  of  the  times  was  the  establishment  of  the  Koyal 
Naval  Fund.  The  Eoyal  Naval  Exhibition  held  at  Chelsea  in  1891 
resulted  in  a  profit  of  about  £48,000.  It  was  decided  by  the 
Committee  to  hand  over  this  sum  to  trustees,  who  were  instructed 
to  devote  the  resultant  income  to  the  relief  of  widows,  orphans,  and 
other  dependent  relatives  of  seamen  and  Eoyal  Marines  dying  in  the 
service  of  the  Crown.  The  Fund  began  work  on  January  1st,  1893, 
between  which  date  and  the  end  of  the  century  it  distributed 
£10,523,  by  way  of  relief,  to  1,305  persons.  The  capital  on  Decem- 
ber 31st,  1900,  was  £50,532. 

Until  well  on  in  the  second  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  the 
lay  public  seems  to  have  taken  but  little  practical  interest  in  the 
Eoyal  Navy.  It  read  with  natural  avidity  the  numerous  exciting 
accounts  of  maritime  discovery,  and  the  few  nautical  novels,  such 
as  Smollett's  '  Eoderick  Eandom,'  and  John  Moore's  'The  Post- 
Captain,'  which  appeared  during  the  eighteenth  century ;  and,  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  nineteenth,  it  eagerly  perused  the  stirring 
records  of  polar  exploration,  and  the  nautical  novels  of  writers  like 
Michael  Scott,2  James  Fenimore  Cooper,3  Frederick  Marryat,4 
James  Hannay,5  and  Frederic  Chamier6;  but,  upon  the  whole,  it 

Forty-ninth  Annual  Report  of  the  Eoyal  Portsmouth  Sailors'  Home,  1900. 

2  Mich.  Scott  (1789-1835),  author  of  '  Tom  Cringle's  Log,'  aud  '  The'  Cruise  of  the 
Midge.' 

3  Born  1789 ;  d.  1851.     From  1805  to  1811,  Cooper  was  in  the  U.S.  Navv. 

4  Born  1792  ;  Com.  B.N.  1815 ;  Capt.  1825  ;  d.  1847. 

3  Born  1827  ;  d.  1873.     From  1840  to  1845,  Hannay  served  in  the  Navy 
6  Born  1796;  Com.  E.N.  1826;  retd.  capt.  1856;  d.  1870. 


POPULAR   INTEREST  IN   THE  NAVY.  81 

was  content  to  accept  the  Navy  as  the  traditional  and  invincible 
defender  of  the  island  empire,  never  questioning,  nor  even  allowing 
itself  to  dream  about,  the  fleet's  permanent  ability  to  do  whatsoever 
work  might  be  demanded  of  it.  The  truth  is  that  the  lay  public 
generally  regarded  the  Navy,  nautical  terminology,  and  naval  men 
as  mysteries  which  it  could  not  hope  to  understand,  and  which 
certainly  could  not  be  benefited  by  the  attentions  or  solicitude  of 
landsmen.  John  Clerk,  of  Eldin,  indeed,  in  the  last  quarter  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  offered  a  civilian's  counsel  to  naval  tacticians ; 
but  he  stood  almost  alone  in  his  generation,  and,  for  many  years 
after  his  death,  British  laymen  scarcely  raised  their  voices  or  used 
their  pens  to  make  either  criticisms  or  suggestions  concerning  the 
conduct  of  naval  affairs. 

The  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  witnessed  a  notable 
change  in  the  popular  attitude.  Laymen  were  no  longer  satisfied 
to  be  told  that  all  was  well  with  the  fleet,  whereon,  as  they  knew, 
so  much  depended.  They  began  to  take  a  practical  interest  in  the 
Navy,  and  to  see  and  enquire  for  themselves.  The  meagreness  of 
the  results  attained  by  the  Navy  during  the  Russian  war  aroused 
them  from  their  apathy  ;  Mr.  Hans  Busk's  volume  on  '  The  Navies 
of  the  World  ' l  rendered  them  uneasy  as  to  the  maritime  position 
of  their  country ;  the  naval  display  at  the  Exhibition  of  1862 
stimulated  their  curiosity  with  regard  to  the  growing  influence  of 
scientific  progress  upon  naval  warfare.  Then,  in  1864,  the  Admiralty 
furthered  the  popular  movement  by  transferring  to  South  Kensington 
Museum,  and  throwing  open  to  all,  the  collection  of  naval  models 
which,  since  the  first  quarter  of  the  century,  had  been  gradually 
accumulated  at  Somerset  House.  Ten  years  afterwards  the  collection 
was  moved  to  a  still  more  suitable  resting-place  at  Greenwich 
Hospital.  Not  without  its  effect,  too,  was  the  establishment,  in 
1860,  by  Dr.  William  Howard  Eussell,  of  the  Army  and  Navy 
Gazette,  a  service  periodical  which,  especially  in  the  early  years 
of  its  existence,  was  singularly  able  and  outspoken,  and  which 
pertinaciously  exposed  many  naval  abuses  and  procured  the  granting 
of  many  naval  reforms. 

Fifteen  or  sixteen  years  later,  when  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  then 
a  Commander,  was  member  for  Waterford,  that  active  officer,  in 
order  to  induce  some  of  his  brother  legislators  to  examine  into  naval 
affairs,  began  a  practice  of  occasionally  inviting  them  to  accompany 

1  London,  1859. 
VOL.    VII.  G 


^'2  CIVIL   HISTOUY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

him  on  a  visit  to  Portsmouth  Dockyard  ;  and  he  resumed  this 
practice,  with  excellent  results,  whenever  he  subsequently  held  a 
seat  in  Parliament. 

Still,  however,  popular  interest  was  not  thoroughly  awakened ; 
nor  was  it  until  1884  that  the  British  puhlic  was  induced  to  begin 
to  take  that  intelligent  and  steadily  growing  interest  in  its  fleet 
which,  in  the  remaining  sixteen  years  of  the  century,  obliged 
successive  governments,  often  against  their  will,  to  enlarge  and 
improve  the  Navy,  until  it  became  more  efficient  than  it  had  ever 
been  before  in  time  of  peace. 

The  work  was  begun  by  means  of  the  publication,  in  the  Pall 
Mall  Gazette,  of  the  remarkable  series  of  articles1  entitled  "The 
Truth  About  the  Navy " ;  it  was  followed  up,  in  1885,  by  the 
exaction  from  the  Admiralty  of  permission  for  the  leading  news- 
papers to  depute  correspondents  to  accompany  the  home  fleets 
during  their  annual  manoeuvres,  which  date  from  that  year.  In 
1888-89  the  City  of  London,  influenced  not  only  by  naval  officers 
such  as  Sir  Geoffrey  T.  P.  Hornby  and  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  but 
also  by  civilians,  put  forward  demands  for  a  stronger  fleet,  and  had 
its  way.  In  the  interval  the  Jubilee  naval  review  at  Spithead,  in 
1887,  had  exhibited  to  the  people  the  weakness  as  well  as  the 
strength  of  the  Navy ;  and  the  lessons  of  the  display  had  been 
interpreted  to  them  by  the  numerous  writers  who,  in  the  years 
immediately  preceding  it,  had  found  means  to  make  a  special  study 
of  the  subject,  and  to  gain  a  hearing  through  the  columns  of  the 
press.  In  1888  had  been  made  the  first  suggestions  for  a  scheme 
which,  a  few  years  later,2  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Navy 
League — an  organisation,  mainly  civilian  in  its  constitution,  pledged 
to  do  its  utmost  to  secure  naval  efficiency  and  a  fleet  entirely 
adequate  to  the  needs  of  the  Empire.  All  this  prepared  the  way 
for  the  holding  at  Chelsea  in  1891  of  the  extraordinarily  successful 
and  immensely  instructive  Koyal  Naval  Exhibition,  under  the 
patronage  of  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  the  presidency  of 
H.E.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Honorary  Admiral  of  the  Fleet,  the 
executive  direction  of  Admiral  Sir  William  Montagu  Dowell,  K.C.B., 
and  the  honorary  secretaryship  of  Captain  Alfred  Jephson,3  who 
was  rewarded  for  the  efficacy  of  his  work  with  a  knighthood. 
The  Exhibition,  which  was  open  to  the  public  on  151  days,  was 

1  Attributed  to  Mr.  W.  T.  Stead.  -  In  1894. 

3  Com.  ]{,N.  1873 ;  retd.  as  capt.  1889. 


H.R.H.    PRINCE   GEORGE    FREDERICK    ERNEST   ALBERT,   OF   WALES,   K.G.,   K.T., 

K.P.,   G.C.V.O.,   P.C.,   DUKE   OF   YORK,   ETC.,   REAR-ADMIRAL,    A.D.C., 

COLONEL-IN-CHIEF,    ROYAL    MARINES. 

(From  a  photo  by  Lafai/ctte,  tnkcit  when  H.R.H.  was  a  Cajitiiin.) 


[To  face  p.  83. 


NAVAL  REVIEWS.  83 

visited  by  2,351,083  people,1  and  was,  undoubtedly,  of  the  highest 
educational  value. 

In  the  same  year  the  present  writer  had  the  pleasure  of  making 
public '  a  suggestion  which  led,  in  1893,  to  the  foundation  of  the 
Navy  Kecords  Society — a  society  for  the  printing  of  documents  and 
papers  connected  with  naval  history,  biography,  and  archaeology, 
much  of  the  success  of  which  has  been  due  to  the  devotion  of  its 
secretary  and  editor,  Professor  John  Knox  Laughton.3  And  in 
1895,  when,  after  the  heavy  expenditure  which  had  been  authorised 
by  the  Naval  Defence  Act  of  1889,  it  appeared  that  the  effort  to 
raise  the  Navy  to  an  adequate  point  of  strength  was  to  be  allowed 
to  flag,  popular  opinion  so  quickly  and  markedly  responded  to  a 
demand  *  for  additional  ships  and  men,  that  the  government  at  once 
increased  the  ordinary  estimates  to  an  amount  about  £3,000,000  in 
excess  of  what  they  had  ever  before  been  in  peace  time,  and  never 
afterwards,  until  the  end  of  the  century,  suffered  them  to  fall  below 
the  level  to  which  they  then  attained.  Popular  and  civilian  interest 
in  the  Navy,  thus  gradually  aroused,  remains  an  important  factor 
in  the  policy  of  the  Admiralty  until  to-day. 

The  Jubilee  naval  review,  which  has  been  already  alluded  to, 
was  held  on  July  23rd,  1887.  The  total  number  of  vessels  in  line, 
apart  from  yachts,  troopships,  tugs,  etc.,  was  109,  of  which  twenty- 
six  were  ironclads.  The  senior  officer  afloat  011  that  occasion  was 
Admiral  Sir  George  Ommanney  Willes,  Commander-in-Chief  at 
Portsmouth,  who  flew  his  flag  in  the  battleship  Inflexible. 

A  yet  more  impressive  review  was  held  at  Spithead  on  August 
6th,  1889,  when  His  Majesty  William  II.,  German  Emperor,6 
visited  Spithead  with  a  detachment  of  his  own  fleet  in  order  to  be 
present.  The  number  of  British  men-of-war  in  line  on  that  day 
was  again  109,  but  of  them  no  fewer  than  thirty-five  were 
ironclads.  The  officer  then  in  command  was  Admiral  Sir  John 
Edmund  Commerell,  V.C.,  Commander-in-Chief  at  Portsmouth. 
H.K.H.  Prince  George  of  Wales,6  as  a  Lieutenant,  was  in  com- 

1  Official  Report  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  May  13,  1892. 

2  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  July  4,  1891,  and  subseq.  corr.  in  the  Times. 

3  Born  1830 ;  Nav.  Inst.  R.N.  1853 ;  prof,  of  mod.  hist,  at  King's  Coil.,  Lond. 

*  Made  in  a  series  of  articles  on  "  The  Needs  of  the  Navy,"  by  the  author  (anony- 
mously), in  the  Daily  Uraphic. 

5  Hon.  Adm.  of  the  Fleet,  Aug.  2,  1889. 

6  Entered   K.N.  June  5,  1877;   Mids.   Jan.  8,  1880;  Sub-Lieut.   June  3,  1884: 
Lieut.  Oct.  8,  1885  ;  Com.  Aug.  24,  1891 ;  Capt.  Jan.  2,  1893  ;  R.  Adm.  Jan.  1,  1901. 
Served  actively  at  sea  in  each  rank. 

G   2 


84  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

mand   then,  and   during   the   subsequent   manoeuvres,  of   torpedo- 
boat  No.  79. 

Very  much  more  impressive  still  was  the  last  great  review  of 
the  reign,  on  June  26th,  1897,  to  commemorate  the  sixtieth  anni- 
versary of  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria's  accession.  Numerous 
foreign  men-of-war  were  present  in  honour  of  the  event,  and  the 
number  of  British  ships  in  line  that  day  was  as  many  as  164. 
There  were  somewhat  fewer  ironclads  than  in  1889 ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  whereas  the  fleet  of  1889  contained  numerous  obsolete 
craft  such  as  could  scarcely  have  been  employed  actively  in  war 
time,  the  fleet  of  1897  was  composed,  with  very  few  exceptions,  of 
modern  vessels  in  the  highest  state  of  efficiency.  At  the  end  of  the 
day  H.E.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Honorary  Admiral  of  the  Fleet,1 
genially  desired  Admiral  Sir  Nowell  Salmon,  V.C.,  Commander-in- 
Chief,  to  order  the  main-brace  to  be  spliced.  About  35,000  officers 
and  men  manned  the  British  men-of-war  present  at  that  final  and 
most  magnificent  of  the  naval  reviews  of  the  century ;  and  American, 
German,  Eussian,  Spanish,  French,  Austrian,  Swedish,  Norwegian, 
Japanese,  and  Siamese  men-of-war  attended  to  witness  it,  and  to  do 
honour  to  the  aged  sovereign  of  Great  Britain. 

1  July  18,  1887. 


THE    EGYPTIAN    MEDAL.      1882. 

•(Similar  medals,  with  altered  dates,  mre  granted  for  lair 
Silver :  ribbon  of  blue  and  white  stripes. 


APPENDIX   TO   CHAPTEE  XLVL, 
AND   INTBODUCTOBY  NOTE   TO   CHAPTEE  XL VII. 

IN  continuation  of  the  lists  given  in  Vol.  VI.  pp.  223-226,  the 
following  roll  of  the  naval  officers  who  held  the  principal  commands 
at  home  and  abroad  from  the  beginning  of  1857  until  the  end  of 
the  reign  of  Queen  Victoria  will  be  found  useful  for  purposes  of 
reference  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  period : — 


PORTSMOUTH. 

Sir  George   Francis   Sey- 
mour, K.C.B.,  Vice-Adm. 

(Adm.  May  14,  1857). 
Mar.     1,  1859.  William      Bowles,     C.B., 

Adm. 
Mar.     1,  1860.  Henry  William  Bruce,  V.- 

Adm.  (K.C.B.  1861). 
Mar.     1,  1863.  Sir  Michael  Seymour  (2), 

G.C.B.,  V.-Adm.  (Adm. 

Mar.  5,  1864). 
Mar.     1,  1866.  Sir  Thomas  Sabine  Pasley, 

Bart.,   V.-Adm.   (Adm. 

Nov.  20,  1866). 
Feb.   25,  1869.  Sir  James  Hope,  G.C.B., 

V.-Adm.  (Adm.  Jan.  21, 

1870). 
Mar.     1,  1872.  Sir  George  Rodney  Mundy, 

K.C.B.,  Adm. 
Mar.     1,  1875.  Sir     George     Elliot    (4), 

K.C.B.,  Adm. 
Mar.     1,  1878.  Edward      Gennys      Fan- 

shawe,  C.B.,  Adm. 
Nov.  27,  1879.  Alfred    Phillipps    Kyder, 

Adm. 
Nov.  28,  1882.  Sir       Geoffrey      Thomas 

Phipps  Hornby,  K.C.B., 

Adm. 
Nov.  28,  1885.  Sir     George     Ornrnanney 

Willes,  K.C.B.,  Adm. 
June  20,  1888.  Sir   John  Edmund  Com- 

merell,     V.C.,     G.C.B., 

Adm. 


June  22,  1891.  Kichard  James,  4th  Earl 
of  Clanwilliam,  K.C.B., 
K.C.M.G.,  Adm. 

June  22, 1894.  Sir  Nowell  Salmon,  V.C., 
K.U.B.,  Adm. 

Aug.  3,  1897.  Sir  Michael  Culme-Sey- 
mour,  Bart.,  G.C.B., 
Adm. 

Oct.  3,  1900.  Sir  Charles  Frederick 
Hotham,  K.C.B.,  Adm. 

J^KVOXPOKT. 

Sir   William    Parker   (2), 

Bart.,  G.C.B.,  Adm. 
May    4,  1857.  Sir  Barrington    Reynolds, 

K.C.B.,  V.-Adm.  (Adm. 

Nov.  1,  1860). 
June    8,  1860.  Sir      Arthur      Fanshawe, 

K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
Oct.   11,  I860.  Sir       Houston       Stewart, 

K.O.B.,  V.-Adm.  (Adm. 

Nov.  10,  1862). 
Oct.   27,  1863.  Sir    Charles     Howe    Fre- 

mautle,  K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

(Adm.  Feb.  9,  1864). 
Oct.   26,  Io66.  Sir     William     Fanshawe 

Martin,    Bart.,    K.C.B., 

Adm. 
Nov.    1,  1869.  Sir  Henry  John  Codring- 

ton,  G.C.B.,  Adm. 
Nov.    1,  1872.  Hon.   Sir    Henry   Keppel, 

G.C.B.,  Adm. 


86 


APPENDIX :     COMMANDERS-IN-CHIEF,   1857-1900. 


Nov.    1,  1875.  Sir      Thomas       Matthew 
Charles  Symonds, 
K.C.B.,  Adm. 

Nov.  1,  1878.  Arthur  Parquhar  (2), 
Adm. 

Jan.  9,  1880.  Hon.  Sir  Charles  Gilbert 
John  Brydone  Elliot, 
K.C.B.,  Adm. 

Dec.  1,  1881.  Sir  William  Houston 
Stewart,  K.C.B.,  Adra. 

Dec.  1,  1884.  Sir  Augustus  Phillimore, 
K.C.B.,  Adm. 

May  25,  1887.  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  John  Hay 
(3),  G.C.E.,  Adm. 

Dec.  15,  1888.  Sir  William  Montagu 
Dowell,  K.O.B.,  Adm. 

Aug.  4,  1890.  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, K.G.,  Adm. 

June  2,  1898.  Sir  Algernon  McLennan 
Lyons,  K.C.B.,  Adm. 

June  10,  1896.  Hon.  Sir  Edmund  Robert 
Fremantle,  K.C.B., 
C.M.G.,  Adm. 

3899.  Sir  Henry  Fairfax,  K.C.B., 
Adra. 

Mar.  28,  1900.  Lord  Charles  Thomas 
Montagu  Douglas  Scott, 
K.C.B.,  Adm. 


THE  KOBE. 

Hon.  William  Gordon  (2), 
V.-Adm. 

July  1,  1857.  Edward  Harvey,  V.-Adm. 
(Adm.  June  9,  1860). 

June  28,  1860.  Sir  William  James  Hope 
Johnstone,  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

June  25,  1863.  Sir  George  Robert  Lam- 
bert, G.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
(Adm.  Dec.  15,  1863). 


Feb.  14,  1876.  Henry  Chads,  V.-Adm. 
Sept,  17,  1877.  Sir  William    King    Hall, 

K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Aug.    4,  1879.  Sir  Reginald  John  James 
George  Macdonald, 
K.C.B.,     K. C.S.I.,     V.- 
Adm. 
July  21,  1882.  Edward  Bridges  Rice,  C.B., 

V.-Adm. 

Oct.  30,  1884.  John  Corbett,  C.B.,  V.- 
Adm.  (Adm.  Apr.  7, 
1885). 

July  1,  1885.  H.S.H.  Ernest  L.  V.  C.  A. 
J.  E.,  Prince  of  Lein- 
ingen,  G.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
July  1,  1887.  Charles  Ludovic  Darley 

Waddilove,  V.-Adm. 
July    2,  1888.  Thomas  Bridgeman  Leth- 

bridge,  V.-Adm. 
Aug.    4,  1890.  Charles     Thomas    Curme, 

V.-Adm. 

Feb.  27,  1892.  Sir  Algernon  Charles 
Fieschi  Heneage,  K.C.B., 
V.-Adm. 

Dec.  10,  1894.  Richard  Wells,  V.-Adm. 
June  10,  1896.  Sir       Henry       Frederick 
Nicholson,   K.C.B.,   V.- 
Adm.   (Adm.  Sept.   16, 
1897). 

Dec.  10,  1897.  Sir  Charles  Frederick 
Hotham,  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

July  13,  1899.  Sir  Nathaniel  Bowden- 
Smith,  K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 

Edmund,  Lord  Lyons, 
Bart.,  G.C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
(V.-Adm.  Mar.  19, 
1857). 


Mar.     1,  1864.  Sir  Charles  Talbot,  K.C.B.,  j  Feb.  22,  1858.  Arthur  'panshawe     C.B. 


V.-Adm. 
Apr.     5,  1866.  Sir  Baldwin  Wake  Walker, 

Bart.,  K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
Apr.     5,  1869.  Richard     Laird     Warren, 

V.-Adm.  (Adm.  Apr.  1, 

1870). 
July    1,  1870.  Hon.  Charles  Gilbert  John 

Brydone    Elliot,     C.B., 

V.-Adm. 

Feb.  11,  1873.  Hon.  George  Fowler  Has- 
tings, C.B.,  V.-Adm. 


V.-Adm. 

Apr.  19,  1860.  Sir  William  Fanshawe 
Martin,  K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Apr.  20,  1863.  Robert  Smart,  K.H.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Apr.  28,  1866.  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Clarence 
Edward  Paget,  C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Apr.  28,  1869.  Sir  Alexander  Milne, 
K.C.B.,  V.-Adm.  (Adm. 
Apr.  1,  1870). 


APPENDIX:     COMMANDERS-IN-GHIEF,    1857-1900. 


87 


Oct.   25,  1870.  Sir      Hastings      Reginald     Apr.     1,  1878.  Sir      Edward      Augustus 


Yelverton,  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Jan.  13,  1874.  Hon.  Sir  James  Robert 
Drummond,  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Jan.  15,  1877.  Geoffrey  Thomas  Phipps 
Hornby,  V.-Adm.  (Adm. 
June  15,  1879). 

Feb.  5,  1880.  Sir  Frederick  Beauchamp 
Paget  Seymour,  G.C.B., 
V.-Adm.  (Adm.  May  6, 
1882 :  Lord  Alcester, 
1882). 

Feb.  7,  1883.  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  John 
Hay  (3),  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm.  (Adm.  July  8, 
1884). 

Feb.  5,  1886.  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of 
Edinburgh,  K.G.,  V.- 
Adm.  (Adm.  Oct.  18, 
1887). 

Mar.  11,  1889.  Sir  Anthony  Hiley  Hos- 
kins,  K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
(Adm.  June  20,  1891). 

Aug.  20,  18!)  1.  Sir  George  Tryon,  K.C.B. 
(drowned  June22, 1893). 

June  29,  1893.  Sir  Michael  Culme-Sey- 
mour,  Bart.,  Adm. 

Nov.  10,  1896.  Sir  John  Ommanney  Hop- 
kins, K.C.B.,  Adm. 

July  1,  189!).  Sir  John  Arbuthnot  Fisher, 
K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 


NOKTII  AMKIUCA  AND  WEST  IKDIKS. 

Sir      Houston      Stewart, 

G.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
Jan.  13,  1860.  Sir      Alexander       Milne, 

K.C.B.,  R.-Aclm. 
Jan.     7,  1864.  Sir  James   Hope,   K.C.B., 

V.-Adm. 
Jan.  10,  1867.  Sir  George  Rodney  Mundy, 

K.C.B.,  V.-Adm.  (Adm. 

May  26,  1869). 
June  30,  1861).  George  Greville  Wellesley, 

C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
Sept.  13,  1870.  Edward  Gennys  Fanshawe, 

C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
Sept.    9,  187:;.  George  Greville  Wellesley, 

C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
Dec.  22,  1875.  Sir    Astley    Cooper    Key, 

K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 


Inglefield,  Kt,  C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Nov.  27,  1879.  Sir  Francis  Leopold 
M'Clintock,  Kt.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Nov.  7,  1882.  Sir  John  Edmund  Com- 
merell,  K.C.B.,  V.C.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Aug.  25,  1885.  Richard  James,  4th  Earl  of 
Clanwilliam,  K.C.B., 
K.C.M.G.,  V.-Adm. 

Sept.  4,  1886.  Algernon  McLennon  Lyons, 
V.-Adm. 

Dec.  15,  1888.  George  Willes  Watson, 
K.O.B.,V.-Adm.(K.C.B. 
1891). 

Dec.  15,  1891.  John  Ommanney  Hopkins, 
V.-Adm.  (K.C.B.  1892). 

Apr.  17,  1895.  James  ElphinstoneErskine, 
V.-Adm. 

Sept.  15,  1897.  Sir  John  Arbuthnot  Fisher, 
K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

May  1,  1899.  Sir  Frederick  George  Den- 
ham  Bedford,  K.C.B. 
V.-Adm. 


THK  PACIFIC. 

Henry  William  Bruce,  R. 
Adm. 

July  8,  1857.  Robert  Lambert  Baynes, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

May  5,  1860.  Sir  Thomas  Maitland,  Kt., 
C.B.,  R.-Ad. 

Oct.    31,  1862.  John  Kingcome,  R.-Adm. 

May  10,  1864.  Hon.  Joseph  Deuman,  R.- 
Adm. 

Nov.  21,  1866.  Hon.  George  Fowler  Hast- 
ings, C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Nov.     1,  1869.  Arthur  Farquhar,  R.-Adm. 

July  9,  1872.  Charles  Farrel  Hillyar, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

June  6,  1873.  Hon.  Arthur  Auckland 
Leopold  Pedro  Coch- 
rane,  C.B. 

Apr.  15,  1876.  George  Hancock,  R.-Adm. 
(d.  Sept.  20). 

Aug.  6,  1876.  Algernon  Frederick  Rous 
de  Horsey,  R.-Adm. 

July  21,  1879.  Frederick  Henry  Stirling, 
R.-Adm. 

Dec.    10,  1881.  Algernon     McLennan 
Lyons,  R.-Adm. 


ss 


APPENDIX:     COMMANDERS-IN-CHIEF,   1857-1900. 


Sept.  13,  1884.  John     Kennedy    Erskine 

Baird,  R.-Adm. 
July     4,  1885.  Sir    Michael    Culme-Sey- 

mour,  Bart.,  R.-Adm. 
Sept.  20,  1887.  Algernon  Charles  Fieschi 

Heneage,  R.-Adm. 
Feb.     4,  1890.  Charles    Frederick     Hot 

ham,  C.B.,  R.Adm. 

May     4,  1893.  Henry  Frederick  Stephen- 
son,  C.B.,  R.Adm. 
June  19,  1896.  Henry     St.    Leger    Bury 

Palliser,  R.-Adm. 
June  22,  1899.  Lewis  Anthony  Beaumont, 

R.-Adm. 

Oct.    15,  1900.  Andrew    Kennedy    Bick- 
ford,  C.M.G.,  R.-Adm. 

EAST  INDIES  AND  CHINA. 

Sir  Michael  Seymour  (2), 

K.C.B.,  R.-Adra. 

Jan.   25,  1859.  James    Hope,    C.B.,    R.- 
Adm. 
Feb.     8,  1862.  Augustus  Leopold  Kuper, 

C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Feb.  15,  1864.  George  St.  Vincent  Duck- 
worth King,  C.B.,  R.- 
Adm. 

(On  Jan.  17,  1865,  the  stations  were 
xepa.ra.ted.) 

CHINA. 

Jan.    17,  1865.  George  St.  Vincent  Duck- 
worth  King,  C.B.,   R.- 
Adm. 
Jan.    18,  1867.  Hon.   Sir  Henry  Keppel, 

K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 
July  17,  1869.  Sir  Henry  Kellett,  K.C  B 

V.-Adm. 

Aug.  30,  1871.  Charles    Frederick    Alex- 
ander   Shadwell,    C.B., 
V.-Adm. 
Aug.  31,  1874.  Alfred    Phillipps    Ryder 

V.-Adm. 
Aug.  31,  1877.  Charles      Fajrel     Hillyar 

C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Sept.  26,  1878.  Robert    Coote,    C.B.,   V.- 
Adm. 

Jan.     3,  1881.  Sir     George     Ommanney 

Willes,  K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Jan.     3,  1884.  Sir      William      Montagu 

Dowell,     K.C.B.,     V.- 

Adm. 


Sept.  1,  1885.  Sir  Richard  Vesey  Hamil- 
ton, K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Dec.  17,  1887.  Sir  Nowell  Salmon,  K.C.B., 
V.C.,  V.-Adm. 

Nov.  29,  1890.  Sir  Frederick  William 
Richards,  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Feb.   16,  1892.  Hon.  Sir  Edmund  Robert 
Fremautle,  K.C.B., 
C.M.G.,  V.-Adm. 

May  28,  1895.  Sir  Alexander  Buller, 
K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Feb.  19,  1898.  Sir  Edward  Hobart  Sey- 
mour, K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

EAST  INDIES. 

Jan.   17,  1865.  Frederick    Byng   Montre- 

sor,  Commod. 
Sept.  26,  1865.  Charles     Farrel     Hillyar, 

Commod. 
July  29,  1867.  Sir  Leopold  George  Heath, 

K.C.B.,  Commod. 

Sept.    6,  1870.  James  Horsford  Cockburn, 
R.-Adm.  (died   Feb.  2, 
1872). 
Feb.  14,  1872.  Arthur    Gumming,    C.B., 

R.-Adm. 

Mar.  4,  1875.  Reginald  John  James 
George  Macdonald,  R.- 
Adm. 

Apr.     2,  1877.  John    Corbett,    C.B.,    R.- 
Adm. 
Aug.    4,  1879.  William  Gore  Jones,  C.B., 

R.-Adm. 

Apr.  11,  1882.  Sir  William  Nathan 
Wrighte  Hewett.K.C.B., 
K.C.S.L.V.C.,  R.-Adm. 
May  18,  1885.  Sir  Frederick  William 
Richards,  K.C.B.,  R.- 
Adm. 

Feb.  25,  1888.  Hon.  Sir  Edmund  Robert 
Fremantle,  K.C.B., 
C.M.G.,  R.-Adm. 
Feb.   26,  1891.  Frederick   Charles   Bryan 

Robinson,  R.-Adm. 
Jan.  26,  1892.  William  Robert  Kennedy 

R.-Adm. 
Mar.  1(5,  1895.  Kdmund    Charles    Drum- 

mond,  R.-Adm. 

Jan.   15,  1898.  Archibald    Lucius   Doug- 
las, R.-Adm. 

June    5,  1899.  Day  Hort  Bosanquet,  R.- 
Adm. 


APPENDIX:     COMMANDERS-IN-CHIEF,    1857-1900. 


89 


CHANNEL  SQUADRON. 

(Established  as  such  in  1858,  but  even 
later  occasionally  called  a  Particular 
Service  S<juadron.') 

July  13,  1858.  Sir    Charles    Howe    Fre- 

mantle,  K.C.B.,  E.Adm. 
June    '-,  1859.  John  Elphinstone  Erskine, 

E.-Adm. 
Jan.   29,  1861.  Robert   Smart,  K.H.,  R.- 

Adm. 
Apr.  24,  1863.  Sydney    Colpoys    Dacres, 

E.-Adm. 
June      ,1866.  Hastings  Reginald  Yelver- 

ton,  E.-Adm. 
May     1,  1867.  Frederick    Warden,   C.B., 

B.-Adm. 


Apr.  17,  1888.  John  Kennedy  Erskine 
Baird,  V.-Adm. 

May  3,  1890.  Sir  Michael  Culme-Sey- 
mour,  Bart.,  V.-Adm. 

May  10,  1892.  Henry  Fairfax,  C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

May  27,  1895.  Lord  Walter  Talbot  Kerr, 


June  7,  1897.  Sir  Henry  Frederick 
Stephenson,  K.C.B., 
V.-Adm. 

Dec.  20,  1898.  Sir  Harry  Holds-worth  Raw- 
son,  K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 


AUSTRALIA. 
(Established  as  a  separate  station,  1859.) 


Dec.   12,  1868.  Sir      Thomas      Matthew     Mar.  26,  1859.  William      Loring,     C.B., 
Charles  Symonds,  Commod. 


K.C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

July  18,  1870.  Sir  Hastings  Reginald 
Yelverton,  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Oct.  25,  1870.  George  Greville  Wellesley, 
C.B.,  V.-Adm. 

Sept.  2,  1871.  Geoffrey  Thomas  Phipps 
Hornby,  E.-Adm.,  (V.- 
Adm.  Jan.  1,  1875). 

Oct.  1,  1874.  Frederick  Beauchamp 
Paget  Seymour,  C.B., 
R.-Adm.  (V.-Adm.  Dec. 
31,  1876). 

Nov.  10,  1877.  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  John  Hay 
(3),  C.B.,  R.-Adm.  (V.- 
Adm.  Dec.  31,  1877). 

Dec.  10,  1879.  Arthur  William  Acland 
Hood,  C.B.,  R.-Adm. 
(V.-Adm.  July  23, 
1880). 

Apr.  17,  1882.  Sir  William  Montagu 
Dowell,  K.C.B.,  V.- 
Adm. 

Dec.  3,  1883.  H.E.H.  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, K.G.,  V.-Adm. 

Dec.  ,  1884.  Algernon  Frederick  Rous 
de  Horsey,  V.-Adm. 

May  ,  1885.  Charles  Fellowes,  C.B.,  V.- 
Adm.  (died  in  com.). 

Mar.  18,  1886.  Sir  William  Nathan 
Wrighte  Hewett,  K.C.B., 
K.C.S.I.,  V.C.,  V.-Adin. 


Mar.  10,  1860.  Frederick  Beauchamp 
Paget  Seymour,  Corn- 
mod. 

July  21,1862.  William  Farquharson  Bur- 
nett, C.B.,  Commod. 
(loot  in  the  Orpheus, 
Feb.  7,  1863). 

Apr.  20,  1863.  Sir  William  Saltonstall 
Wiseman,  Bart.,  C.B., 
Commod. 

May  23,  1866.  Rochfort  Maguire,  Com- 
mod. (died  in  com.}. 

May  28,  1867.  Rowley  Lambert,  C.B., 
Commod. 

Apr.  8,  1870.  Frederick  Henry  Stirling, 
Commod. 

May  22,  1873.  James  Graham  Good- 
enough,  C.B.,  C.M.G., 
Commod.  (died  in  com.). 

Sept.  7,  1875.  Anthony  Hiley  Hoskins, 
C.B.,  Commod. 

Sept.  12,  1878.  John  Crawford  Wilson, 
Commod. 

Jan.  21,  1882.  James  Elphinstone  Ers- 
kine, Commod. 

Nov.  12,  1884.  George  Tryon,  C.B.,  R.- 
Adm.* 

Feb.  1,  1887.  Henry  Fairfax,  C.B.,  R.- 
Adm. 

Sept.  10,  1889.  Lord  Charles  Thomas 
Montagu  Douglas  Scott, 
C.B.,  R.-Adm. 


From  that  time  the  officer  was  a  Com.-in-Chief. 


90 


M-l'KXDIX:     VOMMANDE11S-IN-CHIEF,    1857-1900. 


Sept.  12,  1892.  Nathaniel  Bowden-Smith,     Sept.    9,  18C7.  William  Montagu  Dowell, 
R.-Adm.  C.B.,  Commod. 


Nov.  1,  1894.  Cyprian  Arthur  George 
Bridge,  R.-Adm. 

Nov.  1,  1897.  Hugo  Lewis  Pearson,  1!.- 
Adin. 

Oct.  1,  1900.  Lewis  Anthony  Beaumont, 
R.-Adm. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  Horn  AND  WEST  COAST 
OF  AFRICA. 


Feb.  16,  1861.  Sir  John  Edmund  Com- 
merell,  K.C.B.,  V.C., 
Commod. 

Oct.  2,  1873.  Sir  William  Nathan 
Wrighte  He  wett,  K.C.B., 
V.C.,  Commod. 

Oct.  16,  1876.  Francis  William  Sullivan, 
C.B.,  C.M.G.,  Commod. 

Mar.  17,  1879.  Sir     Frederick     William 


Richards,  K.C.B.,  Corn- 
Apr.     1,1857.  Hon.   Sir  Frederick  Wil-  j  ,,  „    ,. ,, 

Apr.  11,  1882.  Nowell  Salmon,  C.B.,  VC. 
ham  Grey,  K.C.B.,  H.-  TJ.AJ™* 

A  din. 

Feb.   10,  1860.  Hon.   Sir   Henry  Keppel, 
K.C.B.,  H.-Adm. 


Feb.     6,1861.  Sir  Baldwin  Wake  Walker, 
Bart.,  K.C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

(In  1864-65  the  Cape  was  attached  to 
the  East  Indies  command,  Irut  in  the 
latter  year  it  again  became  inde- 
pendent under  a  Commodore,  there 
being,  however,  another  independent 
Commodore  on  the  West  Count.  The 
oJd  command  was  restored  in  1867.) 


Mar.  6,  1885.  Sir  Walter  James  Hunt- 
Grubbe,  K.C.B.,  R.- 
Adm. 


Mar.  29,  1888.  Richard  Wells,  R.-Adm. 

Sept.  1,  1890.  Henry  Frederick  Nichol- 
son, C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Aug.  10,  1892.  Frederick  George  Denham 
Bedford,  C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

May  4,  1895.  Harry  Holdsworth  Raw- 
son,  C.B.,  R.-Adm. 

Apr.  L'7,  1898.  Sir  Robert  Hastings  Har- 
ris, K.C.M.G.,  R.-Adni. 


*  from  that  time  the  officer  was  a  Com.-in-Chief. 


< 


ADMIRAL   SIR    HENRY    CHADS,   K.C.B. 


ADMIRAL  SIR  EDWARD  GENNYS  FANSJIAWE,  G.C.B. 


ADMIRAL    SIR   JOHN    KENNEDY    ERSKIXE  BAIRD,    K.C.B. 


CHAPTEK  XL VII. 

MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EOYAL  NAVY,  1857-1900. 

THE  SECOND  CHINA  WAR— Case  of  the  Arrow— Seizure  of  the  Canton  Ports— Bombard- 
ment of  Canton— Capture  of  French  Folly — Capture  of  other  forts— The  Sampson 
near  Hongkong — Destruction  of  junks — Loss  of  the  Raleigh — Despatch  of  troops 
to  China — The  action  ia  Escape  Creek — Affair  in  the  Sawshee  Channel — Action  in 
Fatshan   Creek  —  Chinese  pirates— French   co-operation — Naval   reinforcements 
diverted  to  India— Blockade  of  the  Canton  River— Affair  of  the  Banterer's  gig — 
Bombardment  and  capture  of  Canton — Capture  of  Commissioner  Yeh — Bombard- 
ment and  capture  of  the  Taku  forts — Occupation  of  Tientsin — A  treaty  signed — 
Withdrawal  of  the  Allies — New  difficulties  and  outrages — Capture  of  Namtao — 
Expedition  up  the  Yang-tse-kiang — The  Nankin  batteries  engaged — Affairs  with 
junks — Arrival  of  Rear-Admiral  Hope — The  Allies  repulsed  in  the  Peiho — Josiah 
Tatnall — Loss  of  three  vessels — New  reinforcements — Disembarkation  at  Pehtang 
—The  Peiho  forts  taken — The  Treaty  of  Pekin — Minor  operations — The  Persian 
War — The  Pearl  and  Vivanco's  Navy — THE  INDIAN  MUTINY— The  Shannon's 
Brigade — Battle    of    Kudj\va — Relief    of    Lucknow— Fighting    near  Cawnpur — 
Action  at  Kallee-Nuddee — Retaking  of  Lucknow— Death  of  Sir  William  Peel— 
The    Pearl's  Brigade — Action   at    Amorha — Numerous   engagements — Relief    of 
Banseo — Rebels  repulsed  at  Amorha — Action  at  Doomureahgunge — Final  opera- 
tions— The   Atlantic  cables — Wise  in  the  Scarcies  River,  1858-59 — Troubles  at 
Jeddah,   1858— Walker   the   Filibuster— Affairs   in    Mexico,   1859-61-zf^jsit  of 
H.R.H.   the    Prince  of  Wales    to    Canada-T^THE    TI-MNG    REBELLION — British 
neutrality  professed — Repulse  of  Ti-pings  at  Shanghai,  1860— Activity  of  Dew — 
Hope's  demands— Action  at   Kao-Kiau— Capture  of  Kah-ding,  1862 — Death  of 
Prottt — Massacre   at   Cho-lin — Dew  at   Ningpo — Montgomerie  at  Soong-kong — 
Sherard  Osborn's  flotilla — Dew  at  Shou-sing — Arrival  of  Rear-Admiral  Kuper — 
Second  capture  of  Kah-ding — Chinese  piracy — THE  NEW  ZEALAND  WAR,  1860-64 
Storming  of  Omata — Policy  of  Sir  George  Grey — Attack  on  Rangariri— British 
repulse  at  the  Gate  Pah — Concluding  operations — The  Niger  expeditions,  1861 — 
Burning  of  Porto  Novo — The  Gambia  expedition,  1861 — Capture  of  Saba — Opera- 
tions against  Quiah — Fishery  disputes — The  slave  trade. — Minor  operations,  1862-63 
— DIFFICULTIES  IN  JAPAN — Outrage  near  Kanagawa — Bombardment  of  Kagosima, 
1863 — Effect  of  Kuper's  action — Conduct  of  Choshiu — The  Strait  of  Simonoseki 
forced,   1864 — €apture  of   the   batteries — Subsequent  events    in    Japan — Niger 
expeditions,  1864-65-66 — Richards  at  Akatoo — Operations  against  slavers — The 
Doce   in   Formosa — Chinese   pirates — Morant   off    Pyramid   Point — Successes   of 
St.  John — '\'\i£-BulIdog  at  Cape  Haytien — The  Jamaica  rebellion — The  Highflyer 
at  El  Kateef-C-The  Fenians  in  Canada,  1865  Jl^-The  Cretan  disturbances,  1865-67 
— Chinese    piracy — Minor    affairs — Spithead   review   of    1867 — The    Abyssinian 
expedition,  1868 — Capture  of  Magdala — Domvile  and  Chinese  pirates — Outrages 
at  Yangchow  and  in  Formosa — Gallantry  of  Gurdon — Punishment  of  the  Coochi 


92       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

pirates — Hewa  shelled — Minor  operations  in  1868 — Affairs  at  Bahrein — Jones  near 
Swatow — The  East  African  slave  trade — The  Niger  expedition  of  1869 — Pirates  in 
the  Gulf  of  Tonquin — Honour  to  Peabody — The  Bermuda  Dock — Seymour  in  the 
Congo —Robinson  at  Selangor,  1871 — The  cruise  of  the  Itosario — The  Basilisk 
in  the  Pacific — The  Nassau  at  Carang-Carang — Slavers  and  pirates,  1871-73 — 
The  San  Juan  difficulty — Bombardment  of  Omoa,  1873 — Woollcombe  in  the 
Larut  River — The  Viryinius  affair — Yelverton  and  the  Intransigente  squadron, 
1873  —  THE  ASHANTEE  WAU — -Bombardment  of  Elmina  —  Bombardment  of 
Aquidah — Disaster  off  Chamah — Destruction  of  Chamah — Capture  of  Essaman — 
Affair  at  Ampenee — Bootry  shelled — Relief  of  Abrakrampa — Arrival  of  Hewett — 
Advance  to  Prahsu — Bradshaw  at  the  mouth  of  the  Prah — Battle  of  Amoaful — 
Action  at  Becquah  and  Ordah-su — Capture  of  Coomassie—  Honours  and  pro- 
motions— Inspection  by  the  Queen — Foot  off  Madagascar — Sulivan  at  Mombasa — 
Affair  at  Tangata — Work  of  the  Thetis  and  the  Flying  Fish — Cruise  of  the 
Sandfly — Cruise  of  the  Pearl — Death  of  Goodenough — TROUBLES  IN  THE  MALAY 
PENINSULA — The  Avon  on  the  Perak  coast — Demonstration  against  Selangor — 
The  Charybdis  and  Avon  in  the  Lingie  River — Expedition  to  the  Indau  River — 
Intervention  in  Sunjei  Ujong — Flight  of  the  Bandar — Murder  of  Mr.  Birch — 
Stirling  in  Sunjei  Ujong — The  Perak  Field  Force — The  Larut  Field  Force — Affair 
at  Kotah  Lamah — Close  of  the  Malay  campaign — Hewett  in  the  Congo,  1875 — 
Troubles  at  Oman  and  Muscat — Ward  at  Barawa — Cruise  of  the  Dido,  1871-76 — 
British  interference  at  Samoa — Captain  Stevens — Murray  at  Apia — Hewett  in  the 
!Niger — Bombardment  of  Sabogrega — Difficulties  with  Dahomey — Submission  of 
Gelele — Purvis  in  the  Niger — Destruction  of  Emblana — Keppel  in  the  Congo — 
The  Socket  and  the  case  of  the  George  Wright — Action  of  the  Shah  and  the 
Amethyst  with  the  Huascar — Activity  against  slavers — The  Vulture  at  El  Katif — 
The  Russo-Turkish  War — Hornby  in  the  Mediterranean — Passage  of  the  Dar- 
danelles— Commerell  at  Gallipoli — The  Channel  Squadron  in  the  Mediterranean — 
The  Swiftsure's  pinnace  fired  upon — The  Ttmnderer  gun  explosion — The  occupa- 
tion of  Cyprus — Activity  of  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh — TROUBLES  IN  SOUTH 
AFRICA,  1877-79 — Action  at  Quintana — The  Active's  Brigade — The  Tenedos's 
Brigade — Action  on  the  Inyezane  River — Promptitude  of  Bradshaw — The  Boa- 
dicea's  Brigade — Battle  of  Gingiuhlovo — End  of  the  Zulu  War — Caffin  at  Tanna — 
— Continued  activity  of  the  London's  boats — The  Sitka  Indians — Outrages  in  the 
Pacific — The  Boxer's  commission — Burr  in  the  Scarcies  and  the  Niger — The 
Kestrel  and  the  Encounter  on  the  Malay  coast — Loss  of  the  Eurydice  and  the 
Atalanta — The  Dulcigno  Demonstration — The  Wild  Swan  in  Conducia  Bay — 
The  Boer  Rebellion — Laing's  Nek — Majuba  Hill — Loss  of  the  Doterel — Diffi- 
culties in  Egypt — BOMBARDMENT  OF  ALEXANDRIA — Occupation  of  the  City — The 
armoured  train — Arrival  of  the  Channel  Squadron — The  Marine  battalions — 
Hewett  at  Suez — Affair  at  Mallaha  Junction — The  change  of  Base — Seizure  of  the 
Canal — Fairfax  at  Port  Said — FitzRoy  at  Ismailia  and  Nefiche — Hastings  at 
Chalouf — Tel  el  Mahuta — Kassassin — The  Marines  at  Tel  el  Kebir — Collapse  of 
Arabi's  rebellion — Johnstone  at  Tamatave — Brooke  in  the  Niger — WAR  WITH  THE 
MAHDI — Occupation  of  Suakin — Battle  of  El  Teb — Battle  of  Tamai — Usefulness 
of  the  Marines — The  Gordon  Relief  Expedition — Abu  Klea — Abu  Kru — Metem- 

meh — Beresford  at  Wad  Habeshi — Gallantry  of  Benbow — The  river   column 

Abandonment  of  the  expedition— The  second  Suakin  expedition — Action  at  Tofrik 

— Affairs  near  Tamai — Defence  of  Suakin — Fatal  mistake  in  the  river  Min 

Operations  at  Zeila  and  on  the  Gold  Coast — THE  CONQUEST  OF  BURMAH — 
Surrender  of  Mandalay— Expedition  to  Bhamo — Repression  of  dacoity — The 
Greek  Blockade — Hand  in  the  Niger — The  East  Alrican  Slave-trade— Death  of 
Brownrigg — Heroism  of  Lieutenant  Fegen— The  Sanyer  at  Suweik— The  Zephyr 
in  Darvel  Bay— The  Yonnie  Expedition— Affairs  at  Suakin— Action  at  Gemaizeh 


1856.]  THE  "  ARROW"    AFFAIR.  93 

—  The  Zanzibar  Blockade  —  Death  of  Myles  Cooper  —  The  slave-trade  —  Sinking  of 
the  Sultan  —  The  Sandfly  affair  —  The  Hurricane  at  Samoa  —  The  Vitu  Expedition 

—  The  opening  of  the  Zambesi  —  The  Ramjet's  Brigade  in  Somaliland  —  Loss  of  the 
Serpent  —  Operations  against  Osman  Digna  —  The  Chilian  Revolution  —  Expeditions 
against   Fodeh  Cabbah  —  Tambi   and   Toniatuba   taken  —  Lindley  in  Wituland  — 
The   Lamu   Forest  Expedition  —  Scullard    at    Kismayu  —  Lewes    at    Kismayu  — 
Henderson  at  Kismayu  —  Operations  in  the  Shire   and  on  Lake  Nyassa  —  Minor 
affairs  of  1893  —  Loss  of  the  Victoria  —  Punishment  of  Fodeh  Sillah  —  Two  expe- 
ditions aaainst  Brohemie  —  The  Cleopatra  at  Bluefields  —  The  Archer  at  Seoul  — 
Bedford  in  the  Brass  River  —  Expeditions  against  M'buruk  of  M'wele  —  Occupation 
of  Corinto  —  Operations   against   Prempeh  —The  Particular  Service  Squadron   of 
1896  —  Bombardment  of  Zanzibar  —  Colville  at  Dongola  —  The  Benin  Expedition  — 
The  troubles  in  Crete  —  -The  Hazard  at  Candia  —  The  Re-conquest  of  the  Soudan, 
1897-99  —  Fashoda—  Operations  in  North  Borneo  —  Occupation  of  Wei-hai-Wei  — 
The  Revolt  in  Sierra  Leone  —  Burr  at  Bluefields  —  Hostilities  in  Samoa  —  The  Sphinx 
at  Linga  —  The  Leander  at  Panama  —  The  Magicienne  at   Kismayu  —  THE  WAR 
WITH  THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  REPUBLICS  —  THE  OPERATIONS  IN  CHINA  —  Conclusion. 


first  China  War,  1839-42,  had  not  taught  the  lessons 
which  it  was  designed  to  teach  ;  and  within  a  few  years  of 
its  conclusion  new  difficulties  began  to  arise  between  the  British 
and  the  local  authorities  in  various  parts  of  the  huge  invertebrate 
empire.  For  a  time  these  were  arranged  as  they  arose,  without 
resort  to  war  ;  but  they  were  arranged,  unfortunately,  in  a  manner 
which  too  often  allowed  the  Chinese  to  remain  in  the  belief  that 
they  had  won  diplomatic  triumphs.  The  result  was  that  both 
locally  and  at  the  capitals,  the  governing  classes  became  steadily 
more  and  more  inattentive  to  British  remonstrances  concerning  acts 
of  aggression,  until,  in  1856,  the  affair  of  the  Arrow,  and  the  vigorous 
action  of  Rear-Admiral  Sir  Michael  Seymour  (2),  Commander-in- 
Chief  in  the  East  Indies,  brought  about  the  second  China  War, 
which  lasted,  with  intermissions,  for  nearly  four  years. 

The  causes  of  the  fresh  outbreak  of  hostilities  *  are  set  forth  in  a 
dispatch  which  was  sent  by  Seymour  to  the  Admiralty  on  November 
14th,  1856  ;  and  they  may  be  thus  summarised. 

On  October  8th,  1856,  the  lorcha  Arrow,  with  a  colonial  register 
from  the  governor  of  Hong  Kong,  was  boarded,  while  at  anchor  at 
Canton,  by  a  Chinese  officer  and  a  party  of  soldiers,  who,  notwith- 
standing the  protest  of  the  English  master,  seized  twelve  of  the 
crew,  bound  them,  carried  them  off,  and  hauled  down  the  British 
flag.  Mr.  Parkes,  her  Majesty's  consul,  brought  the  matter  before 
the  Imperial  High  Commissioner,  Yeh,  and  demanded  the  return  of 
the  twelve  men  by  the  officer  who  had  abducted  them,  together  with 

1  Perhaps  the  best  account  of  the  origin  and  early  part  of  the  Second  Chinese  War 
is  in  G.  C.  Cooke's  '  China,'  which  has  been  freely  made  use  of. 


94       MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

an  apology,  and  an  assurance  that  the  flag  should  be  respected  in 
the  future.  Ultimately  the  men  were  sent  back,  but  not  in  the 
public  manner  required ;  nor  was  any  apology  or  assurance  offered. 
On  October  llth,  the  matter  was  reported  to  Seymour  by  Sir  John 
Bowring,  British  Plenipotentiary  in  China,  who  suggested  that  an 
Imperial  junk  should  be  seized  by  way  of  reprisals.  The  making  of 
the  seizure  was  entrusted  to  Commodore  the  Hon.  Charles  Gilbert 
John  Brydone  Elliot,  C.B.,  of  the  Sibylle,  40,  senior  officer  in  the 
Canton  river,  who  was  reinforced  for  the  purpose  with  the 
Barracouta,  6,  paddle,  Commander  Thomas  Dyke  Acland  Fortescue,1 
and  the  Coromandel,  steam  tender.  A  junk  was  duly  captured,  but, 
as  it  proved  to  be  private  property,  it  had  to  be  presently  released. 
Seymour  then 2  sent  the  Encounter,  14,  screw,  Captain  George 
William  Douglas  O'Callaghan,  and  Samson,  6,  paddle,  Captain 
George  Sumner  Hand,  to  join  the  Commodore,  hoping  that  the 
display  of  force  in  the  river  would  bring  the  High  Commissioner  to 
reason.  It  soon,  however,  became  clear  that  that  official  was  bent 
upon  resistance. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Parkes  proceeded  to  consult  with  Seymour 
and  Bowring  at  Hong  Kong,  where  it  was  decided  to  seize  the  ' 
defences  of  Canton,  it  being  evident  that  any  more  moderate 
measures  would,  as  usual,  be  interpreted  by  the  Chinese  as  symptoms 
of  weakness.  Seymour  accordingly  moved  his  flagship,  the  Calcutta, 
84,  Captain  William  King  Hall,  C.B.,  as  high  above  the  Bogue  Forts 
as  her  draft  would  permit;  and,  on  the  morning  of  October  23rd, 
proceeded  towards  Canton  in  the  Coromandel,  accompanied  by  the 
Samson  and  Barracouta,  with  detachments  of  Eoyal  Marines,  and 
boats'  crews,  from  the  Calcutta,  Winchester,  50,  Captain  Thomas 
Wilson,  and  Bittern,3  12,  and  with  the  Commodore  and  the  boats  of 
the  Sibylle.  On  approaching  Blenheim  reach,  the  Samson  and  part 
of  the  force  diverged  up  the  Macao  passage  to  keep  that  channel 
open,  and  to  capture  Blenheim  fort,  while  the  Kear-Admiral,  with 
the  Coromandel  and  Barracouta,  went  on,  and  anchored  above  the 
four  Barrier  Forts,  about  five  miles  below  the  city.  The  boats,  being 
sent  in,  took  possession  of  the  works,  two  of  which  fired  ere  they 
were  taken,  and  consequently  suffered  a  slight  loss.  In  the  forts 
"  were  about  150  guns,  from  one  foot  bore4  to  four  pounders." 

1  Posted,  Sept.  7th,  1857.  2  Oct.  18th. 

3  She  had  been  condemned,  and  had  been  for  some  time  awaiting  sale. 

4  This  was  a  brass  gun.     Journal  of  Capt.  J.  S.  Hand. 


1856.]  CAPTURE   OF   CANTON.  95 

The  Barracouta  was  ordered  to  follow  the  Samson ;  and  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  having  dismantled  and  burnt  the  forts,  con- 
tinued his  route  to  Canton,  off  which  he  arrived  at  2  P.M.,  and  where 
he  learnt  that  boats  from  the  Samson  and  Barracouta  had  quietly 
•occupied  the  Blenheim  Fort,  and  also  the  Macao  Fort,  a  strong 
island  position  mounting  86  guns. 

Mr.  Parkes  formally  announced  Seymour's  arrival  to  the  High 
Commissioner,  and  explained  not  only  what  had  been  done,  but  also 
that  further  measures  of  like  nature  would  be  adopted  unless  repara- 
tion should  be  forthcoming.  The  High  Commissioner  chose  to 
remain  obdurate. 

On  the  morning  of  October  24th,  Sir  Michael  landed  additional 
Marines  to  aid  detachments  which  were  already  ashore  in  Ganton 
from  the  Sibylle  and  Encounter  for  the  protection  of  the  factory ; 
and  he  himself  went  in  the  Coromandel  to  join  the  Barracouta  off 
Macao  Fort.  Upon  a  preconcerted  signal,  the  Bird's  Nest  Fort, 
mounting  35  guns,  and  a  small  fort,  which  being  opposite  the 
•city,  might  have  annoyed  the  factory,  were  seized  without  re- 
sistance. The  Shameen  Forts,  at  the  head  of  the  Macao  passage, 
were  subsequently  treated  in  the  same  way ;  and  all  the  guns 
and  ammunition  in  them  were  rendered  unserviceable  or  were 
destroyed. 

Detecting  no  signs  whatsoever  of  submission  on  the  part  of  the 
Chinese,  but  rather  a  more  intractable  disposition  than  ever, 
Seymour  landed  the  rest  of  his  Marines  and  a  body  of  small-arm 
men  to  secure  the  factory,  and  stationed  boats  to  guard  against  the 
approach  of  fire  rafts,  and  attacks  by  water.  This  necessary  work 
was  superintended  by  Captain  William  King  Hall,  and  the  Marines 
on  shore  were  placed  under  Captain  Penrose  Charles  Penrose,  E.M., 
of  the  Winchester,  while  Captain  Cowper,  K.E.,  who  had  been  sent 
for  the  purpose  from  Hong  Kong,  advised  as  to  the  strengthening  of 
the  weak  points  of  the  position.  For  the  protection  of  American 
interests,  officers,  seamen,  and  marines  were  landed  at  the  same 
time  from  the  U.S.  corvette  Portsmouth,  Commander  Andrew  H. 
Foote,  U.S.N. 

On  October  25th  possession  was  taken  of  Dutch  Folly,  a  50-gun 
fort  on  a  small  island  opposite  Canton ;  and  it  was  garrisoned  by 
140  officers  and  men  under  Commander  William  Eae  Eolland,  of 
the  Calcutta.  All  the  defences  of  the  city  were  then  in  British 
hands  ;  and  the  Commander-in-Chief  desired  Mr.  Parkes  to  write  to 


96       M1LITA11Y  HISTORY   OF   TEE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

the  High  Commissioner  that  operations  would  cease  when  his 
Excellency  should  be  prepared  satisfactorily  to  settle  the  points  in 
dispute. 

His  Excellency  did  not  reply  as  Seymour  had  anticipated.  At 
12.30  P.M.,  a  body  of  Chinese  troops,  part  of  a  much  larger  force  in 
its  rear,  attacked  the  position  at  the  factory,  in  spite  of  Mr.  Parkes's 
warning;  but  Penrose,  with  his  Marines,  drove  back  the  enemy, 
killing  and  wounding  about  14  of  them.  On  the  26th,  it  being 
Sunday,  the  men  were  allowed  to  rest. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  Seymour  caused  a  new  letter 
to  be  written  to  the  High  Commissioner,  informing  him  that,  since 
satisfaction  had  not  been  offered  for  the  Arrow  outrage,  operations 
would  be  continued.  At  Bowling's  suggestion  an  additional  demand 
was  made  to  the  effect  that  all  foreign  representatives  should  be 
allowed  the  same  free  access  to  the  city,  and  to  the  authorities  at 
Canton,  as  was  enjoyed  under  treaty  at  the  other  four  ports,  and 
denied  at  Canton  only. 

No  reply  being  vouchsafed,  fire  was  opened  at  1  P.M.  on  the  High 
Commissioner's  compound  from  the  10-in.  pivot  gun  of  the  Encounter, 
and  kept  up  at  intervals  of  from  five  to  ten  minutes  until  sunset. 
At  the  same  time,  the  Barracouta,  from  a  position  which  she  had 
taken  up  at  the  head  of  Sulphur  Creek,  shelled  some  troops  who 
were  on  the  hills  behind  Gough's  Fort.  The  High  Commissioner 
retaliated  by  publicly  offering  a  reward  of  30  dollars  for  the  head  of 
every  Englishman.  A  few  gunners  of  the  Koyal  Artillery,  who  had 
joined  under  Captain  Guy  Eotton,  E.A.,  were  that  day  stationed  in 
the  Dutch  Folly,  where  two  32-prs.  from  the  Encounter  had  been 
mounted. 

On  the  28th,  these  guns  opened  with  the  object  of  clearing  a 
passage  to  the  city  wall.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  Captain  the 
Hon.  Keith  Stewart  (2),  of  the  Nank-in,  50,  joined  the  Bear- 
Admiral,  with  140  of  his  men,  and  a  couple  of  field-pieces ;  and  65 
officers  and  men  from  the  U.S.  corvette  Levant  reinforced  the 
American  guard  ashore.  During  the  following  night,  the  enemy 
apparently  mounted  guns  on  the  city  wall ;  and,  anxious  to  give 
them  no  further  opportunity  for  improving  their  defences,  Seymour 
reopened  fire  early  on  the  29th.  In  the  course  of  the  morning, 
Commander  William  Thornton  Bate,  late  of  the  Bittern,  and  acting 
Master  Charles  George  Johnston,  at  some  personal  risk,  ascertained 
that  the  breach  was  practicable  ;  and  a  body  of  Marines  and  small- 


{/ 
dk   6/716&*/  *^so6nal&0m'. 

ts 


^sre&ts  d4&  e&tairwv*&  ^&rdreu£  t/v  ^^7  i/Lf&,  J&n.?^  tL&&r-   L-^TT    d#    ^/a/c,?m&'. 
S  /  X^  7 


1856.]  OPERATIONS  NEAR    CANTON.  97 

arm  men,  about  300  in  number,  was  told  off  for  the  assault,  under 
the  command  of  Commodore  Elliot. 

The  Bear-Admiral  accompanied  the  advance  from  the  boats, 
which  landed  the  force,  and  two  field-pieces  at  2  P.M.  The  seamen 
were  led  by  the  Commodore,  Captain  the  Hon.  Keith  Stewart  (2),  and 
Commanders  Bate  and  Bolland  ; :  the  Marines  by  Captains  Penrose, 
and  Bobert  Boyle,  B.M. ;  and  the  gun-detachment  by  Lieutenants 
James  Henry  Bushnell  and  James  Stevenson  Twysden ;  Bate 
gallantly  showing  the  way,  and  carrying  an  ensign  to  the  summit  of 
the  breach,  the  wall  on  each  side  of  which  was  quickly  occupied. 
Penrose  moved  to  the  gate  next  on  the  right,  and,  having  signalled 
his  presence  there,  opened  it  to  a  further  detachment  which  was 
instantly  landed  under  Captain  William  King  Hall,  Commander 
Fortescue,  and  Flag-Lieutenant  George  Campbell  Fowler.2  The 
gate  was  then  blown  to  pieces,3  and  the  archway  above  it 
partially  destroyed.  In  the  meantime  the  guns  had  been  placed  in 
the  breach,  and  had  opened  on  some  Chinese  who  began  a  desultory 
fire  from  their  gingals,  by  which  three  people  were  killed,  and  eleven 
(two  mortally)  wounded.  The  latter  were  sent  to  Dutch  Folly, 
where  they  were  attended  to  by  Surgeon  Charles  Abercromby 
Anderson,  M.D.,  and  Assistant-Surgeon  George  Bruce  Newton. 
The  Bear-Admiral,  with  the  Commodore  and  Mr.  Parkes,  visited 
the  house  of  the  High  Commissioner,  and,  at  sunset,  re-embarked 
with  all  his  force,  his  object  being,  as  he  said  in  his  dispatch,  to 
demonstrate  his  power  to  enter  the  city.  It  is  right,  however,  to 
add,  that  in  the  squadron  the  retirement  was  attributed  to  the 
impossibility  of  making  a  lodgment.*  At  all  events,  its  moral  effect 
was  bad  ;  and  it  is  scarcely  astonishing  that,  in  the  night,  the  enemy 
filled  up  the  breach  with  sandbags  and  timber.  On  the  30th  and 
two  following  mornings  it  was  cleared  again  by  fire  from  the  ships. 

Seymour  once  more  wrote  to  the  High  Commissioner,  sending 
him  indeed  two  letters,  neither  of  which  produced  a  satisfactory 
reply.  In  the  interval,  in  order  to  protect  the  factory  from  the 
dangers  of  incendiary  fires,  the  houses  between  it  and  the  city  were 
pulled  down  ;  and  copies  of  the  Bear- Admiral's  letters,  with  a  precis 
of  the  whole  affair  by  Mr.  Parkes,  were  distributed  among  the  people 
through  the  medium  of  the  native  boatmen,  who,  in  spite  of  what 
was  going  on,  continued  to  furnish  supplies  to  the  ships.  On  the 

1  Posted,  Aug.  10th,  1857.       2  Com.,  Aug.  10th,  1857.       3  By  Capt.  Rotton,  R.A. 
4  Hand:  Journal.     See  also  Officer's  letter  in  Naut.  M«g.,  1857,  p.  153. 
VOL.   VII.  H 


98       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

31st,  Captain  Thomas  Wilson  joined,  with  90  officers  and  men  from 
his  ship,  the  Winchester. 

On  November  3rd,  the  Encounter,  Samson,  and  Dutch  Folly 
began  a  slow  fire  on  the  government  buildings  in  the  Tartar  city, 
and  on  Gough's  Fort,  and  continued  it  till  5  P.M.  Seymour  also 
addressed  yet  another  letter  to  the  High  Commissioner.  At  night 
an  attempt  was  made  to  blow  up  the  English  clubhouse,  in  which 
were  some  seamen  and  Marines ;  and,  in  consequence,  no  native 
boats  were  thereafter  allowed  to  approach  the  sea-wall  of  the 
factory. 

On  the  4th,  fire  was  resumed  for  four  hours,  and  on  the  5th,  one 
of  the  Samson's  68-prs.  in  Dutch  Folly  threw  shells  into  a  distant 
fort  on  a  hill  behind  the  city.  That  day  information  was  received 
to  the  effect  that  an  attack  was  intended  upon  the  ships  and  the 
factory,  and  that  twenty-three  war  junks  were  at  anchor  below 
Dutch  Folly,  protected  by  French  Folly  Fort,  which  mounted 
26  guns. 

Commodore  Elliot  was  ordered  to  take  the  Barracouta,  Coro- 
mandel,  and  ships'  boats,  and  disperse  or  capture  the  junks ;  and, 
Commander  Bate  having  buoyed  the  narrow  channel,  the  force 
proceeded  at  daylight  on  the  6th,  and  Fortescue  presently  anchored 
the  Barracouta  800  yards  above  French  Folly,  and  within  200 
yards  of  the  nearest  of  the  hostile  vessels,  which  were  all  ready  for 
action.  The  Barracouta,  in  order  to  prevent  the  Chinese  from 
training  their  guns  on  her,  fired  her  bow  pivot  gun  as  she 
approached,  and  so  provoked  the  enemy,  who,  from  more  than  150 
pieces,  retaliated  ere  she  could  bring  her  broadside  to  bear.  In  about 
five-and-thirty  minutes,  however,  her  grape  and  canister,  and  the 
approaching  boats,  under  Captain  Thomas  Wilson,  drove  the  people 
from  their  vessels ;  and  the  sloop  was  then  able  to  give  her  undivided 
attention  to  French  Folly,  which,  being  soon  silenced,  was  taken 
possession  of  by  a  landing-party  under  Captain  King  Hall.  Its  guns 
and  ammunition  were  destroyed.  Two  32-prs.  in  Dutch  Folly 
rendered  material  help  during  the  engagement.  The  junks,  being 
aground,  or  sunk,  were  burnt,  with  the  exception  of  the  admiral's  ship, 
which  was  brought  off,  and  two  more,  which  escaped  for  the  time, 
though  one  of  them  was  afterwards  burnt  by  Captain  King  Hall. 
Seymour  mentions  with  praise  the  conduct  of  Commander  Fortescue, 
of  his  senior  Lieutenant,  William  Kemptown  Bush,  and  of  Lieu- 
tenant Henry  Hamilton  Beamish,  of  the  Calcutta,  who,  under  a  very 


1856.]  CAPTURE    OF   THE  BOQUE  FORTS.  99 

heavy  fire,  carried  out  the  anchor  by  means  of  which  the 
Barracouta1  was  enabled  to  spring  her  broadside.  The  affair, 
very  bloody  to  the  enemy,  cost  the  British  a  loss  of  but  1  killed 
and  4  wounded. 

On  November  7th,  the  Niger,  13,  screw,  Captain  the  Hon. 
Arthur  Auckland  Leopold  Pedro  Cochrane,  C.B.,  arrived  frcra 
England  ;  and  a  detachment  from  the  frigate  Virginie  landed  to 
protect  French  interests  at  the  factory. 

At  4  A.M.  on  the  8th,  the  squadron  was  suddenly  alarmed  by  a 
bold  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  destroy  it  with  fire-vessels. 
The  Chinese  sailed  four  large  junks  down  the  river,  and  anchored 
them  when  they  were  close  to  the  Barracouta,  Samson,  and  Niger  ; 
whereupon  they  instantly  burst  into  a  blaze.  The  Barracouta  must 
infallibly  have  been  burnt  had  she  not  slipped  her  cable  with  extra- 
ordinary promptitude.  The  junks  were  backed  up  by  war-boats  ; 
but  no  damage  was  done,  except  to  the  Chinese.  To  prevent  any 
similar  occurrence  Seymour  caused  lines  of  junks  to  be  drawn  across 
the  river,  above  and  below  the  shipping  ;  nor  was  the  precaution 
needless.  On  the  12th,  one  of  the  junks  of  the  upper  line  was 
burnt  by  means  of  a  stinkpot ;  and  on  the  13th,  two  small  fire- 
boats  which  had  been  sent  from  the  shore,  exploded  alongside  the 
Niger.  Thenceforward  no  native  boats  whatsoever  were  allowed 
within  the  lines  of  junks. 

In  the  meantime,  at  the  advice  of  Sir  John  Bowring,  the  Bear- 
Admiral  threatened  the  High  Commissioner  with  the  destruction  of 
the  Bogue  forts ;  but,  failing,  as  before,  to  coerce  him  into  submission, 
he  left  Commodore  Elliot,  with  the  Samson  and  Niger,  to  protect 
the  factory,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  llth  proceeded  in  the 
Encounter  below  the  Bogue,  where  he  found  the  Calcutta,  in  which 
he  rehoisted  his  flag,  Nankin,  50,  Barracouta,  Hornet,  17,  screw, 
Commander  Charles  Codrington  Forsyth,  just  arrived  from  Hong 
Kong,  and  Coromandel.  On  the  12th,  the  mandarin  in  charge  was 
summoned  to  deliver  up  the  forts,  pending  the  Emperor  of  China's 
decision  concerning  the  conduct  of  the  Viceroy  and  High  Com- 
missioner ;  and  the  Calcutta  and  Nankin  were  placed  in  positions 
favourable  for  action.  As  the  demand  was  refused,  the  ships  opened 
fire  at  10.45  A.M.  against  the  two  Wantung  Islands  forts  from  the 
Bremer  Channel  side;  and,  after  a  considerable  but  ill-directed 

1  Her  hull  was  pierced  by  28  large  shot,  besides  smaller  oiies.     Xaut.  Mag.,  1857, 

H   2 


100     MILITARY  HISTOKY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

resistance  for  about  an  hour,1  sent  ashore  parties  which  took  posses- 
sion of  them.  In  the  Nankin  a  boy  was  killed,  and  4  men  were 
wounded  ;  but  fortunately  there  were  no  other  casualties.  The  forts 
were  fully  manned,  and  mounted  upwards  of  200  guns;  and  they 
were  stronger  than  when  taken  in  1841.  On  the  13th,  the  Anunghoy 
forts,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Bogue,  were  attacked  and  taken 
in  a  similar  manner.  They  mounted  210  guns,  but  were  captured 
without  loss  to  the  British.  On  the  14th,  the  Commander-in-Chief 
returned  to  the  Niger  off  Canton.  Concluding  his  report  of  these 
events,  Seymour  wrote  :  — 

"  The  command  of  the  river  being  now  in  our  hands,  I  have  no  operation  in  im- 
mediate contemplation  beyond  the  security  and  maintenance  of  our  position  ;  and  it 
will  remain  with  H.M.  Government  to  determine  whether  the  present  opportunity  shall 
be  made  available  to  enforce  to  their  full  extent  the  treaty  stipulations  which  the. Canton 
government  has  hitherto  been  allowed  to  evade  with  impunity.  .  .  .  The  original 
cause  of  dispute,  though  comparatively  trifling,  has  now,  from  the  injurious  policy 
pursued  by  the  Imperial  High  Commissioner,  assumed  so  very  grave  an  aspect  as  to- 
threaten  the  existence  of  amicable  relations  as  regards  Canton.  Though  I  shall  continue 
to  take  steps,  in  conjunction  with  H.M.  Plenipotentiary,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to- 
bring  matters  to  a  successful  termination,  I  shall  be  most  anxious  to  receive  the  instruc- 
tions of  H.M.  Government  on  this  important  question."2 

The  Encounter  was  stationed  close  off  the  factory  as  a  guard  ; 
and  the  Samson  was  sent  below  the  Barrier  forts  to  join  the 
Comus,  14,  Commander  Robert  Jenkins,  which  was  subsequently 
moved  to  below  the  Bogue  to  protect  trade,  and  was  relieved  by  the 
Hornet.  On  December  2nd,  the  Samson  was  ordered  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Hong  Kong,  where  petty  piracy  had  become  very 
troublesome.  While,  however,  Seymour  allowed  the  Chinese  a 
short  respite,  the  foolish  conduct  of  the  mandarins,  and  the  in- 
tractableness  of  Yeh,  provoked  a  conflict  with  the  United  States' 
ships  in  the  river. 

On  December  6th,  at  the  back  of  Stonecutters'  Island,  near  Hong 
Kong,  the  Samson,  after  an  exciting  chase  of  a  couple  of  hours, 
drove  ashore  several  junks  and  destroyed  five,  besides  liberating 
two  market  boats  with  passengers  on  board.  These  petty  pirates 
flew  the  flag  of  the  Ti-ping  rebels ;  and  it  was  consequently  some- 
what difficult  for  Captain  Hand  to  make  certain  of  their  true  status 
until  he  caught  them,  as  it  were,  red-handed.3  In  the  Canton 

1  The  majority  of  the  logs  make  the  time  to  have  been  nearer  two  hours. 

2  Seymour  to  Adlty.,  Nov.  14th. 

3  Hand  to  Seymour,  Dec.  6th,  1H56.     Hand   took   two   more   piratical    boats  on 
Dec.  29th,  off  Tongboo,  he  having  been  sent  in  the  interim  to  Amoy. 


1857.]  ATTACKS  BY   THE   CHINESE.  101 

river  little  was  done  by  the  British  during  the  winter  months, 
beyond  what  was  rendered  necessary  by  the  provocative  action  of 
the  Chinese.  On  December  Gth,  it  became  advisable  to  capture 
French  Folly  Fort,  which  had  been  reoccupied ;  and  the  work  was 
easily  accomplished  by  the  Encounter  and  Barracouta,  and  landing 
parties  from  the  squadron.  On  January  4th,  1857,  an  attack  on 
Macao  Fort,  which  was  garrisoned  by  Marines  of  the  squadron,  was 
repulsed  with  no  greater  difficulty ;  and,  later  in  the  course  of  the 
same  month,  an  attempt  by  war  junks  on  the  ships  in  the  Macao 
channel  was  frustrated  by  the  action  of  the  Hornet,  Comus, 
Encounter,  Niger,  and  Coromandel.  In  returning  to  Canton  with 
stores  for  the  squadron,  the  Samson  had  an  experience  which 
brought  much  adverse  criticism  upon  her  gallant  Captain,  who,  as 
will  be  seen,  did  not  in  the  least  deserve  it.  On  the  morning  of 
January  17th,  1857,  while  passing  above  the  second  bar,  she  fell  in 
with  a  large  fleet  of  mandarin  junks,1  which  opened  a  heavy  fire  on 
her,  and  mortally  wounded  her  pilot.  Hand  returned  the  fire  as  he 
approached,  and,  when  abreast  of  the  enemy,  gave  the  order  to  stop 
the  engines,  with  the  object,  no  doubt,  of  doing  as  much  damage 
as  possible  ere  he  went  on.  But  although  the  Chinese  shot  had 
hulled  the  steamer  in  a  dozen  places,  and  wounded  three  people, 
Commodore  Elliot,  who  happened  to  be  taking  passage,  directed 
the  Samson  to  proceed.  Hand  admits  in  his  journal  that  he  believes 
that  he  did  no  harm  to  the  enemy,  but  chivalrously  says  nothing 
about  the  Commodore's  order.  I  have  the  fact,  however,  from  an 
officer  who  heard  the  order  given. 

The  harrying  tactics  of  the  Chinese,  who  seldom  left  the  squadron 
alone  for  many  hours  together,  annoying  it  almost  every  night  with 
rockets,  fire  rafts,  and  all  sorts  of  devilments,  led  Bear-Admiral 
Seymour  to  doubt  the  possibility  of  keeping  the  river  communica- 
tion open  with  the  small  force  at  his  disposal ;  and,  learning  from 
India  that  no  troops  could  be  spared  thence,  he  was  disposed 
partially  to  withdraw  from  his  position.  The  Niger  left  her  station 
off  the  factory  and  anchored  abreast  of  Macao  Fort ;  the  Encounter 
did  likewise ;  and  Dutch  Folly  was  evacuated,  and  instantly  re- 
occupied  and  burnt  by  the  enemy.  But  it  was  finally  determined 
to  hold  Macao  Fort,  and  to  keep  at  least  the  lower  reaches  of  the 
river  open.  The  mandarin  junks  which  had  attacked  the  Samson 

1  Fast  armed  craft,  otherwise  called  "  snake  boats."  Cf.  ancient  "  esnecca," 
Vol.  I.,  101 . 


102     MILITARY  1I1STOHY   OF   THE  ItOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

on  January  17th,  and  which  generally  lay  in  Escape  Creek,  had  a, 
brush  with  the  Hornet  in  February,  and  lost  one  of  their  number, 
a  vessel  mounting  sixteen  guns,  some  of  which  were  British  Board 
of  Ordnance  32-prs. ;  but  they  remained  very  troublesome,  and,  as 
they  were  about  120  in  number,  the  Hornet  and  Samson  were  for 
a  time  stationed  off  the  mouth  of  the  creek  to  observe  them.  In 
March,  in  Sandy  Bay,  the  Hornet  destroyed  17  large  lorchas  and 
junks.  On  April  6th,  the  two  vessels,  with  the  tenders,  Hongkong 
and  Sir  Charles  Forbes,  stood  in  to  Deep  Bay,  as  far  as  the  depth  of 
water  would  permit,  in  search  of  some  junks,  and,  finding  several, 
sent  their  boats,  and  those  of  the  Sibylle  and  Nankin,  up  a  creek, 
where  11  junks  and  2  lorchas  were  taken  and  destroyed.  Numerous 
other  craft  were  taken  or  burnt  up  and  down  the  coast  during  the 
six  or  seven  weeks  following ;  and  in  the  course  of  that  period 
the  British  force  in  the  river  was  reinforced;  but  the  Raleigh,  50, 
Commodore  the  Hon.  Henry  Keppel,  C.B.,  one  of  the  vessels  which 
should  have  joined  the  flag,  struck  on  an  obstruction  between  Hong 
Kong  and  Macao  on  April  14th,  and  had  to  be  beached  between  the 
Koko  and  Typa  Islands,  where  she  ultimately  became  a  total  loss. 
Keppel  shifted  his  broad  pennant  to  the  Alligator  (hospital  ship), 
and  managed  to  save  all  his  stores,  guns,  etc.  At  about  the  same 
time  there  arrived  the  good  news  that,  although  there  was  nothing 
like  unanimity  in  England  on  the  Chinese  question,  and  although 
Seymour  and  Bowring  were  held  to  have  acted  imprudently,  5000 
troops  were  to  be  sent  out,  and  strong  measures  were  to  be  adopted 
for  the  settlement  of  all  difficulties,  seeing  that  the  action  of  those 
on  the  spot  had  put  the  credit  of  the  country  at  stake,  and  that  it 
must  be  supported. 

Towards  the  end  of  May,  therefore,  active  operations  were 
resumed,  the  first  blows  being  dealt  at  the  troublesome  mandarin 
fleet  in  Escape  Creek,  an  eastward  branch  of  the  Canton  Eiver,1  by 
a  flotilla  under  the  orders  of  Commodore  Elliot. 

On  May  25th,  Elliot  went  on  board  the  tender  Hongkong,  and, 
followed  by  the  gunboats  Bustard,  Lieutenant  Tathwell  Benjamin 
Collinson,  Staunch,'2  Lieutenant  Leveson  Wildman,  and  Starling, 
Lieutenant  Arthur  Julian  Villiers,  and  the  tender  Sir  Charles  Forbes, 
in  the  order  named,  towing  boats  manned  from  the  Sibylle,  Raleigh, 
Tribune,  Hornet,  Inflexible,  and  Fury,  steamed  into  the  creek,  and 

1  Sec  Map,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  286. 

2  The  Stiumch  seem-;  to  have  subsequently  fallen  astern. 


ACTION  IN  ESCAPE  CHEEK.  103 

soon  sighted  41  junks,  which  were  moored  across  the  stream,  and 
which  opened  a  spirited  fire  from  their  guns  -  in  each  case  a  24-  or 
3'2-pr.  forward,  and  four  or  six  9-prs.  The  attacking  craft  then 
formed  in  line  in  as  wide  order  as  possible,  and  replied  warmly,  the 
Chinese  sticking  to  their  guns  wonderfully  well,  but  finally  cutting 
their  cables,  hoisting  their  sails,  getting  out  their  sweeps,  and  fleeing 
further  up.  The  steamers  pursued  until  they  grounded  ;  and  then 
their  people  abandoned  them  temporarily,  and,  jumping  into  the 
boats,  pulled  hard  after  the  enemy.  One  by  one,  several  of  the 
junks  were  overhauled.  In  most  cases  the  Chinese,  when  a  boat 
got  alongside,  fired  a  last  broadside  of  grape  and  langridge  at  her, 
leapt  overboard  on  the  other  side,  and  swam  for  shore.  Thus  sixteen 
craft  were  disposed  of  in  the  main  channel,  by  boats  led  by  Captain 
Harry  Edmund  Edgell,  of  the  Tribune,  31,  screw.  Ten  more  took 
refuge  up  a  minor  creek  on  the  left,  and  were  chased  by  a  division 
of  boats  under  Commander  Charles  Codrington  Forsyth  ;  whereupon 
their  crews  set  them  on  fire  and  abandoned  them.  One  vessel, 


ADMIRAL   SIB   WI7,LIAM    GRAHAM,    K.C.B. 

which  made  for  a  creek  on  the  right,  was  abandoned  so  hastily 
that  her  people  had  no  time  to  fire  her :  and  she  was  taken  and 
towed  out.  The  other  junks  got  away  by  dint  of  hard  pulling. 
The  heat  was  terrible,  and,  although  there  were  only  two  casualties 
from  the  enemy's  shot,  some  damage  was  done  by  sunstroke. 

In  addition  to  some  of  the  officers  named  above,  the  following 
were  mentioned  by  the  Commodore  with  approval,  in  consequence 
of  their  share  in  that  day's  work  :  Commander  John  Corbett ; l 
Lieutenants  Arthur  Metivier  Brock,2  and  Edward  Frederic  Dent ; 2 
acting-Mates  Ralph  Abercrombie  Brown,3  and  Thomas  Keith 
Hudson  ; 4  and  Second-Master  John  Molloy. 

On  the  following  day,  the  outlets  into  the  main  stream  of  all 
the  creeks  communicating  with  Escape  Creek  were  guarded :  the 

1  Posted,  Aug.  10th,  1857.  3  Actg.  Lieut.,  May  25th,  1857. 

2  Corns.,  Aug.  10th,  1857.  4  Actg.  Lieut.,  Aug.  10th,  1857. 


104     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Sawshee  channel  by  the  Tribune,  Captain  Harry  Edmund  Edgell  ; 
the  Second  Bar  Creek  by  the  Inflexible,  Commander  John  Corbett ; 
.  and  Escape  Creek  itself  by  the  Hornet,  Commander  Charles  Cod- 
nngton   Forsyth,  the   idea   being  to  scour  the  inland  waters,  and 
oblige  all  junks  in  them  either  to  fight  or  to  flee  towards  the  guarded 
passages.     At  daybreak  on  the  27th,  the  Commodore  and  the  boats, 
towed  for  ten  or  twelve  miles  by  the  steamers,  proceeded  up  the 
Sawshee  channel.     About  ten  miles  above  where  the  steamers  had 
been   left,  the  city  of   Touan-Kouan   was  sighted,  and   the   mast- 
heads of  many  war  junks  were  observed  over  the  land.     The  boats, 
although  threatened  by  a  small  battery,  pulled  on  with  such  speed 
as  to  take  the  enemy  completely  by  surprise.     Both  battery  and 
junks  were  abandoned  almost  as  soon  as  the  boats  opened  fire  on 
them;    and   orders  were  at  once  given  to  destroy  all  the  vessels 
except  one,   the   finest  and   heaviest   armed   war  junk   Elliot   had 
ever  seen  in   China.     Owing,  however,  to   the  opposition   of   the 
enemy,  who  plied   their  gingals   from  among   the   houses  on   the 
banks  of  the  narrow  creek,  all  the  junks  had  to  be  burnt.     Even 
this  could   not  be  accomplished  until   landings   had   been  effected 
to  clear  the  neighbourhood.     The  force  then  withdrew.     Elliot  in 
his  letter  to  Seymour,  says  nothing  about  the  number  of  people 
wounded ;  but  it  was  much  more  considerable  than  on  the  25th  * 
He  mentions,  however,  with  approval  Captain  Edgell ;  Commanders 
Forsyth,2  Corbett,2  and   Edward  Winterton  Tumour  2  (late  of  the 
Raleigh]  •  Lieutenants  Edward  Nares,  and  William  Lowley  Stani 
forth;3  acting-Mate  Thomas  Keith  Hudson;  Chaplain  and  Naval 
Instructor  the  Eev.  Samuel  Beal,  who  was  very  useful  as  Chinese 
terpreter,  and  Lieutenant  George  Lascelles  Blake  B  M  * 
During  all  this  time  the  Chinese  force,  consisting  of  the  large 
it  of  war  junks  which  had  attacked  Macao  Fort  on  January  4th 
and  which  had  afterwards  tried  to  block  the  Macao  channel  lav  i, 
Fatshan  Creek.     The  Commander-in-Chief  had  been  for  some  days 
Hong  Kong,  when,  leaving  Captain  William  King   Hall  there 
m  the  Calcutta,  he  embarked  on  May  29th  in  the  paddle  tender 
mandd,    Lieutenant    Sholto    Douglas,    and,    accompanied    by 

'ei  e  wounded,  including  Lieuts.  Francis  Martin 
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BATTLE   OF  FATSHAN   CREEK. 


105 


several  gunboats,  and  by  the  boats  of  the  flagship,  under  Com- 
mander William  Eae  Eolland,1  entered  the  Canton  Eiver  and 
proceeded  as  far  as  the  second  bar.  His  immediate  object  was 
to  deal  with  the  junks  in  Fatshan  Creek,  as  those  in  Escape  Creek 
had  been  already  dealt  with  by  Commodore  Elliot.  Some  way  up 
the  creek,  and  nearly  south  of  Canton,  is  Hyacinth  Island,  a  flat 
expanse  which  very  much  narrows  the  channels.  On  the  south 
side  of  the  creek  is  a  high  hill,  upon  which  the  Chinese  had  built 
a  19-gun  fort ;  opposite  to  it  was  a  6-gun  battery ;  in  the  channel, 
moored  so  as  to  command  the  passage,  were  seventy  junks ;  and 


K 

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/r-S      ME/G  HBOUfiHO 

IS-T  JUNE:  1857. 


the  whole  position  was  so  strong  as  to  be  deemed  impregnable  by 
those  who  held  it.  Seymour  caused  his  force  to  make  rendezvous 
on  May  31st,  a  short  distance  below  the  obstruction ;  and  before 
dawn  on  June  1st  he  led  to  the  attack  in  the  Coromandel,  with 
the  Haughty  following,  each  vessel  having  on  board  a  detachment 
•of  seamen,  under  Commodore  Elliot,  and  Marines,  under  Captain 
Eobert  Boyle,  E.M.,  and  towing  boats  manned  and  armed.  This 
force  constituted  the  first  division,  the  mission  of  which  was  to 
•capture  the  19-gun  fort  and  its  outworks.  Commodore  the  Hon. 
Henry  Keppel,  in  the  Hongkong,  Lieutenant  James  Graham  Good- 
enough,  with  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  divisions,  was  ordered, 

1  Posted,  Aug.  10th.  1857. 


106     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE   ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

upon  seeing  the  assaulting  party  mounting  the  hill,  to  advance 
up  the  channel  on  the  other  side  of  Hyacinth  Island,  and  attack 
the  junks.1 

Sir  Michael  Seymour,  in  his  dispatch,  gives  the  following  account 
of  what  occurred  : — 

"  The  flight  of  several  signal  rockets  showed  that  the  Chinese  were  fully  alive  to 
our  proceedings.  When  within  about  1000  yards  of  the  fort,  the  Coromandel  grounded 
on  a  barrier  of  sunken  junks  filled  with  stones;  and  the  enemy  opened  fire.  The 
leading  party  of  seamen  and  Marines  were  immediately  put  in  the  boats,  acd  sent 
ahead;  and,  under  a  very  heavy  fire  of  round  and  grape,  in  which  the  junk  fleet 
joined,  the  fort  was  almost  immediately  in  our  possession,  Commodore  Elliot  setting  the 
good  example  of  being  one  of  the  first  in  it.  The  landing  was  partially  covered  by  the 
fire  of  the  Haughty.  One  or  two  of  the  guns  in  the  fort  were  immediately  turned  on  the 
war  juuks.  Happily  this  important  service  was  effected  without  loss. 

"  The  position  was  a  remarkably  strong  one,  and,  defended  by  a  body  of  resolute 
troops,  might  have  bid  defiance  to  any  attack.  The  Haughty,  having  landed  her  party, 
went  on,  with  Commodore  Elliot  and  the  boats  of  the  first  division,  to  co-operate  with 
Commodore  Keppel.  I  ordered  a  portion  of  the  Royal  Marines,  under  Lieutenant  and 
Adjutant  Burton,2  to  remain  as  a  garrison  in  the  fort,  and  sent  Captain  Boyle,3  with  the 
remainder,  about  150  in  number,  to  the  scene  of  operations  by  land,  to  cut  off  the 
enemy  retreating  from  the  junks,  and  to  prevent  the  advancing  boats  being  annoyed  by 
gingals  or  matchlocks  from  a  large  village  adjoining — a  favourite  tactic  with  the  Chinese. 
One  half  of  this  force  was  ultimately  sent  back  to  the  fort,  and  the  remainder  rejoined 
the  squadron  up  the  creek. 

"  As  soon  as  Commodore  the  Hon.  H.  Keppt'l  jierceived  the  men  of  the  first  division 
ascending  the  heights,  he  advanced  up  the  channel  on  the  east  side  of  Hyacinth  Island, 
with  the  gun  and  other  boats  of  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  divisions,  in  the  order 
stated  in  the  programme.  With  the  exception  of  the  Haughty  and  Plover,  the  gunboats 
soon  grounded,  but,  agreeably  with  my  instructions,  the  boats  were  pushed  ahead.  The 
juuks,  which  were  admirably  moored  in  position  to  enfilade  the  whole  of  the  attacking 
force,  soon  opened  a  very  heavy  fire,  keeping  it  up  with  great  spirit,  until  our  boats 
were  close  alongside,  when  the  crews  commenced  to  abandon  their  vessels,  and  to  effect 


1 


A'essels  employed  in  the  action  in  Fatshan  Creek  :  — 

Coromandel,  padd.  tender  J?:^™-.  ^  1f'chaf1  S,^IIlourt<2>',?:r?-_ 

\Lieut.  bholto  Douglas  (Com.,  Ap.  28th,  1858). 

Hnnnl-nn      nadd   tpndpr       /Commod-  Hon-  Henry  Keppel,  C.B. 
ongkony,  padd.  te     A  .   ^.^  Jameg  Qraham  Goo'd'elluugll  (Com_;  ^ 

JlauaUu  scr  a  b  /Commod.  Hon.  Chas.  Gilb.  Jno.  Brydone  Elliot,  C.B. 

'  \  Lieut.  Richard  Vesey  Hamilton  (Com.,  Aug.  10th,  1857). 

Plover,  scr.  g.-b.  .  .  .     Lieut.  Keith  Stewart  (3). 

Opossum,  scr.  g.-b.  .  .     Lieut.  Colin  Andrew  Campbell  (Com.,  Feb.  26th,  1858). 

Bustard,  scr.  g.-b.  .  .     Lieut.  Tathwell  Benj.  Collinson. 

Forester,  scr.  g.-b.  .  .     Lieut.  Arthur  John  Innes. 

Starling,  scr.  g.-b.  .  .      Lieut.  Arthur  Julian  Villiers. 

Staunch,  scr.  g.-b.  .  .     Lieut.  Leveson  Wildman. 

and  boats  from  the   Calcutta,  Nankin,  Raleigh,  Tribune,  Highflyer,  Inflexible,  Niger, 
Sibylle,  Hornet,  Fury,  Elk,  Acorn,  and  Cruiser. 

2  Lieut.  Cuthtert  Ward  Burton,  R.M. 

s  Capt,  Robert  Boyle,  R.M. 


1857.J  BATTLE   OF  FATSHAN   CREEK.  107 

their  escape  across  the  paddy  fields.  The  blowing  up  of  one  or  two  junks  hastened  this 
movement.  In  about  twenty  m'nutes  we  had  possession  of  fifty  junks. 

"  Leaving  the  third  and  fourth  divisions  to  secure  the  prizes,  Commodore  Keppel 
then  proceeded  about  three  miles  further  up  the  creek,  where  more  mastheads  were 
visible ;  and  found  twenty  junks  moored  across  the  stream  in  a  very  strong  position, 
which  opened  such  a  well-directed  and  destructive  fire  that  he  was  obliged  to  retire,  and 
wait  for  reinforcements.  The  launch  of  the  Calcutta  was  sunk  by  a  round  shot ;  the 
Commodore's  galley  had  three  round  shot  through  her ;  and  several  other  boats  were 
much  injured.  On  additional  boats  coming  up,  the  Commodore  shifted  to  the  Calcutta's 
black  barge,1  and  agnin  advanced ;  and,  after  a  severe  action,  the  enemy  gave  way. 
They  were  pursued  as  far  as  Fatshan,  a  distance  of  seven  miles,  and  seventeen  of  them 
captured  and  burnt.  In  consequence  of  my  orders  not  to  molest  this  large  and  impor- 
tant city,  the  three  junks  which  passed  through  the  creek  on  which  it  is  built  effected 
their  escape. 

"  The  result  of  this  expedition  was  the  cap!  ure  of  between  seventy  and  eighty  heavily- 
armed  junks,  mounting,  on  an  average,  from  ten  to  fourteen  guns  (many  of  them  long 
32-pounders),  nearly  all  of  European  manufacture.  As  no  object  would  have  been 
gained  by  removing  the  prizes,  I  caused  them,  with  a  few  exceptions,  to  be  burnt ; 
and  the  flames  and  numerous  heavy  explosions  must  have  been  seen  and  heard  far 
and  wide. 

"  This  engagement  opens  a  new  era  in  Chinese  naval  warfare.  Great  judgment  was 
shown  in  selecting  the  position  for  the  fleet ;  and  the  Chinese,  particularly  the  last 
division  attacked  by  Commodore  Keppel,  defended  their  ships  with  skill,  courage, 
and  effect. 

"  I  enclose  a  list  of  casualties,  which,  I  regret  to  say,  is  large,  amounting  to  3  officers, 
and  10  seamen  and  Marines,  killed,  and  4  officers,  and  40  seamen  and  Marines  wounded ;  - 
but  it  is  to  me  a  matter  of  surprise  that,  under  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  loss 
was  not  greater." 

Declaring  that  all  did  their  duty,  the  Commander-in-Chief  re- 
commended the  Admiralty,  in  the  bestowal  of  marks  of  its  approval, 
to  have  regard  to  the  seniority  and  services  of  those  engaged.  He 
mentioned  by  name  only  the  two  Commodores,3  and  Master  George 
Raymond,  of  the  Encounter,*  who  had  volunteered  his  services  as 
pilot,  and  taken  the  Hongkong  up  Fatshan  Creek — "a  service  of 
danger."  Nor  did  Keppel,  in  his  letter,  dated  from  "  the  Raleigh's 
tender,  Sir  Charles  Forbes,"  on  July  2nd,  single  out  individuals  for 
special  praise,  beyond  saying  that  Captain  the  Hon.  Arthur  Auckland 
Leopold  Pedro  Cochrane  led  the  final  seven  miles'  chase ;  but  in  a 
letter  to  his  sister,  the  Hon.  Mrs.  H.  F.  Stephenson,  the  Commodore 

1  In    this    he    returned   to    the     Elongkong,    where    he    shifted    into    the    (lato) 
Raleiyh's  cutter. 

2  The  officers  killed  were   Master's-Assistant  K.  C.  Bryan  (llighflyer),  Mids.  H. 
Barker  (Tribune),  and    Major   Kearney.      The  officers   wounded   were  Capt.   Hon. 
A.  A.  L.  P.  Cochrane;  Lieut.  John  Stanley  Graham;  and  Mids.  Edward  Pilkington, 
and  Henry  Nelson  Hippisley.     Master's-Assistant  B.  Staunch,  who  was  slightly  hurt,  is 
not  included. 

3  Keppel,  in  consequence,  was  made  a  K.C.B.,  and  Elliot  a  C.B.  on  Sept.  12th,  1857. 

4  Then  lying  oft'  Macao. 


108     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

gives  some  characteristic   details.     After  describing  the  grounding 
of  the  Hongkong,  Keppei  goes  on  :— 

"  Took  with  me  Prince  Victor  of  Uoheulohe,1  having  previously  been  commanded  by 
her  Majesty,  through  Sir  Charles  Phipps,  to  take  every  care  of  him,  and  left  Victor 
Montagu,2  my  proper  gig's  Mitl.,  on  board ;  but  the  lifting  tide  soon  put  him  in  the 
midst.  The  first  division  of  the  Chinese  were  attacked  simultaneously  by  about-  1900 
men.  I  had  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  that  number  to  attack  the  second  division, 
which  was  three  miles  higher  up  the  river.  .  .  .  Boarding  nets  were  dropped  on  our 
boats,  but  not  until  our  men  were  alongside ;  and  it  enabled  them  all  the  quicker  to 
sever  the  cables  connecting  the  junks,  lialeiyh's  boats  well  up,  and  did  not  require 
cheering  on.  The  Chinese  fired  occasional  shots  to  ascertain  exact  distance,  but  did  not 
open  their  heaviest  fire  until  we  were  within  600  yards.  Nearly  the  first  fellow  cut  in 
two  by  a  round  si  ot  was  an  amateur,  Major  Kearney  3.  .  .  .  We  cheered,  and  were 
trying  to  get  to  the  front  when  a  shot  struck  our  boat,  killing  the  bow  man.  Another 
was  cut  in  two.  Prince  Victor  leant  forward  to  bind  up  the  man's  arm  with  his 
neck-cloth.  While  he  was  so  doing,  a  shot  passed  through  both  sides  of  the  boat, 
wounding  two  more  of  the  crew :  in  short,  the  boat  was  sunk  under  us.  ... 

"The  tide  rising,  boats  disabled,  our  oars  shot  away,  it  was  necessary  to  re-form. 
I  was  collared,  and  drawn  from  the  water  by  young  Michael  Seymour,*  a  Mate  of  his 
uncle's  flagship,  the  Calcutta.  We  were  all  picked  up  except  the  dead  bow  man.  .  . 
As  we  retired,  I  shook  my  fist  at  the  junks,  promising  I  would  pay  them  off.  We 
went  to  the  Hongkong,  and  re-formed.  I  hailed  Lieutenant  Graham5  to  get  his  boat 
ready,  as  I  would  hoist  the  broad  pennant  for  next  attack  in  his  boat.  I  had  no  sooner 
spoken  than  he  was  down,  the  same  shot  killing  and  wounding  four  others.  Graham 
was  one  mass  of  blood ;  but  it  was  from  a  Marine  who  stood  next  to  him,  part  of 
whose  skull  was  forced  three  inches  into  another  man's  shoulder.  When  we  reached  the 
Ilanylong,  the  whole  of  the  Chinese  fire  appeared  to  be  centered  on  her.  She  was 
hulled  twelve  times  in  a  few  minutes.  Her  deck  was  covered  with  the  wounded  who 
had  been  brought  on  board  from  different  boats.  From  the  paddle-box  we  saw  that 
the  noise  of  guns  was  bringing  up  strong  reinforcements.  The  account  of  our  having 
been  obliged  to  retire  had  reached  them.  They  were  pulling  up  like  mad.  The  Hong- 
kong had  floated,  but  grounded  again.  A  bit  of  blue  bunting6  was  prepared  to 
represent  a  broad  pennant,  and  I  called  out,  'Let's  try  the  row-boats  once  more,  boys,' 
and  went  over  the  side  into  our  cutter  (Raleigh's),  in  which  were  Tumour,7  and  the 
faithful  coxswain,  Spurrier.8  At  this  moment  there  arose  from  the  boats,  as  if  every 
man  took  it  up  at  the  same  instant,  one  of  those  British  cheers  so  full  of  meaning  that 
I  knew  at  once  it  was  all  up  witli  John  Chinaman.  The}'  might  sink  twenty  boats, 
but  there  were  thirty  others  whi<  h  would  go  ahead  all  the  faster.  It  was  indeed  an 
exciting  sight.  A  move  among  the  junks!  They  were  breaking  ground  and  moving 
off,  the  outermost  first.  This  the  Chinese  performed  in  good  order,  without  slacking 
fire.  Then  commenced  an  exciting  chase  for  seven  miles.  As  our  shot  told  they  ran 


1  H.S.H.  Prince  Victor  F.  F.  E.  A.  C.  F.,  of  Hohenlohe-Langeuberg,  Count  Gleichen, 
died  a  retired  vice-admiral  in  1891.     He  was  a  nephew  of  Queen  Victoria. 

2  Hon.  Victor  Alexander  Montagu,  retd.  as  a  dipt.,  1877. 

3  D.A.Q.G.  of  China  Exped.  Force. 

4  Later  Adm.  Sir  Michael  Culme-Seymour,  G.C.B. 

fl  Lieut.  James  Stanley  Graham,  of  the  Calcutta.    Died  a  Capt.,  Feb.  3rd,  1873. 
c  Keppei  was  then  Commod.  of  the  Blue,  or  third  class. 

7  Edward  Winterton  Tumour,  late  Com.  of  the  Raleigh. 

8  Wounded. 


1857.]  AFFAIRS    WITH   PIRATES.  109 

mostly  on  to  the  mud  banks,  and  their  crews  forsook  them.  Young  Cochrane  '  in  his 
light  gig  got  the  start  of  me.  .  .  .  Seventesn  junks  were  overtaken  and  captured. 
Three  only  escaped.  .  .  ." 2 

These  operations  had  a  great  moral  effect  upon  the  Chinese,  and 
would,  perhaps,  have  inclined  them  to  listen  to  reason  and  to  concede 
Seymour's  demands,  had  it  been  found  possible  to  follow  them  up 
promptly  and  with  vigour.  Unhappily,  as  will  be  seen,  the  sky  was 
just  then  black  for  England,  and  she  could  not  for  the  time  concen- 
trate her  attention  on  the  Chinese  question,  having  to  wrestle  else- 
where for  the  very  life  of  her  Eastern  Empire. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that,  at  the  beginning  of  June,  the 
Samson,  being  away  on  detached  duty,  learnt  of  the  presence  of 
some  piratical  junks  in  Mirs  Bay,  off  which  place  Captain  Hand 
accordingly  presented  himself  early  in  the  morning  of  June  8th. 
Getting  out  three  of  his  boats,  under  Lieutenant  George  Henry 
Wale,3  he  sent  them  to  cut  off  a  craft  which  was  seen  standing  into 
Double  Haven,  and  himself  went  round  in  the  frigate  to  Crooked 
Harbour,  where  he  came  upon  a  pirate  mounting  nine  guns,  and 
having  70  men,  all  of  whom  leapt  overboard  and  made  for  the  shore, 
only  to  be  massacred  there  by  the  villagers.  Wale,  after  some 
resistance  had  been  offered,  took  two  lorchas  and  a  junk,  mounting 
in  all  22  guns,  which  were  convoyed  to  Hong  Kong,  where  owners 
were  found,  and  salvage  money  paid  for  them.  They  had  apparently 
been  captured  by  the  other  vessel.4  Commander  John  Corbett,  in 
the  Inflexible,  took  a  pirate  at  about  the  same  time.  It  may  be  men- 
tioned, too,  that  on  June  18th,  the  most  southern  of  the  defences  of 
the  Canton  Eiver,  near  the  Bogue,  and  known  as  Chuenpee,  was  occu- 
pied by  the  British  without  resistance,  and  found  to  have  been  not  only 
abandoned,  but  also  partly  dismantled.  It  was  entrusted  to  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Edgell,  of  the  Tribune.  On  July  6th,  the  Samson 
towed  the  Alligator,  bearing  Keppel's  pennant,  to  Hong  Kong.5 

France,  like  Great  Britain,  had  with  China  treaties  which  were 
not  observed,  and  her  squadron  in  Chinese  waters  would  have  made 
common  cause  with  Seymour's  at  once,  had  it  been  a  little  stronger 
than  it  was.  The  French  government,  however,  unwilling  to  let 

1  The  Captain  of  the  Niyer,  who  was  wounded.     He  was  then  33,  but  his  father, 
Adm.  Lord  Dundonald,  was  alive. 

2  Keppel,  iii.,  2.     The  letter  was  printed  in  the  Times. 

3  Com.  Feb.  26th,  1853.  4  Hand  to  Seymour,  June  9th. 

c  Keppel  soon  afterwards  went  home,  Sir  Charles  Wood  disapproving  of  his  hoisting 
a  broad  pennant,  in  view  of  the  loss  of  the  Raleigh. 


110      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

slip  so  good  an  occasion  for  settling  long-standing  difficulties,  decided 
to  strengthen  its  forces,  so  as  to  enable  it  to  act  with  effect,  and  to 
send  out  Baron  Gros  with  instructions  to  co-operate  with  Lord 
Elgin,1  who  was  heing  despatched  from  England  with  special  powers 
to  treat  concerning  all  pending  questions.  Rear-Admiral  Eigault 
de  Genouilly,  who  went  out  in  the  Nimesis,  50,  arrived  in  Chinese 
waters  on  July  8th,  1857,  and,  on  the  15th  of  the  same  month, 
superseded  Bear-Admiral  Guerin.  Thenceforward  he  was  rein- 
forced from  time  to  time.  Baron  Gros  did  not  reach  China  until 
October.2 

In  the  meantime,  large  reinforcements,  naval  as  well  as  military, 
had  been  sent  out  from  England ;  and  the  Shannon,  51,  screw, 
Captain  William  Peel,  C.B.,  had  conveyed  Lord  Elgin  to  the  scene 
of  action.  But  Elgin,  on  reaching  Singapore,  had  learnt  of  the  out- 
break of  the  Mutiny  in  India,  and,  not  underrating  its  character,  had 
wisely  taken  upon  himself  to  divert  thither  the  troops  intended  for 
China.  On  July  14th,  still  graver  news  reached  Seymour,  who  was 
then  preparing  for  a  trip  with  Lord  Elgin  to  the  gulf  of  Pechili ;  and 
he  thereupon  sent  to  Calcutta  the  Shannon,  with  300  Marines  who 
had  arrived  in  China  in  the  Sanspareil,  70,  screw,  Captain  Astley 
Cooper  Key,  C.B.,  together  with  the  Pearl,  21,  screw,  Captain 
Edward  Southwell  Sotheby.  The  two  ships  sailed  on  July  15th, 
and,  as  will  be  shown  later,  were  able  to  render  most  valuable 
services.  The  Sanspareil  herself  also  proceeded  in  August  to 
Calcutta  with  artillery  and  stores,3  but  did  not,  as  the  other  ships 
did,  land  a  brigade  for  service  with  the  troops  in  the  interior  of  India. 
A  party  from  her  garrisoned  Fort  William  for  a  time,  but  she  re- 
turned to  the  Canton  Eiver  on  December  17th,  in  time  for  the 
operations  then  pending.  Lord  Elgin,  seeing  that,  until  the  major 
danger  should  be  crushed,  little  could  be  done  in  China,  retired  to 
Calcutta,  to  await  a  better  opportunity,  and  left  Seymour  to  blockade 
the  Canton  River.  The  blockade  was  declared  as  from  August  7th, 
and,  in  the  opinion  of  naval  officers  on  the  spot,  was  established  not 
so  much  to  annoy  the  Chinese  as  to  prevent  foreign  vessels  from 
going  up  to  load,  and  so  getting  the  trade  into  their  hands  at  a  time 
when  the  British  and  French  were  unable  to  enjoy  a  share  of  it.4 

Lord  Elgin  returned  to  Hong  Kong  at  the  end  of  September,  but 

1  James  Bruce,  8th  Earl  of  Elgin  and  Kincardine,  Kt.  *  Chevalier,  297. 

3  She  was  towed  745  miles  of  the  way  by  the  Samson,  which  expended  215  tons  uf 
coal  on  the  run.  Hand's  Journal.  *  Hand's  Journal. 


1857.]  PIM  AT  SAI-LAU.  Ill 

for  some  time  afterwards  nothing  could  be  done,  owing  to  the 
slowness  with  which  the  French  squadron  was  reinforced,  and  to 
the  absence  of  troops.  Although,  however,  the  5000  men  originally 
intended  for  China  had,  as  has  been  shown,  been  diverted  from  their 
destination  to  meet  the  pressing  need  in  India,  1500  men  under 
General  Charles  T.  van  Straubenzee,  chiefly  Eoyal  Marines,  Royal 
Artillery,  the  59th  Regiment,  and  the  38th  Madras  native  infantry, 
were  placed  at  Seymour's  disposal. 

On  December  10th,  the  French  squadron  anchored  at  the  Bogue ; 
and  Rear-Admiral  Rigault  de  Genouilly  issued  a  proclamation  to 
the  effect  that  from  the  12th  he  should  associate  himself  with  his 
British  colleague  in  the  blockade  of  the  river.  On  the  13th  he 
took  his  force  up  to  Whampoa;  and  on  the  day  following,  Seymour, 
transferring  his  flag  to  the  Coromandel,  also  proceeded  to  the  front 
with  the  British  gunboats. 

A  bloody  and   lamentable   affair   occurred   on   December   14th. 

Lieutenant  Bedford  Clapperton   Tryvellion  Pirn,  commanding   the 

gunboat  Banterer,  took  his  second  gig,  with  fourteen  people  in  her 

besides  himself,  up  a  winding  creek  opposite  High  Island  to  a  point 

near  the   town  of   Sai-lau,  where,  leaving  two  men  in  charge,  he 

landed  with  the  rest  of  his  party,  and  entered  the  place.     His  object, 

according  to  the  correspondent  of  the  Illustrated  London  News,  who 

accompanied  him,  was  partly  recreation  and  partly  information.     On 

his  return,  he  found  that   a   number  of   Chinamen  were   assailing 

the  two   boat-keepers  with  brickbats.      He   charged  the  mob,  and 

so  got  the  whole  of  his  people  to  the  boat ;  but  no  sooner  were  they 

on  board  than  a  sharp  fire  was  opened  upon  them  with  gingals,  and 

later  with  a  small  gun .     Pirn,  who  displayed  extraordinary  personal 

courage,  conducted  the  retreat  along  the  narrow  creek,  standing  in 

the  stern-sheets,  and  using  his  revolver  with  great  effect ;  but  the 

fire  was  so  hot,  and  victory  seemed  so  hopeless,  that  one  by  one  the 

people  who  were  in  a  condition  to  do  so  waded  ashore,  and  bolted  in 

the  direction  of  the  Nankin,  whose  hull  was  visible  over  the  paddy 

fields.     Pirn  stuck  to  the  boat  until  every  other  living  person  had 

deserted  her,  and  then,  using  his  last  cartridge  to  shoot  the  Chinese 

leader,  also  leapt  to  land  and  took  to  his  heels.     Of  fifteen  people  in 

the  boat,  five  were   killed  outright,  one   died   afterwards,  and  five 

more,  including  Pirn,  who  was  hit  in  six  places,  were  wounded.     On 

~   the  15th,  the  Nankin,  by  way  of  reprisals,  shelled  Sai-lau,  and  landed 

250  men,  who,  after  a  determined  resistance,  entered  the  place,  part 


112     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,   1857-1900. 

of  which  they  burnt,  not,  however,  without  suffering  a  loss  of  four 
wounded.  Pirn's  *  expedition  was  a  most  foolhardy  one,  and,  seeing 
that  little  or  no  good  could  possibly  have  been  derived  from  it,  should 
never  have  been  undertaken.2  A  court  of  inquiry,  nevertheless, 
found  that  he  was  justified  in  all  he  had  done.  His  gallantry 
gained  him  his  promotion  on  April  19th,  1858. 

On  December  15th,  the  Marines,  and  a  French  detachment  in- 
tended for  the  attack  on  Canton,  were  landed  without  opposition  on 
the  island  of  Honan,  where  they  found  excellent  quarters ;  and  in  the 
course  of  the  next  few  days  the  lighter  vessels  of  the  combined  fleet 
were  all  stationed  in  readiness  for  the  projected  attack 3  upon  Canton. 

A  final  demand  for  satisfaction  and  concession  had  been  sent 
to  Commissioner  Yeh  on  December  12th,  and  ten  days  had  been 
assigned  to  him  wherein  to  reply.  In  the  interim,  a  battery  for 
mortars  was  erected  on  Dutch  Folly  rock,  and  a  conference  of  the 
allied  chiefs  was  held  on  board  the  Audacieuse,  the  headquarters  of 
Baron  Gros. 

Captain  Chevalier  explains  very  lucidly  the  situation,  and  the 
difficulties  which  confronted  the  allied  Admirals. 

1  Capt.  Ap.  16th,  1868  ;  retd.  rear-adm.  July  5th,  1885  :  died,  1886. 

2  111  Land.  Sews,  Feb.  27th,  1858.     Cooke,  286. 

3  The  stations  of  the  larger  vessels  of  the  allied  fleets   during  the  bombardment 
were,  beginning  at  the  eastward  end  of  the  line: — 


Ships. 

Guns. 

Commanders. 

Stations. 

Fr.  Priri'Muguet,  scr.  . 
Fr.  Durance,  scr.  . 
Br.  Furious,  pad.. 

8 
4 
16 

Com.  Vrignaud 
Lieut.  Thoyon 
Capt.  Sherard  Osborn,  C.B. 

(Outside     east     end     of 
I     Kuper  Island. 

Fr.  Dragonne,  scr.  g.-v.  . 

4 

Lieut.  Barry 

Off  French  Folly. 

Br.  Surprise,  scr.  g.-v. 

4 

(Com.  Sanil.  Gurney  Cress- 
\     well 

jOffS.E.  corner  of  wall. 

Fr.  Marceau,  scr.  disp.  v. 

4 

Com.  Lefer  de  La  Motte 

Br.  Nimrod,  scr.  g.-v. 
l''r.  Aoalaiiclie,  scr.  g.-v.  . 

6 
4 

Com.  Roderick  Dew 
Lieut.  Lafond 

Outside  the  island  (with 

Br.  Niger,  scr. 

13 

(Capt.   Hon.  A.  A.  L.  P. 
\     Cochrane 

gunboats). 

Br.  Hornet,  scr.    . 
Br.  Cruiser,  scr.   . 

17 
17 

Com.  Win.  Montagu  Dowell 
Com.  Chas.  Fellowes 

jOff  Yeh's  Yamen. 

Br.  Bittern,  sailg. 

12 

(Lieut.  Jas.  Graham  Good- 
1     enough 

JQutside  Dutch  Folly. 

Fr.  Mitrailh,  scr.  g.-v.    . 

4 

Lieut.  Beranger 

Fr.  Fusee,  scr.  g.-v.    .      .        4 

(Lieut.   Gabrielli    de   Car- 

Inside  Dutch  Folly. 

t     pegua 

Br.  Actieon,  surv.. 

— 

Capt.  Win.  Thornton  Bate 

H)ff  the  Factories  (with 

Fr.  Pltltgeton,  scr.     . 

8 

Com.  Leveque 

/     gunboats). 

Br.  Hesper,  scr.  store-s.    . 
Br.  Acorn,  sailg.  . 

12 

Mast.  Jas.  Stephen  Hill 
/Com.  Arth.  Win.  Acland 
\     Hood 

jOff    K.W.    of    Honan 
j     Island. 

1857.] 


BOMBARDMENT   OF   CANTON. 


113 


"  The  task  to  be  performed  with  the  feeble  means  at  their  disposal  was,"  he  says, 
"  to  strike  a  blow  worthy  of  the  strength  of  France  and  England,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  destroy  Commissioner  Yeh's  illusions  on  the  subject  of  the  possi- 
bility of  resisting  the  allies.  It  was  one  thing  to  make  a  way  into  Canton  by  main 
force,  and  altogether  another  thing  to  maintain  oneself,  with  a  few  thousand  men,  in  a 
city  of  a  million  inhabitants.  Nor  was  there  any  doubt  that,  if  order  should  cease  to 
reign  there,  part  of  the  Chinese  population  would  give  itself  up  to  pillage,  and  would 
commit  acts  of  brigandage  which  would  strike  at  the  honour  of  the  two  nations.  In 
order  to  avoid  such  misfortunes,  the  Admirals  and  the  General,  after  careful  study,  made 
the  following  dispositions.  The  gunboats  and  the  lighter  vessels,  going  in  as  close  as 
their  draught  of  water  would  permit,  were  to  bombard  the  south  face  of  the  massive 
walls  which  surrounded  Canton,  so  that  the  resulting  breach  would  prevent  the  Chinese 


SKETCH  MAP  OF  CJNTOM  /JHD 

DEC: 1857 
u 

<5^ 


troops  from  communicating  by  way  of  the  walls  with  the  eastern  portion.  The  expe- 
ditional  corps,  landed  on  that  same  side  of  the  city,  was  to  make  its  way  along  the 
walls,  its  aim  being  the  capture  of  the  positions  which  command  Canton  on  the  north. 
Supposing  the  double  operation  to  succeed,  the  allies  would  hold  Canton  under  the  guns 
of  the  forts  on  the  north,  and  under  those  of  the  squadron,  which  would  still  be  ready 
to  open  on  the  south  side ;  and  it  would  then  be  seen  whether  the  Imperial  Commissioner 
would  accept,  without  further  delay,  the  terms  offered  to  him." 

Active  hostilities  were  not  resumed  until  daybreak  on  Decem- 
ber 28th,  when,  it  having  become  clear  that  the  Chinese  authorities 
would  not  give  way  an  inch  unless  forced  to  do  so,  a  general 
bombardment  of  the  city  was  opened  by  the  ships  of  the  combined 
fleets,  thirty-two  in  number,  while  the  troops  from  Honan  Island, 
VOL.  VII.  I 


114     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

and  a  French  naval  brigade,  were  conveyed  to  the   place  of   dis- 
embarkation, a  point  about  two  miles  below  French  Folly. 

After  the  army  and  the  French  had  landed,  the  British  Naval 
Brigade,  of  1500  men,  commanded  by  Commodore  Elliot,  and  formed 
in  three  divisions  under  Captains  the  Hon.  Keith  Stewart  (2)  (Nankin), 
Astley  Cooper  Key  (Sanspareil) ,  and  Sir  Eobert  John  Le  Mesurier 
M'Clure  (Esk),1  also  disembarked,  and  advanced  to  some  rising 
ground  to  the  eastward  of  the  city.  Lin  Fort,  a  work  on  the  same 
side,  was  quickly  seized  by  the  French  and  the  59th  ;  but  the  naval 
advance  was  checked ;  and  the  Brigade  ultimately  took  up  a  position 
for  the  night  in  some  buildings  about  800  yards  to  the  right  of 
Gcugh's  Fort,  which  annoyed  it  with  a  desultory  fire  during  the 
hours  of  darkness.  On  the  morning  of  the  29th  the  Brigade  joined 
the  rest  of  the  force  for  the  storm,  and  moved  up  behind  a  hillock, 
about  800  yards  from  the  east  gate,  where  the  men  had  breakfast. 
At  about  that  time,  while  examining  the  ditch  and  wall,  and  pointing 
out  to  Seymour  a  good  place  for  scaling,  Captain  William  Thornton 
Bate,  of  the  Actcton,  a  most  valuable  officer,  and  a  noted  surveyor, 
was  shot  dead  with  a  gingal  ball.2  At  8.30,  the  scaling  ladders  were 
sent  to  the  front,  under  Commander  John  Fane  Charles  Hamilton  3 
(Elk) ;  and  at  8.45  the  general  advance  was  sounded,  the  point 
chosen  for  escalade  being  one  which  was  sheltered  by  an  angle  of 
the  wall  from  the  fire  of  Gough's  Fort.  The  French  assaulted  at  a 
point  500  yards  distant,  and  were  the  first  up,  but  only  by  a  minute 
or  two.  Commander  Charles  Fellowes,3  of  the  Cruiser,  is  generally 
credited  with  having  topped  the  wall  before  any  other  officer  or 
man  of  the  Naval  Brigade.  In  an  hour  after  the  assault,  the  whole 
of  the  heights  were  in  possession  of  the  allies.  The  Navy  opened 
the  north-east  gate  to  the  Marines  and  artillery,  and  some  of  the 
Samson's  and  Calcutta's  dragged  up  two  or  three  field-pieces  where' 

1  With  the  First  Division  were  Capt.  Geo.  Sumner  Hand  (Samson),  and  Corns.  Jno. 
Pane  Chas.  Hamilton  (Elk),  and  Geo.  Aug.  Cooke  Brooker  (Inflexible),  and  parties 
from  the  Nankin,  Sibylle,  Samson,  Racehorse,  and  Inflexible :  with  the  Second  Division 
were  Corns.  Arth.  Wm.  Acland  Hood  (Acorn),  and  Julian  Foulston  Slight  (Sanspareil), 
and  parties  from  the  Calcutta,  Sanspareil,  and  Acorn,  and  from  Macao  Fort :  with  the 
Third  Division  were  Capts.  Sherard  Osborn,  C.B.,  and  Hon.  A.  A.  L.  P.  Cochrane,  C.B., 
and  Corns.  Wm.  Montagu  Dowell  (Hornet),  and  Chas.  Fellowes  (Cruiser),  and  parties 
from   the   Highflyer,   Esk,  Niger,   Furious,  Hornet,  and    Cruiser.     Genl.   Order   of 
Dec.  26th. 

2  Mids.  Henry  Thompson,  of  the  Sanspareil,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  rocket  at 
about  the  same  time. 

"  Posted,  Feb.  26th,  1858. 


1858.]  CAPTURE   OP   COMMISSIONER    YEH.  115 

the  wall  had  been  scaled,  the  guns  being  subsequently  sent  towards 
the  heights  under  Lieutenant  Henry  Hamilton  Beamish.1  In  the 
course  of  a  movement  in  the  direction  of  Magazine  Hill,  where  the 
enemy  made  a  stand,  some  further  casualties,  which,  however,  were 
not  very  numerous,2  took  place,  and  Lieutenant  Viscount  Gilford 3 
was  badly  wounded. 

After  the  city  had  been  occupied,  and  Gough's  Fort  had  been 
evacuated  by  the  Chinese,  resistance  ceased,  though  there  was  some 
sniping  till  nightfall.  On  the  30th,  flags  of  truce  appeared  in  various 
places,  and  a  message  arrived  from  the  Tartar  general  to  the  effect 
that  he  was  willing  to  discuss  matters.  As,  however,  he  did  not 
appear  upon  the  expiration  of  the  time  assigned  to  him,  a  party 
went  the  round  of  the  ramparts  of  the  old  city,  and  spiked,  or 
knocked  the  trunnions  off,  all  the  guns  there.  About  400  were 


THE    KT.    HON.   KICHARD   JAMES,    EAKL   OF    CLANWILLIAM,    G.C.B.,    K.C.M.G., 
ADMIRAL   OP   THE   FLEET. 

thus   dealt   with ;    but   most   of   them  were  already  honeycombed, 
and  almost  useless. 

The  Chinese  authorities  were  still  obdurate.  Every  proposal 
made  to  the  Imperial  Commissioner  was  put  aside  by  him ;  and 
although  Canton  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  allies,  it  was,  or  presently 
would  be,  still  more  at  the  mercy  of  the  bands  of  robbers  who  were 
gathering  round  it  from  the  country,  unless,  indeed,  the  Tartar 
troops,  who  were  also  assembling  in  the  neighbourhood,  should 
succeed,  as  no  doubt  Yeh  hoped  they  would,  in  forcing  the  allies  to 
quit  both  the  city  and  the  river.  A  further  step,  therefore,  had  to 
be  taken,  and,  on  January  5th,  1858,  at  daybreak,  three  detachments, 

1  Com.,  Feb.  26th,  1858. 

2  In  the  whole  operations,  the  Naval  Brigade  had  7  killed  or  mortally  wounded,  and 
32  wounded.     The  officers  killed  were  Capt.  Win.  Thornton  Bate,  and  Mids.  Henry 
Thompson  :  those  wounded  were  Com.  Chas.  Fellowes,  and  Lieuts.  Visct.  Gilford,  and 
William  Ormonde  Butler.     The  Marine  Battalion  lost  4  killed  and  32  wounded,  among 
the  latter  being  Lieut.-Col.  Thos.  Holloway,  R.M.A.,  and  Lieut.  Wm.  Fredk.  Portlock 
Scott  Dadson. 

8  Later  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  the  Earl  of  Clanwilliam :  Com.  Feb.  26th,  1858. 

i  2 


116     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

in  pursuance  of  a  pre-arranged  plan,  entered  the  city.  One  laid 
hands  on,  and  carried  off,  the  Tartar  general,  Muh  ;  another,  British, 
kidnapped  the  governor  of  the  city,  Peh-Kwei ;  and  the  third,  also 
British,  abducted,  and  ultimately  carried  on  board  -the  Inflexible, 
Yeh  himself.  Captain  Cooper  Key,  indeed,  took  the  Commissioner 
with  his  own  hands.  The  general  and  the  governor  were  afterwards 
sent  back  to  carry  out  their  duties  and  maintain  order,  under  the 
supervision  of  an  international  commission.  This  arrangement 
worked  well,  and  it  was  found  possible  to  raise  the  blockade  of  the 
Canton  river  on  February  10th. 

But  China  remained  defiant.  After  having  waited  in  vain  for 
plenipotentiaries  from  Peking,  Lord  Elgin  and  Baron  Gros  determined 
to  go  northward,  hoping  that  a  naval  demonstration  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  capital  of  the  empire  would  tend  to  accelerate  the  course  of 
events.  In  order,  moreover,  to  allow  the  ministers  of  the  United 
States  and  of  Eussia  to  associate  themselves  in  the  negotiations,  it 
was  formally  declared  that  the  war  with  China,  so  far  as  Great 
Britain  and  France  were  concerned,  was  confined  to  the  city  of 
Canton.  The  arrival  of  large  military  reinforcements  in  the  river 
enabled  the  Admirals  to  withdraw  with  a  number  of  their  ships.1 

The  plenipotentiaries  first  invited  representatives  of  the  Emperor 
of  China  to  meet  them  at  Shanghai,  whither  they  proceeded ;  but, 
no  one  appearing  there,  they  went  on  to  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho, 
where  Lord  Elgin  anchored  on  April  14th,  1858.  A  commissioner 
named  Tan  was  sent  down  to  the  town  of  Taku  to  negotiate,  or 
rather,  no  doubt,  to  procrastinate.  Soon,  however,  it  became  appa- 
rent that  the  enemy  had  no  serious  intention  of  treating  on  such 
lines  as  would  be  agreeable  to  the  allies.  Seymour  and  Rigault  de 
Genouilly  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  April ;  but  part  of  the 
naval  force  was  slow  in  making  the  rendezvous,  owing  to  bad 
weather,  the  lateness  of  the  monsoon,  and  the  small  steam  power  of 
some  of  the  gunboats  ;  and  the  Admirals  were  only  just  ready  to  act 
when,  on  May  19th,  recognising  the  uselessness  of  further  delay,  the 
plenipotentiaries  placed  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  their  fighting 
colleagues. 

The  British  screw  gun-vessels,  Nimrod,  6,  and  Cormorant,  4, 
with  the  French  gunboats  Dragonne,  Fusee,  Avalanche,  and 
Mitraille,  had  already  lain  for  several  days  within  the  bar,  and 
within  easy  shot  of  the  forts,  though  a  little  below  them.  On  the 

1  Chevalier,  305. 


1858.] 


BOMBARDMENT  OF   THE   TAKU  FORTS. 


117 


evening  of  the  19th  these  craft  were  joined  by  the  small  gun- 
boats Slaney,  bearing  during  the  attack  the  flags  of  both  Admirals, 
Firm,  Opossum,  Leven,  Staunch,  and  Bustard ;  the  Slaney,  Firm, 
Staunch,  and  Bustard  having  British,  and  the  Leven  and  Opossum 
French  landing  parties  on  board. 

"  The  Chinese,"  says  Seymour,  "  have  used  every  exertion  to  strengthen  the  forts  at 
the  entrance  of  the  Peiho.  Earthworks,  sandbag  batteries,  and  parapets  for  the  heavy 
gingals,  have  been  erected  on  both  sides  for  a  distance  of  nearly  a  mile  in  length,  upon 
which  eighty-seven  guns  in  position  were  visible ;  and  the  whole  shore  had  been  piled  ' 
to  oppose  a  landing.  As  the  channel  is  only  about  200  yards  wide,  and  runs  within 
400  yards  of  the  shore,  these  defences  presented  a  formidable  appearance.  Two  strong 
mud  batteries,  mounting  respectively  thirty-three  and  sixteen  guns,  had  been  also  con- 
structed about  1000  yards  up  the  river,  in  a  position  to  command  our  advance.  In  the 
rear  several  intrenched  camps  were  visible,  defended  by  flanking  bastions."  2 

At  8  A.M.  on  May  20th,  Captain  William  King  Hall  and  the 
French  Flag-Captain  Eeynaud  delivered  to  Commissioner  Tan  a 
summons  to  deliver  up  the  forts  within  two  hours.  By  10  o'clock 
no  reply  had  arrived ;  and  a  signal  was  hoisted  for  the  attack  to  be 
made  in  the  prescribed  order,  Commander  Thomas  Saumarez  (2) 3 
leading  in  the  Cormorant,  and  being  followed  by  the  Mitraille,  Fusee, 
Avalanche,  Dragonne,  Nimrod,  and  Slaney,  successively,  and  by  the 
five  small  gunboats.  The  vessels  were  directed  not  to  fire  until 
specifically  ordered  to  do  so  ;  and,  while  the  Slaney,  2,  Lieutenant 
Anthony  Hiley  Hoskins,*  bearing  the  flags  of  both  Admirals,  placed 
herself  where  she  could  be  of  most  service,  and  could  best  direct 
operations,  the  other  craft,  having  on  board,  or  towing,  landing 
parties,  British  and  French,  which  numbered  in  all  1178  officers  and 
men,  were  told  off  as  follows  : — 


ATTACKING  THE  NORTH  FORTS. 

ATTACKING  THE  SOUTH  FORTS. 

LKFT  BASK. 

RIGHT  BASK. 

Ships. 

Commanders. 

Commanding 
Laudiug  Party. 

Ships. 

Commanders. 

Commanding 
Landing  Party. 

Capt.  Sir  F.  W. 

.Capt.  W.  K.  Hall 

Br.  Cormorant,} 
4  ...     .1 
Fr.  Jfitraille,  4 

Com.     Thomas 
Saumarez  (i) 
Com.  Berauger 

E.        Nicolson      Fr.  Avalanche,! 
(Pique").                     4  .     .     .     J 
Capt.         Sherard      Fr.  Dragonne,  i 
Osborn.       C.B.          4  .     .     .     .) 

Com.  Lafund 
Com.  Barry 

(Calcutta). 
Com.     Chas.     T. 
Leckle  (Fury). 
Com.     Jas.      G. 

„    Fulee,  4     . 

iCom.  Gabrielli 
1    de  Carpegua 

(Furious).               Br.  Ximrod,  6 
Com.  S.  G.  Cress-       ,,    Opossum,  2 

Com.    

Lieut.  

Goodenough. 
Lieut.      E.      G. 

Br.  Staunch,  2 

/Lieut.  Leveson 
t     \Vildman 

wdliSurprite).  \        ,         „ 
Major  Robt.  Boyle,  '    "    Lxien'  *    • 

(Lieut.    Jos.  S. 
I     Hudson 

M'Callum,  R.M. 

„    Bustard,  2 

/Lieut.      Fred';.  ; 
t     Wm.Hallowes 

R.M.                     ;     „    Firm,  2     . 

Lieut.  

Capt.      Reynaud 
(Xemesis). 

Capt.      Leve'que 

\    (IWgeton). 

1  I.e.,  lined  with  piles  driven  into  the  mud. 
3  Posted,  July  27th,  1858. 


2  See  plan,  p.  126. 

4  Com.,  Feb.  26th,  1858. 


118     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  Cormorant  led  off  at  full  speed ;  and  the  Chinese  opened  fire 

almost  immediately.      Although  Saumarez  was  somewhat  checked 

by  warps  which  the  enemy  had  thrown  across  the  river,  and  which 

he  broke,  his  French  consorts  did  not  keep  pace  with  him,  and,  in 

consequence,  suffered  more  than  he  did.     The  signal  to  engage  was 

quickly  made  from  the  Slaney ;  and,  ere  the  vessels  had  anchored 

in  their  assigned  positions,  the  effect  of   the  return  fire  was  very 

apparent,  the  shells  bursting  well  in  the  embrasures,  and  dispersing 

men,  guns,   and    carriages.      The    smaller  vessels    passed   beyond 

the   forts,  and   landed  their  parties  on  both  banks  on  the   flanks 

of  the  Chinese  positions,  while  the  larger  craft,  opposite  the  forts, 

occupied    their    direct   attention.      On    the    south    side,   the    first 

fort    was    entirely    dismantled    and    abandoned,    and    the    second 

one   partially  so ;    and  on  the  north  side,  the  Cormorant  and  her 

French  consorts  completely  crushed  opposition.     At  the  end  of  an 

hour  and  a  quarter,  the  Chinese  fire  almost  ceased.      The  landing 

then  took  place,  the   Admirals   themselves   joining  Captain  Hall's 

party ;    and   the  enemy  ran.      Fifty  yards  of  mud,  two  feet  deep, 

had,  however,  to  be  floundered   through   ere  the  works  could   be 

reached.     In    a    few   minutes   they    were   covered   with   flags,  for 

half    the    French    officers   had   tricolors   in   their  pockets.      Soon 

afterwards,  the   French  sustained  severe   losses   by  the  accidental 

explosion    of    a    magazine.      During    the    operations    the    enemy 

sent  down  numerous  junks  full  of  flaming  straw ;  but  the  Bustard 

drove   off  the   people   who  were  trying  to   guide   them   by   means 

of    ropes    from    the   shore ;    and   the   craft   burnt   themselves   out 

innocuously. 

After  the  action,  Nicolson  and  Leveque  moved  up  against  two 
other  forts  on  the  north  side,  the  33-  and  16-gun  forts  described 
by  Seymour ;  and,  supported  by  the  fire  of  the  Bustard,  Staunch, 
and  Opossum,  took  them  with  but  slight  loss,  and  also  destroyed 
some  entrenched  camps  in  their  vicinity.  Everything  was  over 
by  2  P.M.  When  the  necessary  arrangements  had  been  made  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  force  advanced  to  the  town  of  Taku, 
which  was  occupied  by  Captain  King  Hall,  Flag-Lieutenant 
Michael  Culme-Seymour,  and  a  party.  Eighteen  field-pieces  were 
found  there ;  and  opposite  the  place  was  a  boom  of  junks  filled 
with  combustibles,  which  was  burnt  on  the  21st.  The  British 
loss  in  the  fighting  of  the  20th  was  only  4  killed,  including  the 
Carpenter  of  the  Fury,  and  16  wounded,  including  Second-Master 


1858.]  TREATY   OF   TIENTSIN.  119 

Charles  Prickett,1  of  the  Opossum.     The  French,  however,  had  67 
killed  and  wounded.2 

On  May  23rd,  Seymour,  in  the  Coromandel,  with  two  other 
British  gunboats,  and  Rigault  de  Genouilly  in  the  Avalanche,  with 
the  Fusee,  moved  slowly  up  the  river,  towing  a  number  of  manned 
boats,  and  burning  all  the  stacks  of  straw  and  small  timber  which 
might  have  been  used  for  loading  incendiary  vessels.  Such  junks 
as  were  met  with  were  ordered  out  of  the  river ;  and  those  which 
did  not  promptly  obey  the  order  were  destroyed,  so  that  the  enemy 
should  not  be  left  with  vessels  out  of  which  he  could  improvise 
fireships.  A  few  shells  also  were  fired  at  bodies  of  troops  ;  but 
otherwise  no  hostile  acts  were  committed  by  the  allies,  who  arrived 
on  May  26th  at  Tientsin,  where  there  was  no  resistance.3 

The  Court  of  Pekin  was  at  last  seriously  impressed,  and  sent 
down  to  the  Admirals  a  note  announcing  that  a  high  official,  armed 
with  full  powers,  would  instantly  appear  to  treat.  Lord  Elgin  and 
Baron  Gros  reached  Tientsin  in  the  Slaney  on  May  30th,  and  were 
followed,  at  an  interval  of  twenty-four  hours,  by  the  ministers  of  the 
United  States  and  of  Bussia.  In  the  meantime,  reinforcements  had 
been  sent  to  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho  ;  and  1000  British  troops,  together 
with  500  French,  were  forwarded  to  Tientsin,  which  they  garrisoned. 
There  was  no  further  dallying  ;  and  peace  was  signed  on  June  27th. 

The  treaty  of  Tientsin  contained  no  fewer  than  56  articles,  its 
most  important  provisions  stipulating  for :  the  confirmation  of  the 
treaty  of  Nankin  ;  the  appointment  of  a  British  minister  to  Pekin ; 
his  right  of  access  to  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Pekin  on  a  footing  of 
equality ;  toleration  of  Christianity ;  the  opening  to  travellers  of  all 
parts  of  China ;  the  opening,  as  ports,  of  Chinkiang,  and  three  other 
ports  on  the  Yang-tse-kiang,  besides  Niuchang,  Tungchow,  Taiwan, 
Swatow,  and  Kiungchow ;  a  revised  tariff ;  the  visiting  by  British 
ships  of  war  of  any  port  in  the  Empire  ;  the  concerting  of  measures 
for  the  repression  of  piracy  ;  and  the  arrangement  of  an  indemnity. 

1  Master,  Sept.  17th,  1858. 

2  Seymour's  disp.  in  Gazette  of  July  27th :  Chevalier,  306 :  Corr.  of  III.  Lond.  News, 
and  Times. 

3  There   was,   nevertheless,   some    friction  ere  the  negotiations   were   completed. 
Seymour  was  hooted  while  walking  in  the  town,  and  on  the  following  day  Capt. 
Eoderick  Dew  and  Com.  Saumarez  were  pelted  with  stones ;  whereupon  the  Com.-in- 
Chief  ordered  the  Marines  into  the  place.     The  Chinese  endeavoured  to  keep  them  out 
by  shutting  the  gates ;  but  Capt.  Sherard  Osborn  and  Com.  Saumarez  scaled  the  walls 
with  their  boats'  crews,  and  admitted  the  Marines,  who  marched  through  the  town. 
Hand's  Journal :  L.  Oliphant's  '  Earl  of  Elgin's  Mission.' 


120     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

It  looked  as  if  all  difficulties  were  settled,  and  as  if  all  possible 
causes  of  future  difficulty  were  removed.  The  forts  on  the  river 
were  destroyed  and  evacuated ;  and  presently  the  allies  withdrew 
from  the  Gulf  of  Pechili.  But  appearances  were  deceptive.  The 
authority  of  Pekin  did  not  suffice  to  coerce  immediately  the  mandarins 
in  all  other  parts  of  the  Empire ;  and  in  many  districts  there  was 
at  the  time  open  rebellion.  Canton  was  besieged,  and  repeatedly 
assaulted ;  on  July  3rd  men  from  the  Sanspareil  had  to  be  landed 
to  reinforce  the  army  of  occupation ;  and  on  July  19th,  a  cutter 
belonging  to  the  Amethyst,  26,  Captain  Sidney  Grenfell,  manned  by 
eight  seamen  and  a  Marine,  under  Master  Richard  Cossantine  Dyer, 
while  in  chase  of  a  junk  in  the  Canton  river,  was  attacked  by  a 
mandarin  row-galley,  with  seventeen  men  armed  with  gingals, 
rockets,  and  stinkpots,  and  defended  by  iron  plates  in  the  vessel's 
bow.  Dyer  made  an  excellent  fight  of  it  for  half  an  hour,  and  killed 
13  of  his  assailants,  while  no  one  in  his  boat  was  hurt.  The  British 
made  every  effort  to  disseminate  the  fact  and  terms  of  the  treaty  among 
the  natives ;  but  it  was  extremely  dangerous  to  do  so  ;  and  an 
outrage  perpetrated  on  a  party  from  the  Starling,  2,  Lieutenant 
Arthur  Julian  Villiers,  and  Nankin,  involving  the  killing  of  one 
seaman,  and  the  wounding  of  two  more  at  Namtao,  near  Hong  Kong, 
obliged  Commodore  the  Hon.  Keith  Stewart  (2),  of  the  Nankin,  50, 
and  General  van  Straubenzee  to  adopt  severe  punitive  measures,  and 
to  occupy  the  town  on  August  llth.  In  this  affair,  in  addition  to 
the  troops,  the  Samson,  and  five  gunboats  with  a  brigade  from  the 
Sanspareil,  Cormorant,  and  Adventure,  were  engaged.  Among  those 
who  distinguished  themselves  in  the  action  were  Captain  Julian 
Foulston  Slight1  (Sanspareil),  Commander  Thomas  Saumarez  (2) 
(Cormorant),  and  acting-Commander  Edward  Madden2  (Sanspareil), 
the  last  of  whom  was  severely  wounded.  Two  brass  guns,  each 
weighing  about  30  cwt.,  were  brought  off,  and  the  place  was  pillaged 
and  partially  burnt.3 

I'  Lord  Elgin  went  on  a  diplomatic  mission  to  Japan  ;  and,  on 
his  return,  started  from  Hong  Kong  on  November  8th  upon  an 
expedition  up  the  Yang-tse-kiang  as  far  as  Hankow,  a  city  seven 
hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  Nankin  and  its  neighbourhood  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  Ti-ping  rebels.  The  Ti-pings  were  perfectly 
prepared  to  be  friendly ;  but,  on  November  20th,  misunderstanding 

1  Posted,  Ap.  28th,  1858.  2  Com.  Aug.  lith,  1858. 

3  Hand's  Journal :  IE.  Land.  News,  Oct.  16th. 


1858.]  ELGIN  IN  THE    YANG-TSE-KIANG.  121 

the  objects  of  the  gunboat  Lee,  2,  Lieutenant  William  Henry  Jones, 
which  had  been  sent  ahead  of  the  squadron  to  communicate  if 
possible,  their  batteries  opened  fire  on  her;  whereupon  the  other 
vessels  of  the  escort,  the  Retribution,  28,  paddle,  Captain  Charles 
Barker,  Furious,  16,  paddle,  Captain  Sherard  Osborn,  Cruiser,  17, 
screw,  Commander  John  Bythesea,  and  Dove,  2,  Lieutenant  Charles 
James  Bullock,  attacked  them,  causing  considerable  loss.1  There 
were  one  or  two  other  collisions  with  the  Ti-pings  during  this  ex- 
pedition, notably  on  the  following  day,  when  the  ships  returned  and 
re-engaged  the  Nankin  forts,  and  on  November  26th  at  Nganking  ; 
and,  although  it  is  now  known  that  the  rebels  were  acting  under 
misapprehension,  they  were  reported  not  only  as  having  fired  upon 
the  British  flag,  but  also  as  having  violated  a  flag  of  truce,2  which 
it  is  clear  they  did  riot  know  to  be  one.  These  affairs,  and  the 
somewhat  similar  trouble  with  the  Hermes  in  1853,  were  largely 
responsible  for  the  attitude  taken  later  by  Great  Britain  with  regard 
to  a  movement  which  was  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  of  the 
century,  and  which,  if  assisted  instead  of  discouraged,  might  perhaps 
have  effected  the  regeneration  of  China,  and  saved  the  powers  of 
Europe  from  much  subsequent  perplexity. 

In  the  interim  various  ships  under  the  orders  of  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  had  been  active  in  repressing  the  piracy  which  had  begun 
to  flourish  anew  during  the  prolonged  hostilities. 

On  August  4th,  1858,  the  gunboat  Staunch,  Lieutenant  Leveson 
Wildman,3  while  on  passage  from  Shanghai  to  Hong  Kong,  chased 
three  pirate  junks  off  Taon  Pung,  and  endeavoured  to  lash " herself 
alongside  the  largest  of  them,  but  was  driven  off  by  a  shower  of 
stinkpots,  and  lost  a  gallant  seaman,  Edward  George,  who  had 
leapt  on  board  the  enemy  in  order  to  secure  her  to  the  Staunch. 
Wildman  had  only  two  24-pr.  howitzers  on  board ;  and  they  were 
quickly  dismounted,  owing  to  being  fired  rapidly ;  but  he  remounted 
them,  renewed '  the  engagement,  boarded  and  captured  another 
of  the  junks,  and,  leaving  her  in  charge  of  Second-Master  George 
Morice,  chased  the  third  in  his  gig,  and  took  her  also.  The  big 
junk  got  away. 

On  August  22nd,  1858,  Commander  Samuel  Gurney  Cresswell,4 

1  In  the  Retribution  Mids.  Geo.  Anthony  Wyrley  Birch  lost  an  arm,  and  a  blue- 
jacket a  leg.     There  were  no  other  casualties. 

2  Wade's  Report.     '  Ti-ping  Tien-Kwoh,'  I.  220.     North  China  Herald  (ace.  by  an 
officer  of  the  squadron).     L.  Oliphant. 

3  Com.,  Oct.  15th,  1858.  4  Posted,  Sept.  17th,  1858. 


122     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

with  his  screw  gunboat  the  Surprise,  4,  her  boats,  and  the  boats  of 
the  Cambrian,  40,  attacked  a  number  of  heavily-armed  piratical  junks 
under  Lingting  Island,  near  Hong  Kong.  The  enemy  opened  fire 
at  1600  yards  as  the  Surprise  approached ;  but  she  did  not  return 
it  until  within  1000  yards;  when  she  steadily  poured  in  shot  and 
shell,  and  gradually  closed  under  a  storm  of  round  shot  and  rockets, 
canister  and  grape.  In  the  meantime,  the  Cambrian's  boom  boats, 
under  Lieutenant  John  Whitmarsh  Webb,1  went  in-shore  of  the 
gunboat,  and  took  the  enemy  in  flank.  The  action  began  at  8  A.M. 
By  8.35  the  pirates'  fire  had  slackened ;  and,  at  about  9,  two  of 
their  largest  lorchas  blew  up.  Firing  then  ceased ;  whereupon 
Cresswell  pushed  in  with  his  own  boats,  joined  the  boats  of  the 
Cambrian,  and  landed'  near  the  junks,  just  after  the  crews  of  the 
latter  had  deserted  their  vessels  and  fled  to  the  hills.  Advancing 
to  the  top  of  a  ridge,  the  British  discovered  some  more  piratical 
craft  in  a  snug  creek  on  the  other  side  of  it,  and,  from  their  com- 
manding position,  killed  a  number  of  the  people  with  their  rifles, 
and  drove  off  the  rest.  The  sun  was  so  hot  that  Cresswell,  deter- 
mining to  spare  his  men  as  much  as  possible,  returned  to  the  gun- 
boat, which,  with  the  boats  in  tow,  he  took  round  to  the  creek. 
Having  fired  a  few  shells,  he  sent  in  the  boats.  No  serious  resist- 
ance was  offered,  though  there  was  a  little  sniping  from  the  neigh- 
bouring hills ;  and  the  work  of  burning  such  junks  as  could  not 
be  moved,  and  of  bringing  out  the  remainder,  was  accomplished 
without  difficulty.  Of  twenty-six  piratical  craft  at  the  island, 
nineteen  were  destroyed,  and  seven  were  carried  to  Hong  Kong. 

A  third  operation  of  a  similar  kind  was  conducted  by  Captain 
Nicholas  Vansittart,  C.B.,  of  the  Magicienne,  16,  paddle,  who,  with 
the  Inflexible,  6,  paddle,  Commander  George  Augustus  Cooke 
Brooker,  Plover,  2,  screw,  Lieutenant  Eobert  James  Wynniatt, 
and  Algerine,  2,  Lieutenant  William  Arthur,  between  August  26th 
and  September  3rd,  1858,  destroyed  Coulan,  an  old  piratical  head- 
quarters, together  with  a  14-gun  stockade,  26  armed  junks,  and  74 
row-boats,  mounting  236  guns  ;  and  killed  372  pirates.2 

In  April,  1859,  Bear- Admiral  Sir  Michael  Seymour  (2)  returned  to 
England,  upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  and  his  super- 
session by  Bear-Admiral  James  Hope,  C.B. ;  and  on  May  20th  he 
was  rewarded  for  his  work  in  China  with  a  G-.C.B.  Hope  was 
soon  confronted  with  difficulties,  most  of  which  arose  out  of  the 

1  Com.,  Nov.  5th,  1858.  2  Seymour's  dispo.     Gazette,  Nov.  2,  1858. 


1859.] 


HOPE   IS   THE   OULF   OF  PECII1LI. 


]23 


fact  that  the  Chinese  placed  one  construction  upon  the  terms  of 
the  treaty  of  Tientsin,  while  the  British  and  French  placed  another. 
Lord  Elgin  had  also  returned  to  England ;  and  in  his  stead,  as 
Plenipotentiary  and  Envoy  Extraordinary,  his  brother,  the  Hon. 
Frederick  W.  A.  Bruce,  had  been  sent  out  to  proceed  to  Pekin,  with 
the  new  French  envoy,  M.  de  Bourboulon,  who  arrived  in  the 
corvette  Ducliayla,  accompanied  by  the  dispatch  vessel  Norzagaray. 


Silt   JAMKS^HOPE,    G.C.B.,    ADMIRAL   OF   THE    FLEET. 

(By  pernlliaioii  ofJIr.  T.  McLean,  from  the  engraving  by  T.  Dmeu,  after  the  [xiintimj 
bij  Sudneij  Hudyes,  at  Greenwich.} 

Hope,  with  a  squadron,1  and  the  French  vessels,  arrived  off  the 
island  of  Sha-lui-tien,  in  the  gulf  of  Pechili,  on  June  17th,  1859 ; 
and,  on  the  following  day,  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho 
in  order,  as  he  explains,  to  intimate  to  the  local  authorities  the 
intended  appearance  of  the  ministers,  and  to  reconnoitre  "the 

1  Chesapeake,  51,  screw  (flag),  Magicienne,  16,  padd.,  Highflyer,  21,  screw,  Cruiser,  17, 
screw,  Fury,  6,  padd.,  Assistance,  screw  store-ship,  Hesper,  screw  store-ship,  and  the 
gun-vessels  and  gunboats  named  later  in  the;  text. 


124     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

existing  state  of  the  defences  of  the  river."  These  last  seemed 
to  consist  principally  of  the  reconstruction,  in  earth,  and  in  an 
improved  form,  of  the  works  destroyed  in  1858,  with  additional 
ditches  and  abattis.  There  were,  moreover,  stronger  and  better 
booms  across  the  channel.  Few  guns  were  seen ;  but  numerous 
embrasures  were  masked  with  matting,  obviously  in  order  to  conceal 
what  was  behind  them.1 

The  officer  who  was  sent  on  shore  to  communicate  was  met 
by  a  guard,  and  assured  that  there  were  no  officials  nearer  than 
Tientsin.  He  was  prevented  from  landing ;  but,  on  telling  the 
people  that  the  Commander-in-Chief  desired  that  the  obstructions 
in  the  river  should  be  removed  to  enable  the  envoys  to  go  up  to 
Tientsin,  he  was  promised  that  the  necessary  work  of  clearing 
should  be  begun  within  the  next  forty-eight  hours.  On  June  19th, 
the  whole  squadron  was  moved  to  the  anchorage  off  the  mouth  of 
the  river ;  and  the  smaller  craft  were  sent  inside  the  bar.  On  the 
20th,  Hope  again  examined  the  channel ;  and,  finding  that  nothing 
had  been  done  towards  carrying  out  the  promise  of  the-  18th,  he 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  Taotai  at  Tientsin,  repeating  the  announce- 
ment of  the  arrival  of  the  envoys,  and  the  request  for  free  passage. 
To  this  letter  an  evasive  answer  was  returned  on  the  22nd. 

In  the  meantime,  Bruce  and  de  Bourboulon  had  formally  desired 
Hope  to  take  the  matter  into  his  own  hands,  and  to  adopt  such 
measures  as  he  might  deem  expedient  for  opening  the  way  up. 
Hope,  in  consequence,  informed  the  Taotai  that,  if  the  obstructions 
were  not  removed,  he  should  remove  them,  using  force  if  needful. 
This  communication  received  no  answer ;  and  on  June  24th,  the 
whole  of  the  rest  of  the  squadron  was  taken  inside  the  bar ;  and 
intimation  was  sent  in  to  the  effect  that  unless  a  satisfactory 
answer  were  received  by  8  P.M.,  the  Bear-Admiral  would  feel  at 
liberty  to  take  his  own  course. 

There  were  three  booms  or  obstructions.  The  first,  or  lowest, 
was  of  iron  piles;  the  second  was  of  heavy  spars  of  wood,  appar- 
ently moored  head  and  stern,  and  cross-lashed  with  cables ;  the 
third  consisted  of  large  timber  baulks,  well  cross-lashed  together, 
tied  with  irons,  and  forming  a  mass  about  120  feet  wide  and  3  feet 
deep.  It  was  made  in  two  overlapping  pieces,  as  indicated  in  the 
plan  ;  and  the  opening  between  these  might  have  just  admitted  the 

1  It  was  generally  believed  that  the  new  defences  were  the  work  of  Russian 
engineers. 


1859.] 


ATTACK   ON   THE  PEII10   FORTS. 


125 


passage  of  a  gunboat,  though  the  strength  of  the  current  would  have 
rendered  it  difficult  and  even  dangerous  for  such  a  craft  to  attempt 
to  get  through. 

That  night  three  boats,  under  Captain  George  Ommanney  Willes, 
of  the  Chesapeake,  passing  through  or  circumventing  the  first  boom, 
pulled  up  to  the  second,  and  cut  one,  and  blew  away  with  powder 
two,  of  the  cables  forming  part  of  it.  The  boats  he  had  with  him 
were  one  from  the  Chesapeake,  under  Lieutenant  John  Crawford 
Wilson,  one  from  the  Magicienne,  under  acting-Mate  Frederick 


ADMIRAL   SIB   GEORGE   OMMANNEY   WH.LES,    G.C'.B. 

Wilbraham  Egerton,  and  one  from  the  Cruiser,  under  Boatswain 
W.  Hartland.  Before  the  return  of  the  party,  Willes  examined 
the  third  or  inner  boom ;  and,  in  consequence  of  his  report  on  it, 
the  Eear-Admiral  concluded  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  pass  the 
works  and  attack  them  from  above,  but  must  attack  them,  if  at 
all,  from  the  front,  and,  upon  silencing  them,  endeavour  to  carry 
them  by  storm.  By  morning,  the  Chinese  had  repaired  the  damage 
done  overnight  to  the  second  boom.  Hope  determined  to  try  to 
carry  out  both  plans,  and  to  employ  the  following  craft :— 


SHIPS 
(all  screw). 

GUNS. 

COMSrANDEKS. 

Opossum,  g.-b. 

«> 

KCapt.  Geo.  0.  Willes.) 

Starling,  g.-b  
Janus,  g.-b  

Plover,  g.-b  

Cormorant,  g.-v.   . 
Lee,  g.-b.    ... 

2 
2 

2 

4 
2 

\Lieut.  Chas.  Jno.  Balfour. 
Lieut.  Arth.  Julian  Villiers. 
Lieut.  Herbert  Price  Knevitt. 
((R.-Adm.  James  Hope,  C.B.) 
(Lieut.  Wm.  Hector  Rason. 
Com.  Armine  Wodehouse. 
Lieut.  Wm.  Hy.  Jones 

Kestrel,  g.-b  

2 

Lieut.  Geo.  Dacres  Bevan. 

Bantercr,  ^.-b 

2 

Lieut.  John  Jenkins 

Forester,  g.-b  

2 

Lieut.  Arthur  Jno.  Innes. 

Haughty,  g.-b.       .      .      . 
Nimrod,  sip  

2 
6 

Lieut.  Geo.  Doherty  Broad. 
Lieut.  Robt.  Jas.  Wynniatt  (actg.-Com.). 

The  above  nine  gunboats  varied  from  about  235  to  about  270  tons  (B.M.)  and 
seem  to  have  carried  each  one  68-pr.  of  95  cwt.,  and  one  32-pr.  of  56  cwt.,  besides,  in 
some  cases  at  least,  two  howitzers.  Their  proper  complements  were  about  forty,  all 
told,  but  extra  officers  and  men  were  in  most  of  them.  The  remaining  two  vessels 
(Cormorant  and  Nimrod)  were  considerably  more  powerful. 


126     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  morning  of  June  25th  was  occupied  in  putting  these  vessels 
into  position.  The  Starling,  Janus,  Plover,  Cormorant,  Lee, -Kestrel, 
and  Banter er  were  stationed  on  a  line  parallel  with  the  works  on  the 
south  side,  or  right  bank,  of  the  river ;  and  the  Nimrod  was  put  in 
rear  of  that  line,  with  her  guns  bearing  on  the  more  distant  north 
fort.  The  Opossum  was  stationed  in  advance,  close  up  to  the  boom 
of  piles;  and  the  Forester  and  Haughty  were  in  reserve  in  rear  of 
the  line,  the  former  having  orders  to  move  up  to  the  Plover's  post, 
should  that  vessel  advance  to  the  support  of  the  Opossum. 


THE  POSITION 

at  the  Jtfoutti  of  the 

PEIHO. 
23  *"  JUNE: /8  59. 


The  vessels  on  the  right  were  under,  the  direction  of  Captain 
Charles  Frederick  Alexander  Shadwell  of  the  Highflyer,  and  those 
on  the  left,  under  Captain  Nicholas  Vansittart,  of  the  Mctgicienne. 
The  strength  of  the  tide,  and  the  narrowness  of  the  channel  (about 
200  yards)  had  rendered  it  a  matter  of  extreme  difficulty  to  take  up 
the  positions  above  described ;  and  the  Banterer  and  Starling,  the 
vessels  on  the  extreme  right  and  left  of  the  line,  both  took  the 
ground,  the  former  in  a  good  position,  but  the  latter  in  one  which, 
unfortunately,  prevented  her  from  taking  much  share  in  the  action. 

At  2  P.M.  the  Opossum  was  ordered  to  open  a  passage  through 


1859.]  BEPULSE  IN   THE  PEIHO.  127 

the  first  barrier.  She  made  fast  a  hawser  to  one  of  the  iron  piles, 
and,  hy  2.30,  had  pulled  it  out ;  whereupon,  supported  by  the  Plover, 
and  closely  followed  by  the  Lee  and  Haughty,  she  moved  up  to  the 
second  boom.  As  she  reached  it,  the  forts  opened  a  simultaneous 
fire  from  between  thirty  and  forty  guns,  ranging  from  32-prs.  to  8-in. 
pieces.  Hope  at  once  ordered  the  ships  to  engage. 

It  was  a  hot  day,  with  a  clear  blue  sky ;  and  the  Chinese  had 
the  range  to  a  nicety.  The  Plover  posted  herself  close  to  the  barrier, 
with  the  Opossum,  Lee,  and  Haughty,  in  succession,  astern  of  her. 
By  3  P.M.,  the  four  craft  inside  the  outer  barrier  had  suffered  severely, 
and  were  rapidly  becoming  disabled.  The  Plover  had  lost  her  gallant 
young  commander,  Rason,  who  was  cut  in  two  by  a  round  shot,  and 
whose  place  was  temporarily  taken  by  George  Amelius  Douglas, 
Hope's  Flag-Lieutenant.  In  her  also  fell  Captain  T.  M'Kenna,  of  the 
1st  Eoyals,  who  was  attached  to  the  Major-General  commanding  the 
forces  in  China ;  and  among  her  wounded  were  the  Rear- Admiral 


STAFF-OAPT.    JOHN   PHILLIPS,    li.N. 

himself,  and  Second-Master  John  Phillips  (acting) .  The  four  vessels 
were,  consequently,  dropped  down l  into  fresh  positions  below  the 
first  barrier,  where,  having  received  fresh  men,  they  renewed  the 
action.  The  Plover  was  so  badly  mauled  that  Hope  shifted  his  flag 
from  her  to  the  Cormorant ;  and  at  4.20,  finding  himself  too  weak 
for  the  work,  he  was  obliged  to  summon  Captain  Shadwell,  and  to 
entrust  him  with  the  more  immediate  command  of  the  squadron. 

It  should  be  mentioned  here  that  the  French  dispatch  vessel 
Norzagaray  was  not  armed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  enable  her  to 
share  in  the  attack ;  and  that  the  Duchayla  drew  too  much  water 
for  the  purpose.  Although,  therefore,  the  French  were  as  much 
concerned  as  the  British  in  asserting  the  right  of  free  passage  for 
their  representative  to  Tientsin,  they  bore  no  part  in  this  naval 
attack  ;  at  which,  indeed,  they  were  represented  only  by  Commander 

1  The  Plover  dropped  down  because  her  cables  were  cut  by  shot ;  and  she  drifted 
unmanageable  until  she  grappled  the  Cormorant,  and  so  brought  herself  up. 


128     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Tricault,  of  the  Duchayla,  who  attached  himself  to  the  Commander- 
in-Chief ,  and  remained  with  him  until  the  landing.  The  Americans 
and  Russians,  less  intimately  concerned,  were  not  represented  at  all ; 
and,  in  fact,  were  professedly  neutral. 

At  5.40  the  Kestrel  sank  in  her  position ;  and  the  Lee  had  to  be 
put  upon  the  mud  to  save  her  from  the  like  fate.  At  about  that 
time,  or  a  little  before,1  there  occurred  an  incident  which  has  ever 
since  most  happily  affected  the  relations  between  the  two  great 
English-speaking  nations. 

The  Cormorant,  flying  the  Rear-Admiral's  flag,  lay  with  her 
port  broadside  facing,  and  engaging,  the  works  on  the  right  bank. 
Lashed  on  her  starboard  side  was  the  almost  disabled  Plover,  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  latter's  bow  gun  cleared  the  Cormorant's 
bows  by  a  yard  or  so,  and  could  be  fired  across  them  at  the  forts. 
The  Banterer  was  aground  on  the  Plover's  starboard  bow;  the 
Haughty  lay  across  the  Cormorant's  stern  ;  and  the  Lee  was  aground 
on  the  Haughty' s  port  quarter.  The  Plover's  bow  gun  was  almost 
silent,  partly  because  many  men  had  been  killed  or  wounded  while 
serving  it,  and  partly  because  the  survivors  were  almost  worn  out 
with  fatigue. 

The  firing  was  still  very  hot  on  both  sides,  when  up  the  river 
came  a  double-banked  cutter,  flying  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  the 
stern.  In  her  was  Flag-Officer  Josiah  Tatnall,  of  the  United  States' 
navy,  senior  American  officer  in  Chinese  waters,  who  had  pulled  up 
from  his  flag-ship  below  the  bar,  in  spite  of  the  storm  of  shot.  He 
had  fought  against  the  British  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  coxswain 
took  him  alongside  the  Plover's  starboard  gangway ;  and,  even  as 
the  bow-man  was  getting  out  his  boat-hook,  the  coxswain  was  hit 
by  a  Chinese  projectile.  Tatnall  boarded  the  Plover,  crossed  her 
bloody  deck,  and  went  to  visit  Hope,  who  was  lying  wounded  in  the 
Cormorant's  cabin.  He  expressed  his  sympathy  ;  said  that  he  trusted 
he  might  be  of  some  use  in  removing  and  tending  the  numerous 
wounded;  and  remained  for  a  short  time  with 'the  British  Com- 
naander-in-Chief.  While  he  was  in  the  Cormorant's  cabin,  his  boat 
lay  under  the  Plover's  shelter ;  and  her  men  watched  the  Plover's 
weary  bluejackets  working  intermittently  at  the  bow  gun.  At  length, 
one  of  the  Americans,  and  then  others,  climbed  shyly  on  deck,  and 
began  to  help,  saying  little  or  nothing,  but  gradually  relieving  the 

1  It  may  have  been  as  early  as  4.40  P.M.  Accounts  of  those  present  vary  as  to  the" 
exact  time. 


m 


1859.]  11EPULSE  IN   THE  PEIHO.  129 

proper  gun's  crew,  until  the  gun  was  wholly  manned  by  Tatnall's 
men.     They  had  fired  it  at  least  once  when  Tatnall  reappeared. 

"  Hulloa  there  !  "  he  cried,  somewhat  sharply,  as  he  crossed  the 
Plover's  deck  to  the  gangway ;  "  don't  you  know  that  we  are 
neutrals  ? ' ' 

"  Beg  pardon,  sir,"  said  one  of  the  Americans,  drawing  off 
shamefacedly  with  his  mates  to  the  boat,  "  they  were  very  short- 
handed  at  the  bow-gun  ;  and  so  we  thought  we'd  lend  them  a  hand 
for  fellowship's  sake." 

By  6.30  the  fire  from  the  north  forts  had  ceased  altogether;  and 
by  7,  that  from  the  south  ones  was  also  silent,  save  that  a  single 
gun  in  the  outer,  another  in  the  centre  bastion,  and  a  third  in  the 
detached  fort  on  the  south  continued  to  ply  the  ships  with  shot. 

A  landing  force,  chiefly  made  up  of  about  350  Marines  and  a 
few  bluejackets,  was  brought  from  the  vessels  below  the  bar.  There 
is  strong  evidence  that  Tatnall's  steam  boat,  the  Toey-whan,  was 
allowed  to  assist  in  towing  part  of  it  up  the  river,  though,  no  doubt, 
the  nominal  mission  of  the  little  craft  was  to  fetch  wounded  from 
the  gunboats  below  the  barrier. 

At  7.20  P.M.  a  landing  was  effected  opposite  the  outer  bastion  of 
the  south  fort,  the  spot  being  selected  because  it  seemed  to  have 
suffered  most,  and  because  an  attack  there  could  be  best  supported 
by  the  guns  of  the  squadron.  The  force  consisted  of  a  detachment 
of  Sappers  and  Miners,  under  Major  Fisher,  R.E.,  a  brigade  of 
Marines,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Thomas  Lemon,  a  division  of 
seamen  under  Captain  Vansittart,  assisted  by  Commanders  John 
Edmund  Commerell,  V.C.,  and  William  Andrew  James  Heath,  and 
a  small  body  of  French  seamen  under  Commander  Tricault ;  the 
whole  being  under  the  orders  of  Captain  Shadwell. 

The  party  was  met  by  a  heavy  fire  from  guns,  gingals,  and  rifles, 
and,  in  addition,  had  terrible  obstacles  to  contend  with  in  the  shape 
of  stakes  planted  in  the  shallows  and  mud,  and  two,  if  not  three, 
ditches.  In  the  advance,  Shadwell,  Vansittart,  and  Lemon,  with 
many  others,  were  disabled,  and  the  command  devolved  upon  Com- 
merell. About  150  officers  and  men  struggled  as  far  as  the  second 
ditch,  and  about  50  even  got  close  under  the  wall  of  the  fort ;  but, 
although  those  positions  might  have  been  held  for  a  time,  further 
advance,  or  a  storm,  was  impossible  without  reinforcements.  Such 
was  Commerell's  unwilling  conclusion  after  he  had  consulted  with 
Fisher,  Tricault,  and  Captain  Eichard  Parke,  E.M. ;  and  he  reported 

VOL.    VII.  K 


130     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

it  to  Shadwell,  who  ordered  a  retirement.  This  was  effected  in  the 
darkness  with  the  utmost  deliberation  and  coolness,  the  force  pro- 
ceeding to  the  boats  in  detachments,  and  bringing  off  its  wounded. 
It  was  accomplished  by  1.30  A.M.  on  June  26th,  the  last  to  leave 
the  shore  being  Commerell  and  Heath. 

The  Kestrel,  Starling,  and  Banterer  were  raised  or  floated. 
The  Lee  became  a  total  loss.  After  the  action  the  Plover  grounded 
within  range  of  the  forts,  and,  being  necessarily  abandoned,  was 
also  lost.  The  Cormorant  went  to  her  assistance,  and  grounded. 
She  got  off  again  on  the  night  of  the  27th,  but  piled  up  once  more 
while  endeavouring  to  move  down,  and  on  the  28th  was  swept  by 
such  a  heavy  fire  that  she  presently  sank. 

This  lamentable  affair,  therefore,  cost  the  Navy  three  vessels. 
The  expenditure  of  human  life  was  even  more  serious.  No  fewer 
than  25  officers  and  men  were  killed  ;  39  others  were  badly  wounded ; 
and  54  more  received  slighter  injuries,  during  the  preliminary  attack  ; 
and  the  subsequent  landing,  and  attempted  capture  of  the  south 
forts  added  to  the  total  64  officers  and  men  killed ;  162  badly 
wounded ;  and  90  slightly  wounded.  The  whole  British  casualties, 
therefore,  amounted  to  the  appalling  number  of  89  killed,  and  345 
wounded — a  much  heavier  loss  than  that  suffered  by  the  entire 
British  fleet  at  the  famous  battle  of  Cape  St.  Vincent,  in  1797.  In 
addition,  the  French  had  4  killed,  and  10  wounded. 

Among  the  officers  killed  were :  Lieuts.  William  Hector  Rason  (comdg.  Plover), 
Alfred  Graves  (Assistance),  and  Charles  Henry  Clutterbuck  (Chesapeake); 
Lieuts.  (R.M.)  Hamilton  Wolrige,  and  Henry  Langton  Tollemache  Inglis  ; 
Capt.  T.  M'Kenna  (1st  Royals);  and  Mids.  T.  H.  Herbert  (Chesapeake). 

Among  the  officers  severely  wounded  were :  Rear- Admiral  James  Hope,  C.B. ; 
Capts.  Charles  Frederick  Alexander  Shadwell,  C.B.  (Highflyer),  and  Nicholas 
Vansittart,1  C.B.  (Magicienne)  ;  actg.-Lieut.  Claude  Edward  Buckle  (Magi- 
cienne); Master  Augustus  John  Burniston  (Banterer);  actg.-Mate  Nathaniel 
Bowden  Smith  (Chesapeake) ;  Midshipmen  Armand  Temple  Powlett  (Fury), 
and  G.  Armytage  (Cruiser);  Gunner  W.  Ryan  (Plover);  Lieut.-Col.  Thomas 
Lemon,  R.M. ;  Capt.  William  Godfrey  Rayson  Masters,  R.M. ;  Lieut.  John 
Chesterton  Crawford,  R.M.A. ;  Lieut.  G.  Longley,  R.E. ;  and  the  Rev.  H. 
Huleatt,  Chaplain  to  the  Forces. 

Rear-Admiral  Hope,  in  his  dispatch,  mentioned  with  commendation  Capts. 
C.  F.  A.  Shadwell,  N.  Vansittart,  and  George  Ommanney  Willes ;  Commanders 
John  Edmund  Commerell,  William  Andrew  James  Heath,  and  Armine  Wode- 
house ;  Lieuts.  John  Jenkins,  Robert  James  Wynniatt,  Arthur  John  Innes, 
George  Dacres  Bevan,  William  Henry  Jones,  Charles  John  Balfour,  George 
Doherty  Broad,  Herbert  Price  Knevitt,  George  Parsons  (2),  and  John  Crawford 
.Wilson;  Master  William  Donaldson  Strong;  Mates  Claude  Edward  Buckle, 

1  Capt.  Vansittart  succumbed  to  his  injuries. 


1859.]  BEHAVIOUR    OF  FLAG-OFFICER    TATNALL.  131 

George  Spotswood  Peard,  Frederick  Edwaid  Gould,  and  Visct.  Kilcoursie ; 
Mids.  G.  Annytage  and  Charles  Lister  Oxley ;  Paymaster  and  Secretary  James 
William  Murray  Ashby ;  Asst.-Paymaster  John  St.  John  Wagstaffe  ;  Second- 
Master  Oscar  Samson ;  Staff-Surg.  Walter  Dickson  (2)  M.D. ;  Surg.  John 
Little,  M.B.  ;  Asst.-Surg.  William  James  Baird,  M.D. ;  Lieut.-Col.  Thomas 
Lemon,  B.M.,  Capts.  (K.M.)  Richard  Parke,  W.  G.  R.  Masters,  and  Ponsonby 
May  Carew  Croker ;  Lieuts.  (R.M.)  Langham  Rokeby,  John  Frederick 
Hawkey,  Harry  Lewis  Evans,  and  John  Straghan ;  Sergt.-Maj.  Woon,  R.M., 
Q.  M.  Sergt.  Hailing,  R.M.;  Major  Fisher,  R.E.,  and  Lieuts.  (R.E.)  J.  M. 
Maitland  and  G.  Longley.1 

As  this  hotly  contested  action  resulted  in  a  defeat,  those  who 
participated  in  it  were  never  directly  rewarded  by  the  issue  of  medals 
or  clasps,  the  granting  of  honours,  or  promotion ;  yet  it  must  be 
admitted  that,  as,  indeed,  the  exceedingly  heavy  loss  indicates, 
officers  and  men  behaved  in  a  manner  which  added  distinctly  to 
the  glories  of  the  Navy,  and  which  could  have  been  scarcely  more 
creditable  had  victory  rewarded  their  efforts.  The  attack  failed, 
firstly,  because  the  narrowness  of  the  channel,  and  the  artificial 
obstructions  crippled  the  usefulness  of  the  ships,  and,  secondly, 
because  the  assault,  a  frontal  one,  was  made  over  most  difficult 
ground  against  works  which  were  supposed,  but  wrongly  supposed, 
to  have  been  silenced  ;  and  was  attempted  with  insufficient  force.  It 
must  also  be  admitted  that,  as  usual,  the  British  were  very  ignorant 
of  the  exact  strength  and  dispositions  of  the  enemy. 

"  After  the  retirement,"  writes  a  distinguished  officer  who  was 
present,  "  the  Coroinandel  received  as  many  wounded  as  she  could 
stow;  and  the  rest  were  sent  down  by  boats  towed  by  the  U.S. 
steamer  Toey-whan,  obligingly  placed  at  our  disposal  by  Flag-Officer 
Tatnall,  in,  as  he  put  it,  '  the  cause  of  humanity.'  This  is  when  the 
expression,  '  Blood  is  thicker  than  water,'  was  used  by  him  to  my 
chief,  Sir  James  Hope.  It  was  on  the  day  after  the  action." 

As  the  officer  from  whom  I  quote  this  was  the  Bear-Admiral's 
Secretary,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Tatnall  used  the  expression  on 
the  occasion  referred  to  ;  but  there  is  some  evidence  that  he  also 
used  it  on  the  day  of  the  action ;  and  also  that  his  men  used  it 
when  on  board  the  Plover.  I  think,  therefore,  that,  in  all  probability, 
it  was  an  habitual  expression  with  Tatnall  at  the  time,  and  that  it 
was  imitated  by  his  people. 

Tatnall,  it  may  be  added,  took  the  unfortunate  side  in  the  struggle 

1  Hope's  disp.  of  July  oth.  The  above  account  is  the  result  also  of  conversation  and 
correspondence  with  numerous  officers  who  were  present.  See,  too,  Chevalier,  328 ;  and 
corr.  in  Times. 

K   2 


132    MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

which  soon  afterwards  so  nearly  rent  his  country  permanently  in 
twain  ;  and,  in  consequence  of  his  action,  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw 
to  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  lived  in  something  approaching 
poverty.  His  attitude  to  the  British  in  China  in  1859  was  not,  I  am 
pleased  to  say,  forgotten  by  those  whom  he  had  befriended.  As  soon 
as  his  misfortunes  were  known  in  the  Navy,  a  number  of -officers 
who  had  served  in  China,  and  of  others  who  remembered  what  had 
occurred  there,  subscribed  a  sum  of  money  which,  happily,  saved  the 
last  days  of  Commodore  Josiah  Tatnall  from  absolute  penury.1  His 
name  can  never  be  forgotten  in  the  British  service. 

On  July  3rd  the  British  squadron  repassed  the  Peiho  bar,  and 
proceeded  to  Shanghai,  to  allow  the  wounded  opportunity  to 
recover  on  shore,  and  to  begin  preparations  for  an  attack  on  a  more 
adequate  scale,  and  so  for  repairing  British  prestige  in  China. 
Operations  could  not  be  resumed  for  twelve  months.  Both  France 
and  Great  Britain  decided  to  send  out  considerable  bodies  of  troops 
from  home,  as  well  as  large  naval  reinforcements ;  flat-bottomed 
boats,  rafts,  and  stages  for  landing  the  armies  had  to  be  constructed  ; 
and  not  until  June  25th,  I860,  did  the  expedition  begin  to  concentrate 
in  Talieriwan  Bay,  near  Port  Arthur,  a  spot  which  had  been  fixed 
upon  for  the  purpose  in  consequence  of  representations  made  by 
Commander  John  Bythesea,  of  the  Cruiser,  who,  in  the  interval,  had 
thoroughly  surveyed  the  Gulf  of  Pechili.2  The  forces  ultimately 
assembled  included  about  12,600  British  and  Indian  troops,  under 
Lieutenant-General  Sir  Hope  Grant,  and  nearly  8000  French  under 
General  Cousin  de  Montauban.  Bear- Admiral  James  Hope3  still 
commanded  the  British  fleet  on  the  station.  Montauban  left  France 
with  the  title  of  "  Commandant  en  Chef  des  Forces  de  Terre  et  de 
Mer  "  ;  but  the  French  government,  preferring  to  imitate  the  arrange- 
ments of  its  ally,  and  to  keep  separate  the  naval  and  military 
commands,  sent  out  after  him  Vice-Admiral  Charner,  who  reached 
Shanghai  on  April  19th.  Although,  in  the  circumstances,  such 
procedure  was  perhaps  hardly  necessary,  war  had  been  formally 
declared  against  China  on  April  8th,  that  power  having  previously 
refused  reparation  for  its  action  in  the  Peiho  in  the  summer  of  1859. 


1  Letter  to  W.L.C.  from  the  late  Adm.  Sir  G.  0.  Willes. 

2  Other  surveys,  which  were  most  useful  as  preparation  for  the  operations  of  August, 
were  made  by  Com.  John  Ward  (2),  of  the  Actxon.     Hope  to  Admlty.,  Aug.  27th, 
1860. 

3  With  temp,  rank  as  Vice-Adm. 


133 


1859.]  DISEMBARKATION  OF  THE  ALLIES. 

One  of   the  most  troublesome  questions   to   be   settled   by  the 
admirals  and  generals  was  where  best  to  disembark  the  army      It 
was  necessary  to  find  a  spot  or  spots  where  the  water  should  be  deep 
ough    to    allow    the   transports    to    approach    within    reasonable 
stance  of  the  shore,  and  spots,  moreover,  where  the  coast  should 
be  less  muddy,  and  more  healthy,  than  the  major  part  of  the  coast- 
hne  of  the  Gulf  of  Peohili.      It  was  at  length  arranged  that  the 
French  army  should  land  at  a  point  to  the  south  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Peiho,  and  should  then  proceed  to  attack  the  defences  on  the  right 
bank  of  that  river ;  and  that  the  British  should  disembark  at  Pehtang 
about  nine  miles  to  the  northward  of  the  river's  mouth,  and  shoufd 
levote  their  attention  to  the  defences  on  the  left,  or  north  bank  :  but 
the  French  soon  found  that  they  could  not  carry  out  their  part  of 
the  agreement  without  some  risk,  and  without  exposing  their  troops 
the  probability  of  being  cut  off  from  communication  with  their 
The  result  was  that  both  armies  were  ultimately  taken  to 
ehtang.     As  had  been  the  case  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  of  the 
Crimea,  the  French  squadron  was  overcrowded  with  troops    while 
the  British  war-ships,  the  army  being  in  hired  transports,  were  fit 
for  anything  that  might  befall,  and  were  free  and  unencumbered 
Captain  Chevalier  expresses  his  strong  sense  of  the  advantages  of 
s  method,  which,  it  may  be  hoped  will  be  always  followed  when 
the  British  Navy  and  Army  co-operate  on  any  expedition  of  the  kind 
mam  part  of  the  work  done  on  this  occasion  was  done  by 
the  allied  armies  ;  and  may,  therefore,  be  passed  over  briefly  here 

Pehtang  stands  at  the  mouth  of  the  small  river  of  the  same  name 
and  on  the  south  bank  of  it.  To  the  south  of  the  town  is  a  con- 
siderable extent  of  hard  ground;  and  from  Pehtang,  south-westward 
fein-ho,  about  five  miles  distant,  ran  a  raised  causeway,  flanked  on 
each  side  by  a  ditch.  From  Sin-ho  south-eastward  to  Tong-ku  a 
distance  of  little  more  than  two  miles,  ran  a  somewhat  similar 
causeway ;  and  from  Tong-ku,  when  taken,  the  Peiho  forts  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  could  be  approached  and  attacked  from  the 

roar 


rear. 


The  transports  stood  in  towards  the  mouth  of  the  Pehtan<x  on 
August  1st,  1860.  Some  gunboats  had  previously  entered  the  river 
and  passed  beyond  two  forts  which  overlooked  the  estuary  it  being 
intended  that  if  these  forts  should  assume  a  hostile  attitude  they 
should  be  shelled  from  above,  a  point  from  which  no  Chinese  river 
forts  of  that  day  were  capable  of  withstanding  attack  by  water  The 


134     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

forts  were  found  to  have  been  abandoned ;  but  one  at  least  of  them 
had  been  ingeniously  mined  in  such  a  manner  that  any  incautious 
entry  by  the  troops  would  have  caused  an  explosion.  The  dis- 
embarkation began  at  once  at  a  point  below  the  tract  of  hard  ground 
about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  town  ;  and  the  British,  although  by 
far  the  more  numerous,  completed  the  operation  forty  hours  before 
the  French,1  chiefly  in  consequence  of  the  foresight  which  had 
provided  plenty  of  small  craft  capable  of  crossing  the  bar,  on  which, 
even  at  high  tide,  there  were  only  ten  feet  of  water.  A  battalion  of 
Koyal  Marines  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  Hawkins  Gascoigne, 
and  a  battalion  of  French  seamen  joined  the  army,  which,  on  August 
12th,  marched  to,  and  occupied  Sin-ho,  driving  back  a  considerable 
body  of  the  enemy,  and  taking  two  entrenched  positions ;  and,  on 
the  14th,  attacked  and  captured  Tong-ku,2  the  Chinese  then  retiring 
into  the  northern  forts,  or  across  the  river.  On  the  right  of  the 
main  force,  during  its  advance,  moved  a  smaller  body  under  Brigadier- 
General  Sir  Eobert  Cornelius  Napier.3  Grant  advised  Hope  of  his 
intention  to  attack  the  Taku  northern  forts  on  August  21st ;  and,  in 
order  to  co-operate,  Hope  and  Charner,  on  the  previous  day,  sent 
the  French  and  British  gunboats,  and  the  rocket-boats  of  the  fleet 
into  the  Peiho. 

When,  at  about  daybreak  on  the  21st,  the  troops  began  to  attack 
the  inner  fort  on  the  north  side,  the  vessels  were  prevented  by  the 
want  of  sufficient  water  from  at  once  reaching  the  positions  assigned 
to  them ;  and,  indeed,  the  gunboat  Dove,  Lieutenant  Charles  James 
Bullock,  temporarily  bearing  the  flag  of  Bear-Admiral  Lewis  Tobias 
Jones,  who  was  in  immediate  command  of  the  operations  in  the 
river,  grounded  in  six  and  a  half  feet ;  and  Jones  had  to  transfer 
his  flag  to  the  Clown,  Lieutenant  William  Frederick  Lee.  By  six 
o'clock,  however,  the  gunboats  were  able  to  open  ;  at  6.15  a  shell 
blew  up  a  magazine  in  the  inner  north  fort ;  and  at  6.25  there 
was  a  similar  explosion  in  the  outer  one.  The  Chinese  fought  well ; 
but  at  about  9  A.M.  the  inner  north  fort  was  stormed  ;  and  although 
there  was  firing  until  near  11,  the  enemy  then  prudently  relin- 
quished further  efforts,  and,  having  lost  terribly,  hoisted  white  flags 
on  all  the  works  that  remained  in  his  hands. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  outer  north  fort  was  taken  possession  of ; 
and  in  the  evening,  the  south  fort,  which  had  been  evacuated,  was 

1  Chevalier,  343.  *  A  party  from  the  Chesapeake  being  present. 

3  Afterwards  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala. 


1859.]  CAPTURE   OF  THE   TAKU  FORTS.  135 

occupied,  and  the  booms  across  the  river  were  removed.  The  iron 
piles,  however,  which  formed  the  outermost  barrier,  were  fixed 
with  so  much  firmness  that  a  passage  could  not  be  opened  through 
them  until  noon  on  the  22nd.  The  gunboats  then  passed  through, 
and  anchored  off  Tong-ku.  In  this  affair  the  ships  employed l  had 
no  casualties ;  but  the  Marines  who  were  with  the  army  had 
1  killed,  and  29  wounded.  On  the  23rd,  the  Coromandel,  bearing 
the  flag  of  Vice- Admiral  James  Hope,  together  with  a  number  of 
British  gunboats,  and  subsequently  of,  French  ones,  passed  up  to 
Tientsin,  which,  being  destitute  of  troops  and  pacifically  inclined, 
was  occupied. 

Lieut. -Colonel  Gascoigne,  ia  describing  the  work  done  by  his 
battalion  of  Royal  Marines,  reported  with  approval  the  conduct 
of  Lieut. -Colonel  Joseph  Gates  Travers,  Captains  Jermyn  Charles 
Symonds,  John  Charles  Downie  Morrison,  and  John  Basset  Prynne ; . 
Lieutenant  T.  Herbert  Alexander  Brenan ;  Surgeon  John  Little,  M.B. ; 
Assistant-Surgeon  Doyle  Money  Shaw ;  Sergeants  Teacle,  Knapp, 
and  H.  Trent ;  Corporal  Kelly ;  and  Privates  Bray  and  Bowerman.2 

On  August  31st  a  mandarin  of  high  rank  reached  Tientsin  ;  and 
Lord  Elgin  and  Baron  Gros  entered  into  negotiations  with  him  ; 
but  on  September  7th  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  It  therefore 
became  necessary  for  the  allied  armies  to  advance  upon  Pekin.  The 
Chinese  attempted  to  cause  further  delay ;  and  two  battles  had  to 
be  fought  ere  they  were  finally  induced  to  submit.  Not  until  Pekin 
had  been  taken,  and  the  palace  burnt,  did  the  enemy  agree  to  the 
terms  demanded ;  and  the  Treaty  of  Pekin  was  concluded  only  on 
October  24th.  During  the  advance  up  the  river,  the  boats  of  the 
fleet3  rendered  immense  assistance  in  transporting  the  siege  train, 
and  stores  for  the  army.  The  treaty  provided  for  the  opening  of 
Tientsin  to  commerce  ;  the  occupation  of  that  town,  and  of  the 
Peiho  Forts  pending  the  payment  of  a  certain  proportion  of  an 
indemnity  ;  an  apology  from  the  Emperor ;  the  cession  of  Kowloon 
to  Great  Britain  ;  and  the  ratification  of  the  previous  treaty  of 

1  Vessels  employed  in  the  Peiho,  August  20th,  and  onwards :   Coromandel,  pad., 
temp,  flag  of  V.-Ad.  Hope,  C.B. ;   Dove,  scr.,  temp,  flag  of  R.-Adm.  Lewis  Tobias 
Jones,  C.B. ;  and  (under  Capt.  Jas.  Johnstone  M'Cleverty,  C.B.),  Havock,  scr.,  Staunch, 
scr.,   Opossum,  scr.,  Forester,  scr.,  and  Algerine,  scr. ;  with  (under  Capt.  Lord  John 
Hay  (3),  C.B.),   Clown,  scr.,  Drake,  scr.,   Woodcock,  scr.,  and   Janus,  scr. ;    besides 
rocket-boats  contributed  apparently  by  the  Chesapeake,  Cambrian,  Centaur,  Encounter, 
Imperieuse,  Magicienne,,  Odin,  Pearl,  Urgent,  etc.     Hope's  disp.  is  very  meagre. 

2  Gascoigne  to  Hope,  Aug.  24th. 

3  Especially  those  of  the  Chesapeake,  Cambrian,  Imperieuse,  Scout,  and  Simoon. 


136     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Tientsin.  In  1860,  as  at  a  later  date,  the  Chinese  distinguished 
themselves  by  their  bad  faith ;  and  their  barbarous  treatment  of 
Messrs.  Parkes,  Loch,  de  Normann,  Bowlby,  and  other  Europeans 
who  fell  into  their  hands,  rendered  them  totally  undeserving  of  the 
merciful  light  in  which  their  long  course  of  misconduct  was  viewed 
when  the  time  came  for  the  exaction  of  penalties.  The  evacuation 
of  Pekin  was  concluded  on  November  9th. 

In  recognition  of  their  services,  Bear-Admiral  Hope  was  at  once 
made  a  K.C.B.,1  and  a  few  officers  were  promoted,  while  a  few 
others  received  honours  at  a  somewhat  later  period.2  The  work 
done  was  not,  however,  very  lavishly  rewarded.  A  monument  to 
those  of  Hope's  flagship,  the  Chesapeake,  who  perished  during  the 
commission,  1857-61,  has  been  erected  on  Clarence  Esplanade, 
Southsea. 

While  the  China  War  was  in  progress,  some  of  the  small  craft 
on  the  station  were  busily  occupied  in  dealing  with  the  pirates,  who, 
taking  advantage  of  the  situation,  were  particularly  active  up  and 
down  the  coasts.  Lieutenant  Henry  Knox  Leet,  first  commanding 
the  Firm,  and  afterwards  the  Slaneij,  and  Lieutenant  Joseph  Samuel 
Hudson,  commanding  the  Leven,  were  among  the  officers  who 
distinguished  themselves  in  this  branch  of  duty ;  but  many  others 
might  also  be  named.  On  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  where  the  slave 
trade  then  flourished  exceedingly,  the  Lynx,  4,  screw,  Lieutenant 
Henry  Berkeley,  was  one  of  the  most  active  cruisers.  In  the  course 
of  1859  she  also  landed  a  small  brigade  to  co-operate  with  a  force 
from  the  East  India  Company's  steamer  Assay e  in  an  attack  upon 
some  rebellious  subjects  of  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  and  in  the 
destruction  of  a  small  fort.  In  1860,  the  Torch,  5,  screw,  Com- 
mander Frederick  Harrison  Smith,  began  on  the  west  coast  a  useful 
commission,  in  the  course  of  which  she  captured  seven  slavers ;  and 
some  exploits  of  other  vessels  on  that  station  will  demand  notice 
later.  But  the  repression  of  piracy  and  slavery  was  by  no  means 
the  only  kind  of  minor  service  rendered  by  the  Navy.  In  1860, 
for  example,  Captain  Thomas  Miller,  of  the  Clio,  22,  screw,  was 
instrumental  in  saving  the  city  of  Panama  from  capture  by  a  mob, 
and  in  protecting  some  French  subjects  from  infuriated  negro 

1  Nov.  9th,  1860. 

2  E.g.,  Kear-Adm.   Lewis   Tobias  Jones,  a   K.C.B.  June   28th,   1861;   Col.  Jno. 
Hawkins  Gascoigne,   and  Lt.-Col.  Joseph  Gates   Travers,   C.B.'s,   Feb.  28th,   1861; 
Capt.  Geo.  Omraanney  Willes,  a  O.B.,  July  16th,  1861. 


1857.]  PERUVIAN  PIRACY.  137 

rioters ;  and  a  party  of  seamen  and  Marines  from  the  Satellite,  21, 
screw,  Captain  James  Charles  Prevost,  under  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Sherlock  Gooch,  was  inarched  many  miles  up  country  in  British 
Columbia  in  order  to  overawe  certain  miners  who  were  causing 
anxiety  to  the  Government. 

During  the  Persian  War  of  1856-57,  a  few  officers  of  the  Royal 
Navy  were  employed  in  those  vessels  of  the  East  India  Company 
which  were  engaged  along  the  Persian  coast,  especially  at  the 
capture  of  Eeshire  fort  on  December  7th,  and  the  occupation  of  the 
island  of  Karak,  and  of  part  of  Bushire,  on  December  10th,  1856 ; 
but  the  Navy  itself  did  not  share  in  the  operations,  which  were 
under  the  maritime  direction  of  Sir  Henry  John  Leeke,  Kt.,1  and 
Commodore  Ethersey,  of  the  H.  E.  I.  Co.'s  navy.  In  the  years 
1857-61,  however,  the  repression  of  piracy  in  the  Persian  Gulf 
provided  plenty  of  occupation  for  several  of  her  Majesty's  cruisers, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  Ariel,  9,  screw,  Commander 
Charles  Bromley,  and  the  Lyra,  9,  screw,  Commander  Eadulphus 
Bryce  Oldfield.  In  the  same  years,  in  the  West  Indies,  the  Styx,  6, 
paddle,  Commander  Charles  Vesey,  rendered  excellent  service  against 
the  slavers  in  Cuban  waters. 

Early  in  1857,  Peru  was  in  the  throes  of  one  of  its  too  frequent 
revolutions.  A  politician  named  Vivanco,  who  was  said  to  possess 
the  sympathies  of  the  richer  classes,  and  especially  of  the  ladies,  was 
engaged  in  an  attempt  to  depose  the  President,  General  Eamon 
Castilla,  who  was  supported  by  the  army,  and  by  the  mass  of  the 
people.  Vivanco's  chief  power  lay  in  the  fact — an  important  one 
in  a  country  having  so  large  a  sea-board  as  Peru — that  he  had  with 
him  the  greater  part  of  the  small  Peruvian  navy.  On  March  24th, 
Vice-Admiral  Henry  William  Bruce,  Commander-in-Chief  on  the 
Pacific  station,  being  then  in  the  Monarch,  84,  at  Callao,  received 
intelligence  to  the  effect  that  two  of  Vivanco's  war-steamers,  the 
Loa  and  the  Tumbes,'2  had  stopped  the  British  mail-steamer  New 
Grenada,  while  on  her  way  to  Panama,  and,  having  boarded  her, 
had  taken  from  her  32,000  dollars,  besides  sundry  goods,  which, 
though  shipped  in  the  names  of  merchants  at  Valparaiso,  had  in 
reality  been  sent  by  Castilla  to  supply  his  troops  in  the  northern 

1  A  Capt,  R.N.,  of  1826,  who  had  become  a  rear-adm.  on  reserved  half-pay  in 
1854,  and  who  died  in  1870. 

2  Gunboats,  built  in  England  for  Peru.    The  Loa  had  four  long  32-prs.,  the  Tumbes 
two,  and  a  smaller  brass  gun. 


138     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

part  of  the  republic.  Bruce  at  once  despatched  the  Pearl,  21,  screw, 
Captain  Edward  Southwell  Sotheby,  in  search  of  the  delinquents ; 
and  she  sailed  at  noon  on  the  25th.  Early  on  the  28th,  Captain 
Sotheby  found  the  rebel  craft  off  Lambeyaque,  and,  going  to 
quarters,  steamed  alongside  them,  and  sent  to  the  Loa,  the  senior 
officer's  ship,  a  boat  under  Lieutenant  Nicholas  Edward  "Brook 
Tumour,  to  demand  the  stolen  money  and  goods,  and  the  officers 
and  men  who  had  taken  them.  In  default,  the  surrender  of  both 
craft  was  required  within  five  minutes.  As  the  money  had  been 
distributed,  it  could  not  be  returned.  The  two  Peruvian  captains, 
therefore,  wisely  surrendered.  The  people  who  had  not  been  im- 
plicated personally  in  the  outrage  were  allowed  the  option  of  going 
ashore  or  of  being  carried  to  Callao  ;  Lieutenant  Seymour  Walter 
Delme  Eadcliffe  was  given  charge  of  the  Loa,  and  Lieutenant 
Henry  Duncan  Grant,  of  the  Tiimbes ;  and,  with  one  prize  on 
each  quarter,  the  Pearl  steamed  back  to  Callao,  arriving  there  on 
March  31st.  One  of  the  craft  was  quickly  given  back  to  her 
temporary  owners  ;  the  other  was  detained  for  some  time  as  security 
that  similar  depredations  should  not  be  committed  again.1 

It  has  been  shown  how,  after  their  arrival  at  Hong  Kong,  in  the 
summer  of  1857,  the  Sanspareil,  Shannon,  and  Pearl  were  hastily 
despatched  to  Calcutta  by  Bear- Admiral  Sir  Michael  Seymour  (2), 
K.C.B.,  in  order  that  they  might  assist  in  quelling  the  Mutiny  in 
India. 

The  Sanspareil,  70,  screw,  Captain  Astley  Cooper  Key,  C.B., 
landed  a  brigade  in  August  to  garrison  Fort  William,  Calcutta ; 
but,  after  two  or  three  months,  returned,  as  has  been  seen,  to 
Chinese  waters,  without  having  taken  any  active  part  in  the  sup- 
pression of  the  rebellion.  The  two  other  ships,  however,  sent  their 
officers  and  men  up  country,  and  were  able  to  render  the  most 
valuable  assistance  to  the  troops. 

The  Shannon,  51,  screw,  had  been  launched  at  Portsmouth  in 
November,  1855,  and,  though  other  vessels  exactly  like  her  were 
launched  in  the  years  immediately  following,  she  was  for  a  time  the 
largest  steam  frigate  afloat.  Her  tonnage  (B.M.)  was  2667,  or  about 
one-fourth  more  than  that  of  the  Victory ;  and  her  nominal  com- 
plement was  560  officers  and  men,  though,  on  her  arrival  in  India, 
she  had  more  than  that  number  on  board. 

The  frigate  had  been  commissioned  at  Portsmouth  on  Septem- 
1  Williams  :  '  Cruise  of  the  Pearl,'  15. 


1857.]  THE  "SHANNON'S"   BRIGADE  IN  INDIA.  139 

ber  13th,  1856,  by  Captain  William  Peel,  C.B.,  V.C.,  who  has  been 
already  mentioned  many  times  in  these  pages.  On  August  Gth,  1857, 
she  arrived  in  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges,  and  Peel  at  once  offered  the 
services  of  himself  and  his  people  to  proceed  to  the  front,  and  co- 
operate with  the  army.  On  the  14th,  the  Captain,  several  officers, 
and  about  390  seamen  and  Marines,  embarked  in  a  flat,  and  were 
towed  up  the  Hoogly  to  join  the  Lucknow  relief  force ;  and  on 
the  18th  they  were  followed  by  another  party  of  5  officers  and  120 
men,1  the  frigate  then  being  left  with  140  people  in  her,  under  the 
command  of  Master  George  A.  Waters.  The  officers  with  the 
Brigade  were  :— 

Captain  William  Peel,  C.B. ; 2  Lieutenants  James  William  Vaughan,3  Thomas  James 
Young,4  William  Charles  Fahie  Wilson,6  Edward  Hay,6  Henry  Eushworth  Wratislaw,6 
and  Nowell  Salmon;6  Brevet-Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  H.  Maxwell  (attached); 
Captain  Thomas  Carstairs  Grey,  E.M. ;  Second  Lieutenant  William  Stirling,  R.M. ; 
Mates  Henry  P.  Garvey,7  and  Edward  Hope  Verney ; 8  Midshipmen  or  Naval  Cadets 
Edmund  John  Church,  William  Henry  Richards,  Martin  Abbot  Daniel,7  John  Lewis 
Way,  Edward  St.  John  Daniel,  Lord  Walter  Talbot  Kerr,  Lord  Arthur  Pelham  Clinton, 
Edward  S.  Watson,  and  H.  A.  Lascelles ;  Chaplain  Edward  Lawson  Bowman ;  Assist.- 
Surgeon  James  Flanagan  9  (actg.) ;  Assist.-Paymaster  William  Thomas  Comerford ; 10 
Assist.-Clerk  James  Edward  Stanton ;  Assist.-Engineers  John  W.  Bone,  Frederick 
William  Brown,  and  Henry  A.  Henri;  Gunner  Robert  Thompson;  and  Carpenter 
Henry  Brice.  Lieut.  Lind  af  Hazeby,  Swedish  navy,  was  also  attached  to  the  Brigade ; 
and  Captain  Oliver  John  Jones,  R.N.  (half-pay),  joined  it  as  a  volunteer. 

As  the  Brigade  took  with  it  both  guns  and  howitzers,  as  the 
towing  vessels  were  of  but  small  power  and  shallow  draught,  and 
as  the  current  was  strong,  progress  was  slow ;  and  Peel  did  not 
reach  Allahabad,  near  the  junction  of  the  Jumna  with  the  Ganges, 
until  the  second  half  of  October.  By  the  20th  the  strength  of  the 
brigade  assembled  there  was  516  of  all  ranks.  Of  these  about  240, 
under  Lieutenants  Wilson,  Wratislaw,  and  af  Hazeby,  were  left  in 
garrison  at  Allahabad.  On  October  23rd  100  more,  under  Lieu- 
tenants Vaughan  and  Salmon,  with  four  siege-train  24-prs.,  went 
to  Cawnpur,  and  thence  joined  the  army  before  Lucknow ;  and  on 
the  27th  and  28th  the  rest  of  the  brigade,  with  four  24-prs.  and 
two  8-in.  howitzers,  followed,  and  was  presently  amalgamated  with 

1  Some  of  these  were  recruited  from  merchant  vessels  at  Calcutta. 

2  K.C.B.,  and  died  1858. 

3  Com.,  Jan.  30th,  1858 ;  C.B.,  June  29th,  1858. 

4  Com.,  March  22nd,  1858;  V.C.,  Feb.  1st,  1859. 
6  Com.,  March  22nd,  1858. 

6  Com.,  March  22nd,  1858 ;  V.C.,  Dec.  24th,  1858. 

7  Killed  in  action.  8  Actg. -Lieut.,  March  22nd,  1858. 
'•>  Surg.,  Aug.  3rd,  1859.                10  Paym.,  March  22nd,  1858. 


140    MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

a  small  force  which,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Powell,  of  the  53rd 
regiment,  was  marching  in  the  same  direction.  Late  on  October  31st 
the  column  camped  near  Fatehpur,  and,  on  the  following  day, 
marched  twenty-four  miles  and  defeated  4000  of  the  enemy  at 
Kudjwa,  capturing  two  guns.  Powell  fell,  and  Peel  took  command, 
and  completed  the  rout  of  the  mutineers,  ultimately  securing'  a  third 
gun.  The  British  lost  95  in  killed  and  wounded,  among  the  latter 
being  Lieutenants  Hay,  B.N.,  and  Stirling,  E.M. ;  but  the  rebels 
lost  300  in  killed  alone.  Peel  then  pressed  on  for  Cawnpur.  Writing 
to  Sir  Michael  Seymour  (2)  on  November  6th,  from  a  camp  between 
Cawnpur  and  Lucknow,  he  said  : — 

"  Since  that  battle  was  fought,  with  the  exception  of  one  day's  rest  for  the  footsore 
men  who  had  marched  seventy-two  miles  in  three  days,  besides  fighting  a  severe 
engagement,  we  have  made  daily  marches.  ...  At  Cawnpur  I  was  obliged  to  leave 
Lieutenant  Hay  with  fifty  men  to  serve  as  artillerymen  for  that  important  position.  .  .  . 
I  am  much  gratified  with  the  conduct  of  all  the  Brigade ;  and  there  is  no  departure 
whatever  from  the  ordinary  rules  and  customs  of  the  service." 

Peel  and  Vaughan  rejoined  one  another  on  November  12th  before 
Lucknow,  which  had  been  relieved  by  Havelock  and  Outram,  who, 
however,  were  so  weak  in  force  that  they  had  been  soon  afterwards 
themselves  besieged  with  the  original  defenders.  On  the  14th,  when 
the  Brigade's  guns  were  in  action,  one  of  them  burst,  killing  Francis 
Cassidey,  captain  of  the  main-top,  and  wounding  several  other  men. 
On  November  16th,  during  the  successful  attack  on  Secunderabagh, 
Midshipman  Martin  Abbot  Daniel  was  killed  by  a  round-shot,  and 
Lieutenant  Salmon  was  severely  wounded.  Salmon,  however,  won 
the  Victoria  Cross  for  that  day  climbing  up  a  tree  touching  the  angle 
of  the  Shah  Nujjif,  to  reply  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  for  which 
dangerous  service  Peel  had  called  for  volunteers.  Boatswain's  Mate 
John  Harrison  displayed  similar  gallantry,  and  was  similarly  re- 
warded.1 The  total  loss  of  the  Brigade  on  that  occasion  was  4 
killed  and  13  wounded.  Fighting  went  on  almost  continuously 
until  the  25th,  when  the  relief  was  fully  accomplished  and  the  town 
evacuated.2  It  was  quickly  occupied  by  the  rebels,  strongly  fortified 
and  heavily  garrisoned. 

Sir  Colin  Campbell,  accompanied  by  the  Naval  Brigade,  repaired 
to  Cawnpur.  On  November  28th,  on  the  way  thither,  a  party  of  36 

1  On  the  same  day  Com.  Thos.  Jas.  Young,  and  AVm.  Hall,  capt.  of  foretop,  gained 
the  Victoria  Cross  for  gallant  handling  of  a  24-pr.     Gazette,  Dec.  24th,  1858,  and 
Feb.  1st,  1859. 

2  Campbell  to  Gov.-Genl.,  Nov.  18th  and  25th,  1857. 


1857-58.]        ACTIONS  NEAR    GAWNPUR   AND   LUOKNOW. 


141 


bluejackets,  with  two  24-prs.,  under  Lieutenant  Hay,  Mate  Garvey, 
and  Naval  Cadet  Lascelles,  who  was  then  acting  as  A.-d.-C.  to 
Captain  Peel,  was  engaged,  in  company  with  the  88th  regiment,  and 
did  distinguished  service.  It  was  at  about  that  time  that  Captain 
Oliver  John  Jones  joined  as  a  volunteer. 

In  the  fighting  near  Cawnpur,  between  December  6th  and 
December  9th,  the  Brigade  had  a  share ;  and  on  January  2nd,  1858, 
it  behaved  with  great  gallantry  at  the  action  at  Kallee-Nuddee. 
Lieutenant  Vaughan  was  attacked  while  repairing  a  bridge  across 
the  river,  which  he  then  promptly  crossed  with  three  guns.  On  the 
further  side  he  held  in  check  a  body  of  cavalry,  and,  himself  aiming 
and  firing  one  of  his  guns,  made  such  good  practice  at  the  rebel  gun 
which  had  originally  annoyed  him,  that  in  five  shots  he  dismounted 
the  piece,  destroyed  its  carriage,  and  blew  up  its  ammunition  waggon. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  day  Captains  Peel  and  Jones,  with  three  men 


ADMIRAL   THE    KT.    HON.   LOED   WALTER   TALUOT   KEHR,    K.C.B. 
(Signature  as  Captain.) 

! 

of  the  53rd  regiment,  while  passing  through  a  captured  battery,  were 
unexpectedly  attacked  by  five  sepoys  who  had  lain  in  ambush.  All 
the  assailants  were  killed,  the  last  falling  to  Jones's  revolver. 

During  the  subsequent  marching,  the  Brigade  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  army  by  the  manner  in  which  it  moved  its 
guns.  If  a  weapon  drawn  by  bullocks  stuck  in  heavy  ground,  the 
seamen  never  failed  to  extricate  it,  manning  both  wheels  and  drag- 
ropes,  and,  if  necessary,  getting  an  elephant  to  push  behind.  The 
cheerfulness,  too,  of  the  Brigade  was  much  remarked  on  ;  and,  doubt- 
less, it  contributed  to  the  keeping  up  of  the  spirits  of  all  engaged 
throughout  a  terribly  trying  time. 

In  the  fighting  previous  to  the  final  capture  of  Lucknow  in 
March,  1858,  Peel  and  his  men  took  a  very  active  part,  being  present 
on  the  3rd^  at  the  action  at  the  Dilkoosha.  On  the  9th,  while  looking 
out  for  a  suitable  spot  on  which  to  post  some  guns  for  breaching  the 


142     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL    NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Martiniere,  the  leader  of  the  Brigade  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
thigh  by  a  musket-ball.  His  six  8-in.  guns  and  two  24-prs.  were 
chiefly  employed  in  battering  the  Begum's  palace ;  and  it  was  while 
riding  to  them  with  a  message  on  March  12th  that  Mr.  Garvey  was 
killed  by  a  shell  from  one  of  the  rebel  coehorns.  Captain  Jones,  on 
the  same  day,  most  devotedly  exposed  himself  on  the  parapet  of  a 
battery  in  order  to  direct  the  fire  of  the  guns  behind  it.  On  the  13th, 
when  the  guns  had  been  placed  in  a  somewhat  more  advanced 
battery,  a  coloured  Canadian  seaman  named  Edward  Robinson 
betrayed  extraordinary  coolness  in  extinguishing  a  fire  which  had 
caught  hold  of  some  sandbags  forming  the  face  of  the  work.  Under 
a  storm  of  bullets  from  loopholes  not  forty  yards  away  from  him,  he 
leapt  out,  and  either  quenched  or  tore  away  the  burning  canvas, 
being,  however,  severely  wounded.  He  was  awarded  the  Victoria 
Cross. 

On  the  14th,  the  Brigade,  and  especially  a  detachment  under 
Commander  Vaughan,  Lieutenant  Hay,  Mate  Verney,  and  Midship- 
man Lord  Walter  Kerr,  took  part  in  the  blowing  open  of  a  gate 
leading  to  one  of  the  courts  of  the  Kaisarbagh ;  011  the  16th  the  guns 
were  advanced  to  the  Residency ;  on  the  22nd  the  rebels  evacuated 
the  town ;  and  on  March  29th  the  Brigade  handed  over  the  six  8-in. 
guns  which  it  had  brought  up  from  the  Shannon,  and  which  were 
put  into  park  in  the  small  Imaumbarah,  with  the  word  "  Shannon  " 
deeply  cut  into  each  carriage. 

The  naval  contingent  from  the  Shannon  saw  no  more  fighting  in 
India.  The  gallant  Peel,  slowly  recovering  from  his  wound,  was  to 
have  been  carried  down  from  Lucknow  in  one  of  the  King  of  Oude's 
carriages  which  had  been  specially  prepared  for  him  by  the  Shannon's 
Carpenter.  When  he  saw  the  gorgeous  equipage,  he  declared  that 
he  preferred  to  travel  in  a  doolie,  like  an  ordinary  bluejacket.  Un- 
fortunately, the  doolie  selected  for  him  must  have  been  an  infected 
one;  for,  soon  afterwards,  he  was  attacked  with  small-pox,  to  which, 
being  already  weakened  by  his  wound,  he  succumbed  at  Cawnpur 
on  April  27th,  aged  only  thirty-four.  He  was,  perhaps,  the  most 
brilliant  naval  officer  of  his  day.1 

Sir  Edward  Lugard,  with  whose  division  the  Brigade  served  in 
the  advance  to  Lucknow,  and  during  the  operations  there,  bore  the 
following  high  testimony  to  the  behaviour  of  Peel  and  his  men  :— 

1  A  monument  to  Peel  and  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Shannon's  Brigade  stands 
on  Clarence  Esplanade,  Southsea. 


1857.]  TEE  " PEABVS"   BRIGADE  IN  INDIA.  143 

"  The  men  were  daily — I  may  say  hourly — under  my  sight ;  and  I  considered  their 
conduct  in  every  respect  an  example  to  the  troops.  During  the  whole  period  I  was 
associated  with  the  Shannon's  Brigade,  I  never  once  saw  an  irregularity  among  the 
men.  They  were  sober,  quiet,  and  respectful ;  and  I  often  remarked  to  my  staff  the 
high  state  of  discipline  Sir  W.  Peel  got  them  into.  From  the  cessation  of  active 
operations  until  I  was  detached  to  Azimghur,  I  commanded  all  the  troops  in  the  city ; 
and  all  measures  for  the  repression  of  plundering  were  carried  out  through  me,  and, 
of  course,  ever}'  irregularity  committed  was  reported  to  me.  During  that  period  not 
one  irregularity  was  reported  to  me.  Indeed,  in  the  whole  course  of  my  life  I  never 
saw  so  well  conducted  a  body  of  men.  .  .  .  Many  a  time  I  expressed  to  Peel  the  high 
opinion  I  had  of  his  men,  and  my  admiration  of  their  cheerfulness  and  happy  contented 
looks,  under  all  circumstances  of  fatigue  and  difficulty." ' 

The  Brigade  returned  slowly  to  Calcutta,  and  on  August  12th  and 
the  following  days,  rejoined  the  ship,  which,  on  September  15th, 
sailed  for  England.2 

On  her  way  from  China  to  Calcutta,  the  Pearl  called  at  Singa- 
pore, and  there  picked  up  two  companies  of  the  90th  Regiment, 
which,  on  July  10th,  1857,  had  been  wrecked  in  the  Strait  of  Banca 
in  the  iron  trooper  Transit.  Proceeding,  the  Pearl  disembarked 
those  troops  at  Calcutta  011  August  12th.  Captain  Sotheby,  like 
Captain  Peel,  offered  his  services  to  the  Government,  and,  on 
September  12th,  he  embarked  some  of  the  officers  and  part  of  the 
crew  of  his  corvette  in  the  paddle-steamer  Chunar.  This  detach- 
ment, of  158  men,  with  one  12-pr.  howitzer,  one  24-pr.  howitzer, 
and  24-pr.  rockets,  reached  Dinapur  on  October  7th,  There  it  was 
found  that  no  carriage  suitable  for  the  24-pr.  howitzer  could  be 
procured.  The  weapon  was  therefore  left  to  be  sent  back  to  the 
ship.  In  lieu  of  it  a  12-pr.  howitzer  and  two  12-pr.  mountain  guns 
were  supplied,  and  with  them  Sotheby  landed  at  Buxar  on  October 
10th,  and  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  fort.  On  the  23rd  the  detach- 
ment was  summoned  to  Chupra,  and  the  whole  of  it  was  in  quarter 
there  by  the  afternoon  of  the  26th.  Thence  it  moved  successively  to 
Sewan  and  Myrwa.  By  that  time  another  detachment,  under  Lieu- 
tenant Eadcliffe,  had  joined  from  Calcutta,  bringing  up  the  force  of 
the  Pearl's  Brigade  to  about  250  in  all.  A  few  had  been  raised  from 
among  volunteers  from  the  merchant  vessels  at  Calcutta ;  but  the 
vast  majority  were  seamen  and  Marines  belonging  to  the  corvette. 
The  officers  of  the  Brigade  were  : — 

Captain    Edward    Southwell    Sotheby;    Lieutenants    Nicholas    Edward    Brook 
Tumour,   Seymour   Walter    Delme    Eadcliffe,   Henry   Duncan    Grant,   and 

1  Lugard  to  Vaughan. 

2  Disps.  of  Peel  and  Yaughan  ;  Journal  of  Lieut.  E.  H.  Yerney. 


144     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Hawkesworth  Fawkes ;  Mates  Alexander  Wighton  Ingles,  and  Thomas 
Moore  Maquay ;  Midshipmen  Lord  Charles  Thomas  Montagu  Douglas  Scott, 
Hon.  Victor  Alexander  Montagu,  Henry  Frederick  Stephenson,  Charles 
Edward  Foot,  and  Herbert  Holden  Edwards ;  Lieutenant  (R.M.)  Frederick 
George  Pym;  Second-Master  (actg.)  John  Fowler;  Chaplain  and  Naval 
Instructor,  Rev.  Edward  Adams  Williams,  M.A. ;  Assistant-Surgeon  William 
James  Shone ;  Assistant-Engineer  John  George  Shearman ;  Master's-Assisf.ant 
T.  R.  Merewether ;  Clerk  Thomas  Henry  Lovelace  Bowling ;  Gunner  Parkin ; 
Boatswain  Charles  Band  ; J  and  Carpenter  John  Burton. 

The  Brigade  was  attached  to  the  Sarun  Field  Force,  of  which,  on 
November  27th,  Colonel  Eowcroft  took  command  at  Myrwa.  It 
first  came  into  action  with  the  mutineers  on  December  26th  at 
Sohunpore,  where  an  entrenched  position  was  taken,  and  the  enemy 
was  dispersed.  No  one  belonging  to  the  Brigade  was  hurt. 

By  February  8th,  1858,  the  force  arrived  at  Burhul,  whence  it 
moved  up  the  Gogra  in  150  boats,  escorted  by  the  small  steamer 
Jumna,  reaching  Ghopalpur  on  the  10th;  and  on  the  17th  the 
strong  fort  of  Chanderpur  was  captured  by  Captain  Sotheby  with 
130  of  the  Brigade,  35  Sikhs,  and  60  Gurkhas,  acting  in  concert 
with  the  Jumna,  which  was  under  the  orders  of  Second-Master  John 
Fowler.  Two  guns  were  captured.  The  casualties  on  the  side  of 
the  attack  were  insignificant,  only  about  four  people  being  wounded. 
On  the  evening  of  February  19th,  Nourainie  Ghat  was  reached. 
That  night  a  fort  on  the  Oudh  side  of  the  river  was  seized;  and,. on 
the  afternoon  of  the  following  day,  an  attack  was  made  upon  a  body 
of  rebels  at  Phoolpur.  After  a  gallant  and  well-sustained  action,  the 
enemy  was  driven  from  the  field,  with  a  loss  of  three  guns.  Two 
days  afterwards,  the  Brigade  recrossed  the  river  by  a  bridge  of  boats 
which  it  had  constructed.  There  had  been  some  friction  with  the 
native  allies  ;  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  keep  a  British  force  to 
guard  the  rear  of  the  advance,  large  numbers  of  rebels  being  reported 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fyzabad. 

The  Brigade  marched  to  Amorha  on  March  2nd.  Colonel  Kow- 
croft  was  there  informed  that  the  fort  of  Belwa,  seven  miles  further 
on,  was  occupied  by  the  mutineers.  In  the  afternoon,  168  men  of 
the  Brigade,  with  four  guns,  some  24-pr.  rockets,  35  Sikhs,  and  a 
regiment  of  Gurkhas,  moved  to  Belwa,  and,  being  there  joined  by 
the  Bengal  Yeomanry  Cavalry,  250  strong,  opened  fired  on  the  fort 
at  5  P.M.  The  place,  however,  proved  stronger  than  had  been 
anticipated ;  and,  when  darkness  came  on,  the  whole  force  withdrew 

1  So  says  the  Medal  Roll  at  the  Admiralty.  Williams  gives  the  Boatswain's  name 
as  Cooley. 


1858 J  BATTLE   OF  AMOBUA. 


145 


to  the  Yeomanry  camp,  and,  on  the  day  following,  returned  to 
Amorha.  That  night  and  the  succeeding  day  the  rebels  received 
rery  large  reinforcements,  chiefly  from  Fyzabad,  but  also  from 
Nawabgunge,  Gondah,  and  elsewhere.  The  retirement  from  before 
Belwa  had  been  interpreted  as  a  British  defeat;  the  Sarun  Field 
Force,  mcluding  the  sick,  was  not  then  more  than  1500  strong;  and 
the  mutineers,  having  collected  many  thousands  of  men  and  fourteen 
guns,  were  eager  and  confident.  The  little  camp  was,  therefore 
•endered  as  defensible  as  possible  by  means  of  an  enclosing  line  of 
rifle-pits,  and  the  clearing  away  of  all  jungle  and  houses  which  could 
shelter  an  advance. 

On  the  morning  of  March  5th,  it  was  reported  that  the  rebels 
were  about  to  attack.     The  force  thereupon  moved  out,  and  took  up 
a  position  about  half  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  village  of  Amorha 
with  the  Naval  Brigade  and  four  guns  under  Captain  Sotheby  in  the 
centre,  astride  of  the  road,  a  Gurkha  regiment  and  the  small  detach- 
ment of  Sikhs  on  the  left,  and  another  Gurkha  regiment  on  the  right. 
Dn  each  flank  was  a  squadron  of  the  Bengal  Yeomanry  Cavalry. 
The  enemy  was  in  such  force  as  to  overlap  the  British  force  by  at 
least  a  mile  in  each  direction  ;  and  he  came  on  in  excellent  order  in 
rear  of  a  cloud  of  skirmishers.     The  naval  guns,  under  Lieutenant 
Tumour,   opened,  and  were   replied   to   by  ten   pieces.      After  an 
artillery  duel  which  lasted  for  some  time,  Colonel  Eowcroft  threw 
out  his  skirmishers,  and  began  a  steady  forward  movement,  which 
never  ceased  until  the  mutineers  were  driven  from  the  field  ;  for  the 
cavalry,  supported  by  the  Gurkhas,  cleared  the  foe  from  the  flanks 
of  the  advance.     As  soon  as  it  was  evident  that  the  enemy  had  been 
checked,  Eowcroft  reinforced  his  Eoyal  Marines,  who  were  in  the 
skirmishing  line,  with  a  detachment  of  seamen,  and  pressed  the  foe 
all  along  his  front.     One  of  the  first  guns  abandoned  by  the  rebels 
was  turned  upon  them,  and  worked  by  Lieutenant  Grant,  Assistant- 
Engineer  Shearman,  Midshipman  Lord  Charles  Scott,  and  a  seaman 
named  Jesse  Ward  ;  and,  as  there  was  no  port-fire  wherewith  to  fire 
it,  a  rifle  was  discharged  into  the  vent,  and  the  retreating  foe  was 
plied  with  his  own  grape.     A  brilliant  cavalry  charge  threw  the  left 
wing  of  the  mutineers  into  confusion  ;  and  soon  the  entire  body  fled, 
leaving  behind  it  eight  unspiked  guns.     The  enemy  was  pursued  for 
six  miles,  and,  making  a  brief  stand  at  one  point,  killed   Second- 
Master  John  Fowler  (actg.)  and  one  Gurkha.     Heat  and  fatigue  at 
length  put  a  stop  to  the  action,  which  had  lasted  from  8.30  A.M.  to 


VOL.   VII. 


146     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  POYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

12.30  P.M.  The  rebels  had  attacked  with  about  14,000  men  and  ten 
guns,  and  had  been  completely  defeated,  with  a  loss  of  about  500,  by 
1261  men,  with  but  four  guns.  The  Naval  Brigade  had  1  officer 
killed  and  about  15  people  wounded. 

After  the  battle,  in  order  to  indicate  to  the  enemy  that  the  forces 
of  the  Government  were  confident  of  being  able  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves, the  line  of  rifle-pits  was  filled  up,  and  the  camp  at  Amorha 
was  pitched  in  the  open  plain.  A  small  fort,  however,  was  built  to 
contain  the  sick,  and  the  spare  ammunition  and  baggage.  There 
were  many  alarms  until  the  end  of  April ;  and,  during  that  period, 
the  force  was  joined  by  the  left  wing  of  Her  Majesty's  13th  Light 
Infantry,  while  one  of  the  Gurkha  regiments  was  withdrawn  from 
it  and  sent  to  Goruckpur.  On  April  17th,  a  detachment  went  out 
and  defeated  a  body  of  marauding  rebels  near  the  village  of  Tilga, 
capturing  a  gun  ;  and,  on  April  25th,  another  body  was  met  near 
Jamoulee.  Owing  to  the  intense  heat,  this  affair  was  an  unsatis- 
factory one,  for  the  rebels  would  not  stand  and  could  not  be  followed 
far.  On  the  next  day,  the  force  moved  to  Kuptangunge.  The 
enemy  was  then  all  round  it.  With  a  view  to  freeing  it  somewhat, 
an  attack  was  made  on  April  29th  on  the  fort  of  Nuggur  by  a  detach- 
ment which  included  96  officers  and  men,  two  guns,  and  a  rocket 
tube  from  the  Naval  Brigade.  The  place  was  taken  with  but  very 
trifling  loss ;  and  in  the  evening  the  detachment  returned  to  camp. 
For  some  time  afterwards  the  Brigade  remained  at  Bustee,  where 
it  went  into  huts  on  June  13th.  From  Bustee,  several  small  expedi- 
tions were  made  against  detached  bodies  of  the  enemy.  One  of 
these  expeditions,  on  May  31st,  turned  a  party  of  mutineers  out 
of  a  position  near  Amorha ;  and  on  June  18th,  another  party  of 
more  formidable  strength,  was  defeated  at  Hurreah,  but  withdrew 
in  good  order. 

On  August  29th,  a  section  of  the  Brigade,  50  strong,  under 
Lieutenant  Fawkes,  with  two  guns,  took  part  in  an  engagement 
near  Lumptee,  and  did  good  and  steady  service ;  and  on  the  same 
day,  another  section,  under  Lieutenant  Tumour,  also  with  two  guns, 
assisted  in  repelling  an  attack  on  an  outpost  at  Hurreah,  and, 
following  the  enemy,  routed  him  on  September  1st  at  Debreah.  On 
the  evening  of  September  6th,  Commander  Grant,1  with  73  seamen 
and  Marines,  two  12-pr.  howitzers,  a  24-pr.  rocket-tube,  and  a 
detachment  of  the  13th  Eegiment,  left  Amorha,  with  a  view  to 
1  He  and  other  officers  had  by  that  time  been  promoted.  Vide  infra,  p.  149. 


1858.]  LAST  ACTIONS    OF   THE  "PEASL'S"  BllIGADE.  147 

relieving  a  small  garrison  of  Sikhs  in  the  friendly  town  of  Bansee. 
At  Gondah,  Grant  was  joined  by  Captain  Mulcaster,  who  arrived 
with  a  squadron  of  cavalry,  and  took  command.  Bansee  was 
reached  on  the  8th,  after  a  splendid  march  of  50  miles  in  39  hours, 
the  men  being  often  up  to  their  knees  in  mud,  and  sometimes  up  to 
their  waists  in  water.  Bansee  was  relieved  only  just  in  time,  for 
the  gallant  Sikhs  holding  it  had  but  three  percussion  caps  per  man 
remaining.  From  Bansee,  the  expedition,  which  had  been  reinforced 
on  the  10th  by  Brigadier  Fischer,  marched  on  the  12th,  reaching 
Doomureahgunge  on  the  13th,  and  driving  back  a  body  of  the  rebels. 
The  howitzers,  under  Lieutenant  Ingles,  were  most  excellently 
handled.  On  the  14th,  an  effort  was  made  to  catch  a  body  of 
mutineers  at  Intwa ;  but  the  roads  were  so  bad  that  the  attempt 
had  to  be  abandoned  ;  and  on  the  17th,  the  expedition  returned  to 
Bustee.  Another  naval  force,  under  Lieutenant  Ingles,  formed  part 
of  an  expedition  which  left  Bustee  on  September  27th  for  Bansee, 
and  which,  having  crossed  the  Raptee,  got  up  with,  and  dispersed, 
some  mutineers  at  Mowee  on  September  30th,  after  most  exhausting 
marches. 

On  October  1st,  the  outpost  at  Amorha,  which  included  50  of 
the  Pearl's  people,  with  two  howitzers,  under  Lieutenant  Fawkes, 
was  attacked  by  about  1200  mutineers,  with  two  guns.  The  enemy 
was  repulsed,  after  Lieutenant  Maquay,  who  directed  the  howitzers, 
and  four  seamen,  Lee,  Williams,  Rayfield,  and  Simmonds,  had 
especially  distinguished  themselves. 

On  October  23rd,  yet  another  expedition  had  to  be  despatched 
towards  Bansee.  On  October  26th,  when  an  insufficient  British 
force  was  foiled  in  an  attack  on  the  jungle  fort  of  Jugdespore, 
twenty-five  miles  north-west  of  Bustee,  it  was  reported  that  the 
Brigade  lost  its  guns  in  the  retreat.  There  was  no  foundation  for 
the  story,  which,  however,  gave  rise  to  some  amusing  correspondence 
in  the  Indian  papers. 

In  the  middle  of  November,  all  the  outlying  parties  were  recalled, 
and  the  whole  force  left  Bustee  on  the  24th  for  the  northern  jungle 
on  the  Nepal  frontier,  only  a  field  hospital  and  guard  remaining.  A 
siege  train  had,  in  the  meantime,  arrived  at  Bustee,  and  had  been 
handed  over  to  the  Pearl's  people.  On  the  25th,  Bhanpur  was 
reached,  and  a  Madras  battery  joined ;  and  on  the  25th,  the  force 
moved  on  to  Doomureahgunge,  where  the  rebels  were  very  bloodily 
defeated,  and  a  halt  was  made  for  some  days,  during  which  a  bridge 

L  2 


148     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

of  boats  was  thrown  across  the  Eaptee,  in  face  of  a  considerable 
army  under  Balla  Eao,  a  near  kinsman  of  Nana  Sahib.  On  the 
evening  of  December  2nd,  Brigadier  Eowcroft  learnt  that  another 
native  force,  under  Nazim  Mahomed  Hossein,  was  six  or  eight  miles 
up  the  river,  intending  to  cross  and  join  Balla  Bao.  On  the  3rd, 
therefore,  a  detachment,  which  included  2  guns  and  50  men  of  the 
Naval  Brigade,  under  Captain  Sotheby,  went  out  to  the  attack,  and 
found  the  rebels  at  Bururiah  in  a  strong  position.  The  enemy  stood 
with  unusual  steadiness,  until  his  flank  was  threatened ;  whereupon 
he  retired  and  scattered,  carrying  off  his  guns.  The  detachment 
then  returned  to  camp  ;  and  on  December  5th,  the  Naval  Brigade 
crossed  the  Raptee,  the  rest  of  the  force  soon  following. 

The  movement  was  part  of  a  concerted  plan  to  encircle  the 
shattered  armies  of  the  Begum,  Lord  Clyde  being  to  the  westward, 
Sir  Hope  Grant  to  the  southward,  and  Brigadier  Eowcroft  drawing 
round  from  the  eastward,  while  to  the  northward  were  the  jungles 
of  Nepal.  A  guard  was  left  at  the  bridge  at  Doomureahgunge  ;  and 
the  remainder  of  the  force  marched  to  Intwa  and  camped  there. 
The  siege  train,  consisting  of  two  18-prs.,  one  8-in.  howitzer,  two 
8-in.  mortars,  and  two  5'5-in.  mortars,  arrived  on  the  18th  and  gave 
the  Naval  Brigade  as  much  artillery  as  it  could  possibly  manage. 
The  mortars  were  entrusted  to  Lieutenant  Pym,  R.M.  On  ths 
20th,  the  force  advanced  from  Intwa  to  Biskohur,  in  Oudh,  and,  on 
the  22nd,  to  Goolereah  Ghat,  five  miles  from  Toolseepur,  where  the 
remnants  of  the  enemy  were  collected  in  great  force.  On  the  23rd, 
in  concert  with  the  army  of  Sir  Hope  Grant,  the  force  crossed  the 
Boora  Eaptee,  and  attacked.  Near  the  centre  were  the  four  naval 
guns  and  two  24-pr.  rocket  tubes,  under  Commander  Tumour, 
Lieutenant  Maquay,  and  Midshipman  Foot.  The  rest  of  the  Naval 
Brigade,  and  the  siege  train,  under  Captain  Sotheby,  was  as  close 
up  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  would  admit.  In  about  an  hour  and 
a  half,  the  rebels  were  completely  routed,  though  they  carried  off 
most  of  their  guns,  and  although  the  pursuit  was  somewhat  ineffec- 
tive, owing  to  lack  of  enough  cavalry  to  undertake  it  properly.  The 
mutineers  numbered  about  12,000 ;  the  attacking  force,  which  had 
but  4  killed  and  about  a  dozen  wounded,  only  2500. 

This  was  the  last  affair  in  which  the  Pearl's  Brigade  took  part, 
and,  indeed,  the  last  general  action  of  the  Mutiny.  The  seamen  and 
Marines  hoped  to  enjoy  a  quiet  Christmas  at  Toolseepur,  but  were 
ordered  on  almost  immediately  with  Brigadier  Eowcroft.  After  a 


1858.]  EMPLOYMENT  OF  BLUEJACKETS    ON  SHORE.  149 

useless    pursue,    nearly   as   far    as   the  'Nepal   frontier,    the   force 
returned.      On  the  last  day  of  the  year,  the  Brigade  lay  at  PucT 

aT™     ir    ^  JTarJ  1St>  1859'  ^  WaS  °rdered  back  to  the  -hip 
Calcutta.     Engager  Eowcroft,  on  takmg  leave  of  it  on  the  2nd 

The  successes  we  have  gained  are  mainly  due  to  your 
courage  and  gallantry.  I  have  also  observed  the  excellent  discipZ 
and  conduct  of  your  Brigade,  which  reflects  great  credit  on  Captain 
Sotheby,  and  the  officers,  as  well  as  on  yourselves.  I  therefore 
\  to  lose  your  services  ;  but  I  am  glad  that,  upon  your  departure 
you  are  homeward  bound,  which  you  all  so  much  desire  " 

On  the  3rd,  the  Brigade  departed,  and,  having  embarked  on  the 
m  the  steamer  Benares,  reached  Calcutta  on  February  2nd      A 
Gazette  Extraordinary,'  published  at  Allahabad  on  January  17th 
the  Bngade  passed  through  that  city,  expressed  the  high  satis-' 
faction  of  the  Government  of  India  with  the  great  services  of  the 

S  °  "^  mn 


t 
a   Mad        whence  ghe  sai]ed  aga.n  ^  the  ^^ 

Spithead  on  June  6th,  after  having  circumnavigated  the  globe  and 

been  absent  from  home  for  three  years  and  a  week.     She  was  paid 

off  on  jurie  16th,  1859  ;  and  a  "paymg-off  "  dinner  on  the  evemng 

that   day  revved  an  old  custom  which   had  long   been 


The  principal  honours  and  promotions  granted  in  respect  of  the 
services  of  the  Pearl's  Brigade  were  as  follows  :- 

Captain  E.  S.  Sotheby,  to  be  C.B.,  June  29th,  1858 

To  be  Commanders:  Lieut.  N.  E.  B.  Tumour,  May  21st;  Lieut.  S  W  D  Bad 
cliffe,  and  Lieut.  H.  D.  Grant,  June  18th,  1858 


L  "  Ingles'  May  21st  ; 


As  in  South  Africa,  forty  years  later,  so  in  India  during  the 
Mutiny  the  landed  guns  of  the  Navy,  and  the  indefatigable  and 
resourceful  manner  in  which  they  were  moved  and  worked  in  diffi- 
cult country,  went  far  towards  saying  a  yery  precarioug  situat.on 

t  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Navy  does  not  exist  for  such 

work  as  had  to  be  done  by  it  on  those  occasions;  and  that  it  would 

^ely  have  been  called  upon  to  do  it  had  the  British  Empire  been 


150     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

properly  prepared  to  bear  its  immense  responsibilities.  It  was  only 
because  the  military  administration  failed  at  the  pinch  that  the 
Navy  had  to  step  in  and  adapt  itself  to  duties  which  did  not  belong 
to  it,  and  which,  for  the  moment  at  least,  diminished  its  efficiency 
for  services  more  peculiarly  its  own. 

The  Navy  was  intimately  concerned  in  the  laying  of  the  first 
submarine  telegraph  cable  across  the  Atlantic.  An  unsuccessful 
attempt  was  made  in  August,  1857,  after  the  intended  route,  between 
Ireland  and  Newfoundland,  had  been  surveyed  by  the  Cyclops,  6, 
paddle,  Lieutenant  Joseph  Dayman.1  About  half  the  cable  was  put 
into  the  U.S.  screw  frigate,  Niagara,  40,  Captain  Hudson,  U.S.N., 
and  half  into  the  screw  battleship  Agamemnon,  91,  Master  Cornelius 
Thomas  Augustus  Noddall ;  the  programme  being  that  the  Niagara 
should  lay  the  section  between  Valentia  and  mid-Atlantic,  where  a 
splice  should  be  made,  and  that  the  Agamemnon  should  complete  the 
laying  to  Newfoundland. 

The  two  cable  ships  quitted  Valentia  on  August  7th,  accompanied 
by  the  Leopard,  18,  paddle,  Captain  James  Francis  Ballard  Wain- 
wright,  the  Cyclops,  and  the  U.S.  paddle-vessel  Susquehanna,  15. 
When  335  miles  of  the  cable  had  been  payed  out,  it  parted. 

In  July,  1858,  a  more  fortunate  essay  was  made.  It  had  been 
determined  that  the  cable  ships  should  proceed  to  a  rendezvous  in 
mid-Atlantic,  there  make  the  splice,  and  then  steam  away  from  one 
another  in  opposite  directions.  Again  the  Agamemnon  and  the 
Niagara  were  employed,  the  former,  however,  being  commanded 
by  Captain  George  William  Preedy,  with,  as  navigators,  Master 
Henry  Augustus  Moriarty,  and  Second-Master  Samuel  Libby.2  The 
splice  was  effected  on  July  29th,  and  the  Agamemnon  then  made 
for  Kingstown  Bay,  Valentia,  escorted  by  the  Valorous,  16,  paddle, 
Captain  William  Cornwallis  Aldham,  while  the  Niagara  made  for 
Trinity  Bay,  Newfoundland,  escorted  by  the  Gorgon,  6,  paddle, 
Commander  Joseph  Dayman.  At  the  western  terminus  there  waited 
the  Porcupine,  3,  paddle,  Captain  Henry  Charles  Otter,  and,  at  the 
eastern  one,  the  gunboat  Shamrock,  Master  William  Barnerd  Calver  ; 
and,  with  the  assistance  of  these,  both  shore  ends  were  safely  landed 
on  August  6th.  Unhappily,  this  cable  worked  only  for  a  short  time. 
It  then  became  useless,  and  telegraphic  communication  beneath  the 
Atlantic  was  not  again  effected  until  1866. 

Towards  the  end  of  December,  1857,  Commodore  Charles  Wise, 
1  Com.,  Jan.  1st,  1858.  2  Mast.,  Sept.  3rd,  1858. 


1858-59.]  THE   SCABCIES  EXPEDITIONS.  151 

of  the  Vesuvius,  6,  paddle,  senior  officer  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa, 
was  instructed  by  the  Admiralty  to  proceed  up  the  Great  Scarcies 
river,  about  thirty  miles  to  the  northward  of  Sierra  Leone,  and 
to  punish  the  Sooso  tribe,  which  had  gone  to  war  with  the  Tim- 
manees,  allies  of  the  British,  burning  several  British  factories,  and 
even  threatening  Sierra  Leone. 

With  his  own  vessel,  and  the  Pluto,  4,  paddle,  Lieutenant 
William  Swinburn,  Spitfire,  5,  paddle,  Lieutenant  James  Carter 
Campbell,  and  Ardent,  5,  paddle,  Commander  John  Halliday  Cave, 
and  a  party  from  the  Teazer,  2,  screw,  Lieutenant  William  Henry 
Whyte,  the  Commodore  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  the  river  on 
January  21st,  1858.  The  Soosos  refused  to  evacuate  the  town  of 
Kambia,  which  they  had  occupied,  and  which  belonged  to  the 
Timmanees ;  and,  in  consequence,  on  January  31st,  a  force  con- 
sisting of  eight  paddle-box  boats  carrying  24-  and  12-prs.,  a  rocket 
cutter,  a  colonial  gunboat  having  on  board  the  governor  and  staff, 
and  a  detachment  of  about  250  seamen  and  Marines,  proceeded 
up  the  river,  and  anchored  off  Kambia  on  February  1st.  The 
town  was  strongly  stockaded,  and  defended  by  an  inner  mud 
wall  and  flanking  towers,  while  the  plain  between  the  place  and 
the  river's  bank  was  studded  with  rifle-pits.  Within  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  however,  the  town  was  set  on  fire  by  means  of  rockets  ; 
and  a  bombardment  with  shell  killed,  it  was  said,  200  of  the  enemy. 
Kambia  being  in  ashes,  the  force  descended  the  stream,  destroying 
in  succession  Eobelli,  Makanka,  Bobaiyan,  and  Bokon,  besides 
other  villages.  Although  the  people  were  exposed  to  a  brisk  fire 
from  each  place,  the  casualties  among  them  were  only  2  officers 
and  8  men  wounded.  Thanks  to  a  liberal  use  of  quinine,  there  was 
no  fever  in  the  force,  which  rejoined  the  ships  on  February  4th. 

For  this  service  Lieutenants  Swinburn,  Whyte,  and  Campbell 
were  promoted,  and  three  Mates  were  made  Lieutenants. 

The  force  had  not  landed  to  occupy  the  site  of  any  of  the 
destroyed  towns ;  and  the  enemy,  attributing  the  omission  to 
weakness,  presently  became  more  aggressive  than  before ;  where- 
upon, in  March,  1859,  a  fresh  expedition,  again  under  Commodore 
Wise,  went  up  the  river  in  52  boats.  The  landing  force  consisted 
chiefly  of  Marines,  and  the  1st  West  India  Begiment.  The  stockade 
was  stormed ;  the  Soosos  were  driven  out  with  heavy  loss ;  and  the 
Timmanees  were  put  in  possession  of  the  town.  The  casualties 
were  trivial ;  and,  as  before,  there  was  happily  no  fever. 


152    MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

At  about  the  same  time  the  vessels  on  the  station  were  both 
active  and  successful  in  the  repression  of  slavery.  An  armed  slaver 
of  considerable  size  and  force  was  captured  by  the  Vesuvius' s  cutter, 
under  Mate  Eobert  Henry  More  Molyneux,1  assisted  by  the  Pluto's 

gig- 
In  the  course  of  June,  1858,  a  dispute  arose  at  Jeddah,  the  port 
of  Mecca,  concerning  the  ownership  of  a  vessel  which  belonged 
to  Indian  subjects  of  her  Majesty.  In  consequence  of  this  dispute, 
rioting  took  place ;  and  on  the  evening  of  June  15th,  the  British 
vice-consul,  the  French  consul,  and  several  other  Christian  residents 
in  the  town  were  massacred.  Several  more  only  escaped  massacre 
owing  to  the  intervention  of  local  officials,  or  to  the  opportune 
despatch  to  the  shore  of  an  armed  boat  from  the  Cyclops,  6, 
paddle,  Captain  William  John  Samuel  Pullen,  which  was  lying 
off  the  town. 

Pullen  took  the  fugitives  to  Suez,  and,  having  received  orders, 
returned  to  Jeddah,  where  he  arrived  on  July  23rd.  He  demanded 
satisfaction  within  thirty-six  hours,  and,  getting  no  reply  by  the 
morning  of  the  25th,  began  a  bombardment.  At  11  A.M.  an  un- 
satisfactory answer  from  the  local  pasha  was  sent  off  to  him ;  where- 
upon he  resumed  firing,  and  continued,  with  intermissions,  until  the 
evening  of  the  26th.  On  the  27th  Turkish  troops  appeared  in  a 
transport,  and  were  landed.  Their  commander  seized  the  mur- 
derers, but  professed  that  he  had  no  power  to  execute  them, 
although  they  had  been  found  guilty  by  the  native  court.  Pullen 
insisted  upon  their  execution  ;  and,  on  the  morning  of  August  5th 
reopened  the  bombardment  in  order  to  enforce  his  determination. 
More  troops,  and  an  officer  of  superior  rank,  arriving  from  Egypt, 
eleven  of  the  murderers  were  executed  in  sight  of  the  town  and 
shipping  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  and  four  more  were  sent  to 
Constantinople.2  The  business  was  a  natural  result  of  the  lament- 
able weakness  of  Turkish  authority  in  Arabia ;  but,  as  proper 
satisfaction  was  given  by  the  Sultan,  the  matter  proceeded  no 
further.3 

William  Walker,  the  famous  filibuster,  who  had  been  a  thorn 

1  Actg. -Lieut,  in  consequence,  June  28th,  1859. 

2  Cons.  Green  to  For.  OS.    Lord  Malmesbury  in  Ho.  of  Lords,  July  19th,  1858. 

3  The  Roebuck,  6,  screw,  Lieutenant  (actg.-Commander)  Edwin  Charles  Symons, 
was  also  employed  at  Jeddah,  during  this  year,  in  connection  with  the  attacks  on  the 
local  Christians,  and  subsequently  at  the  Andaman  Islands,  on  the  occasion  of  a 
mutinous  outbreak  there.; 


I860.]  WALKER,    THE   FILIBUSTER.  153 

in  the  side  of  the  Central  American  governments  since  1853,  had 
been  driven  out  of  Nicaragua  in  1857  by  the  concerted  action  of 
the  other  states,  and,  making  an  effort  to  return  in  1858,  had 
been  shipwrecked,  and  obliged  to  accept  the  hospitality  of  a  British 
man-of-war.  He,  or  his  partisans,  made  yet  another  abortive 
attempt  in  1859 ;  and  in  1860,  after  having  written  a  curious 
history  of  his  adventurous  career,  he  set ,  out  from  Mobile  on  what 
proved  to  be  his  last,  expedition.  Previous  to  his  departure,  Great 
Britain  had  joined  the  United  States  in  declaring  that  any  further 
action  by  Walker  against  Nicaragua  would  be  forcibly  resisted. 
Until  a  few  years  before,  Euatan,  the  principal  of  the  Bay  Islands, 
had  been  under  British  guardianship ;  but,  under  the  Clayton- 
Bulwer  Treaty,  it  had  been  ceded  to  Honduras  ;  and  the  filibuster 
imagined  that  he  might  take  advantage  of  this  circumstance  to 
make  the  island  his  base  of  operations  against  the  republic  of 
which  he  had  been,  for  a  short  time,  president.  He  therefore 


SIR   NOWELL   SALMOX,    G.C.B.,    ADMIRAL   OF   THE    FLEET. 

proceeded  thither  with  a  number  of  his  old  followers.  Unfortu- 
nately for  him,  the  British  flag  was  still  flying  over  Euatan,  the 
cession  not  having  been  actually  carried  out,  owing  to  certain 
financial  disputes  between  Great  Britain  and  Honduras  not  having 
been  settled. 

While  Walker  was  standing  on  and  off,  waiting  for  the  British 
flag  to  be  hauled  down,  the  Icarus,  11,  Commander  Nowell 
Salmon,  V.C.,  arrived  at  Euatan  from  Belize,  having  on  board 
the  Superintendent  of  Belize,  who,  with  Salmon,  was  to  complete 
the  cession  of  the  islands.  Seeing  what  was  the  state  of  affairs, 
and  unwilling  to  do  anything  which  might  enable  Walker  to  seize 
Euatan  ere  Honduras  could  take  possession  of  it,  the  British 
officials  went  to  Jamaica  for  further  orders.  Upon  returning, 
Salmon  found  Walker  still  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  learnt  that 
he  had  endeavoured  to  utilise  for  his  purposes  the  adjoining  island 
of  Bonacea.  Chafing  at  being  able  to  accomplish  nothing  in  the 
islands,  Walker  and  his  people  sailed  over  to  Truxillo  on  the 


154     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

mainland,  and  captured  it.  Salmon  followed  him,  and  was  in- 
formed that  the  filibuster  had  "  annexed  "  the  town,  and  made  it 
a  free  port.  The  inhabitants,  who  had  been  maltreated,  had  taken 
to  the  forest. 

With  some  little  difficulty  Salmon  put  himself  in  communication 
with  the  expelled  Honduran  governor,  and  discovered  that  the 
customs'  receipts  of  the  place  had  been  mortgaged  to  the  British 
government  in  payment  of  a  debt.  He  therefore  wrote  to  Walker, 
telling  him  that  in  the  circumstances  his  acts  could  not  be  recog- 
nised, and  that  he  must  evacuate  the  town  within  twenty-four 
hours,  and  take  shipping,  which  should  be  provided,  for  New 
Orleans.  After  some  correspondence,  in  the  course  of  which 
Walker  magniloquently  declared  that  he  had  come  to  introduce 
the  code  of  Alfred  into  benighted  lands,  the  filibuster  agreed  to 
the  terms,  and  undertook  to  embark  on  the  following  morning. 
This  was  on  August  20th.  Pressed,  however,  by  Honduran  forces, 
he  evacuated  the  town  over  night,  and  retreated  down  the  coast, 
with  but  seventy  men.  On  his  way,  he  looted  some  mahogany- 
cutting  settlements ;  and,  upon  hearing  of  this,  the  Honduran 
government  applied  to  Salmon  for  assistance.  Salmon  satisfied 
himself  that  there  was  precedent  for  giving  it ;  and,  taking  in 
tow  a  barque  with  General  Alvarez  and  200  troops,  went  in  chase 
down  the  coast.  Off  the  Eio  Negro,  it  was  ascertained  that 
Walker  and  his  companions  were  making  themselves  at  home  on 
the  mahogany-cutting  station  of  an  Englishman,  near  Lemas. 
Salmon  proceeded  up  the  river  with  his  boats  manned  and  armed  ; 
and,  when  within  sight  of  the  station,  landed  with  General  Alvarez, 
and  walked  to  the  building  which  Walker  had  made  his  head- 
quarters. To  a  demand  for  an  unconditional  surrender,  and  a 
threat  that  the  guns  in  the  boats  would  open  fire  on  him  if  he 
refused,  the  filibuster  asked  for  certain  terms,  which  Salmon  de- 
clined, alleging  that,  as  Walker  had  already  broken  faith,  he  would 
not  be  allowed  another  opportunity  for  doing  so.  Walker  then 
inquired  whether  he  was  surrendering  to  the  Queen  of  England. 
The  reply  was  that  the  surrender  was  to  the  Commander  of  the 
Icarus  ;  whereupon  Walker  fell  his  men  in,  and  ordered  them  to 
lay  down  their  arms.  Both  men  and  arms  were  taken  on  board 
the  sloop  and  carried  to  Truxillo,  where  all  but  Walker,  and  Eudler, 
his  chief  of  staff,  were  transferred  to  the  Gladiator,  6,  paddle, 
Commander  Henry  Dennis  Hickley,  and  conveyed  to  New  Orleans. 


1859-61.]  INTERFE11ENCE   IN  MEXICO.  155 

Walker  declined  to  plead  American  nationality,  and  claimed 
to  be  president  of  the  Nicaraguan  Eepublic.  Salmon,  therefore, 
could  not  persuade  the  Honduran  authorities  to  release  the  two 
leaders  ;  nor,  acting  with  and  on  behalf  of  them  as  he  did,  did 
he  feel  justified  in  taking  up  the  position  that  the  filibusters  ought 
not  to  be  punished.  However,  he  appointed  a  Mr.  Squire  to  watch 
the  case  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  government.  Walker  was 
tried  by  court-martial  on  September  llth,  and  condemned  to  be 
shot  on  the  following  morning.  Ere  he  died,  he  admitted  the 
justice  of  his  sentence.1 

Walker's  allusion  to  King  Alfred  indicates  that  he  regarded 
himself  as  an  enlightened  law-giver.  This  singular  man  also 
regarded  himself  as  a  disinterested  liberator ;  for,  after  his  sur- 
render, he  sent  for  Salmon,  and  asked  :  "  Would  you  have  treated 
Garibaldi  like  this  ?  "  But  Salmon,  who  seems  to  have  had  but 
little  sympathy  with  liberators,  even  of  Garibaldi's  type,  replied 
to  the  effect  that,  if  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  be  able  to  do  so,  he  might 
possibly  not  hesitate.  The  "last  of  the  filibusters  "  was  little  more 
than  thirty-six  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Between  1821  and  1868  the  form  of  government  in  Mexico  was 
changed  ten  times ;  upwards  of  fifty  persons  became  in  succession 
rulers  of  the  country  as  presidents,  dictators,  or  emperors ;  and 
there  are  said  to  have  been  no  fewer  than  three  hundred  pronuncia- 
mientos.  It  is  hardly  astonishing,  therefore,  that  during  that  period 
Mexico  got  into  occasional  difficulties  with  foreign  powers. 

In  1857,  what  is  known  as  the  "  Struggle  of  Eeform  "  broke  out. 
Ignacio  Comonfort,  who  had  been  made  provisional  president  of  the 
republic  by  Alvarez,  in  1855,  had  assumed  a  dictatorship,  with  the 
support  of  the  clergy  and  the  conservatives.  Benito  Pablo  Juarez, 
the  chief  justice,  and  leader  of  the  advanced  liberals,  or  "Puros," 
headed  the  opposition.  In  1858  Comonfort  was  deposed  by  Zuloaga, 
who  resigned  in  favour  of  the  conservative  General  Miramon,  but 
was  presently  restored  by  him.  Juarez  claimed  that,  the  president 
having  been  unconstitutionally  displaced,  the  chief  justice,  as  vice 
president,  thereupon  became  legal  president  of  the  republic,  and, 
accordingly,  he  ignored  Zuloaga  and  Miramon,  and  himself  acted  as 
president.  Civil  war  resulted.  An  able,  honest,  and  patriotic 
statesman,  Juarez  had  the  misfortune,  throughout  his  active  career, 

1  J.  J.  Roche :  '  Story  of  the  Filibusters,'  173-177 ;  Uisp.  of  Salmon ;  Letter  of 
Salmon  to  author,  Oct.  12th,  1900 ;  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Oct.  Cth,  1860. 


156     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

to  be  regarded  with  suspicion  and  intolerance  by  most  of  the 
Europeans  with  whom  his  energetic  behaviour  brought  him  into 
contact ;  and  certainly  his  methods  were  sometimes  extremely  high- 
handed. As  early  as  the  autumn  of  1859,  the  Amethyst,  26,  Captain 
Sidney  Grenfell,  which  was  then  serving  a  commission  during  which 
she  circumnavigated  the  globe,  found  occasion  to  interfere  with  the 
proceedings  of  his  supporters  at  Mazatlan,  and  at  San  Bias,  both 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  Trade  was  taken  possession  of;  Mazatlan  was 
blockaded ;  an  American  brig,  which  had  been  seized,  and  which  lay 
under  the  batteries  there,  was  pluckily  cut  out  one  October  night 
by  three  of  the  frigate's  boats,  under  Master  Eichard  Cossantine 
Dyer ;  and  Eoyal  Marines,  under  Lieutenant  Alfred  Henry  Pascoe, 
E.M.,  were  disembarked  at  San  Bias. 

At  length  the  Puros  were  triumphant;  and  Juarez  was  duly 
elected  by  congress  to  be  president  of  the  republic  of  Mexico.  He 
readily  agreed  with  Great  Britain  and  France  as  to  the  payment  of 
indemnities  to  persons  of  those  nationalities  who,  residing  in  Mexico 
during  the  civil  commotions,  had  suffered  in  consequence  ;  and  a 
convention  to  that  effect  was  signed  on  March  16th,  1861.  But  the 
country,  exhausted  by  the  long  strife,  was  in  grave  financial  diffi- 
culties; and  on  July  17th,  following,  congress  was  induced  to  pass 
a  law,  in  virtue  of  which  the  payment  of  all  public  debts,  including 
the  indemnities,  was  to  be  postponed  for  two  years.  The  repre- 
sentatives of  Great  Britain  and  France  endeavoured,  in  vain,  to 
procure  the  repeal  of  this  measure,  and  then  broke  off  relations  with 
the  Mexican  government.  Spain,  which  also  had  claims,  took 
parallel  action,  and,  on  October  31st,  1861,  the  three  powers  signed 
a  convention  providing  for  their  co-operation  with  a  view  to  obtain- 
ing satisfaction. 

France  dispatched  a  large  naval  and  military  force ;  Spain  sent 
6000  troops ;  Great  Britain  contributed  only  a  battalion  of  Marines, 
and  a  few  vessels  which  happened  to  be  on  the  station,  including 
the  Challenger,1  22,  screw,  Captain  John  James  Kennedy,  C.B.,  the 
Desperate,  7,  screw,  Commander  John  Francis  Eoss,  and  the 
Barracouta.  6,  paddle,  Commander  George  John  Malcolm.  The 
British  participated  in  the  occupation  of  Vera  Cruz  in  January, 
1862,  but  on  the  following  April  9th,  wisely  decided,  in  concert  with 
Spain,  to  press  matters  no  further,  and  to  withdraw  from  Mexican 
territory.  France,  which  had  larger  views  than  her  allies,  was  left 
1  Bearing  the  broad  pennant  of  Commodore  Hugh  Dimlop,  from  Jamaica. 


I860.]  THE  PRINCE   OF    WALES    TO   AMERICA.  157 

to  prosecute  alone  an  undertaking  which  became  disastrous  both  to 
herself  and  Mexico,  and  to  France's  protege,  the  Austrian  Archduke, 
Ferdinand  Maximilian  Josef,  who  was  made  emperor  in  1863. 

In  1860,  accompanied  by  a  large  suite,  H.E.H.  the  Prince  of 
Wales  paid  a  visit  to  Canada  and  the  United  States.  The  screw 
battleship  Hero,  91,  Captain  George  Henry  Seymour,  C.B.,  was 
selected  as  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  to  cross  the  Atlantic ;  and  he 
embarked  in  her  at  Plymouth,  and  sailed  on  July  12th,  escorted  by 
the  screw  frigate  Ariadne,  26,  Captain  Edward  Westby  Vansittart, 
and  the  screw  sloop  Flying-Fish,  6,  Commander  Charles  Webley 
Hope.  The  outward  voyage  was  made  without  incident.  Returning, 
the  Prince  embarked  at  Portland,  Maine,  on  October  29th,  and, 
encountering  head  winds  and  bad  weather  nearly  all  the  way  home, 
did  not  reach  Plymouth  until  November  16th,  by  which  day  the 
Hero  had  only  about  one  week's  ship's  provisions  left,  and  even  the 
royal  party  was  living  on  salt  and  preserved  meat.  The  ships  had 
plenty  of  coal,  but,  with  the  relatively  low-powered  engines  of  those 
days,  had  been  unable  to  make  head  against  the  continuous  gales. 
"  Our  cousins  in  the  United  States,"  as  Lord  Palmerston  said, 
"  received  the  eldest  son  of  our  gracious  Sovereign,  not  as  if  he 
were  a  stranger  belonging  to  another  land,  but  as  if  he  had  been 
born  in  their  own  country."  Of  the  loyalty  of  the  reception  in 
Canada  there  is  no  need  to  speak. 

The  history  of  the  events  which  led  up  to  Great  Britain's  active 
interference  with  the  Ti-ping  rebellion  in  China  must  be  told  at  some 
little  length.  It  affords  an  interesting  study,  and,  I  think,  supplies 
examples  rather  of  what  to  avoid  than  of  what  to  emulate  in  dealing 
with  great  reform  movements  in  Oriental  lands. 

After  the  collision  with  the  Ti-ping  rebels  at  Nankin,  and 
elsewhere  on  the  Yang-tse-kiang,  in  1858,  Great  Britain,  which  had 
always  recognised  the  Ti-pings  as  belligerents,1  re-adopted  a  professed 
policy,  so  far  as  they  were  concerned,  of  non-intervention.  The 
rebels  were,  however,  from  time  to  time  reminded  that  they  must 
neither  interfere  with  British  trade  nor  imperil  British  interests. 
Thus,  for  example,  a  proclamation  by  the  Hon.  F.  W.  A.  Bruce, 
dated  Shanghai,  May  26th,  1860,  pointed  out  that,  Shanghai  being  a 
port  open  to  foreign  trade,  commerce  would  receive  a  severe  blow, 
were  the  place  to  be  attacked  and  to  become  the  scene  of  civil  war  ; 
and  went  on  to  declare  that,  without  taking  any  part  in  the  contest, 
1  Bowring's  Ordinance  of  1855. 


156     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  HOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

to  be  regarded  with  suspicion  and  intolerance  by  most  of  the 
Europeans  with  whom  his  energetic  behaviour  brought  him  into 
contact ;  and  certainly  his  methods  were  sometimes  extremely  high- 
handed. As  early  as  the  autumn  of  1859,  the  Amethyst,  26,  Captain 
Sidney  Grenfell,  which  was  then  serving  a  commission  during  which 
she  circumnavigated  the  globe,  found  occasion  to  interfere  with  the 
proceedings  of  his  supporters  at  Mazatlan,  and  at  San  Bias,  both 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  Trade  was  taken  possession  of;  Mazatlan  was 
blockaded ;  an  American  brig,  which  had  been  seized,  and  which  lay 
under  the  batteries  there,  was  pluckily  cut  out  one  October  night 
by  three  of  the  frigate's  boats,  under  Master  Eichard  Cossantine 
Dyer ;  and  Koyal  Marines,  under  Lieutenant  Alfred  Henry  Pascoe, 
E.M.,  were  disembarked  at  San  Bias. 

At  length  the  Puros  were  triumphant,  and  Juarez  was  duly 
elected  by  congress  to  be  president  of  the  republic  of  Mexico.  He 
readily  agreed  with  Great  Britain  and  France  as  to  the  payment  of 
indemnities  to  persons  of  those  nationalities  who,  residing  in  Mexico 
during  the  civil  commotions,  had  suffered  in  consequence;  and  a 
convention  to  that  effect  was  signed  on  March  16th,  1861.  But  the 
country,  exhausted  by  the  long  strife,  was  in  grave  financial  diffi- 
culties;  and  on  July  17th,  following,  congress  was  induced  to  pass 
a  law,  in  virtue  of  which  the  payment  of  all  public  debts,  including 
the  indemnities,  was  to  be  postponed  for  two  years.  The  repre- 
sentatives of  Great  Britain  and  France  endeavoured,  in  vain,  to 
procure  the  repeal  of  this  measure,  and  then  broke  off  relations  with 
the  Mexican  government.  Spain,  which  also  had  claims,  took 
parallel  action,  and,  on  October  31st,  1861,  the  three  powers  signed 
a  convention  providing  for  their  co-operation  with  a  view  to  obtain- 
ing satisfaction. 

France  dispatched  a  large  naval  and  military  force  ;  Spain  sent 
6000  troops ;  Great  Britain  contributed  only  a  battalion  of  Marines, 
and  a  few  vessels  which  happened  to  be  on  the  station,  including 
the  Challenger,1  22,  screw,  Captain  John  James  Kennedy,  C.B.,  the 
Desperate,  7,  screw,  Commander  John  Francis  Eoss,  and  the 
Barracouta,  6,  paddle,  Commander  George  John  Malcolm.  The 
British  participated  in  the  occupation  of  Vera  Cruz  in  January, 
1862,  but  on  the  following  April  9th,  wisely  decided,  in  concert  with 
Spain,  to  press  matters  no  further,  and  to  withdraw  from  Mexican 
territory.  France,  which  had  larger  views  than  her  allies,  was  left 
1  Bearing  the  broad  pennant  of  Commodore  Hugh  Dunlop,  from  Jamaica. 


I860.]  THE  FRINGE   OF    WALES    TO   AMERICA.  157 

to  prosecute  alone  an  undertaking  which  became  disastrous  both  to 
herself  and  Mexico,  and  to  France's  protege,  the  Austrian  Archduke, 
Ferdinand  Maximilian  Josef,  who  was  made  emperor  in  1863. 

In  1860,  accompanied  by  a  large  suite,  H.B.H.  the  Prince  of 
Wales  paid  a  visit  to  Canada  and  the  United  States.  The  screw 
battleship  Hero,  91,  Captain  George  Henry  Seymour,  C.B.,  was 
selected  as  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  to  cross  the  Atlantic  ;  and  he 
embarked  in  her  at  Plymouth,  and  sailed  on  July  12th,  escorted  by 
the  screw  frigate  Ariadne,  26,  Captain  Edward  Westby  Vansittart, 
and  the  screw  sloop  Flying-Fish,  6,  Commander  Charles  Webley 
Hope.  The  outward  voyage  was  made  without  incident.  Eeturning, 
the  Prince  embarked  at  Portland,  Maine,  on  October  29th,  and, 
encountering  head  winds  and  bad  weather  nearly  all  the  way  home, 
did  not  reach  Plymouth  until  November  16th,  by  which  day  the 
Hero  had  only  about  one  week's  ship's  provisions  left,  and  even  the 
royal  party  was  living  on  salt  and  preserved  meat.  The  ships  had 
plenty  of  coal,  but,  with  the  relatively  low-powered  engines  of  those 
days,  had  been  unable  to  make  head  against  the  continuous  gales. 
"  Our  cousins  in  the  United  States,"  as  Lord  Palmerston  said, 
"  received  the  eldest  son  of  our  gracious  Sovereign,  not  as  if  he 
were  a  stranger  belonging  to  another  land,  but  as  if  he  had  been 
born  in  their  own  country."  Of  the  loyalty  of  the  reception  in 
Canada  there  is  no  need  to  speak. 

The  history  of  the  events  which  led  up  to  Great  Britain's  active 
interference  with  the  Ti-ping  rebellion  in  China  must  be  told  at  some 
little  length.  It  affords  an  interesting  study,  and,  I  think,  supplies 
examples  rather  of  what  to  avoid  than  of  what  to  emulate  in  dealing 
with  great  reform  movements  in  Oriental  lands. 

After  the  collision  with  the  Ti-ping  rebels  at  Nankin,  and 
elsewhere  on  the  Yang-tse-kiang,  in  1858,  Great  Britain,  which  had 
always  recognised  the  Ti-pings  as  belligerents,1  re-adopted  a  professed 
policy,  so  far  as  they  were  concerned,  of  non-intervention.  The 
rebels  were,  however,  from  time  to  time  reminded  that  they  must 
neither  interfere  with  British  trade  nor  imperil  British  interests. 
Thus,  for  example,  a  proclamation  by  the  Hon.  F.  W.  A.  Bruce, 
dated  Shanghai,  May  26th,  1860,  pointed  out  that,  Shanghai  being  a 
port  open  to  foreign  trade,  commerce  would  receive  a  severe  blow, 
were  the  place  to  be  attacked  and  to  become  the  scene  of  civil  war  ; 
and  went  on  to  declare  that,  without  taking  any  part  in  the  contest, 
1  Bowring's  Ordinance  of  1855. 


158   MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  ISST-IOOO. 

or  expressing  any  opinion  as  to  the  rights  of  the  parties  to  it,  the 
British  might  justifiably  protect  the  city,  and  assist  the  Chinese 
authorities  in  preserving  tranquillity  within  it.1  Mr.  Bruce  did  not, 
unfortunately,  wait  for  the  rebels  actually  to  attack  Shanghai  ere  he 
began  to  make  a  distinction  between  them  and  the  Imperial  party, 
such  as,  apparently,  he  had  no  right  to  make  so  long  as  the  Ti-pings 
were  officially  recognised  as  belligerents  ;  for,  a  few  months  after  his 
proclamation  above  alluded  to,  he  refused  to  allow  the  consuls  to  hold 
any  communication  with  certain  insurgent  authorities  at  Soo-chow, 
and  ordered  them  to  take  no  notice  of  a  dispatch  which  had  been 
received  from  one  of  the  insurgent  leaders.  This  attitude  was 
inconsistent,  and,  as  events  proved,  dangerous.  Neutrality,  such  as 
Mr.  Bruce  professed,  should  not  have  allowed  him  to  take  more 
notice  of  Imperial  than  of  Ti-ping  dispatches ;  nor  could  he  com- 
plain if,  so  long  as  he  declined  to  notice  communications  from  the 
Ti-pings,  the  Ti-pings  paid  little  attention  to  communications 
from  him.  It  was  the  anomalous  and  contradictory  situation 
created  by  Mr.  Bruce  which,  I  believe,  was  originally  responsible 
for  the  many  bloody  collisions  which  followed  between  the  British 
forces  and  the  rebels,  who,  it  is  notorious,  were  particularly  anxious 
to  gain  European  countenance,  and  most  unwilling  deliberately  to 
provoke  European  hostility. 

On  August  18th,  1860,  the  rebel  leader  sent  to  the  foreign 
ministers  a  notification  of  his  intention  to  come  to  Shanghai,2  and  of 
his  determination  to  respect  foreign  churches  and  property,  upon 
yellow  flags  being  hoisted  over  them.  This  was  the  dispatch  which 
Mr.  Bruce  ordered  his  subordinates  to  take  no  notice  of.  Instead  of 
acknowledging  it,  and  directly  stating  in  reply  that  the  rebels  must 
on  no  account  approach,  he  issued  a  "  notification,"  based  ostensibly 
on  "  reports "  which  had  reached  him,  to  the  effect  that,  armed 

1  Yet,  writing  to  Lord  John  Russell  from  Shanghai  on  June  10th,  1860,  Mr.  Bruce 
had  said :  "  I  am  inclined  to  doubt  the  policy  of  attempting  to  restore,  by  force  of  arms, 
the  power  of  the  Imperial  government  in  cities  and  provinces  occupied,  or  rather  over- 
run, by  the   insurgents."     And,  after  deprecating   intervention,  went   on,  "...  the 
Chinese,  deprived  of  popular  insurrection — their  rude  but  efficacious   remedy  against 
local  oppressors — would,  with  justice,  throw  on  the  foreigner  the  odium  of  excesses 
which   his   presence   alone  would   render  possible.  .  .  .  No  course   could   be  so  well 
calculated  to  lower  our  national  reputation  as  to  lend  our  material  support  to  a  govern- 
ment, the  corruption  of  whose  authorities  is  only  checked  by  its  weakness."     See  also 
Sykes'  '  Taeping  Rebellion,'  18. 

2  In  response,  he  afterwards  explained,  to  an  invitation   from   the   French.     The 
Chung-wang  to  the  Consuls,  Aug.  21st. 


I860.]  INTERFERENCE    WITH   THE   TI-PINGS.  159 

forces  being  understood  to  be  in  the  neighbourhood,  he  thereby  made 
known  that  the  city  of  Shanghai,  and  the  foreign  settlement,  were 
militarily  occupied  by  the  British  and  French,  and  that  any  armed 
force  approaching  would  be  treated  as  hostile.  He  sent  a  copy  of 
this,  not  to  the  chief  who  had  addressed  him,  but  to  a  place  out  of 
the  line  of  the  march  of  the  Ti-pings  ;  and,  in  consequence,  it  was 
not  delivered.  Had  he  communicated  with  the  Chung-wang,1  who 
had  written  to  him,  what  followed  might  have  been  avoided. 

On  August  18th,  1860,  the  Ti-ping  army,  or  rather,  part  of  it, 
arrived  before  Shanghai,  and  drove  in  the  Tartar  outposts,  sub- 
sequently advancing  to  the  walls.  They  were  met  with  shot,  shell, 
and  musketry  from  the  European  garrison  of  the  settlement,  and 
especially  from  Eoyal  Marines,  and  Indian  troops,  Lieutenant  John 
William  Waller  O'Grady,  E.M.,  being  particularly  active,  and 
Captain  Frederick  Edward  Budd,  B.M.,  keeping  up  a  very  hot  fire 
from  another  position.  It  is  said  that,  during  the  whole  time,  the 
rebels  did  not  reply.2  At  any  rate,  about  300  of  them  fell,  while 
there  was  not  a  single  casualty  on  the  part  of  the  Europeans.  When 
the  Ti-pings  had  retired,  parties  were  sent  out  to  burn  down  such 
houses  in  the  suburbs  as  might  afford  cover  to  the  rebels.  On  Sunday, 
August  19th,  the  French  burnt  more  houses,  and,  in  the  afternoon, 
the  gunboats  Kestrel,  Lieutenant  Henry  Huxham,  and  Hongkong, 
together  with  Lieutenant  O'Grady's  Marines,  re-opened  fire  on  any 
rebels  who  could  be  seen.  It  is  said  that  again  the  Ti-pings  did  not 
return  a  shot.  It  is  certain,  however,  that,  on  the  20th  they  advanced 
in  greater  strength  than  before,  determined,  perhaps,  to  endeavour  to 
avenge  their  comrades  slaughtered,  as  they  conceived  it,  in  bad  faith. 
Once  more  they  were  driven  back  ;  and  during  the  following  night, 
the  Pioneer,  6,  screw,  Commander  Hugh  Arthur  Beilly,  added  to 
their  discomfiture  by  steaming  up  the  river  and  dropping  shells 
into  their  camp. 

When,  after  the  conclusion  of  peace  with  China,  it  became 
desirable  that  a  British  expedition  should  proceed  up  the  Yang-tse- 
kiang  to  provide  for  the  opening  of  the  treaty  ports  there,  it  was 
necessary  to  make  some  preliminary  agreement  with  the  Ti-pings, 
who  commanded  many  of  the  important  points  on  the  river.  Sir 
James  Hope,  therefore,  communicated  with  the  Ti-ping  authorities 

1  Ti-ping  general-in-chief. 

2  Corr.  of  Nonconformist,  Nov.  14th,  1860 ;   Overland  Register,  Sept.  10th,  1860  ; 
'  Ti-ping  Tien-Kwoh,'  i.,  275,  etc. ;  Times  of  India,  Oct.  24th,  1860. 


160     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

at  Nankin,  and  once  more  pledged  British  neutrality.  He  was 
instructed  by  Lord  Elgin  ''to  say  that  the  British  did  not  appear 
as  enemies,  nor  with  the  intention  of  taking  part  in  the  civil  war. 
Mr.  Parkes,  who  accompanied  the  Vice- Admiral  on  the  subsequent 
expedition  up  the  river,  was  instructed  by  Lord  Elgin 2  to  the  same 
effect.  But,  when  Hope,  in  the  Coromandel,  reached  Nankin,  he 
directed  3  Commander  Elphinstone  d'Oyley  d'Auvergne  Aplin,  of  the 
Centaur,  6,  paddle,  to  tell  the  Ti-ping  authorities  that  the  British 
and  French  governments  had  ordered  that  any  attempt  to  enter 
Shanghai  or  Woosung  would  be  repelled  by  force,  and  that  therefore 
the  Ti-pings  would  do  well  not  to  go  within  two  days'  march  of  those 
cities.  If  such  orders  had  then  been  given,  they  were  secret  ones ; 
but  the  Foreign  Office  approved 4  of  Hope's  measures,  and  also  of 
his  having  assured  the  Ti-pings  that,  if  they  obeyed  him  in  this 
matter  he  would  exert  his  influence  to  prevent  any  hostile  expedi- 
tion from  leaving  those  places  in  order  to  attack  Ti-ping  troops. 
While  expressing  his  approval,  Lord  John  Russell  added  :  "  You  will 
understand,  however,  that  Her  Majesty's  government  do  not  wish 
force  to  be  used  against  the  rebels  in  any  case,  except  for  the  actual 
protection  of  the  lives  and  property  of  British  subjects." 

The  upshot  was  that  the  Ti-pings  ultimately  promised  not  to 
attack  Shanghai  or  Woosung  that  year  (1861) ;  and  requested  that, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  Imperial  troops  might  not  be  allowed  into 
those  places.  Mr.  Parkes  accepted  and  reported  this  request  as  a 
condition.  It  was  also  arranged  that  if  the  Ti-pings  should  attack 
other  treaty  ports  and  not  molest  British  subjects  in  their  persons 
and  property,  commanders  of  British  vessels,  in  accordance  with 
instructions  to  be  given  them,  would  not  interfere  in  the  hostilities, 
except  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  their  countrymen,  if  necessary. 

The  Ti-pings  adhered  to  their  undertaking  relative  to  the  year 
1861,  and  refrained  from  advancing  within  100  li,  or  about  30  miles, 
of  Shanghai  or  Woosung.  They  might  easily  have  taken  both 
places  had  they  wished,  and  had  they  had  only  the  Imperial  forces 
to  contend  with,  for,  during  that  year,  they  were  extraordinarily 
successful,  and  made  themselves  masters  of  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
two  rich  provinces  of  Chekiang  and  Kiangsu. 

That  friction,  nevertheless,  occurred  almost  immediately  was  but 
natural,  looking  to  the  forward  policy  which  Sir  James  Hope  thought 

1  See  Pad.  Corr.  on  Opening  of  Yang-tse-kiang.  2  Jan  19th,  1861. 

3  Hope  to  Aplin,  Mar.  28th,  1861.  «  Russell  to  Bruce,  July  24th,  1861. 


1861.]  ACTION  OF   CAPTAIN  DEW.  161 

fit  to  adopt  throughout.  Mr.  Bruce,  writing  to  Lord  John  Eussell 
on  January  3rd,  1861,  said  that  he  had  directed  the  British  consul  at 
Ningpo  not  to  undertake  the  defence  of  that  city,  and,  should  it  be 
attacked,  to  confine  his  efforts  to  a  mediation,  "which  may  save 
the  place  from  being  the  scene  of  pillage  and  massacre"  ;  and,  in 
a  letter  to  Hope,  Bruce  declared  that  he  did  not  consider  himself 
authorized  to  protect  Ningpo.  In  his  instructions  to  Mr.  Sinclair, 
the  local  consul,  he  wrote  :  "  Your  language  should  be  that  we  take 
no  part  in  this  civil  contest,  but  that  we  claim  exemption  from 
injury  and  annoyance  at  the  hands  of  both  parties."  All  this  was 
approved  by  Lord  John  Eussell  in  a  dispatch  of  March  28th,  1861. 
Yet,  on  May  8th,  Sir  James  Hope,  at  Nagasaki,  ordered  Captain 
Eoderick  Dew,  of  the  Encounter,  14,  screw,  to  put  himself  into  com- 
munication with  the  rebel  leaders,  and  to  require  them  to  desist 
from  all  hostile  proceedings  against  the  town  of  Ningpo.  At  the 
same  time,  Dew  was  directed  to  communicate  also  with  the  Imperial 
authorities  at  Ningpo, 

"  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  what  their  means  of  resistance  are,  and  the  probabilities 
of  their  proving  successful;  and,  should  you  find  them  amenable  to  ad  vice, 'you  will 
point  out  to  them  such  measures  as  circumstance  may  render  expedient,  and  you  will 
place  every  obstruction  in  the  way  of  the  capture  of  the  town  by  the  rebels." 

This  was  not  neutrality.  Lord  John  Eussell  was  being  hurried 
on  by  Hope,  but  hurried  on  unwillingly  ;  for,  commenting  on  the 
"  every  obstruction  "  policy  of  the  Vice-Admiral,  Lord  John,  writing 
to  Bruce,  said  : — 

"  I  have  caused  the  Admiralty  to  be  informed,  in  reply,  that  I  am  of  opinion  that 
Vice-Admiral  Hope's  measures  should  be  approved.  .  .  .  You  will  understand,  how- 
ever, that  Her  Majesty's  government  do  not  wish  force  to  be  used  against  the  rebels  in 
any  case,  except  for  the  actual  protection  of  the  lives  and  property  of  British  subjects." 

Captain  Dew,  in  pursuance  of  instructions,  proceeded  on  May  24th 
in  the  gunboat  Flamer,  Lieutenant  Henry  Maynard  Bingham,  to 
convey  Hope's  ultimatum  to  the  rebels  in  the  vicinity  of  Ningpo. 
They  were  not  to  approach  within  two  days'  march  of  Ningpo  upon 
penalty  of  coming  into  hostile  contact  with  British  forces.  Dew, 
being  unable  to  reach  the  rebel  positions  in  the  gunboat,  put  his 
little  party  into  pulling  boats.  Upon  reaching  a  town  which  was 
occupied  by  the  Ti-pings,  he  noticed  a  discharge  of  gingals  from  the 
walls,  though  whether  directed  against  him  is  doubtful ;  and  he 
withdrew,  after  having  left  Hope's  communication  in  a  cleft  bamboo 
stuck  into  the  ground  before  the  place.  If  there  was  any  firing  at 

VOL.    VII.  M 


162     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

the  party,  it  was  probably  tbe  work  of  some  ignorant  underling 
or  the  result  of  mistake ;  for  when,  on  June  llth,  with  the 
Encounter  and  Flamer,  Dew  took  another  copy  of  the  ultimatum  to 
Chapoo,  which  had  been  occupied  by  the  Ti-pings,  and  landed  with 
it  under  a  flag  of  truce,  he  was  not  fired  at ;  and  the  local  com- 
mandant went  out  and  received  the  letter  in  person.  The  document, 
dated  "  Encounter,  June  llth,"  says  nothing  about  any  hostile  act 
having  been  committed  on  May  24th;  and  therefore  it  may  be 
assumed  that  whatever  occurred  on  that  day  was  officially  regarded 
as  not  calling  for  an  apology. 

The  Ti-pings,  be  it  remembered,  were  under  no  undertaking  not 
to  occupy  Ningpo.  The  British,  however,  were  under  an  under- 
taking to  be  neutral.  Yet  almost  while  Lord  John  Eussell,  writing 
on  August  8thl  to  Mr.  Bruce,  said  that  the  desire  of  the  government 
was  to  remain  neutral  as  before,  and  to  "  abstain  from  all  inter- 
ference in  the  civil  war,"  Captain  Dew  was  assisting  the  Imperialists 
with  plans  for  the  defence  of  Ningpo,  and  fitting  twelve  heavy  guns 
with  carriages  to  mount  on  the  walls.  It  is  not  astonishing  that 
Mr.  Bruce  thought  that 

"  Captain  Dew  had  gone  farther  than  he  was  strictly  warranted  in  doing  in  his  desire 
to  save  the  city  of  Ningpo." 2 

In  June,  moreover,  Captain  Dew  appeared  in  the  Flamer  off  the 
Ti-ping  town  of  Loochee,  some  distance  up  the  AVong-poo  river, 
and  demanded  the  restitution  of  some  boats  and  silk  which  had 
been  detained  for  non-payment  of  duty  at  a  time  when  duty  was 
being  paid  as  a  matter  of  course  at  the  same  station  by  many 
European  traders.  It  could  not  be  contended  that  the  Ti-ping 
occupation  had  injured  the  silk  trade,  duty  or  no  duty ;  for  Mr. 
Bruce  himself,  in  a  dispatch  to  Lord  John  Russell  said  that  the 
export  from  June,  1860,  to  June,  1861,  had  been  85,000  bales ; 
and  that  was,  with  one  exception,  the  largest  annual  export  ever 
then  known. 

By  November,  the  only  places  in  the  Chekiang  and  Kiangsu 
provinces  south  of  the  Yang-tse-kiang  not  held  by  the  Ti-pings  were 
the  treaty  ports  of  Shanghai,  Chinkiang,  and  Ningpo.  Those 
places  were  strongholds  of  the  Imperialists  ;  and  the  rebels  were 
bound  by  all  the  principles  of  strategy  either  to  complete  their 
conquest  of  the  provinces,  or  criminally  to  leave  their  cause  in  a 

1  Blue  Book  on  China,  p.  46.  2  Blue  Book  on  China,  pp.  50,  64. 


1861.]  PROGRESS   OF   THE   TI-P1NQS.  163 

position  of  great  danger  and  peril.  In  spite,  therefore,  of  Sir 
James  Hope's  communications,  they  approached  Ningpo  ;  whereupon 
the  British  and  American  Consuls,  with  Lieutenant  Henry  Huxham, 
commanding  H.M.S.  Kestrel,  and  a  French  naval  officer,  proceeded 
on  November  28th  to  the  Ti-ping  headquarters,  and  verbally 
informed  the  leaders 

"  That  the  undersigned  take  no  part  in  this  civil  contest,  but  that  they  claim  exemp- 
tion from  injury  and  annoyance  at  the  hands  of  both  parties." 

Hwang,  the  Ti-ping  general,  agreed  with  the  principle  thus 
laid  down,  assured  the  Consuls  of  his  desire  to  keep  well  with 
foreigners,  and  promised  to  behead  any  of  his  followers  who  should 
offer  them  annoyance.  On  December  2nd  the  Consuls  visited 
another  Ti-ping  general,  Fang,  who  was  advancing  from  a  different 
direction.  They  endeavoured  to  dissuade  him  from  capturing  the 
place,  chiefly  on  the  ground  of  the  difficulty  of  keeping  order 
afterwards.  Fang  replied  that  he  could  not  allow  Ningpo  to  remain 
in  the  hands  of  the  Imperialists  ;  but,  at  the  wish  of  the  Consuls, 
he  consented  to  postpone  the  attack  for  a  week.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  period,  the  Ti-pings,  on  December  9th,  1861,  took  Ningpo, 
after  it  had  offered  a  feeble  resistance  for  about  an  hour,  the 
Imperialists  then  fleeing.  Hope,  in  his  account  of  the  affair, 
admits  that — 

"  everything  had  been  done  to  assist  the  Imperialists  in  the  defence  of  the  town,  except 
the  use  of  force  in  their  favour;  and  their  Lordships  will  not  fail  to  observe  how 
utterly  useless  such  measures  proved,  in  consequence  of  the  cowardice  and  imbecility 
of  the  mandarins.  .  .  .  The  behaviour  of  the  rebels  has  been  good  hitherto ;  and  they 
profess  a  strong  desire  to  remain  on  good  terms  with  foreigners." 

The  British  Consul,  writing  to  Lord  John  Kussell,  also  said  :— 

"  Up  to  the  present  time  there  has  been  no  slaughter,  or  massacre,  or  fires  within 
the  walls.  .  .  .  With  the  exception  of  a  few  men  killed,  and  a  certain  amount  of 
destruction  of  property,  the  rebels  have,  so  far,  conducted  themselves  with  wonderful 
moderation." 

A  few  days  afterwards,  Sir  James  Hope  proceeded  to  Nankin 
in  order,  if  possible,  to  obtain  from  the  Ti-ping  leaders  a  renewal 
of  their  promise  not  to  attack  Shanghai  for  one  year — that  is,  during 
the  course  of  1862.  This  they  declined  to  give,  partly  because 
they  considered  that  the  British  had  not  strictly  interpreted  their 
own  promise  to  prevent  the  Imperialists  from  using  Shanghai  as 
a  base  for  aggressive  purposes ;  partly  because  Shanghai  had 

M  2 


164     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

become  an  Imperial  arsenal  and  rallying  place ;  and  partly  because 
they  could  not  further  forego  their  rights  as  recognised 
belligerents. 

Upon  that  Sir  James  Hope,  through  Lieutenant  Henry  Maynard 
Bingham,  of  the  Eenard,  on  December  27th,  1861,  put  forward 
demands  which,  I  think,  can  have  been  formulated  only  with  an 
intention  of  finding  a  casus  belli.  He  alleged  that  certain  British 
subjects,  by  robberies  committed  in  territories  held  by  the  Ti-pings, 
had  suffered  a  loss  amounting  to  7563  taels,  1  mace,  and  7  can- 
dareens,  4800  dollars,  20  bales  of  silk,  and  2  muskets.  The  cash  value 
of  all  this  in  British  currency  may  have  been  as  much  as  ,£3500. 
He  further  demanded  that  junks  carrying  British  colours  should  be 
regarded  as  British  vessels,  no  matter  whether  British  or  foreign 
built,  and  should  be  allowed  to  pass  free  on  the  river  from 
examination  or  other  molestation.  He  went  on  to  declare  that 
the  Ti-ping  promise  that  troops  should  not  approach  within  100  li 
of  Shanghai  and  Woosung  had  not  been  faithfully  observed ;  and 
he  ended  by  requiring  that  no  Ti-ping  troops  should  go  within  100  li 
of  Kiukiang  and  Hankow,  and  that  Silver  Island,  the  residence 
of  the  British  Consul  at  Chinkiang-foo,  should  not  be  molested. 
The  general  tenor  of  the  reply1  of  the  Ti-ping  leaders  was  to 
the  effect  that  compliance  with  the  demands,  some  of  which  were 
new  and  of  a  distinctly  unfriendly  nature,  would  fetter  the  Ti-ping 
cause,  and  could  not,  therefore,  be  granted.  It  was  objected  that 
no  proofs  had  been  advanced  as  to  the  alleged  losses  by  British 
subjects,  or  that  such  losses  had  been  caused  by  the  Ti-pings ;  and 
that,  if  the  losses  had  taken  place,  the  British  ought  to  have 
complained  at  once  to  the  local  officers,  instead  of  waiting  many 
months  before  complaining  at  all.  It  was  also  pointed  out  that, 
if  the  British  flag  were  permitted  to  cover  non -British  vessels,  the 
Ti-pings  might  see  themselves  deprived  of  nearly  the  whole  of  their 
customs  revenue. 

Bingham,  by  Hope's  direction,  at  once  answered  with  a  threat 
to  use  force.  It  would  occupy  much  more  space  than  can  be 
afforded  here  were  I  to  follow  out  the  arguments  by  which  Sir  James 
persuaded  himself  that  it  was  his  duty  to  prevent  the  Ti-pings  from 
occupying  Shanghai ;  but  I  cannot  blind  myself  to  the  conclusion 
that,  had  not  Hope  desired  hostilities,  hostilities  could  very  easily 
and  honourably  have  been  avoided.  It  was  a  case,  and  a  case  not 

1  Jan.  1st,  1862. 


1862.]  CAPTURE   OF  CIIEPOO.  165 

altogether  creditable,  of  the  "prancing  pro-consul"  leading  his 
countrymen  into  devious  and  dangerous  paths  ere  they  realised 
whither  they  were  bound,  or  had  time  to  inquire  whether  or  not 
good  reasons  summoned  them.  There  is  a  proverb  that  adversity 
makes  us  acquainted  with  strange  bed-fellows.  A  forward  policy 
did  as  much  for  Hope.  Not  many  months  earlier,  Commander 
Nowell  Salmon,  in  Central  America,  had  seized  the  filibuster 
William  Walker,  and  handed  him  over  for  execution  to  the 
authorities  of  Honduras.  Sir  James  Hope  now  associated  himself 
with  William  Townsend  Ward,  who  had  been  one  of  Walker's 
lieutenants,  and  who,  still  a  filibuster,  happened  to  be,  in  1862, 
engaged  on  behalf  of  the  Chinese  Imperialists. 

On  February  21st,  1862,  Hope  began  operations  against  the 
rebels  by  landing  a  naval  brigade  of  350  men  and  a  6-pr.  rocket-tube, 
which,  with  about  600  disciplined  Chinese  under  Ward,  and  160 
French  seamen  under  the  French  .Rear-Admiral  Protet,  drove  the 
small  and  ill-armed  Ti-ping  garrison  from  the  village  of  Kaokiau, 
killing  more  than  100  of  them,  and  suffering  a  loss  of  only  1  French 
seaman  killed.  A  similarly  one-sided  engagement  took  place  on 
February  28th  at  Seadong ;  and  on  March  1st,  having  been 
reinforced  from  Shanghai,  the  allies  attacked  the  fortified  village 
of  Hsiautang,  near  Minghong,  about  twenty  miles  from  Shanghai. 
About  100  rebels  were  killed  and  300  taken  prisoners,  the  assailants 
not  losing  a  man.  On  April  4th  a  stockaded  camp  at  Wongkadzu, 
twelve  miles  from  Shanghai,  was  shelled  till  the  rebels  quitted  it. 
They  were  pursued,  and  about  600  of  them  were  killed,  while  the 
allies,  who  had  been  again  reinforced,  had  but  1  killed  and 
2  wounded.  On  April  5th  300  rebels  were  killed  at  the  capture  of 
Lukakong,  the  assailants  once  more  having  no  casualties.  They 
had,  however,  been  repulsed  on  the  previous  day,  and  Hope  himself 
had  been  slightly  wounded.  On  April  17th,  Chepoo,  a  village  seven 
miles  up  a  creek  running  into  the  Woosung  river,  twelve  miles 
above  Shanghai,  was  bombarded  and  rushed,  the  allies  having 
but  1  killed  and  2  wounded,  but  the  Ti-pings  suffering  a  loss 
estimated  at  900.  On  May  1st,  after  four  days'  operations,  the  city 
of  Kahding  was  taken,  the  European  allies  capturing  1000 
prisoners  and  killing  "  some  hundreds,"  while  their  Chinese 
colleague,  General  Lee,  cut  off  the  retreat  of  many  others  and 
"  destroyed  2500  of  the  enemy." :  These  operations  cost  the 
1  Staveley's  disp.  of  May  3rd. 


166     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

allies  not  more  than  five  or  six  people  wounded.  On  May  12th 
the  walled  city  of  Tsingpoo  was  escaladed.  About  2500  Ti-pings 
were  killed,  and  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  garrison  was  taken 
prisoners.  The  allies  here  had  but  2  killed  and  10  wounded, 
though  they  also  lost  an  artillery  officer  from  exposure  and 
over-exertion.  The  village  of  Najoor  was  taken  on  May  17th. 
This  capture  cost  the  life  of  the  French  Bear-Admiral  Protet  and 
the  wounding  of  15  other  British  and  French ;  but  the  Ti-pings  had 
500  killed.  On  May  20th  the  small  town  of  Cholin,  twenty-six 
miles  S.S.W.  of  Shanghai  and  two  miles  from  the  sea,  was 
bombarded  and  stormed.  Here  a  most  disgraceful  and  indiscriminate 
massacre  took  place,  even  women  and  children  not  being  spared.1 
About  3000  Chinese  perished.  The  allies  had  1  killed  and  4 
wounded.  Up  to  that  time  Sir  James  Hope  and  General  Staveley, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Shanghai,  had  met  only  ill-armed  Ti-pings. 
Upon  receipt  of  intelligence  that  the  Chung-wang,  with  a  large  and 
probably  a  more  formidably-equipped  army,  had  taken  the  field,  and 
invested  Kahding,  and  was  threatening  Tsingpoo,  they  returned 
to  the  treaty  port.  A  half-hearted  attempt  to  relieve  Kahding 
was  abandoned,  owing  to  the  immense  numbers  of  rebels  near  it ; 
but  the  only  loss  suffered  by  the  British  ere  they  retreated  was 
1  killed  and  4  wounded.  The  Naval  Brigade  employed  in  these 
various  affairs  was  drawn  mainly  from  the  Imperieuse,  51,  screw 
(flag),  Captain  George  Ommanney  Willes,  C.B. ;  Pearl,  21,  screw, 
Captain  John  Borlase,  C.B.,  who  generally  commanded ;  and 
Vulcan,  6,  screw  trooper,  Commander  Augustus  Chetham  Strode. 

All  this  was  done  professedly  in  the  interests  of  European 
commerce.  It  would  hardly  have  been  done  had  the  merchants 
been  first  consulted.  Messrs.  Jardine,  Matheson  and  Co.,  in  their 
circular  of  February  27th,  complained,  not  of  what  had  been  done 
by  the  Ti-pings,  but  of  what  was  about  to  be  done  by  the  allies. 
They  wrote : — 

"  The  policy  the  allied  commanders  are  adopting  will,  it  is  feared,  lead  to  disastrous 
consequences.  .  .  .  Our  interests  call  for  a  strict  neutrality;  but,  so  far  from  this 
course  being  pursued,  our  last  advices  report  a  combined  expedition  of  English  and 
French  marines  and  sailors,  in  conjunction  with  a  force  of  Imperialists,  commanded  in 
person  by  their  respective  admirals,  against  a  body  of  some  6000  rebels  which,  of 
course,  they  defeated  with  great  slaughter." 

1  Overland  Trade  Report,  June  10th.  See  also  North  China  Herald.  The  French, 
announcing  that  they  were  avenging  Protet,  were  the  worst  offenders. 


1862.]  DEW  AT  NINGPO.  167 

Nor,  after  he  had  begun  hostilities,  was  Sir  James  Hope 
consistent.  He  grounded  his  action  on  the  possibility  that  the 
advancing  Ti-pings  might  destroy  supplies.  After  describing  his 
operations,  he  said  : — 

"All  these  camps,  which  contained  large  quantities  of  rice  collected  from  the  sur- 
rounding country,  were  burnt,  and  the  grain  destroyed." 

Moreover,  only  a  few  days  before  the  attack  on  Wongkadzu, 
the  Flamer  destroyed  a  flotilla  of  300  Ti-ping  boats  "  deeply  laden 
with  rice  and  live  stock." 

In  the  meantime  Ningpo  had  been  taken  by  the  rebels.  Mr. 
Consul  Harvey  reported  that  it  was  held  with  "wonderful 
moderation."  On  April  22nd,  during  certain  rejoicings  there,  some 
shots  were  fired  wildly  in  the  direction  of  the  foreign  settlement, 
and,  it  was  alleged,  killed  two  or  three  Chinese.  The  true  facts 
were  never  established ;  but  when  Commander  Eobert  George 
Craigie,  of  the  Eingdove,  4,  screw,  wrote  to  the  local  authorities 
on  the  subject,  he  received  a  civil  reply  and  a  promise  that  the 
offenders,  when  discovered,  should  be  severely  punished.  On  April 
29th  Captain  Eoderick  Dew,  in  the  Encounter,  arrived  off  Ningpo 
from  Shanghai.  On  the  27th  he  wrote  to  the  local  authorities, 
expressing  his  satisfaction  at  the  replies  and  promises,  and  added 
that,  in  consequence  of  their  nature — 

"  we  shall  not  insist  on  the  demolition  of  the  battery  at  the  point,  but  we  still 
do  that  you  remove  the  guns.  .  .  .  We  again  inform  you  that  it  is  the  earnest  wish 
of  our  chiefs  to  remain  neutral,  and  on  good  terms  with  you  at  Ningpo.  .  .  ." ' 

But  on  the  very  day  after  he  had  written  so  condonatory  an  epistle, 
he  addressed  the  local  authorities  with  a  demand  for  the  pulling 
down  of  the  battery  alluded  to,  and  for  the  removal  of  all  guns 
opposite  the  foreign  settlement.  After  professing  his  unwillingness 
to  be  obliged  to  resort  to  force,  and  his  desire  to  be  neutral  as 
between  the  rebels  and  the  Imperialists,  he  threatened  to  destroy 
the  battery  and  capture  Ningpo  if  his  demands  were  not  complied 
with  within  twenty-four  hours.  The  rebel  leaders  protested  that 
the  battery  was  designed,  not  to  injure  foreigners  but  to  defend 
the  city,  and  that  the  guns  had  the  same  object ;  whereupon 
Captain  Dew,  who  acted,  no  doubt  in  accordance  with  the  private 
instructions  of  Sir  James  Hope,  made  further  demands  in  a  letter 
of  May  2nd.  The  rebels,  on  the  3rd,  referred  to  the  explanations 
1  These  extracts  are  from  the  '  Further  Papers '  issued  in  August. 


168     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

which  had  been  already  tendered  and  accepted  as  satisfactory,  and, 
while  once  more  pointing  out  that  the  offending  guns  were  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  defence  of  the  position  against  the  Imperialists, 
went  so  far  as  to  offer  to  block  up  the  embrasures  of  certain 
pieces. 

Thus  matters  rested  for  a  day  or  two.  On  the  5th  Consul 
Harvey  heard  from  the  ex-governor  of  Ningpo  that  he  was  about 
to  attack  the  city  with  a  strong  force,  and  that  the  support  of 
the  British  and  French  admirals  was  solicited.  Harvey  communi- 
cated this  to  Captain  Dew,  who,  going  down  the  river,  saw  the 
ex-governor  and  the  leader  of  the  Imperial  fleet  which  was  to  take 
part  in  the  attack.  A  forward  policy,  as  we  have  seen,  had  made 
Hope  and  Protet  the  abettors  of  a  filibuster.  The  same  vicious 
system  now  made  Dew  the  accomplice  of  a  pirate  ;  for  the  leader  of 
the  Imperial  fleet  was  none  other  than  Apak,  a  notorious  freebooter, 
whom,  like  other  criminals  and  scoundrels,  the  Chinese  government 
did  not  hesitate  to  take  into  favour  and  to  employ  in  its  hour  of 
need.  Reporting  on  the  7th  to  Hope,  Dew  wrote : — 

"  I  told  them  that,  in  consequence  of  the  rebels  refusing  certain  demands  we  had 
made,  I  should  have  no  objection  to  their  pausing  up,  but  that  they  were  not  to  open 
fire  until  well  clear  of  our  men-of-war." 

In  consequence  of  Dew's  permission,  Apak  and  his  junks  passed 
up ;  and  on  May  9th  Consul  Harvey  reported  to  Mr.  Bruce  that 
the  Chinese  fleet  was  "lying  in  front  of  our  settlements,"  making 
preparations  for  an  assault  on  Ningpo.  Dew,  on  April  18th,  had 
written  to  the  Ti-ping  chiefs  that  he  would  "  not  even  allow  the 
foreign  settlement  to  harbour  the  Imperialists,"  provided  that  a 
battery  (which  on  the  27th  he  had  said  might  remain)  were  pulled 
down.  He  knew  that  the  place  could  not  be  defended  without  the 
battery ;  and  he  knew  that,  if  the  Imperialists  were  allowed  to 
place  themselves  opposite  the  foreign  settlement,  that  settlement 
might  be  said  to  "  harbour  the  Imperialists,"  since  the  Ti-pings 
could  not  then  defend  themselves  at  all  without  endangering  the 
settlement,  besides  endangering  the  European  men-of-war  which 
were  lying  beyond  it. 

Early  on  May  10th  the  Imperialists,  who  had  previously 
informed  Captain  Dew  and  Consul  Harvey  "  in  a  private  manner"  l 
of  their  intention,  began  to  attack  Ningpo,  advancing  from  the 

1  Harvey  to  Bruce,  May  9th. 


1862.]  CAPTURE    OF  NINOPO.  169 

direction  of  the  foreign  settlement,  and  then  manoeuvring  round 
and  round  the  British  and  French  vessels,  and  firing  when  in  such 
positions  as  prevented  the  Ti-pings  from  replying  without  im- 
perilling the  Europeans.  Dew  never  enforced  his  stipulation  that 
the  Imperialists  should  keep  clear  of  his  men-of-war ;  and,  in  his 
dispatch,1  he  was  so  disingenuous  as  to  say  nothing  of  the  methods 
whereby,  at  length,  the  Ti-pings  were  unwillingly  induced  to  fire 
in  a  direction  of  the  settlement  and  ships.  He  does  not  say,  as  is 
perfectly  true,  that  for  some  time  the  Ti-pings  did  not  reply  at  all ; 
and  that,  when  they  did  at  length  fire  in  self-defence,  they  began  by 
tiring  muskets  only,  deeming  that  they  had  less  control  over  the 
projectiles  from  their  heavy  guns.  What  he  does  say  in  his  letter 
to  Hope  is  : — 

"  You  are  aware,  Sir,  that  the  rebel  chiefs  had  been  informed  that  if  they  again 
fired  either  on  our  ships  or  in  the  direction  of  the  settlement,  we  should  deem  it  a  cams 
belli.  This  morning  at  10  A.M.,  the  Kestrel,  and  French  vessels  Etoile  and  Confucius 
were  fired  on  by  the  point  battery.  I  cleared  for  action  in  this  ship,  when  a  volley  of 
musketry  was  fired  on  us  from  the  bastion  abreast.  The  undermentioned  vessels,  viz., 
Encounter,  Ringdove?  Kestrel,3  and  Hardy*  with  the  Etoile  and  Confucius,  French 
gunboats,  now  opened  fire  with  shell  on  the  walls  and  batteries,  which  was  replied  to 
with  much  spirit  from  guns  and  small-arms.  .  .  ." 

It  must  be  admitted  that,  on  the  8th,  in  an  ultimatum  to  the 
Ti-pings,  he  had  written  :— 

"  We  now  inform  you  that  we  maintain  a  perfect  neutrality ;  but  if  you  fire  the 
guns  or  muskets  from  the  battery  or  walls  opposite  the  settlement  on  the  advancing 
Imperialists  (thereby  endangering  the  lives  of  our  men  and  people  in  the  foreign 
settlement),  we  shall  then  feel  it  our  duty  to  return  the  fire  and  bombard  the  city." 

It  was  equivalent  to  saying  :  "  We  are  neutral,  provided  that  you  do 
not  defend  yourselves." 

At  2  P.M.,  after  a  continuous  bombardment,  the  city  was 
stormed ;  and  at  5,  when  all  opposition  had  ceased,  the  ex-governor 
and  his  troops  landed,  and  received  charge  of  the  city  from  Captain 
Dew,  who  re-embarked  his  brigade.  The  rebels,  on  evacuating  the 
place,  left  behind  them  100  killed.  The  British  loss  was  3  killed 
and  '23  wounded. 

The  rebels  had  at  least  behaved  with  moderation  during  their 
occupation  of  Ningpo.  According  to  the  correspondence  of  the 
China  Mail  of  May  22nd,  the  pirates  who  supplanted  them 

1  To  Hope,  May  10th.  3  Lieut.  Henry  Huxham. 

2  Com.  llobert  George  Craigie.  4  Lieut.  Archibald  George  Bogle. 


170     MILITARY  HIS  TOE  Y   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

committed  the  most  revolting  atrocities  on  the  10th,  llth,  and 
12th.  The  Hongkong  Daily  Press  began  its  comments  on  the 
affair  by  saying :  "  There  never  was  a  falser,  more  unprovoked, 
or  more  unjustifiable  act  than  the  taking  of  Ningpo  by  the  allies 
from  the  Taipings."  The  Overland  Trade  Report  said :  "  So  much 
mystery  and  double-dealing  has  been  practised  by  the  allies  to 
wrest  this  port  from  the  Taipings,  and  so  little  regard  for  veracity 
pervades  the  official  dispatches  regarding  their  doings,  that  the 
truth  is  most  difficult  to  arrive  at,  and  has  certainly  never  yet 
been  published.  .  .  .  The  mode  of  accomplishing  this  design 
reflects  indelible  disgrace  on  British  prestige.  .  .  ." 

It  has  been  mentioned  that,  upon  learning  that  the  Chung- 
wang  had  collected  a  huge  army  for  the  recovery  of  his  posts 
near  Shanghai,  Sir  James  Hope  and  General  Staveley  withdrew  to 
that  city.  The  only  place  of  importance  which  they  continued  to 
hold  beyond  its  immediate  precincts  was  Soongkong,  which  they 
garrisoned  in  conjunction  with  some  of  Ward's  disciplined  Chinese. 
The  rebels  made  a  determined  effort  at  daylight  on  May  30th,  1862, 
to  carry  Soongkong  by  storm,  but  were  bloodily  repulsed,  mainly 
by  the  instrumentality  of  a  detachment  from  the  Centaur,  6,  paddle, 
Commander  John  Eglinton  Montgomerie.  On  June  2nd,  however, 
the  Ti-pings  won  a  small  success  outside  the  town,  driving  a  body 
of  Imperialists  from  a  stockade,  and  capturing  a  gig  belonging  to 
the  Centaur,  and  a  number  of  Chinese  gunboats  in  a  neighbouring 
creek.  By  means  of  a  sortie,  the  gig  and  some  of  the  gunboats 
were  retaken  by  the  British  and  Ward's  Chinese ;  and  it  is 
noteworthy  that,  in  spite  of  what  had  happened  at  Ningpo  and 
elsewhere,  the  gig's  crew,  and  other  Europeans  who  were  taken  in 
the  gunboats,  were  not  harmed  during  the  time  when  they  remained 
in  Ti-ping  hands.  Other  Europeans,  including  one  Forrester,  a 
filibuster  friend  of  Ward,  were  liberated  after  the  recapture  of 
Tsingpoo  by  the  Ti-pings  on  June  10th,  although  European 
advisers  of  the  Chung-wang  advocated  the  wisdom  of  retaining 
the  prisoners  as  hostages. 

Sir  James  Hope  raised  the  siege  of  Soongkong  by  despatching 
thither  reinforcements  under  Captain  John  Borlase,  C.B. ;  where- 
upon the  Chung-wang,  with  the  bulk  of  his  army,  withdrew  to 
Nankin. 

At  about  that  time  the  Imperial  government  at  Pekin  was 
warned  from  London  that  Great  Britain  would  "  not  go  on 


1862.]  SBEBABD    OSBOBN'S   CHINESE  FLEET.  171 

protecting  Shanghai  for  ever,1  and  was  encouraged  to  procure 
foreign  ships  and  foreign  officers  for  the  purpose.  Captain  Sherard 
Osborn,  C.B.,  B.N.,  was  induced  to  engage  himself  as  admiral;  and 
the  British  government,  suspending  the  Foreign  Enlistment  Act, 
passed  an  Order  in  Council2  on  August  30th,  which  authorised 
the  fitting  out  and  manning  of  vessels  of  war  for  the  service  of 
the  Emperor  of  China.  Vessels  were  accordingly  fitted  out  in 
England ; 3  and  they  proceeded  to  China ;  but  the  entire  arrange- 
ment, entered  into  by  Prince  Kung  in  an  unofficial  capacity,  was 
disavowed  by  the  Emperor  and  his  advisers  when  the  flotilla 
reached  what  was  to  have  been  the  scene  of  its  operations.  The 
Imperialists  were  willing  even  then  to  take  over  the  flotilla, 
provided  it  should  be  placed  under  the  control  of  the  provincial 
authorities ;  but  to  such  a  course  Captain  Osborn  refused  to  agree ; 
and  ultimately  he  returned  to  England,  the  vessels  also  returning,  or 
being  sold.  During  the  brief  stay  of  the  flotilla  in  Chinese  waters, 
some  of  the  officers  and  men  belonging  to  it  behaved  in  such  a 
fashion  that  there  was  a  general  sense  of  relief  among  the  European 

1  See  China  Blue  Book,  1863,  pp.  13,  67  ;  and  Lay, '  Our  Interests  in  China.' 

2  Gazette,  Sept.  2nd,  1862. 

3  The  vessels  which  went  out  from  England  to  join  this  extraordinary  force  (others 
were  procured,  and  armed  and  manned  in  China),  and  the  officers  of  the  Royal  Navy 
who  found  employment  in  them,  were  as  set  forth  below.     Other  officers  were  taken 
from  the  Indian  Navy  and  from  the  mercantile  marine : — 

Keangsoo  (flag),  wooden,  paddle,  1000  tons,  300  H.P.  nom.  (built  at  Southampton, 

1862-63,  for  the  Chinese  service)  : 
Com.  Charles  Stuart  Forbes  (capt.) ;    Sub-Lieut.  Francis   Charles  Vincent 

(lieut.) ; 

Surg.  John  Elliott  (surg.-in-chief). 
Kwangtung,  iron,  paddle,  522  tons,  150  H.P.  nom.  (built  by  Messrs.  Laird,  1862-63, 

for  the  Chinese  service) : 
Lieut.  William  Allen  Young,  K.N.R.  (com.) ;  Lieut.  Charles  Edward  Burlton 

(lieut.) 
Tientsin,  iron,  screw,  445  tons,  80  H.P.  nom.  (built  by  Messrs.  Laird,  1862,  for 

the  Chinese  service)  : 

ex-Corn.  Beville  Granville  Wyndham  Nicolas  (capt.). 
Pekin  (ex-H.M.S.  Mohawk),  screw  sloop : 

Capt.  Hugh  Talbot  Burgoyne,  V.C.  (capt.) ;  Lieut.  Henry  Mortlock  Omnianuey 

(lieut.) ;  Asst.-Surg.  Frederick  Piercy  (surg.). 
Anoy  (ex-H.M.S.  Jasper),  screw  gun-vessel : 

Lieut.  Arthur  Salwey(com.);  Sec.-Master  Alfred  Frederick  Pearce  (sub-lieut.) 
China  (ex-H.M.S.  Africa),  screw  sloop : 

Lieut.  Noel  Osborn  (com.)  ;  Lieut.  George  Morice  (lieut.)  ;  Asst.-Surg.  Henry 

Fegan  (surg.). 

Thule,  purchased  screw  schooner  ;  tender  to  Keangsoo. 
Ballarat,  purchased  steam  store-ship : 

Master  Stephen  J.  W.  Moriarty  (com.). 


172     MILITARY  HISTOMY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

residents  upon  its  departure.  The  disappearance  of  the  "Vampires," 
as  they  were  called,  probably  saved  some  of  them  from  having  to 
meet  charges  of  piracy ;  for  they  had  no  commission  whatsoever. 

In  the  meantime,  Captain  Dew,1  of  the  Encounter,  being  left 
a  nearly  free  hand  in  the  vicinity  of  Ningpo,  associated  himself  with 
Ward,  a  Franco-Chinese  force,  and  the  Imperialists,  and,  aided  by 
the  British  gunboat  Hardy,  and  the  French  gunboat  Confucius, 
conducted  with  varying  fortunes  a  bloody  campaign  in  the  district 
comprising  Tsekie,  Yuyaou,  Fungwha,  and  Shousing. 

Shousing  is  more  than  a   hundred   miles   from   Ningpo — quite 
outside  the  radius,  that  is  to  say,  of  any  operations  ever  contem- 
plated by  Hope  and  Bruce,  when  they  determined  to  keep  clear 
a  certain   region   round  the  treaty  ports;    so  that  when,  early  in 
1863,  after  the  Imperialists,  with  their  Anglo-Chinese  and  Franco- 
Chinese  allies,  had  been  badly  defeated  before  that  town,  and  Dew 
went  to  the  spot  with  a  68-pr.,  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Edward 
Charles  Tinling,  the  Captain  of  the  Encounter  was  at  length  checked 
by  his  superiors.     The  fact  that  Tinling,  a  young  officer  who  had 
been  promoted  for  his  gallantry  at  Ningpo,  was  mortally  wounded 
in   the   course   of   another  vain  attempt   to  storm  the  city,  called 
attention   to   the  loose   and    semi-piratical   manner   in   which   the 
war   was   being   conducted;    and  Bear-Admiral  Augustus  Leopold 
Kuper,  C.B.,2  who,  at  the  end  of  the  previous  October,  had  relieved 
Sir    James    Hope    as    Commander -in-  Chief,    was,    perhaps,    less 
tolerant    of    such    excesses    than    his    capable   but    too   truculent 
predecessor  had  been.     There  was  at  once  an  outcry,  in  England 
as  well  as  in  China,  in  Parliament  as  well  as  in  the  street ;  and,  by 
direction  of  the  Admiralty,  Captain  Dew  was  at  length  informed 
officially  that  he  had  exceeded  his  instructions.     It  was  high  time. 
Not  only  in  China  had  Great  Britain  been  venturing  upon  paths 
which,  with  more  honour,  might  have  been  avoided.      The  same 
newspapers  which  chronicled  the  doings  of  Dew,  and  the  fitting 
out   of  the  Anglo-Chinese  flotilla   under  Captain   Sherard  Osborn, 
recorded  the  operations  of  the  Confederate  cruisers,  which  would 
have  never  harried  the  Federal  trade  at  sea  had  Lord  Palmerston, 
Lord  John  Bussell,  and  Mr.  Gladstone  been  thoroughly  scrupulous 
in  their  interpretation  of  the  word  "  neutrality." 

The  Navy  was  concerned  in  yet  one  more  operation  against  the 
Ti-pings  ere  Sir  James  Hope  handed  over  his  command  to  Kear- 
'  C-B-'  AuS-  26th,  1862.  2  Apptd.  Feb.  8th,  1862. 


1862.]  STORMING    OF  KAIWING.  .  173 

Admiral  Kuper.  In  October,  1862,  the  Imperialists  informed 
General  Staveley  that  if  he  would  recapture  Kahding  for  them, 
they  would  place  a  garrison  in  it.  The  town  was  accordingly  bom- 
barded for  two  hours  on  October  24th,  and  then  taken  by  storm 
by  a  force  made  up  of  the  disciplined  Chinese,  who,  since  Ward's 
death,  were  commanded  by  an  American  named  Burgevine  ;  some 
French  troops,  some  more  Chinese,  under  Lieutenant  Kingsley,  E.A., 
and  Lieutenant  Crane,  E.A.,  and  a  Naval  Brigade,  composed  of 
570  officers  and  men  from  the  ImpSrieuse,  Euryalus,  Pearl,  Vulcan, 
Starling,  and  Havock,  under  Captain  John  Borlase,  C.B.  The 
brigade  lost  11  men  wounded,  one  mortally.  General  Staveley,  in 
his  dispatch,  mentioned  with  approval  the  names  of  Commander 
Augustus  Chetham  Strode,  of  the  Vulcan,  and  Lieutenant  John 
Frederick  George  Grant,  of  the  same  ship  ;  and  among  others  who 
were  employed  on  the  occasion  were  Lieutenants  Arthur  Hart 
Gurney  Eichardson,  Edward  Hobart  Seymour  (who  will  be  heard 
of  again  in  connection  with  operations  in  China),  Henry  Holford 


1.    H   '    i  f 


VICE-ADMIRAL   SIB   EDWARD    HOBART   SEYMOUR,    G.C.B. 

Washington,  Duncan  George  Davidson,  Horace  William  Eochfort, 
John  Hamilton  Colt,  James  Edward  Hunter,  Eobert  Peel  Dennis- 
toun,  John  Gabriel  Yarwood  Holbrook,  Herbert  Price  Knevitt, 
George  Henry  Barnard,  and  George  Poole  ;  together  with  Captains 
John  Yate  Holland,  E.M.,  and  Ebenezer  Tristram  Thomas  Jones, 
E.M.,  and  Lieutenant  William  Stewart,  E.M.A.  The  rebels  are 
said  to  have  had  1500  killed  and  wounded,  while  the  Imperialists 
and  allies  had  but  34  casualties  in  all.  The  place  was  at  once 
handed  over  to  Burgevine,  who  stained  his  success  by  ordering 
many  of  the  700  prisoners  who  fell  into  his  hands  to  be  blown 
from  guns.  It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  Burgevine  was  soon 
afterwards  deposed  from  his  command  by  his  Chinese  superiors,  in 
consequence  not  of  this  but  of  other  offences,  and  his  place  given 
to  Captain  Holland,  E.M.,  aforesaid.  In  his  hands  the  disciplined 
Chinese  force  did  not  prosper  ;  and,  upon  his  resignation,  it  was 
taken  charge  of  by  Major  Charles  George  Gordon,  E.E.,  who, 
engaged  in  a  less  questionable  cause,  perished  heroically  at 
Khartoum  in  1885. 

From   the   time   of   Eear-Admiral   Kuper's   assumption   of    the 


174     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

command  in  Chinese  waters,  the  active  and  systematic  employ- 
ment of  the  Navy  on  behalf  of  the  corrupt  and  unworthy 
government  at  Pekin,  and  against  rebels  who,  according  to  their 
lights,  were  struggling  for  reformation,  came  to  an  end. 

During  the  operations  against  the  Ti-pings,  the  hunting  down 
of  Chinese  pirates  continued,  among  the  officers  most  active  and 
successful  in  the  work  being  Commander  John  Moresby,  of  the 
Snake,  4,  screw,  who  captured  or  destroyed  fourteen  craft  belonging 
to  these  freebooters.  The  Pearl,  21,  screw,  Captain  John  Bor- 
lase,  C.B.,  was  conspicuous  in  the  same  kind  of  service,  especially 
in  May  and  June,  1861.  The  Cockchafer,  2,  screw,  Lieutenant 
Henry  Lowe  Holder,  also  distinguished  herself.  The  scene  of 
operations  was,  for  the  most  part,  off  the  coast  of  the  province  of 
Kwangtung. 

A  renewal  of  the  disputes  over  land-titles  produced  another  native 
outbreak  in  the  North  Island  of  New  Zealand  early  in  1860,  the 
scene  of  hostilities  being  the  neighbourhood  of  Taranaki,  and  the 
native  leader  being  William  King,  the  chief  of  the  local  tribe.  A 
force,  including  two  companies  of  the  65th  Eegiment,  was  sent  to 
the  spot,  whither  also  the  Niger,  13,  screw,  Captain  Peter  Cracroft, 
proceeded.  A  landing  was  effected  at  Waitara,  on  March  5th,  no 
resistance  being  offered ;  and,  on  the  following  day,  the  ship  was 
about  to  proceed  to  New  Plymouth,  when  signals  were  made  to 
her  to  the  effect  that  the  enemy,  during  the  darkness,  had  built  a 
stockade,  which  threatened  to  cut  off  the  communication  of  the 
troops  with  their  land  base.  King,  however,  eventually  abandoned 
this  stockade  without  fighting.  On  the  17th  he  was  discovered  to 
have  erected  another  pah,  which  he  resolutely  defended,  until  a 
bombardment  obliged  him  to  quit  it  also.  In  the  meantime,  the 
Niger  had  gone  to  Auckland  for  supplies,  leaving  only  a  few  of  her 
people  to  assist  the  troops.  On  the  26th  William  King  murdered 
three  men  and  two  boys,  and  boasted  that  he  would  drive  the 
Europeans  into  the  sea.  On  the  28th,  therefore,  by  which  day  the 
Niger  had  returned,  the  naval  detachment  on  shore  accompanied 
the  troops  into  the  country  to  bring  into  town  some  settlers  who 
lived  in  exposed  and  outlying  places;  and  Cracroft,  at  the  desire  of 
Governor  Gore  Browne,  landed  further  officers  and  men  to  hold 
the  town  during  the  absence  of  the  expedition.  He  disembarked  in 
person,  with  sixty  seamen  and  Marines. 

The  rescuing  force  had  not  advanced  more  than  four  miles  when 


I860.]  CRAOBOFT  AT  OMATA.  175 

it  found  itself  warmly  engaged  with  a  strongly-posted  body  of  the 
enemy.  Word  was  sent  back  for  reinforcements,  and  Cracroft  went 
at  once  to  the  front  with  his  men  and  a  24-pr.  rocket-tube.  King 
occupied  a  pah  at  Omata  on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  and  had  severely 
handled  the  British  force  ere  Cracroft's  arrival ;  and  of  the  small 
naval  contingent,  the  leader,  Lieutenant  William  Hans  Blake,  had 
been  dangerously  wounded,  and  a  Marine  killed.  Cracroft  deter- 
mined to  storm  the  pah,  and,  addressing  his  men,  pointed  to  the 
rebel  flag,  and  promised  £10  to  the  man  who  should  haul  it  down. 


f3/! flT  Of  THE    NoffTH  /SLAMD  y    NtW     ZEALAND 

fa  iUustrafe  tfie  operations  of  tfte  War  of /86O-/864-. 


He  then  moved  to  within  800  yards,  and  opened  fire  from  his  rocket- 
tube,  which,  however,  made  no  impression.  It  was  then  nearly 
dark,  and  Colonel  Murray,  who  led  the  military  force,  announced 
his  intention  of  retreating  to  the  town,  whither  he  had  been  ordered 
to  return  by  sunset,  and  advised  Cracroft  to  do  the  same.  "  I 
purpose  to  take  that  pah  first,"  said  the  Captain.  The  visible  with- 
drawal of  the  troops  from  the  front  of  the  position  probably  had  the 
effect  of  rendering  the  enemy  more  careless  than  he  might  otherwise 
have  been  to  what  was  going  on  on  his  flank.  The  result  was  that 
Cracroft  managed  to  get  close  up  to  an  outlying  body  of  natives 


176    MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

b'efore  his  presence  was  detected.  Within  60  yards  of  the  enemy  he 
gave  the  word  to  double.  "With  a  volley  and  a  cheer  the  men  were 
instantly  in  the  midst  of  the  rebels,  who,  after  a  brave  resistance, 
took  refuge  in  the  pah  behind  them,  or  escaped.  The  seamen  and 
Marines  rushed  onwards,  met  tomahawk  with  bayonet,  and  soon 
annihilated  all  resistance.  Cracroft,  who  had  not  force  enough  to 
hold  the  position  with,  returned  leisurely  with  his  wounded,  who 
were  not  numerous,  and  was  not  molested.  On  the  following  day, 
the  enemy  retired  to  the  southward,  having  lost  very  heavily.1  It 
should  be  added  that  William  Odgers,  seaman,  who  was  the  first 
man  inside  the  pah,  and  who  pulled  down  the  enemy's  flag,  was 
awarded  the  Victoria  Cross.2 

Hostilities  continued.  On  June  23rd  a  reconnoitring  party  of 
troops  was  fired  at  near  Waitara;  and,  in  consequence,  an  attack, 
with  insufficient  force,3  was  made  on  a  strong  rebel  pah  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  on  June  26th,  in  the  early  morning.  Part 
of  the  40th  Eegiment,  some  Eoyal  Engineers,  and  a  small  Naval 
Brigade  under  Commodore  Frederick  Beauchamp  Paget  Seymour,  of 
the  Pelorus,  21,  screw,  were  engaged.  After  a  hot  fight,  lasting  for 
more  than  four  hours,  the  British  were  obliged  by  overwhelming 
forces  to  retreat,  after  having  lost  29  killed  and  33  wounded,  among 
the  latter  being  Seymour,  eight  seamen,  and  one  Marine.  Besides 
Seymour,  the  naval  officers  engaged  were  Lieutenant  Albert  Henry 
William  Battiscombe,  Midshipmen  Ernest  Bannister  Wadlow,  and 

—  Garnett,  and  Lieutenant  John  William  Henry  Chafyn  Grove 
Morris,  E.M.A." 

The  war  was  somewhat  more  actively  prosecuted  after  the  arrival 
on  the  scene  of  Major-General  T.  S.  Pratt,  who  won  an  initial 
success,  and  then,  on  December  29th,  with  troops,  guns,  and  138 
officers  and  men  from  the  ships,6  under  Commodore  Seymour,  en- 
trenched himself  at  Kairau,  opposite  the  strong  position  of  Matari- 
koriko,  which,  during  the  two  following  days,  he  obliged  the  enemy 
to  evacuate.  He  fought  the  action  entirely  with  cannon,  rifle,  and 
spade,  and,  not  unduly  exposing  his  men,  had  but  3  killed  and  21 
wounded.  After  this  success,  Pratt  adopted  the  practice  of  reducing 
the  successive  positions  of  his  opponents  by  means  of  regular 

1  Corr.  of  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  July  14th,  1860 ;  Fox,  '  War  in  New  Zealand,'  30. 

2  Gazette,  Aug.  2nd,  1860. 

3  Three  hundred  and  forty-seven  in  all.     The  natives  were  thrice  as  numerous. 

4  Taranaki  Herald,  June  30th,  1860.     Desps. 

6  Chiefly  from  the  Cordelia  and  Niger ;  and  from  colonial  steamer  Victoria. 


1863.]  BEGINNING    OF   THE  NEW  ZEALAND    WAR.  177 

approaches.  These  tactics  broke  up  the  rebel  combinations.  A  chief 
named  William  Thompson,  whose  tribe,  the  Waikato,  had  joined 
the  Taranaki  natives,  finally  proposed  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  and 
on  May  21st,  1861,  a  truce  was  arranged. 

Governor  Gore  Browne  had  mismanaged  matters;  and  he  would, 
almost  immediately,  have  provoked  a  new  outbreak  had  not  the 
home  Government,  realising  that  the  position  of  the  colony  was 
becoming  serious,  recalled  him  by  means  of  a  dispatch  which,  while 
otherwise  complimentary,  informed  him  that  he  was  superseded  by 
Sir  George  Grey,  who,  as  has  been  seen,  had  already  been  appointed 
governor  in  1845,  and  who  had  since  governed  the  Cape. 

Grey  seems  to  have  used  his  best  endeavours  to  pacify  the 
natives.  He  even  offered  to  submit  the  still  unsettled  land  questions 
to  arbitration  by  two  Europeans  and  four  Maoris,  three  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  him  and  three  by  the  natives.  This  was  refused.  Grey 
then  determined  to  abandon  the  disputed  territory  at  Waitara,  but 
to  insist  upon  the  restitution  of  the  district  of  Tataraimaka,  which 
had  been  seized  by  the  rebels  and  held  by  them  since  1861,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  there  was  no  doubt  whatsoever  of  the  validity  of  the 
purchase  of  it  in  1848  or  1849.  Unfortunately,  as  it  turned  out,  he 
sent  a  force  to  occupy  Tataraimaka,  without  simultaneously  pro- 
claiming his  intention  of  giving  up  Waitara.  The  resident  natives 
made  no  opposition,  but  sent  to  William  Thompson,  of  Waikato,  for 
orders.  He  and  the  other  leaders  of  the  King  party  decided  for  war ; 
and  the  Maoris  at  once  began  operations  by  falling  upon  a  small 
escort  party  on  May  4th,  1863,  and  murdering  two  officers  and  eight 
rank  and  file  of  Imperial  troops.  Grey  then  committed  a  worse 
mistake.  He  announced  hurriedly  that  Waitara  was  to  be  abandoned, 
thereby  encouraging  his  enemies,  and  sapping  the  attachment  of  his 
friends  among  the  natives  by  unwittingly  suggesting  that  he  was 
influenced  by  fear  and  the  consciousness  of  weakness.  A  few  weeks 
earlier,  Mr.  John  Eldon  Gorst,1  civil  commissioner  in  the  Waikato 
country,  who  had  established  a  newspaper  there  to  combat  the 
teachings  of  Kingism,  had  had  his  press  and  material  violently 
seized  by  the  partizans  of  the  King  paper,  Hokioi ;  and  the  timber 
ready  for  the  erection  of  a  court-house  and  barracks  in  lower  Waikato 
had  been  forcibly  taken  and  thrown  into  the  river,  while  Mr.  Gorst 
had  been  expelled  soon  afterwards.2 

Aware,  after  what  they  had  done,  that  they  were  committed  to  a 

1  Sol.-Genl.,  1885-86  ;  Und.-Sec.  for  India,  1886-91,  etc.  2  Fox,  43-60. 

VOL.   VII.  N 


178      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

serious  struggle,  the  natives  determined  to  invade  Auckland ;  and 
Grey,  getting  early  intelligence  of  their  intention,  decided  to  forestall 
matters  by  advancing  into  the  Maori  country.  The  senior  military 
officer,  Lieut.-General  D.  A.  Cameron,  C.B.,  who  was  at  New 
Plymouth,  endeavouring  to  punish  the  perpetrators  of  the  massacre, 
was  therefore  recalled  to  Auckland,  leaving  behind  him  only  enough 
troops  to  garrison  New  Plymouth  ;  and  the  available  British  forces 
were  soon  afterwards  concentrated  along  the  Waikato  river  and  the 
Maungatawhiri  creek,  the  boundary  between  the  settled  districts  and 
the  unsold  Maori  lands.  The  boundary  was  crossed  on  July  12th ; 
on  July  17th  a  small  British  detachment  was  defeated  between 
Queen's  Redoubt  and  Drury  ;  and  on  the  same  day  a  body  of  rebels 
was  driven  back  and  scattered  near  Koheroa  ;  but  then  there  ensued 
a  long  and  almost  inexplicable  period  of  comparative  inaction,  so 
far  as  the  army  was  concerned. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  the  Navy  made  itself  useful.  On 
June  4th,  1863,  the  Eclipse,  4,  screw,  Commander  Eichard  Charles 
Mayne,  co-operated  in  an  attack  which  was  made  by  the  garrison  of 
New  Plymouth  on  a  rebel  position  near  the  mouth  of  the  Katikara  ; 
and  on  the  night  of  August  1st,  a  detachment  from  the  Harrier,  17, 
screw,  Commander  Francis  AVilliam  Sullivan,  took  part  in  a  recon- 
naissance of  Paparoa  and  Haurake.  On  August  3rd,  Commander 
Sullivan,  in  the  lightly-armoured  colonial  steamer  Avon,  also  re- 
connoitred the  Waikato  river  above  Kohe-Hohe,  and,  for  about 
half  an  hour,  engaged  a  body  of  the  enemy  near  Merimeri.  On 
September  7th,  the  Harrier's  boats,  under  Sullivan's  direction, 
were  employed  to  convey  a  force  which  was  intended  to  support 
an  unfortunate  and  costly  raid  made  in  the  direction  of  Cameron 
Town. 

While  the  army,  under  Lieut.-General  Cameron,  was  getting 
ready  for  offensive  operations,  Commodore  Sir  William  Saltonstall 
Wiseman,  Bart.,  of  the  Curaqoa,  23,  screw,  who,  in  April,  had  been 
appointed  senior  officer  on  the  Australian  station,  concentrated  as 
large  a  proportion  as  possible  of  his  available  strength  in  New 
Zealand  waters,  and  himself  left  Sydney,  with  troops  on  board,  and 
one  or  two  vessels  in  company,  on  September  22nd,  arriving  at 
Auckland  on  October  2nd.  The  Curaqoa  herself  at  once  landed  232 
officers  and  men,  who  were  sent  up  country  to  the  support  of  the 
troops ;  and  she  remained  as  guardship  at  Auckland  under  Lieutenant 
Duke  Doughton  Yonge,  with  but  three  other  officers  and  90  men  in 


1863.]  OCCUPATION  OF  MEBIMEBI.  179 

her.  She  was  kept  ready  for  action  in  case  of  a  sudden  descent  of 
the  Maoris  on  the  town.  The  other  ships  which  then,  or  soon 
afterwards,  co-operated  with  the  senior  officer  in  New  Zealand 
waters  were  the — 

Miranda,  15,  screw      .          .         .      Captain  Robert  Jenkins 
Esk,  21,  screw     .         .•       -.  _       .      Captain  John  Fane  Charles  Hamilton 
Harrier,  17,  screw        .          .          .       Commander  Francis  William  Sullivan l 
Eclipse,  4,  screw  ....      Commander  Richard  Charles  Mayne 2 
Falcon,  17,  screw          .         .         ,      Commander  George  Henry  Parkin 
Besides  the  Pirmeer,  Avon,  Sandfly,  Corio,  and  other  colonial  vessels. 

Late  in  October,  General  Cameron  and  Commodore  Wiseman,  in 
the  colonial  steamer  Pioneer,  made  two  reconnaissances  up  the 
Waikato,  pushing,  on  the  31st,  as  far  as  Eangariri.  On  that 
occasion  they  passed  the  strong  Maori  position  at  Merimeri,  and, 
having  discovered  a  good  landing-place  about  six  miles  above  it,  it 
was  arranged  with  the  Commodore  to  embark  a  force  from  Queen's 
Eedoubt.  This  force,  in  the  colonial  steamers  Pioneer  and  Avon, 
with  four  lightly-plated  gunboats3  in  tow,  got  under  way  at  2.30  on 
the  morning  of  November  1st,  and  reached  the  landing-place  at  about 
6  A.M.  The  troops  disembarked  unopposed,  and  began  to  construct 
a  breastwork,  pending  the  arrival  of  further  forces.  In  the  after- 
noon, however,  the  natives  at  Merimeri,  seeing  that  their  position 
had  been  turned,  abandoned  their  works,  and  made  off  in  canoes  up 
the  Maramarua  and  Whangamarino  creeks.  Cameron  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  Merimeri,  and  occupied  it  with  a  force  which  included 
250  seamen  under  Commander  Mayne.  The  place  was  afterwards 
fortified. 

Between  November  16th  and  November  25th,  an  expedition, 
under  Captain  Jenkins  and  Colonel  G.  J.  Carey,  was  engaged  to  the 
northward,  and  up  the  Firth  of  Thames,  to  the  eastward  of  the 
country  occupied  by  the  enemy.  It  was  made  in  the  Miranda,  Esk, 
Sandfly,  and  Corio.  Although  it  took  possession  of  some  positions, 
and  so  accomplished  part  of  its  purpose,  it  did  not  come  into  actual 
collision  with  the  enemy,  and  was  therefore  unable  to  deal  any 
serious  blow.  The  Miranda  remained  for  a  time  in  the  Firth  of 

1  Capt.  Nov.  9th,  1863.     He  was  succeeded  by  Com.  Edward  Hay. 

2  After   Mayne's  disablement,  Lieut.  Henry  Joshua   Coddington   acted  until   the 
arrival  of  Com.  Edmund  Robert  Fremantle. 

3  These  gunboats,  named  Flirt,  Midge,  Chub  and  Ant,  were  originally  cargo  boats, 
and  were  thinly  armed  by  Capt.  Jenkins  at  Auckland,  and  then  transported  by  him 
overland,  via  Manakau,  to  the  Waikato. 

N   2> 


180      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Thames.1      During   the    absence   of  the   expedition   an   important 
success  was  won  on  the  Waikato. 

After  the  abandonment  of  Merimeri,  a  strong  force   of  rebels 
entrenched   themselves  at  Kangariri,  a  village   about  twelve   miles 
higher  up  the  river.     There,  on  November  20th,  General  Cameron, 
with  troops,  the  four  plated  gunboats,  and  a  Naval  Brigade  from  the 
Curagoa,  Miranda,  Harrier,  and  Eclipse,  under  Commodore  Wise- 
man, numbering  about  400  men,  attacked  them.      He  had  in  all 
about  1200  men,  while  the  Maoris  were  but  about  400 ;   but  the 
latter  had  the  advantage  of  a  strong  position,  though  it  was  one 
from  which  there  was  no  easy  way  of  retreat,  and  one,  too,  which 
required  a  much  larger  force  to  hold  it  properly.     The  two  divisions 
did   not  arrive  simultaneously  before  the  works.     One,  coming  by 
land,  threatened  the  front,  while  the  other,  brought  in  the  steamers, 
was  to  have  threatened  the  rear ;  but  part  of  the  latter  was  delayed 
by  the  strength  of  the  current.     For  an  hour  and  a  half  the  position 
was  bombarded,  and  then,  at  4.30  P.M.,  an  assault  was  ordered.    The 
Maoris  soon  concentrated  themselves  in  a  very  formidable  redoubt 
in  the  centre  of  their  lines,  and   bloodily  repulsed  four   separate 
attempts  to  carry  it — one  by  the  65th  Regiment,  one  by  a  party  of 
Eoyal  Artillerymen,   and  two   by  90  men   of   the  Naval  Brigade, 
gallantly  led  by  Commander  Mayne  and  Commander  Henry  Bourchier 
Phillimore.     It  was  then  nearly  dark.     An  attempt  on  the  part  of 
some  of  the  brave  defenders  to  get  away  across  Lake  Waikarei,  and 
a  swamp  on  their  right  flank,  was  partially  prevented  by  the  40th 
Eegiment,  and  a  detachment  of  the  Marines,  who,  having  by  that 
time  arrived  by  water,  had  moved  round  to  the  rear ;   but  it  was 
supposed  that  two  of  the  most  important  leaders,  King  Matutaere, 
and  William  Thompson,  escaped   ere  the  way  was  blocked.      The 
rest  were  trapped,  and,  although  they  kept  up  a  desultory  fire  during 
the   night,   they   surrendered    unconditionally   on   the   morning   of 
November  21st.     Those  who  thus   gave  themselves   up   numbered 
183  men  and  2  women.     The  others  had  fallen  or  had  escaped.     It 
had  been  a  magnificent  defence ;  and  the  success  was  a  very  costly 
one ;  for,  on  the  British  side,  36  were  killed  and  98  wounded,  many 
mortally.2    The  naval  casualties  were  5  killed,  including  Midshipman 

1  Wiseman  to  Admlty.,  Nov.  30th. 

2  The  British  tactics  at  Rangiriri  were  adversely  criticised  at  the  time.     The  enemy 
was  driven,  without  much  trouble  or  loss,  into  the  central  redoubt,  where  he  might 
have  been  either  approached  by  sapping,  or  starved   into   surrender,  if  he  had  not 
previously  succumbed  to  bombardment.     Instead,  he  was  stormed,  at  great  expendi- 


1863.]  CAPTURE   OF  RANOARfRI.  181 

Thomas  A.  Watkins  (Curagoa),  and  10  wounded,  including  Com- 
mander Mayne  l  (Eclipse),  and  Lieutenants  Edward  Downes  Panter 
Downes2  (Miranda),  Henry  M'Clintock  Alexander2  (Curaqoa),  and 
Charles  Frederick  Hotham  (Curaqoa).  After  the  surrender,  William 
Thompson,  with  a  small  party,  approached  the  place  with  a  white 
flag,  but,  having  parleyed,  withdrew  again,  not  being  able  to  make 
up  his  mind  to  submit.3 

In  addition  to  the  naval  officers  already  named,  the  following 
were  mentioned  in  the  dispatches :  Captain  Francis  William 
Sullivan  ;  Lieutenants  Charles  Hill,  and  William  Fletcher  Boughey  ; 
Acting-Lieutenant  Eobert  Frederick  Hammick,4  commanding  the 
small  gunboats  ;  Sub-Lieutenant  Frederic  John  Easther,  command- 
ing the  Avon ;  Midshipmen  Sydney  Augustus  Rowan  Hamilton, 
Frank  Elrington  Hudson,  and  Cecil  George  Foljambe  ;  Assistant 
Surgeons  Adam  Brunton  Messer,5  M.D.,  and  Duncan  Hilston,  M.D. ; 
and  ordinary  seaman  William  Fox  (Curaqoa). 

The  prisoners  were  temporarily  confined  on  board  the  Cttraqoa, 
at  Auckland. 

For  some  days  after  the  action,  the  flotilla  was  laboriously 
employed  in  bringing  up  supplies  toMerimeri,  Rangiriri,  and  Taupiri, 
to  which  last  the  General  advanced  on  December  3rd.  On  the  same 
day,  Commodore  Wiseman  and  Captain  Sullivan,  having  lightened 
the  Pioneer  by  removing  the  armoured  turrets  from  her,  pushed  on 
in  her  to  Kupa  Kupa  Island,  about  four  miles  ahead  of  the  troops. 
Immense  natural  difficulties  were  encountered,  but  no  enemy  was 
seen. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Maoris  were,  for  the  moment,  greatly 
disheartened ;  for,  on  December  8th,  without  further  resistance, 
General  Cameron  was  allowed  to  occupy  Ngaruawahia,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Hurutiu  and  Waipa  rivers,  which  together  form  the 
Waikato.  Ngaruawahia  was  an  important  political  centre,  as  it  had 
been  the  headquarters  of  Kingism,  the  burial  place  of  King  Potatau, 
and  the  capital  of  his  successor  Matutaere.  If  Sir  George  Grey  had 
seen  his  way  to  go  thither  to  negotiate,  as,  at  one  time,  he  intended, 
terms  might  then  have  been  arranged.  Instead,  he  wrote  to  the 


ture  of  life.     Fox  thinks  that  he  might  have  been  reduced,  with  little  or  no  loss,  in 
a  few  hours,  as  he  could  not  escape. 

1  Capt.,  Feb.  12th,  1864.  a  Corns.,  Feb.  12th,  1864. 

8  Wiseman's  disp.  of  Nov.  30th  ;  Cameron's  disp.  of  Nov.  24th ;  Fox,  80. 

4  Lieut.,  Feb.  12th,  1864.  5  Surg.,  Feb.  12th,  1864. 


382      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

natives  that  he  would  receive  a  deputation  from  them  at  Auckland. 
It  is,  however,  not  certain  that  William  Thompson-,  the  leading 
spirit,  then  really  desired  peace ;  for  no  reply  to  the  Governor's  letter 
was  ever  received.  Cameron  remained  for  some  time  at  Ngarua- 
wahia  to  collect  supplies,  but,  at  the  end  of  January,  moved  up  the 
Waipa,  and  arrived  before  Pikopiko  and  Paterangi,  two  posts  which 
were  very  strongly  fortified.  While  this  movement  was  in  progress, 
Lieutenant  William  Edward  Mitchell,  of  the  Esk,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  Avon,  was  fatally  wounded  by  a  chance  shot  from 
Maoris  in  ambush  on  the  river  bank.  He  was  only  two-and-twenty 
years  of  age.  Acting-Lieutenant  Frederic  John  Easther,  of  the 
Harrier,  succeeded  him  in  command  of  the  Avon. 

Before  the  Miranda  quitted  the  Firth  of  Thames,  all  the  posts 
between  that  estuary  and  Queen's  Eedoubt,  on  the  Waikato,  were 
taken  possession  of,  and  held  by  detachments  of  the  12th  and  70th 
Eegiments,  the  Waikato  militia,  or  the  Auckland  Naval  Volunteers, 
which  had  been  brought  round  with  the  expedition  commanded  by 
Captain  Jenkins.  On  January  20th,  1864,  with  troops  under  Colonel 
Carey,  of  the  18th  Eoyal  Irish,  Jenkins  weighed,  and  proceeded 
down  the  coast  to  Tauranga,  leaving  the  Esk  in  the  Thames.  The 
Miranda,  which  was  accompanied  by  the  Corio,  encountered  no 
resistance  on  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of  Plenty ;  and,  when  the  troops 
had  established  themselves  at  Te  Papa,  the  natives  at  first  supplied 
them  with  provisions,  though  afterwards  they  became  less  willing 
to  assist  them. 

At  that  time,  the  Curaqoa  was  at  Auckland,  while  most  of  her 
people,  under  the  Commodore,  were  serving  at  the  front ;  the  Harrier 
was  in  the  Thames  or  at  Manakau,  also  with  most  of  her  people  at 
the  front ;  and  the  Eclipse  was  in  the  Waikato,  with  a  detachment, 
under  Lieutenant  William  Fletcher  Boughey,  co-operating  with  the 
troops.  Sir  Duncan  Cameron  lay  for  some  weeks  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  native  strongholds  of  Pikopiko  and  Paterangi ;  but  on 
the  night  of  February  20th,  he  turned  those  positions  by  making  a 
sudden  flank  march  to  Awamutu.  The  formidable  works  on  the 
Waikato  were  instantly  evacuated  by  the  Maoris,  who  concentrated 
at  Eangioawhia,  where,  on  the  22nd,  they  were  defeated,  with  con- 
siderable loss  in  killed  and  prisoners.  The  majority  of  the  rebels  in 
what  are  now  Waikato,  Eaglan,  and  Waipa  counties  then  retired  to 
Maungatautari,  a  stronghold  on  the  Hurutiu.  During  these  opera- 
tions the  Navy  appears  to  have  suffered  no  loss ;  and  in  the  few 


1864.]  THE   GATE  PAIL  183 

succeeding  movements  which  terminated  what  has  been  called  the 
Waikato  campaign,  the  Navy  had  practically  no  share. 

In  April,  Sir  Duncan  Cameron  had  his  headquarters  at  Pukerimu, 
on  the  Hurutiu,  a  place  only  about  forty  miles  as  the  crow  would  fly, 
from  Tauranga,  on  the  east  coast.  Most  of  the  Tauranga  people 
had  been  engaged  in  the  actions  in  Waikato  ;  and  on  April  1st,  the 
Miranda,  lying  in  the  Bay,  had  been  obliged  to  disperse  a  number  of 
them  who  had  come  down  to  the  coast  in  a  threatening  manner. 
Lieut. -Colonel  Greer,  68th  Eegiment,  had  by  that  time  succeeded 
Colonel  Carey  in  command  at  Te  Papa  ;  and,  believing  his  position 
to  be  precarious,  he  asked  Sir  Duncan  Cameron  for  reinforcements. 
Cameron  not  only  sent  them,  but  also  went  himself  to  Tauranga,  and 
procured  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  squadron  in  conveying  thither 
a  part  of  the  troops.  The  landing  of  these  was  completed  on  April 
26th.  The  force  then  ashore  numbered  1695  of  all  ranks,  and  included 
429  officers  and  men  from  the  Curagoa,  Miranda,  Esk,  Eclipse,  and 
Falcon.  In  the  Bay  were  the  Miranda,  Esk,  and  Falcon,  together 
with  the  colonial  steamers  Sandfly,  Alexander,  and  Tauranga.  The 
troops  consisted  mainly  of  the  43rd,  68th,  and  70th  Eegiments,  some 
Eoyal  Engineers,  and  some  Eoyal  Artillery ;  and  the  guns  landed 
were :  one  110-pr.  Armstrong,  two  40-pr.  Armstrongs,  two  6-pr. 
Armstrongs,  two  24-pr.  field  howitzers,  two  8-in.  mortars,  and  six 
coehorn  mortars.  A  body  of  Maoris,  said  not  to  have  exceeded  300 
in  number,  and  alleged  by  themselves  not  to  have  exceeded  150,  had 
constructed  a  formidable  work  about  three  miles  from  Te  Papa,  on  a 
neck  of  land  which  on  each  side  fell  off  into  a  swamp.  It  is  known 
in  history  as  the  Gate  Pah.  On  the  highest  point  of  the  neck  was 
an  oblong  palisaded  redoubt ;  and  from  the  redoubt  to  the  swamps 
were  lines  of  rifle-pits.  The  rear  of  the  position  was  accessible, 
though  with  difficulty ;  and  across  it  Colonel  Greer,  with  the  68th 
Eegiment,  succeeded  in  posting  himself  on  the  night  of  April  28th,1 
while  a  feigned  attack  was  being  made  on  the  enemy's  front ;  and  he 
stationed  himself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cut  off  the  supply  of  water 
to  the  work,  and  also,  theoretically,  to  be  able  to  intercept  the  retreat 
of  the  garrison.  It  is  clear  that  the  rebels,  deprived  of  their  water, 
and  having  no  guns,  might  have  been  easily  reduced  without  any 
resort  on  the  part  of  Cameron  to  the  costly  and  disastrous  tactics 
which  he  chose  to  pursue. 

1  On  that  day  the  Falcon  had  shelled  the  enemy  out  of  a  position  at  Maketu,  and 
driven  them  along  the  beach  to  Otamarakau. 


184     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  guns  were  planted  in  four  positions  at  distances  varying 
from  800  to  100  yards  from  the  pah ;  and  soon  after  6.30  A.M.  on 
April  29th,  after  the  Maoris  had  fired  a  volley  at  the  British 
skirmishers,  the  guns  opened  simultaneously.  Sir  Duncan  Cameron 
reported  that  the  practice  was  excellent,  but  other  eye-witnesses 
have  declared  that  it  was  extremely  wild.  The  rebels  lay  low  in 
their  schanzes,  and  made  but  little  reply.  At  about  noon,  a  6-pr. 
gun  was  taken  across  the  swamp  on  the  enemy's  left,  and  hauled  on 
to  the  high  ground,  whence  it  enfiladed  the  rifle-pits  on  that  side 
and  presently  caused  their  abandonment.  The  latter  part  of  the 
bombardment  having  been  directed  chiefly  against  the  left  angle  of 
the  main  work,  the  fence  and  palisades  in  that  neighbourhood  were 
destroyed,  and  a  breach  was  effected  by  4  P.M.,  when  Cameron 
ordered  an  assault.  For  that  purpose,  150  seamen  and  Marines, 
under  Commander  Edward  Hay  of  the  Harrier,  and  an  equal  number 
of  the  43rd  Eegiment,  under  Lieut.-Colonel  Booth,  had  been  told  off. 
In  addition,  170  men  of  the  70th  Eegiment  had  been  directed  to 
extend,  keep  down  the  enemy's  fire  until  the  last  possible  moment, 
and  then  follow  the  assaulting  column  into  the  breach ;  while  the 
rest  of  the  seamen  and  Marines,  and  of  the  43rd,  were  to  bring  up 
the  rear  as  a  reserve. 

The  assaulting  column,  favoured  by  the  folds  of  the  ground, 
gained  the  breach  with  but  little  loss,  and  entered  the  works,  the 
68th,  from  the  rear  of  the  position,  closing  up  at  the  same  moment 
and  driving  back  the  Maoris,  who  were  already  attempting  to  bolt. 
Inside  the  pah  the  rebels  fought  with  desperation,  both  Hay  and 
Booth  being  mortally  wounded  soon  after  they  had  got  through 
the  breach.  But  the  place  would  have  been  carried  had  not  a 
panic,  which  Cameron  professed  himself  unable  to  explain,  seized 
the  assaulting  column,  or,  rather,  as  would  appear,  the  part  of  it 
belonging  to  the  43rd.  The  men  turned  round,  communicated  the 
contagion  to  their  fellows,  and  rushed  out  pell-mell,  shrieking, 
;<  There's  thousands  of  them  "  ;  and  in  an  instant  they  were  flying 
madly  back.  Captain  John  Fane  Charles  Hamilton,  of  the.E'sA-,  with 
the  reserve  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  pushed  up,  but  was  shot  dead  on 
the  top  of  the  parapet.  Nothing  could  be  done  to  stop  the  disgraceful 
retreat ;  and  the  rebels,  boldly  showing  themselves  and  firing  into 
the  backs  of  the  fugitives,  did  terrible  execution. 

The  force  was  at  length  rallied ;  but  Cameron  cared  not  to  renew 
the  assault.  Instead,  he  ordered  a  line  of  entrenchments  to  be 


1804.]  EVACUATION  OF  THE   GATE  PAH.  185 

thrown  up  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  pah,  intending  to  conduct 
further  operations  on  the  following  morning. 

The  night  of  the  29th  was  extremely  dark.  For  a  time  the 
rebels,  as  was  their  custom  in  such  circumstances,  howled  and 
shouted.  Suddenly  the  noises  ceased,  and  the  sound  of  firing  was 
heard  from  the  rear.  The  Maoris,  with  very  little  loss,  had  escaped 
through  the  lines  of  the  68th  ;  and  a  British  officer  who  crept  into 
the  pah  at  about  midnight  found  it  completely  evacuated,  save  by 
a  few  British  wounded,  who  had  not  been  maltreated.  Cameron, 
in  his  dispatch,  says  that  the  loss  of  the  natives  must  have  been 
very  heavy,  yet  admits  that  only  about  20  Maori  killed  and  6 
wounded  were  found  about  the  position.  Natives  afterwards 
estimated  their  total  loss  at  no  more  than  between  thirty  and  forty.1 

"Allowing,"  says  the  correspondent  of  the  Times,  "that  the 
best  way  of  taking  a  Maori  pah  is  to  storm  it  in  front,  everything 
was  done  that  skill  and  diligence  could  do  to  this  end."  The 
premise  can  hardly  be  admitted,  seeing  that  Cameron  had  means 
of  knowing  that  the  pah  was  waterless,  and  therefore  could  not  be 
held  by  the  enemy  for  many  hours ;  nor,  even  admitting  the  premise, 
can  the  conclusion  be  granted.  One  of  the  rules  of  war  is  that, 
when  a  force  of  given  strength  has  to  be  employed,  a  homogeneous 
force  is  better  than  a  mixed  one,  unless  it  be  necessary  to  utilise 
more  than  one  arm,  as,  for  example,  cavalry  and  infantry.  Another 
rule  is  to  employ  for  any  given  service  the  force  best  suited  by 
tradition  and  training  for  the  work  in  hand.  Cameron  had  with 
him  nearly  300  officers  and  men  of  the  43rd,  and  more  than  double 
that  number  of  the  68th ;  yet,  instead  of  taking  what  he  appears  to 
have  deemed  the  necessary  detachment  of  men  for  the  assault  from 
one  of  those  corps,  he  took  150  from  the  43rd,  and  added  to  them, 
not  150  from  the  68th,  but  150  from  the  Naval  Brigade,  a  force  which, 
looking  to  all  the  circumstances,  ought,  I  venture  to  think,  to  have 
formed  the  reserve,  and  to  have  been  given  no  other  post.  No  doubt, 
the  Navy  craved  to  be  allowed  to  share  the  dangers  of  the  storm ; 
but  to  say  that  is  far  from  saying  that  the  General  was  wise  in 
permitting  it  to  do  so.  It  should  be  added  here  that  at  Te  Ranga, 
on  June  21st  following,  the  43rd  amply  redeemed  its  laurels. 

The  lamentable  affair  of  the  Gate  Pah  cost  the  British  no  fewer 
than  27  killed  and  66  wounded.  Of  this  tale,  the  casualties  of  the 
Navy  were  3  officers  and  8  men  killed  or  mortally  injured,  and 
1  Col.  Parl.  Papers,  1864,  E.  3,  p.  60, 


186      MILITARY  H1STOKY   OF  TEE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

3  officers  and  19  men  wounded.  The  officers  who  lost  their  Jives 
were  Captain  John  Fane  Charles  Hamilton1  (Eslc),  Commander 
Edward  Hay2  (Harrier),  and  Lieutenant  Charles  Hill3  (Curasao)  ;. 
and  the  officers  wounded  were  George  Graham  Duff  (Eslc),  Lieu- 
tenant Robert  Frederick  Hammick  (Miranda),  and  Sub-Lieutenant 
Philip  Reginald  Hastings  Parker  (Falcon).4' 

The  Naval  Brigade  behaved  admirably,  and  retired  only  when 
nearly  all  its  leading  officers  had  been  shot  down.  The  Commodore 
and  Captain  Jenkins  had  most  marvellous  escapes.  After  Com- 
mander Hay  had  been  mortally  hit,  a  seaman  named  Samuel 
Mitchell  went  to  his  assistance,  and,  although  ordered  by  his  officer 
to  leave  him  and  consult  his  own  safety,  carried  Hay  out  of  the 
pah.  The  act  of  devotion  gained  the  brave  fellow  the  Victoria 
Cross.5 

In  recognition  of  the  gallantry  displayed  by  the  Navy  in  New 
Zealand,  and  especially  in  the  affair  of  the  Gate  Pah,  the  Admiralty 
made  the  following  promotions  : — 

To  be  Captain :  Com.  Henry  Bourchier  Fhillimore  (July  14th,  1864). 

To  be  Commanders  :  Lieut.  George  Graham  Duff  (Ap.  29th,  1864) ;  Lieut.  Charles 
Frederick  Hotham  (upon  completing  sea-time,  Ap.  19th,  1865)  ;  Lieut.  John 
Thomlinson  Swarm  (July  14th,  1864). 

To  be  Lieutenants :  Sub-Lieut.  Philip  Reginald  Hastings  Parker  (Ap.  29th,  1864) 
Actg.-Lieut.  Archer  John  AVilliam  Musgrave  (on  passing  required  examina- 
tion, to  date  Ap.  29th,  1864) ;  Sub-Lieut.  Paul  Storr  (July  14th,  1864) ;  Sub- 
Lieut.  John  Hope  (July  14th,  1864). 

In  addition,  the  names  of  Lieuts.  Robert  Sidney  Hunt,  and  Robert  Frederick 
Hammick,  and  Lieut.  (R.M.A.)  Robert  Ballard  Gardner,  were  ordered  to  be 
favourably  noted. 

Iii  the  latter  part  of  this  unfortunate  war,  which  dragged  on  for 
a  considerable  period,  and  which  owed  its  prolongation  not  only  to 
the  bravery  of  the  enemy,  but  also  to  the  supineness  and  divided 
counsels  of  the  British,  the  Navy  had  comparatively  little  share ; 
nor  was  it  called  upon  to  do  anything  of  importance  in  connection 
with  the  repression  of  the  brief  New  Zealand  rebellion  of  1869. 
Among  the  vessels  which  were  more  particularly  concerned,  especially 
in  the  earlier  part  of  the  period,  were  the  Eclipse,  4,  Commander 

1  Aged  42  ;  a  Capt.  of  1858. 

2  Aged  28 ;  a  Com.  of  1858.     A  memorial  to  those  of  the  Harrier's  people  who  fell 
in  New  Zealand  was  erected  in  1865  in  Kingston  Church,  Portsmouth. 

3  A  survivor  of  the  wreck  of  the  Orpheus. 

4  Gazette,  July  15th,  1864  ;  Corr.  of  Times  ;  Fox,  112. 

5  Gazette,  July  20th,  1864. 


1861.]  TROUBLE    WITH  DAHOMEY.  187 

Edmund  Eobert  Fremantle ;  Brisk,  16,  Captain  Charles  Webley 
Hope  ;  and  Esk,  21,  Captain  John  Proctor  Luce. 

Several  effective  blows  were  struck  at  the  West  African  slave 
trade  in  1861,  especially  in  the  Niger,  and  in  the  Gambia. 

The  chief,  or  petty  king,  of  Porto  Novo,  in  the  Niger  river, 
a  creature  of  the  King  of  Dahomey,  having  been  troublesome 
for  some  time,  Commander  Henry  Eushworth  Wratislaw,  of  the 
Banger,  5,  screw  gun-vessel,  put  seventeen  seamen  and  Marines, 
and  a  gunner  on  board  the  paddle  tender  Brune,  Lieutenant  John 
Edward  Stokes,  and  escorted  that  craft  up  to  Badagry  on  February 
24th,  whence  she  proceeded  alone  to  Porto  Novo.  Consul  Foote, 
who  accompanied  the  little  expedition,  sent  ashore  a  message  to  the 
effect  that,  if  his  demands  were  not  previously  complied  with,  the 
Brune  would^  open  fire  on  the  town  at  11  A.M.  on  the  25th  ;  and 
then  the  vessel,  dropping  three  miles  down  the  creek,  anchored  for 
the  night.  On  the  following  day,  though  no  reply  had  been  vouch- 
safed, the  British  waited  until  1.20  P.M.,  when  they  opened  fire, 
which  was  returned.  During  the  action  a  number  of  friendly  Lagos 
men,  who  desired  to  take  refuge  on  board  the  tender,  were  mistaken 
for  enemies,  and  unfortunately  fired  upon.  After  some  hours' 
bombardment,  the  Brune  returned  to  Badagry  to  await  results. 
The  king  presently  sent  down  to  the  Badagry  chiefs,  asking  them 
to  intercede  for  them ;  whereupon  the  Consul  consented  to  await 
the  arrival  of  an  envoy  at  Lagos,  and  to  give  the  king  three  weeks 
wherein  to  comply  with  his  requirements. 

The  king  was  so  ill-advised  as  to  allow  himself  to  be  influenced 
by  the  king  of  Dahomey  to  refuse  satisfaction,  and  to  boom  the 
river.  A  further  expedition  was  therefore  necessary.  The  Consul 
called  on  Commodore  William  Edmonstone,  of  the  Arrogant,  47, 
screw,  for  assistance ;  and,  in  consequence,  an  expedition,  consisting 
of  the  Brune,  Fidelity,1  Lieutenant  Kobert  Barclay  Cay,  and  boats 
of  the  squadron  on  the  station,  the  Commodore  accompanying  it, 
moved  up  from  Lagos  to  Badagry  Creek  on  April  23rd,  1861.  On 
the  26th  it  proceeded  to  Porto  Novo,  and,  on  approaching  the  town, 
opened  fire  with  rockets,  grape,  canister,  and  shell,  the  enemy 
making  a  brisk  return.  In  an  hour  the  place  was  ablaze;  but  the 
natives,  driven  from  the  buildings,  concealed  themselves  in  the 
thick  grass  at  the  edge  of  the  stream,  whence  they  were  not  dis- 
lodged until  a  party  under  Commander  Henry  James  Eaby,  V.C., 

1  A  hired  Liverpool  vessel. 


188      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

of  the  Alecto,  5,  paddle,  had  landed  and  expelled  them.  It  was 
computed  that  about  500  of  the  enemy  fell.  The  British  loss  was 
but  1  killed,  and  4  or  5  wounded.  As  soon  as  possible,  the  slave 
barracoons  at  Porto  Novo  were  destroyed ;  and  the  expedition, 
which  had  in  no  way  suffered  from  fever,  returned  to  Lagos  on 
April  28th.  The  results  were  excellent,  the  king  conceding  all 
demands.1 

At  the  time  of  the  first  attack  on  Forto  Novo,  the  Commodore 
and  part  of  his  command  had  been  occupied  to  the  northward.  The 
King  of  Baddiboo,  on  the  Gambia,  had  robbed  some  British  mer- 
chants, and,  upon  being  called  upon  to  pay  a  fine  of  bullocks,  had 
offered  to  fight  the  British.  He  had  been  so  unwise  as  to  annoy 
his  French  neighbours  at  the  same  time  ;  and  an  international 
expedition  had  accordingly  been  organised  against  him. 

The  British  portion  of  the  force  consisted  of  the  Arrogant,  47, 
screw,  Commodore  William  Edmonstone,  the  Falcon,  17,  screw, 
Commander  Algernon  Charles  Fieschi  Heneage,  and  the  Torch,  5, 
screw,  Commander  Frederick  Harrison  Smith,  or  detachments  from 
them,  together  with  the  1st  and  2nd  West  India  Eegiments,  the 
Gold  Coast  Artillery,  and  the  Bathurst  Kifles.  The  Forte,  51, 
flagship  of  Bear-Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  Henry  Keppel,  Captain  Edward 
Winterton  Tumour,  also  proceeded  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  river ; 
but,  finding  that  the  services  of  his  ship  did  not  appear  to  be  indis- 
pensable,2 Keppel  sailed  again  at  once  in  order  generously  to  leave 
the  Commodore  to  acquire  the  whole  of  whatever  credit  might  result 
from  the  coming  operations. 

A  Naval  Brigade  under  the  Commodore  in  person,  with  Lieu- 
tenant Walter  James  Hunt-Grubbe  as  second  in  command,  was 
formed  ;  and  a  landing  was  effected,  under  cover  of  the  guns  of  the 
Torch,  in  Swarricunda  Creek,  the  banks  of  which  were  lined  with 
rifle-pits  and  held  by  the  enemy.  When  the  natives  had  been 
dispersed,  the  Brigade  began  a  march  of  several  hours'  duration  in 
the  direction  of  the  strongly  stockaded  and  well-garrisoned  town  of 
Saba.  On  February  21st,  the  place  was  vigorously  bombarded, 
rockets  as  well  as  shells  being  employed ;  and,  as  soon  as  the 
defence  showed  signs  of  having  been  shaken,  the  position  was 
attacked  in  flank  by  the  Naval  Brigade,  which,  gallantly  led  by  the 
Commodore,  successfully  rushed  it,  and  inflicted  very  heavy  loss 
upon  the  enemy,  but  itself  lost  6  killed  and  about  15  wounded. 
1  Foote's  Rep.  *  Keppel,  III.,  71,  72. 


1862.]  MINOR   AFFAIRS.  189 

In  December  of  the  same  year,  part  of  the  West  Coast  command 
was  employed  in  retributive  operations  against  the  petty  King  of 
Quiah,  Massongha  being  captured  and  destroyed  on  the  10th,  and 
some  stockades  at  Madonika  being  taken  on  the  19th  of  that  month. 

In  1861  there  were  frequent  and  troublesome  disputes  between 
the  Scots  and  French  fishermen  in  the  home  seas,  the  latter  at  one 
time  assuming  a  very  offensive  attitude.  The  Lizard,  1,  paddle, 
Lieutenant  Edward  Eyre  Maunsell,  tender  to  the  flagship  at 
Sheerness,  did  good  work  by  capturing  twenty-four  French  luggers 
which,  with  numerous  others,  had  contravened  the  fishing  regula- 
tions, or  wilfully  annoyed  the  north  countrymen ;  and  the  lesson 
had  a  most  beneficial  effect,  and  was  not  forgotten  for  years. 

The  minor  operations  of  the  Navy  in  1862  were  neither  numerous 
nor,  except  in  China,  very  interesting.  During  her  commission, 
which  had  begun  in  1860,  the  Ariel,  9,  screw,  Commanders  John 
Richard  Alexander  and  William  Cox  Chapman,  was  particularly 
successful  against  slavers  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  capturing  no 
fewer  than  eighteen  in  1862-4.  On  the  west  coast,  one  of  the  most 
energetic  cruisers  was  the  Zebra,  17,  Commander  Anthony  Hiley 
Hoskins,  which  commissioned  in  the  spring  of  1862.  Among  her 
numerous  prizes  was  the  large  slaver  Maraquita,  commanded  by  the 
famous  American  skipper,  Bowen.  On  the  same  station  the  Flying 
Fish,  6,  screw,  Commander  Warren  Hastings  Anderson,  was  also 
active  and  successful,  especially  just  prior  to  her  recall  in  the 
summer  of  1862.  A  disturbance  at  Cape  Coast  Castle  in  October, 
arising  out  of  the  mutinous  attitude  of  the  Gold  Coast  Artillery,  was 
put  down  with  the  assistance  of  the  Brisk,  16,  screw,  Captain  John 
Proctor  Luce,  and  the  Zebra.  In  other  seas,  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  the 
squadron  under  Bear-Admiral  Eichard  Laird  Warren,  on  the  south- 
east coast  of  America,  to  carry  out  a  few  mild  reprisals  against 
Brazil  in  consequence  of  a  brief  and  unimportant  misunderstanding 
with  that  empire,  and  to  that  of  the  Harrier,  17,  screw,  Com- 
mander Sir  Malcolm  MacGregor,  Bart.,  to  chastise  some  troublesome 
natives  of  the  Fiji  Islands. 

The  minor  naval  events  of  1863  were  still  more  few  and  unim- 
portant. In  consequence  of  the  difficulties  with  Ashantee,  some 
officers  and  men  from  the  West  Coast  of  Africa  squadron  were 
employed  for  a  time  at  Cape  Coast  Castle ;  and,  as  in  many  other 
years,  a  small  naval  expedition  ascended  the  Congo.  In  the 
Mediterranean,  during  the  revolutionary  troubles  in  Greece,  Captain 


190      MILITAltY  JIISTOKY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Charles  Farrel  Hillyar,  of  the  Queen,  74,  screw,  had  occasion  more 
than  once  to  land  Marines,  especially  in  July,  when  a  force  under 
Lieutenant  James  Woodward  Scott,  E.M.,  undertook  the  protection 
of  the  British  Legation  at  Athens. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  understand  the  nature  of  the  events  which 
led  to  American  and  European  interference  in  the  affairs  of  Japan, 
without  first  glancing  briefly  at  the  ancient  political  condition  of 
the  island  empire. 

The  old  constitution  of  the  land  was  a  despotism,  feudal,  military, 
and  hierarchical,  under  a  Mikado.  About  the  twelfth  century  of 
the  Christian  era  there  arose  a  "  Mayor  of  the  Palace "  in  the 
person  of  an  officer  known  eventually  as  the  Tycoon,  or,  more 
properly,  as  the  Shogun — an  officer  who  assumed  the  political 
and  military  management  of  the  country,  the  Mikado  retaining, 
as  years  passed,  little  more  than  the  religious  headship.  The  office 
of  Shogun  descended  through  three  families  and  many  vicissitudes  ; 
and  its  powers  were  gradually  modified  by  the  upgrowth  of  a  very 
large  class  of  Samurai,  or  retainers  of  great  nobles — men  of  birth 
and  education,  but  hereditary  fighters — or,  in  peace  time,  hereditary 
idlers.  The  highest  class  of  these,  as  head  retainers  of  the  Daimios, 
came  to  occupy  with  regard  to  their  nominal  masters  much  the 
same  kind  of  relationship  as  was  held  by  the  Shogun  to  the  Mikado  ; 
for  both  Mikado  and  Daimios,  brought  up  apart  from  the  people 
and  surrounded  with  every  indulgence,  had  temporarily  lost  the 
fire  and  energy  of  their  ancestors.  This  condition  of  affairs  was 
a  fruitful  source  of  discontent  and  intrigue. 

The  position  of  the  Shoguns  was  a  curious  one.  They  steadily 
increased  their  power  and  importance  in  the  state,  yet,  though 
actual  rulers  of  the  empire,  professed  a  most  abject  deference  to 
the  person  of  the  Mikado,  and,  moreover,  were  social  inferiors 
of  many  of  the  Daimios.  Indeed,  a  Shogun,  unless  by  birth  so 
entitled,  was  not  allowed  even  to  look  upon  the  face  of  the  Mikado ; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  such  was  his  authority  that  he  was  able  to 
compel  the  Daimios  to  spend  every  alternate  year  at  his  capital, 
Jeddo,  and  to  override  their  views.  The  Daimios  had  a  right 
of  appeal  to  the  Mikado,  but  seldom  exercised  it. 

In  the  nineteenth  century  the  Daimios  had  begun  to  chafe 
under  this  state  of  things ;  and  those  of  them  who  came  in  contact 
with  the  Mikado,  as  periodical  protectors  of  his  person  and  palace, 
resenting  the  nonentity  of  their  master,  set  on  foot  an  agitation  in 


1853-62.]  AFFAIRS  IN  JAPAN.  191 

favour  of  a  return  to  a  more  natural  system,  with  the  Mikado  as 
ruler,  and  the  Shogun  as  commander-in-chief,  and  no  more.  When, 
in  1853,  Commodore  M.  C.  Perry  first  appeared  in  Japan  with  an 
American  squadron,  and  demanded  a  treaty,  threatening  hostilities 
in  the  event  of  a  refusal,  matters  were  ripening  for  a  change.  The 
Shogun  and  his  advisers,  called  Bakufu  by  the  Japanese,  were 
thrown  into  consternation,  and  having  no  precedent  to  guide  them — 
a  lack  which  is  as  puzzling  to  the  Oriental  mind  as  it  is  to  the 
British  Admiralty — were  unable  to  act  with  decision.  The  opinions 
of  the  Daimios  were  asked,  and  ideas  were  welcomed  from  any  one 
who  was  capable  of  giving  them.  The  Americans,  made  aware  of 
the  perplexities  of  the  situation  and  of  the  tumults  which  took  place 
near  Jeddo  in  consequence,  withdrew,  to  return  in  the  following 
year ;  and  in  the  meantime  the  Shogun  died,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Jyesada,  thirteenth  of  the  Tokugawa  dynasty. 

In  1854  Perry  returned ;  and  hot  debates  ensued  at  Jeddo. 
Prince  Mito,  a  powerful  noble,  objected  to  the  opening  up  of  the 
country ;  but  the  officials  of  the  Shogun,  better  educated,  pointed 
out  the  impossibility  of  excluding  foreigners  at  that  time,  when 
Japan  was  unprepared  for  war,  and  urged  that,  while  complying 
for  the  moment,  the  country  might  learn  the  drill  and  tactics 
of  the  strangers,  purchase  foreign  ships  and  guns,  and,  when  ready 
for  action,  unite  and  drive  the  interlopers  into  the  sea,  and  perhaps 
even  embark  on  a  career  of  foreign  conquest.  The  result  was 
the  signing  of  the  convention  with  the  United  States  in  1858,  and 
the  subsequent  conclusion  of  similar  engagements  with  other 
powers,  Yokohama  at  the  same  time  being  opened  for  trade. 

The  Mikado  and  his  counsellors  at  Kioto  disapproved  of  the 
action  of  the  Shogun,  and  unanimously  declined  to  sanction  the 
treaties.  This  course  injured  the  prestige  of  the  Shogun  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people ;  and  the  Shogun,  realising  his  weakness,  selected 
a  Regent  to  support  him.  The  action  of  the  Mikado  encouraged 
the  prevalent  anti-foreign  feeling.  Of  the  idle  and  warlike  Samurai, 
there  were  30,000  in  the  country,  and  attacks  on  foreigners  became 
inevitable. 

In  the  autumn  of  1858  the  Shogun  died,  it  is  supposed  by  poison. 
Prince  Mito  nominated  for  the  succession  his  own  kinsman, 
Hitosubashi ;  but  one  Jyemochi,  of  the  Kishiu  family,  obtained 
the  office,  whereupon  a  powerful  clique  of  Daimios,  headed  by  Mito, 
privately  banded  themselves  together  against  the  new  Shogun,  and 


192      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

memorialised  the  Mikado  to  expel  the  barbarians  at  once.  The 
Kegent,  on  his  part,  suspecting  that  Jyesada  had  met  his  death 
by  foul  play,  ordered  several  of  the  Daimios  to  retire  to  their 
estates,  and  directed  Prince  Satsuma  and  others  to  confine  them- 
selves to  their  palaces  in  Jeddo.  This  policy  led  to  fighting,  the 
Eegent  having  the  best  of  it,  but  carrying  things  with  so  high 
a  hand  as  to  increase  the  exasperation  of  the  growing  anti-foreign 
party,  and  to  bring  about  numerous  murders  of  foreigners  and 
their  servants.  In  1860  the  Eegent  was  assassinated  by  the 
followers  of  Mito,  greatly  to  the  loss  of  the  party  of  the  Shogun, 
which  in  consequence  was  obliged  to  temporise,  and  to  isolate  the 
foreigners  as  much  as  possible.  The  Shogun,  indeed,  who  in  1858 
had  been  strong  enough  to  punish  even  nobles  for  opposing  inter- 
course with  the  outer  world,  dared  not  in  1860  set  the  laws  in 
motion  against  the  murderers  of  Americans  and  Europeans.  The 
Shogun  tried  to  improve  his  position  by  inducing  his  friends  to 
bring  about  a  marriage  between  himself  and  the  sister  of  the 
Mikado  ;  and  the  marriage  took  place  in  1861 ;  but  it  did  not  mend 
matters.  Prince  Mito  instigated  an  attack  on  the  British  Legation 
at  Jeddo  in  the  same  year ;  and,  as  he  had  in  his  possession  a  secret 
document  from  the  Mikado,  commanding  him  to  endeavour  to 
reconcile  the  differences  at  Jeddo,  and  to  induce  the  Shogun  to 
exterminate  the  barbarians,  he  had  authority  for  his  action.  The 
Shogun  was  then  obliged  to  admit  his  inability  to  protect  strangers. 
He  made  all  kinds  of  efforts,  which  were  not  then  understood, 
to  persuade  the  Legations  to  remove  from  Jeddo  to  Yokohama, 
where  they  could  be  more  easily  defended.  The  people  who  had 
attacked  the  British  Legation  were,  it  is  true,  executed ;  but  the 
government  was  so  afraid  of  popular  feeling  that  it  had  to  announce 
that  the  culprits  were  punished,  not  for  assaulting  foreigners,  but 
for  highway  robbery. 

The  strength  of  popular  feeling  showed  itself  again  in  January, 
1862,  when,  although  Mito,  the  great  anti-foreigner,  had  died  in  the 
previous  September,  Ando  Tsushima,  one  of  the  Shogun's  council, 
and  a  protector  of  foreigners,  was  nearly  murdered  in  the  street,  and 
upon  his  recovery  was  made  to  retire  into  private  life,  thanks  to  the 
influence  of  the  Mikado's  party.  Up  to  that  time,  however,  no 
Daimio  had  openly  declared  himself  against  the  Shogun,  although 
many  retainers  of  Daimios  had  voluntarily  outlawed  themselves  in 
order  to  gain  freedom  of  action  against  the  foreigners. 


18G2.J  OUTRAGES    UPON  FOREIGNERS  IN  JAPAN.  193 

In  the  spring  of  1862  a  new  force  appeared  upon  the  scene, 
in  the  person  of  Shimadzu  Sabura,  uncle  of  the  then  Prince  of 
Satsuma.  While  on  his  way  to  obtain  an  amnesty  for  the  political 
prisoners  who  had  been  sentenced  by  the  Eegent  in  1860,  he  was 
met  by  a  large  body  of  the  outlaws,  or  Konins,  who  begged  him 
to  memorialise  the  Mikado  to  go  forth  in  person  against  the 
barbarians,  to  abolish  the  Shogunate,  and  to  punish  the  Shogun's 
council.  Bhimadzu  Sabura  presented  the  petitions,  and  soon  after- 
wards an  amnesty  was  granted  to  the  political  prisoners.  Choshiu, 
Prince  of  Nagato,  was  in  Kioto  at  about  the  same  time  ;  and  to  him 
and  Shirnadzu  Sabura  was  entrusted  the  somewhat  difficult  task  of 
keeping  the  Ronins  quiet.  Thus  the  great  clans  of  Satsuma  and 
Choshiu  became  for  a  time  associated  in  a  combination  against  the 
Jeddo  government,  and  in  an  opposition  which  had  the  Mikado  at 
its  back. 

Another  attack  on  the  British  Legation  occurred  in  June,  1862. 
The  Shogun's  council  was  too  feeble  to  take  active  measures  against 
the  culprits,  and,  in  face  of  the  attitude  of  the  surrounders  of  the 
Mikado,  was  unable  either  to  satisfy  the  foreign  representatives  or 
to  appease  the  enmity  of  its  political  opponents.  In  June,  1862,  the 
Mikado  ordered  the  Shogun  to  expel  the  foreigners,  and  to  appear  at 
Kioto  to  consult  with  the  Court,  leaving  proper  persons  at  Jeddo  to 
carry  out  his  functions  there.  The  chief  of  the  persons  so  left  was 
the  same  Hitosubashi  who  had  been  Mito's  nominee  for  the 
Shogunate.  There  could  have  been  no  more  conclusive  evidence 
of  the  decadence  of  the  once  great  authority  of  the  Shogun.  In 
September,  1862,  Shimadzu  Sabura  was  greatly  incensed  at  the 
scant  courtesy  shown  to  him  by  the  ministers  of  the  Shogun,  and,  it 
is  probable,  was  only  too  ready  to  countenance  the  outrage1  which, 
led,  in  1863,  to  hostilities  between  Great  Britain  and  Japan. 

The  Euryalus,  flagship  of  Vice-Admiral  Kuper,  arrived  at 
Yokohama  on  the  day  of  the  outrage,  the  nature  of  which  will  be 
explained  later.  Upon  representations  being  made,  the  Shogun's 
council  expressed  its  regret,  but  frankly  admitted  its  inability  to 
force  so  powerful  a  Daimio  as  Satsuma  to  surrender  the  guilty 
parties.  In  the  meantime  Shimadzu  Sabura  had  received  the  thanks 
of  the  Mikado  for  his  services,  and  Prince  Tosa  had  arrived  at 
Kioto  and  joined  Satsuma  and  Choshiu  in  the  policy  of  opposition 
to  foreigners.  This  seems  to  have  stimulated  the  Mikado's  advisers 

1  The  outrage  was  committed  on  Sept.  14th,  1862. 
VOL.   VII.  O 


194     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

to  order  the  Shogun,  who  had  not  yet  left  Jeddo,  to  take  command 
of  the  clans  in  the  spring  of  1863,  when  he  was  due  at  Kioto,  and 
drive  the  foreigners  into  the  sea.  The  unfortunate  Shogun, 
continuing  to  temporise,  agreed  to  obey  the  commands  of  the 
Mikado,  and,  at  the  same  time,  while  keeping  peace  with  the 
foreigners,  tried,  by  making  their  position  intolerable,  to  induce 
them  to  leave  the  country.  The  foreign  representatives,  on  the 
other  hand,  were  daily  becoming  more  and  more  convinced  that  the 
Shogun  had  little  real  power,  and  no  authority  to  sign  treaties. 

Strengthened  by  the  arrival  of  numerous  Daimios,  the  Mikado 
called  a  meeting  at  Kioto  on  April  8th,  1863,  a  fortnight  before  the 
appearance  of  the  Shogun,  and,  ordering  the  expulsion  of  foreigners 
from  Japan,  directed  that  his  will  should  be  conveyed  to  the 
Samurai.  Strangers  were,  in  consequence,  liable  from  that  moment 
to  be  murdered,  and  were  deprived  of  all  protection  and  all  redress, 
save  what  might  be  obtained  by  the  exercise  of  force. 

The  Legations  were,  one  by  one,  driven  from  Jeddo ;  and  the 
cordon  round  Yokohama,  where  they  took  refuge,  was  gradually 
narrowed  in  preparation  for  their  final  expulsion.  A  large  force  of 
European  ships  was  kept  close  at  hand ;  seamen  and  marines  were 
landed  to  protect  the  settlement ;  and,  off  each  of  the  other  ports  in 
which  there  were  Europeans,  a  man-of-war  lay  with  banked  fires, 
ready,  at  an  instant's  notice,  to  embark  the  fugitives.  The  old 
custom,  in  virtue  of  which  the  Daimios  had  spent  every  alternate 
year  in  Jeddo,  and  had  always  left  their  wives  and  families  there, 
had  been  abrogated  at  the  end  of  1862  ;  so  that  a  wholesome  restraint 
upon  the  conduct  of  the  malcontent  princes,  and  a  formidable 
instrument  of  power  in  the  hands  of  the  Shogun,  had  disappeared. 

On  June  5th,  1863,  at  the  instigation  of  Shimadzu  Sabura,  the 
25th  of  the  same  month  was  fixed  as  the  day  on  which  the  complete 
expulsion  of  the  foreigners  was  to  be  effected ;  and  it  then  became 
necessary  for  the  Shogun  to  make  up  his  mind  whether  he  would 
carry  out  the  behests  of  the  Mikado,  or  would  join  hands  with  the 
foreigners,  bolster  up  his  own  power,  and  try  to  overthrow  his 
opponents.  In  his  perplexity,  he  asked  for  permission  to  return  to 
Jeddo.  It  was  refused,  and  his  rival,  Prince  Mito,  was  sent  thither 
instead  of  him. 

Since  April  the  Shogun's  council  had  tried  to  procrastinate  in  its 
replies  to  the  demands  for  satisfaction  on  account  of  the  outrage  of 
the  previous  September.  It  had  at  last  promised  to  pay  the 


1862.]  THE    OUTRAGE  NEAR    KANAGAWA.  195 

indemnity  on  June  18th  ;  but  as  soon  as  Prince  Mito  reached  Jeddo, 
a  refusal  to  pay  was  announced.  On  June  24th,  moreover,  a  decree 
was  promulgated  by  the  Shogun,  who  was  stated  to  have  received 
"  orders  "  to  that  effect  from  the  Mikado,  "  to  close  the  open  ports 
and  remove  the  subjects  of  the  treaty  powers."  The  indemnity 
was,  however,  handed  over  when  the  Council  learnt  that  the 
settlement  of  the  business  had  been  placed  in  the  hands  of  Vice- 
Admiral  Kuper.  A  little  later  the  Council  secretly  approached  the 
treaty  powers  with  a  request  for  assistance  in  overthrowing  the 
Mikado  and  his  party.  This  was  refused ;  but  while  the  answer  of 
the  foreigners  was  still  unknown,  the  Council,  through  Hitosubashi, 
reported  that  the  orders  of  the  Mikado  could  not  be  carried  out. 

The  apparent  lack  of  patriotism  displayed  by  the  Shogun's  party 
proportionably  increased  the  fanaticism  of  the  Kioto  faction,  the 
result  being  that  on  June  25th  Choshiu  opened  fire  on  some  French, 
American,  and  Dutch  vessels  at  Simonoseki.  At  this  crisis  the 
Shogun  behaved  very  well.  He  might  have  made  capital  by  joining 
the  popular  movement,  and  encouraging  a  general  massacre  of 
foreigners ;  and,  as  he  was  at  Kioto,  he  might  have  pleaded  duress. 
His  council,  too,  at  Jeddo,  though  playing  a  double  game,  succeeded 
in  causing  the  defence  of  Yokohama  to  be  handed  over  to  the  foreign 
executive  authorities.  Choshiu,  for  his  part,  received  the  approval 
of  the  Mikado;  and  although,  on  July  20th,  the  French  Rear- 
Admiral  Jaures,  with  a  couple  of  ships,  bombarded  the  Simonoseki 
batteries,  and,  landing,  spiked  some  of  their  guns,  the  United  States 
corvette  Wyoming,  which  tried  single-handed  to  punish  Choshiu  in 
the  same  manner,  ran  aground  under  the  forts,  and  did  not  get  off 
until  she  had  been  rather  roughly  handled.1 

I  may  now  revert  to  the  outrage  of  September,  1862,  and  describe 
the  hostilities  which  resulted  from  it. 

The  cause  of  the  quarrel  is  sufficiently  explained  in  a  letter 
addressed  on  August  1st,  1863,  by  Lieut. -Colonel  Edward  St.  John 
Neale,  Her  Majesty's  Charge  d' Affaires  in  Japan,  to  the  Prince  of 
Satsuma.  The  important  part  of  this  communication  is  as  follows  : 

"  YOUR  HIGHNESS, — It  is  well  known  to  you  that  a  barbarous  murder  of  an  un- 
armed and  unoffending  British  subject  and  merchant  was  perpetrated  on  the  14th  of 
the  month  of  September  last  .  .  .  upon  the  Tokaido,  near  Kanagawa,  by  persons 
attending  the  procession,  and  surrounding  the  norimon  of,  ShimaJzu  Sabbura,  who,  I 


1  See  Griffis,  in  N.  Amer.  Review,  1875 ;  Adams,  '  History  of  Japan  ' ;  Hiibner's 
1  Prom,  autour  du  Monde ' ;  For.  Off.  Corr. ;  and  Farret,  '  Operats.  de  Guerre  Marit.' 

0   2 


196     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  TEE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

am  informed,  is  the  father1  of  your  Highness.  It  is  equally  known  to  you  that  a 
murderous  assault  was  made  at  the  same  time  by  the  same  retinue  upon  a  lady  and 
two  other  gentlemen,  British  subjects,  by  whom  he  was  accompanied,  the  two  gentlemen 
having  been  severely  and  seriously  wounded,  and  the  lady  escaping  by  a  miracle.  The 
names  of  the  British  subjects  here  referred  to  are  as  follows : — Mr.  Charles  Lenox 
Richardson,  murdered;  Mrs.  Borradaile;  Mr.  William  Clarke,  severely  wounded; 
Mr.  William  Marshal,  severely  wounded.  .  .  .  Ten  months  have  now  elapsed  since 
the  perpetration  of  this  unprovoked  outrage  .  .  .  but  I  have  had  occasion  to  report  to 
my  Government  that,  removed  in  your  distant  domain  from  the  direct  influence  of  the 
supreme  Government,  and  shielded  also  by  certain  privileges  and  immunities  .  .  .  you 
had  utterly  disregarded  all  orders  or  decrees  of  the  Japanese  Government  calling  upon 
you  to  afford  justice  by  sending  the  real  criminals  to  Yeddo.  ...  In  the  meantime,  I 
have  received  the  explicit  instructions  of  my  own  Government  how  to  act  in  this 
matter.  .  .  .  When  British  subjects  are  the  victims  of  those  acts,  Japan,  as  a  nation, 
must,  through  its  Government,  pay  a  penalty,  and  disavow  the  deeds  of  its  subjects,  to 
whatever  rank  they  may  belong.  ...  I  demanded  from  the  Tycoon's  Government  an 
apology  and  the  payment  of  a  considerable  penalty.  .  .  .  Both  these  demands  have 
been  acceded  to.  But  the  British  Government  has  also  decided  that  those  circum- 
stances constitute  no  reason  why  the  real  delinquents  and  actual  murderers  should  be 
shielded  by  your  Highness,  or  by  any  means  escape  the  condign  punishment  which 
they  merit.  ...  I  am  instructed  to  demand  of  your  Highness  as  follows  : — First.  The 
immediate  trial  and  execution,  in  the  presence  of  one  or  more  of  Her  Majesty's  naval 
officers,  of  the  chief  perpetrators  of  the  murder  of  Mr.  liichardson,  and  of  the  murderous 
assault  upon  the  lady  and  gentlemen  who  accompanied  him.  Secondly.  The  payment 
of  £25,000  sterling,  to  be  distributed  to  the  relations  of  the  murdered  man,  and  to  those 
who  escaped  with  their  lives  the  swords  of  the  assassins  on  that  occasion.  These 
demands  are  required  by  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  be  acceded  to  by  your  Highness 
immediately  upon  their  being  made  known  to  you.  And  upon  your  refusing,  neglecting, 
or  evading  to  do  so,  the  Admiral  commanding  the  British  forces  in  these  seas  will  adopt 
such  coercive  measures,  increasing  in  their  severity,  as  he  may  deem  expedient  to  obtain 
the  required  satisfaction.  .  .  ." 

On  August  13th  the  Minister  of  the  Prince  of  Satsuma  replied 
with  a  temporising  and  otherwise  unsatisfactory  letter ;  and  on  the 
14th  Lieut. -Colonel  Neale,  by  dispatch,  requested  Vice-Admiral 2 
Augustus  Leopold  Kuper,  C.B.,  Commander-in-Chief  on  the  East 
Indies  and  China  station,  to  enter  upon  such  measures  of  coercion 
as  he  might  deem  expedient.' 

The  Vice-Admiral's  available  force  consisted  of  H.M.S.3 — 


Ships. 

Guus. 

Tons. 

Norn.  H.P.    Compt. 

Commanders. 

EuryahtK 
(flag) 

|     35 

2371 

400 

515 

fCapt.  John  James  Stephen  Josling. 
\Corn.  Edward  Wilmot. 

Pearl    . 

21 

1469 

400 

275 

Capt.  John  Borlase,  C.B. 

Coquette 

4 

677 

200 

90 

Com.  John  Hobhouse  Inglis  Alexander. 

Argus  . 

6 

981 

300 

175 

Com.  Lewis  James  Moore. 

Perseus 

17 

955 

200 

175 

Com.  Augustus  John  Kingston. 

Racehorse 

•  1       4 

695 

200 

90 

Com.  Charles  Richard  Fox  Boxer. 

Havock 

'   1       2 

235 

60           40 

Lieut.  (  ieorge  Poole. 

1  Apparently  he  was  uncle.  2  Temporary  rank  only. 

8  The  Euryalus,  a  wooden   screw  frigate,  originally   of  51   guns,  was  built  at 


1863.]  CAPTURE   OF  SATSUMA'S   STEAMERS.  197 

From  the  Vice-Admiral's  dispatch  of  August  17th  to  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Neale,  and  from  that  of  August  22nd  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Admiralty,  is  compiled  the  succeeding  account  of  what 
occurred : — 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  14th  inst.,  Kuper  quitted  the  Eunjalus 
and  proceeded  in  the  Havock  in  order  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  the 
position  of  three  steamers,  the  property  of  the  Prince  of  Satsuma, 
which  were  lying  in  a  bay  to  the  northward  of  Kagosima.  These 
steamers  were  the  England,  screw,  1150  tons,  purchased  for  125,000 
dollars  ;  the  Sir  George  Grey,  screw,  492  tons,  purchased  for  85,000 
dollars ;  and  the  Contest,  screw,  350  tons,  purchased  for  95,000 
dollars.  He  found  deep  water  in  the  bay,  there  being  generally 
fifty  fathoms  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  shore.  A  strong  breeze 
from  the  eastward  had  sprung  up,  and,  the  rapid  falling  of  the 
barometer  indicating  the  probable  approach  of  a  typhoon  or  heavy 
gale,  the  top-gallant  masts  were  sent  on  deck. 

Kuper  received  the  dispatch  of  the  -14th  inst.  on  the  evening  of 
that  day ;  and  the  Pearl,  Coquette,  Argus,  Racehorse,  and  Havock 
were  sent  at  daylight  on  the  15th  to  seize  the  three  steamers 
already  referred  to.  Captain  Borlase,  the  senior  officer,  was  directed 
to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  all  unnecessary  bloodshed  or  active 
hostility. 

"  The  steamers  were  accordingly  taken  possession  of  without  opposition,  and 
brought  down  to  our  anchorage  during  the  forenoon  of  the  15th,  lashed  alongside  the 
Coquette,  Argus,  and  Racehorse,  which  vessels  anchored  in  the  same  bay  as  before.  .  .  . 
The  weather  still  looked  threatening.  At  noon,  during  a  squall,  accompanied  by  much 
rain,  the  whole  of  the  batteries *  on  the  Kagosima  side  suddenly  opened  fire  upon  the 
Euryalus?  the  only  ship  within  range ;  but  although  many  shot  and  shell  passed  over 
and  close  around  her,  no  damage  was  done  beyond  cutting  away  a  few  ropes.  Finding 
that  the  springs  on  the  cable  would  not  keep  the  ship's  broadside  on,  and  as  it  was 
impossible,  with  the  comparatively  small  force  at  my  command,  to  engage  the  batteries 
under  way,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  retain  possession  of  the  steamers,  I  signalled  to 
the  Coquette,  Argus  and  Racehorse  to  burn  their  prizes,  and  then  to  the  whole  squadron 


Chatham  in  1853.  The  Pearl,  a  wooden  screw  corvette,  was  launched  at  Woolwich  in 
1854.  The  Coquette,  a  wooden  screw  gun-vessel,  was  built  in  1855.  The  Argus,  a 
wooden  paddle-wheel  sloop,  was  built  at  Portsmouth  in  1849.  The  2'erseus  was  a 
wooden  screw  sloop,  built  at  Pembroke  in  1861.  The  Racehorse  was  a  wooden  screw 
gun-vessel  built  in  1860.  The  Havock,  of  the  "  Albacore  class,"  was  one  of  116 
similar  wooden  screw  gun-vessels  built  at  the  time  of  the  Russian  War. 

1  About  88  guns  and  mortars  were  in  position,  including  at  least  three  10-in.  and 
two  8-in.  guns,  and  forty  32-  and  24-prs. 

•  The  Euryalus  was  taken  entirely  by  surprise.  The  late  Sir  Alfred  Jephson 
told  me  that  she '  hastily  weighed,  while  her  band  played,  "  Oh  dear,  what  can  the 
matter  be  V  " 


198     MILITARY  IJISTORT   OF   THE  HOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


to  weigh  and  form  the  line  of  battle  according  to  seniority,1  the  Havock  being  directed 
to  secure  the  destruction  of  the  three  steamers.  Previous  to  this,  the  Perseus,  having 
slipped  her  cable,  was  directed  to  fire  on  the  north  battery  until  the  signal  was  made 
to  form  line  of  battle,  which  service  was  executed  by  Commander  A.  J.  Kingston  with 
great  promptness. 

"  Although  the  weather  was  now  very  dirty,  with  every  indication  of  a  typhoon,  I 
considered  it  advisable  not  to  postpone,  until  another  day,  the  return  of  the  fire  of  the 
Japanese,  to  punish  the  Prince  of  Satsuma  for  the  outrage,  and  to  vindicate  the  honour 
of  the  flag;  and,  everything  being  now  ready,  I  proceeded  towards  the  batteries, 
opening  fire  upon  the  northernmost  one  with  considerable  effect ;  and  passed,  at  slow 
speed,  along  the  whole  line  within  point-blank  range.  Owing,  probably,  to  the  un- 


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favourable  state  of  the  weather,  the  ships  astern  did  not  maintain  their  positions  in  as 
close  order  as  I  could  have  wished,  and  the  Euryalus  was  consequently  exposed  to  a 
very  heavy  and  well-directed  fire  from  several  of  the  batteries  at  the  same  time,  and 
suffered  somewhat  severely.  About  this  time,  also,  and  whilst  in  the  thickest  of  the 
action,  I  deeply  regret  to  state  that  I  was  deprived,  at  the  same  moment,  of  the 
assistance  of  Captain  Josling 2  and  Commander  Wilmot,3  both  of  whom  were  killed  by 
the  same  shot,  whilst  standing  by  me  on  the  bridge  of  the  Euryalus,  directing  the  fire 


1  This  order  is  observed  in  the  tabulated  list  given  on  p.  196. 

2  Captain  John   James   Stephen  Josliug's   commissions    bore   date:    Lieutenant, 
July  25th,  1847;  Commander,  Nov.  2nd,  1854;  and  Captain,  Jan.  31st,  1861. 

3  Commander  Edward  Wilmot's  commissions  bore  date:    Lieutenant,  Sept.  26th, 
1853 ;  Commander,  Dec.  24th,  1861.     He  had  served  in  the  Black  Sea,  in  the  Soya I 
Albert,  during  the  Russian  War. 


1863.]  THE  ACTION  OFF  K AGO  SIM  A.  199 

of  the  quarters  and  setting  an  example  of  coolness  and  gallantry  which  was  emulated 
throughout  the  entire  ship. 

"  In  consequence  of  the  dense  smoke,  and  occasional  heavy  showers,  it  was  difficult 
to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  damage  done  to  the  earthwork  batteries,  but  by  the  time 
the  Euryalus  got  abreast  of  the  last,  or  southernmost  battery,  I  could  observe  the  town 
to  be  on  fire  in  several  places ;  and,  the  weather  having  now  assumed  a  most  threat- 
ening appearance,  I  considered  it  advisable  to  discontinue  the  engagement,  and  to  seek 
a  secure  anchorage  for  Her  Majesty's  ships.  The  Racehorse,  owing  to  a  momentary 
stoppage  of  her  engines,  unfortunately  took  the  ground  opposite  the  northern  battery  : 
but  by  the  prompt  energy  of  the  commanders  of  the  Coquette,  Argus,  and  Havock, 
which  vessels  were  despatched  to  her  assistance,  she  was  got  off  without  damage.  The 
steady  fire  kept  up  by  Commander  C.  B.  F.  Boxer  prevented  the  Racehorse  receiving 
any  serious  injury  from  the  battery,  which  had  already  been  much  disabled  by  the  fire 
of  the  other  ships.  The  Havock  was  then  ordered  to  set  fire  to  five  large  junks 
belonging  to  the  Prince  of  Satsuma,  which  Lieutenant  George  Poole  accomplished  in 
a  most  satisfactory  manner ;  and  these,  as  well  as  a  very  extensive  arsenal  and  foundry 
for  the  manufacture  of  guns,  shot,  and  shell,  together  with  large  storehouses  adjoining, 
were  also  completely  destroyed. 

"  During  the  whole  of  the  succeeding  night  it  blew  almost  a  hurricane,  but  all  the 
vessels  of  the  squadron  rode  it  out  without  accident,  with  the  exception  of  the  Perseus, 
which  vessel  dragged  her  anchors  off  the  bank  into  60  fathoms  water,  and  was 
compelled  to  slip  her  cable  during  the  following  afternoon,  when  the  gale  had  some- 
what moderated.  The  gale  subsided  gradually  during  the  16th,  and,  as  I  had  observed 
the  Japanese  at  work,  apparently  erecting  batteries  on  the  hill  above  the  anchorage, 
enveloped  in  trees  and  bushes,  which  might  have  inflicted  much  damage  upon  the 
small  vessels  lying  within  pistol-shot  of  the  shore,  I  became  anxious  for  their  safety, 
and  determined  to  move  the  squadron  out  of  the  anchorage  we  had  occupied  upon  the 
night  of  our  arrival  in  the  gulf,  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  damages,  fishing  spars, 
and  refitting  previous  to  proceeding  to  sea.  The  squadron  accordingly  weighed  at 
three  P.M.  of  the  16th,  and,  passing  in  line  between  the  batteries  of  Kagosima  and 
Sakurasima,  steamed  through  the  channel  and  anchored  to  the  southward  of  the  island, 
taking  advantage  of  the  occasion  to  shell  the  batteries  on  the  Sakura  side,  which  had 
not  been  previously  engaged,  and  also  the  palace  of  the  prince  in  Kagosima.  A  feeble 
fire  only  was  returned  from  the  batteries  which  had  not  been  closely  engaged  in  the 
first  attack,  and  this,  happily,  without  effect  upon  Her  Majesty's  ships.  .  .  .  With  much 
regret  I  have  to  add  that  the  returns  received  from  the  various  ships  present  a  list  of 
casualties  unusually  great,  being  no  less  than  13 '  killed  and  50  wounded,  the  half  of 
which  occurred  in  my  flagship  alone.  ...  I  left  the  gulf  of  Kagosima,  in  company 
with  the  squadron,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  inst.,  on  my  return  to  Yokohama." 

This  engagement  did  much  to  discredit  a  type  of  gun  which  was 
then  new  to  the  Navy.  An  officer  who  was  present  in  the  Euryalus 
wrote  to  me  : — 

"  We  had  on  our  main-deck  32-pr.  56  cwt.  muzzle-loaders ;  and  they,  of  course, 
gave  no  trouble.  On  our  quarter-deck  we  had  four  40-pr.  Armstrongs,  and  we  got  two 
or  three  from  the  port  side  over  to  the  spare  ports  on  the  starboard  side  to  make  a 
larger  battery.  These  all  worked  well.  But  in  the  forecastle  we  had  a  7-in.  B.  L. 
110-pr.  Armstrong.  Whether  the  men  in  the  heat  of  the  action  became  hurried  I 
cannot  say;  but  certain  it  is  that  the  breech  piece  of  this  gun  blew  out  with 

1  In  addition  to  the  two  officers  already  named,  Gunner  Thomas  Finn,  of  tho 
Coquette,  was  killed. 


200     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   XAVY,   1857-1900. 

tremendous  effect,  the  concussion  knocking  down  the  whole  gun's  crew,  and  apparently 
paralysing  the  men,  until  Webster,  captain  of  the  forecastle  and  of  the  gun,  roused 

them  by  shouting:  'Well;  is  there  ere  a  b of  you  will  go  and  get  the  spare  vent 

piece?'" 

It  is  of  first-rate  importance  that  men  should  have  confidence  in 
the  safety  of  their  weapons.  Naturally  the  type  of  gun  in  question 
never  again  commanded  much  confidence. 

During  the  engagement,  a  10-in.  shell  from  the  batteries 
exploded  near  the  muzzle  of  one  of  the  guns  on  the  main  deck  of 
the  Eurijalm,  killing  seven  men,  and  wounding  Lieutenant  Alfred 
Jephson,  and  five  others.  The  remaining  officers  wounded  were 
Assistant-Paymaster  George  Washington  Jones,  and  Gunner  W. 
Sale  (Euryalus) ;  Carpenter  M.  Armstrong  (Pearl)  ;  Lieutenant 
D'Arcy  Anthony  Denny,  and  Gunner  W.  Harris  (Coquette) ;  and 
Lieutenant  Francis  Joseph  Pitt,  Master  Kobert  Gilpin,  and  Midship- 
man John  Kobert  Aylen  (Perseus).1 

The  promotions  consequent  upon  this  engagement  were  :— 

To  be  Captains:  Corns.  John  Hobhouse  Inglis  Alexander  (Aug.  16),  and  Lewis 

James  Moore  (Nov.  Jl). 
To  be  Commanders:  Lieuts.  James  Edward  Hunter, and  Arthur  George  Robertson 

Roe  (Aug.  16),  and  James  Augustus  Poland,  and  George  Poole  (Nov.  9). 
To  be  Surgeon :  Asst.  Surg.  Charles  Richard  Godfrey  (Nov.  9). 

Because  of  the  typhoon,  and  the  rolling  of  the  ships,  many  of 
the  shot  intended  for  the  batteries  fell  in  the  wood  and  paper  town, 
and  set  it  on  fire.  For  this,  Vice-Admiral  Kuper  was  strongly 
blamed  in  the  House  of  Commons ;  and  was  as  warmly  defended  by 
a  brother  flag-officer,  who,  in  the  heat  of  argument,  used  the  word 
"  damn,"  and,  upon  being  called  to  order,  created  much  amusement 
by  apologising  for  having  uttered  language  which,  he  said,  "  so 
seldom  fell  from  the  lips  of  sailors."  Master  William  Hennessey 
Parker,  of  the  flagship,  steered  his  vessel  with  great  judgment, 
taking  her  at  times  within  400  yards  of  the  batteries ;  yet  Kuper 
continually  spurred  him  with :  "  Go  in  closer,  Parker ;  go  in  closer !  " 
Owing  to  the  heavy  sea  in  which  the  action  was  fought,  the  decks 
were  afloat. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that,  previous  to  the  action  at  Kagosima, 
the  Shogun  had  quitted  Kioto,  with  the  expressed  intention  of 
returning  to  Jeddo  overland.  He  had,  however,  embarked  in  a 

1  Oazctte,  Oct.  30,  1863;  Japan  Comm.   News,  Aug.   26;  corr.  of  Times;   For. 
Off.  corr. 


1863-4.]  ACTIVITY    OF   CHOSIIIU.  201 

steamer  at  Osaka,  and  so  had  reached  Jeddo  on   July  31st.     No 
doubt  he  feared  for  his  safety. 

The  effect  of  Kuper's  action  was  immense,  especially  on  the 
powerful  Satsuma  following.  That  great  clan  learnt,  and  never 
again  forgot,  that  Japan  was  not  the  strongest  power  in  the  world, 
and  that  there  were  other  nations  which,  though  far  away,  were, 
even  in  Japan,  to  be  feared  as  being  both  stronger  and  more 
civilised.  Satsuma's  people  subsequently  took  the  lead  in  general 
progress,  and  in  introducing  European  machinery  and  inventions  to 
their  compatriots. 

Yet,  although  the  conversion  of  the  anti-foreign  party  had  begun, 
the  Shogun  did  not  regain  his  prestige.  In  the  autumn  of  1863,  a 
European-built  steamer,  carrying  Japanese  colours,  and  bearing 
envoys  from  him,  was  fired  upon  by  Choshiu.  Choshiu,  however,  soon 
went  too  far.  Early  in  October,  1863,  he  formed  a  plan  to  carry  off 
the  Mikado  from  his  palace,  one  of  the  gates  of  which  was  in  charge 
of  the  Nagato  clan.  The  plot  was  discovered  in  time  ;  Satsuma's 
people  were  summoned  in  haste ;  and  Aidzu,  the  Shogun's  Resident 
at  Kioto,  with  some  small  Daimios,  rallied  to  the  Mikado's  person, 
the  upshot  being  that  Choshiu,  and  many  of  his  confederates,  had  to 
withdraw  in  disgrace.  This  conspiracy  had  its  influence  upon  the 
Mikado's  advisers  ;  and  although  the  Emperor  declared  that  he  was 
still  determined  to  expel  the  foreigners,  he  added  that  he  sbould 
delay  taking  the  field.  News  of  this  announcement  reaching  Jeddo, 
and,  it  being  there  interpreted  with  prudence,  the  Shogun's  council, 
on  November  12th,  withdrew  the  decree  of  June  24th,  relative  to  the 
closing  of  the  ports,  and  the  removal  of  foreigners  ;  and  Satsuma's 
envoys  gave  the  satisfaction  and  indemnity  which  had  been  demanded 
by  Great  Britain.  From  that  time  the  scheme  for  expelling  "the 
barbarians  "  fell  to  pieces.  The  Shoguu,  with  others,  received  marks 
of  the  Mikado's  favour,  and,  at  the  same  time,  promised  to  confine 
his  functions  to  those  of  a  military  vassal,  and  to  endeavour,  by 
improving  the  military  resources  of  the  country,  to  enable  Japan 
to  hold  her  own  against  other  powTers.  The  authorities  thenceforth 
frankly  recognised  the  superiority  of  foreign  ships  and  arms ;  and  a 
decree  on  the  subject  was  issued  by  the  Mikado,  and  sent  to  all  the 
Daimios.  A  copy  of  this  decree  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British 
Minister  in  April,  1864 ;  and  the  Shogun's  council  was  then  taxed 
with  cherishing  a  deliberate  intention  of  expelling  foreigners  when 
the  time  for  doing  so  should  have  arrived.  The  council  answered 


202     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

blandly  that  the  necessary  preparations  would  take  a  long  time  to 
make,  if  the  foreigners  should  continue  to  keep  at  hand  a  large 
coercive  force.  This  led  to  a  permanent  occupation  of  Yokohama 
by  the  British  and  French. 

Choshiu,  the  restless,  though  in  disgrace,  was  not  idle.  In 
February,  1864,  he  sank  a  steamer  which  had  been  lent  to  Prince 
Satsuma  by  the  Shogun ;  and  in  July,  1864,  accompanied  by  an 
armed  body  of  Bonins  and  adventurers,  he  ascended  the  river  from 


THC   fb/ic//VG  or 

STRAIT  OF  SIMONOSEKI 
SEPT:  1864. 

CJiicfly  from  a 
V.Ad.  SirA.Jfujyer's   despatch  of 

Jttnoura 

tn;'l 


J 


(/•'or  reference  letters,  sec  Table  on  p.  203.) 

Osaka,  and  appeared  before  Kioto.  The  Mikado  refused  to  listen  to 
those  who  advised  him  to  deal  leniently  with  the  truculent  prince  ; 
and  heavy  fighting  resulted,  the  Shogun's  people,  under  Hitosubashi, 
and  Satsuma's  men,  assisting  in  the  defence  of  the  palace,  and  in 
the  defeat  of  the  assailants,  but  not  until  there  had  been  great 
slaughter,  and  imtil  thousands  of  houses,  sixty  Shinto  shrines, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifteen  Buddhist  temples,  had  been  destroyed. 
After  the  repiilse,  the  Mikado  ordered  the  Shogun  to  march  an  army 
into  the  rebel  vassal's  territory  at  the  south-western  extremity  of 
Nipon,  and  in  the  island  of  Choshiu,  and  to  bring  to  his  senses 


1864.] 


FORCING    OF  THE  STRAIT   OF  SIMONOSEKI. 


203 


"  Matz  daira  Daizen  no  Daibu,  Jiusi  no  Choshiu,"  Prince  of 
Nagato. 

Here  was  a  good  opportunity  for  punishing  Choshiu  for  having 
fired  upon  European  vessels,  to  aid  a  government  which  showed  some 
signs  of  entertaining  wiser  and  more  liberal  sentiments  than  before, 
and  to  open  the  Inland  Sea  to  trade.  The  Shogun  gave  a  secret 
assent  to  the  suggestion  that  the  ships  of  the  powers  should  assist ; 
and  Sir  Kutherford  Alcock,  then  British  Envoy  Extraordinary  in 
Japan,  gladly  seized  so  favourable  an  occasion  for  dealing  a  blow  at 
the  chief  of  the  anti-foreign  party,  who,  moreover,  for  the  previous 
twelve  months,  had  interrupted  the  trade  at  Nagasaki. 

The  associated  powers  were  Great  Britain,  France,  Holland,  and 
America.  The  Americans  had  no  suitable  vessel  available  on  the 
spot ;  but  anxious  to  take  part,  they  put  an  officer,  some  men,  and  a 
gun  from  the  U.S.  corvette  Jamestown,  on  board  a  chartered  steamer, 
the  TaJciang,  and  added  her  to  the  combined  forces,  which,  when 
assembled,  comprised  the  following  ships  :— 

ALLIED  SQUADRONS  AT  THE  FORCING  OF  THE  STRAIT  OF  SIMONOSEKI, 
SEPTEMBER,  1864. 


Ref. 

NATIOK.      to 
Plan. 

*«-              BrT.  c 

uns.                       COMMANDS  its. 

Br.          A 

Fr           B 

Euryalus,  scr.  frig  2,371 

'|V.-  Ad.  Sir  Augustus  Leopold  Kuper, 
33      {     K.C.B. 
(('apt.  Jno.  Hobhouselnglis  Alexander. 
fR.-Ad.  C.  Jaures. 

Br.          C 
1  Br.          D 

•g  d       Fr           K 

fonquervr,!  scr.  bAtt.-sbip  .     .     -    2,84f» 
Tartar,  scr.  corv  1,296 

'      (Cap.t.  Du  Quil's. 
Y8       Capt.  Wm.  Garnliara  Luard. 
20       ('apt.  Jno.  Montagu  Hayes. 

H     Dut.          F 
S  5  1    Br           G 

Metalen  Ki~uif,  scr  

16       Capt.  J.  F.  De  Man. 
21       Capt.  AVm.  Montagu  Powell. 

•=  §•    Dut          H 

<£^    Br.'          J 

18       Capt.  Chas.  Tayler  Leckie. 

~  (    Br            K 

-  |  1  Dut           L 

io1"  \    Fr           M 

4        Lieut.  Pallu. 

13  3      Br           X 

4       C'oin.  Arth.  Geo.  R''bprtson  Hoc. 

£*•  Br.          0 
Br           P 

Bouncer,  scr.  g.  b  

IJeut.  Hy.  I-o\ve  Holder. 

Dut.         Q 

8       Com.  M"tUler. 

Am         R 

l       Lieut.  Pearson,  L'.S.X. 

Br.           S 

Pembrokeshire,  collier    

1  Having  on  boarJ  a  battalion  of  Royal  Marines. 

Sir  Augustus  Kuper  quitted  Yokohama  on  August  29th,  and 
sailed  again  from  the  rendezvous,  off  Himesima  Island,  in  the  Inland 
Sea,  on  September  4th,  anchoring  in  the  afternoon  out  of  range  of 
the  batteries  in  the  Strait  of  Simonoseki.  The  defences  then  existing 
there  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  plan.  The  nature  of  the  guns 
in  the  various  forts  is  specified  in  the  table  on  p.  206. 

Kuper,  with  the  French  Bear-Admiral  Jaures,  reconnoitred  the 


204     MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

position  of  the  various  works  which  were  held  by  the  Prince  of 
Nagato ;  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  attack  should  be  made  on 
September  5th,  as  soon  as  the  tide  should  serve. 

At  2  P.M.  on  the  5th,  therefore,  the  ships  took  up  their  assigned 
positions,  and,  immediately  they  had  reached  them,  the  action  was 
opened  by  the  flagship  Euryalus,  the  Japanese  replying  smartly  and 
with  spirit.  The  positions  of  the  ships,  as  described  in  Kuper's 
dispatch  of  September  15th,  were  as  follows  :— 

"  The  advanced  squadron,  under  the  command  of  Captain  J.  M.  Hayes,  consisting 
of  the  Tartar,  Dupleix,  Metalen  Kruis,  Barmsa,  Djanibi,  and  Leopard,  moved  into 
the  bay  off  tlie  village  of  Toyoura,  as  shown  on  the  plan,  within  easy  range  of  batteries 
3  to  8 '  inclusive,  while  the  Euryatus  and  Semiramis  opened  fire  upon  the  same  works. 
The  light  squadron,  under  Commander  Kingston,  consisting  of  the  Perseus,  Medusa, 
Tancrede,  Coquette,  and  Bouncer,  were  directed  to  take  the  batteries  in  flank.  The 
Argus  and  Amsterdam  being  at  first  kept  in  reserve  to  render  assistance  to  any  ship 
that  might  be  disabled  or  grounded,  were  afterwards  ordered  to  close  and  engage  ;  and 
the  Comjueror,  having  the  battalion  of  Marines  on  board,  was,  in  consequence  of  the 
difficult  navigation,  directed  to  approach  only  sufficiently  near  to  admit  of  her  Arm- 
strong guns  bearing  on  the  nearest  batteries.  During  this  operation,  the  Conqueror 
grounded  twice  on  a  knoll  of  sand,  but  came  off  again  without  assistance,  and  without 
sustaining  any  damage.  The  Takiamj  also  tired  several  shots  from  her  one  Parrot  gun, 
doing  good  service.  The  Coquette,  towards  the  close  of  the  engagement,  was  withdrawn 
from  her  position  with  the  flanking  squadron,  and  sent  to  assist  the  foremost  of  the 
advanced  corvette  squadron,  a  service  which  Commander  A.  G.  R.  ]ioe  performed  with 
great  promptness." 

By  about  4.30  P.M.  the  fire  from  batteries  4  and  5  evidently 
slackened ;  and  soon  afterwards  it  ceased.  By  5.30  batteries  6,  7, 
and  8  were  also  silenced.  It  was,  however,  then  too  late  in  the  day 
to  admit  of  landing-parties  being  disembarked.  Nevertheless,  the 
Perseus  and  the  Medusa  being  very  close  to  battery  5,  and  it  being 
too  dark  to  signal  for  instructions,  Commander  Kingston,  with 
Lieutenant  Francis  Joseph  Pitt,  and  a  party  from  the  Perseus,  followed 
by  Captain  de  Casembroot,  and  Lieutenant  De  Hart,  of  the  Medusa, 
gallantly  pulled  ashore,  spiked  most  of  the  guns  in  that  battery,  and 
returned  to  their  ships  without  casualties.  A  curious  and  significant 
feature  of  this  first  day's  action  was  the  receipt  of  a  request  from 
Buzen,  on  the  side  of  the  strait  opposite  to  Simonoseki,  that  the 
people  there  should  be  permitted  to  fire  blank  cartridges  at  the 
squadron  during  the  attack,  and  yet  not  be  molested.  They  desired 
to  keep  in  the  good  graces  of  both  parties,  with  a  diplomatic  view  to 
the  future. 

At  daylight  on  September  6th,  battery  8  re-opened  fire  upon  the 
advanced  squadron,  doing  some  damage  to  the  Tartar  and  Dupleix  ; 
1  The  dispatch  says  "  3  to  9  "  an  obvious  error. 


1864.]  KUPER   IN   THE  STRAIT  OF  SIMONOSEKI.  205 

but,  on  a  return  being  made  by  the  squadron,  it  was  silenced,  only 
a  few  straggling  shots  being  afterwards  fired  from  it.  Kuper 
continues  : — 

"  The  arrangement  for  the  disembarkation  having  been  completed,  the  allied  forces, 
composed  of  the  small-arm  companies  of  the  Euryalus  and  Conqueror,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  J.  H.  I.  Alexander,  of  the  Euryalus,  the  battalion  of  Marines,  and 
Marines  of  the  squadron,  under  that  of  Lieut.-Colonel  William  Grigor  Suther,  R.M., 
and  detachments  of  350  French,  and  200  Dutch  seamen  and  marines,  the  former  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Du  Quilis  and  Lieutenant  Layrle,  chef  d'etat  major,  and  the 
latter  under  that  of  Lieutenant  Binkis,  were  distributed  in  the  boats  of  the  squadron 
and  towed  to  the  opposite  shore  by  the  Argus,  Perseus,  Coquette,  Tancrede,  Amsterdam, 
Medusa,  and  Takiang,  the  Bouncer  assisting  to  .cover  the  landing,  which  was  effected 
without  accident,  under  the  able  superintendence  of  Captain  W.  G.  Luard,  of  the  Con- 
queror, assisted  by  Commander  Edward  Thomas  Nott  of  that  ship;  and  the  force  pro- 
ceeded, under  my  personal  direction,  to  assault  and  take  possession  of  the  principal 
batteries ;  which  was  accomplished  with  only  trifling  opposition.  All  the  guns  having 
been  dismounted  and  spiked,  carriages  and  platforms  burnt,  and  magazines  blown  up, 
and  deeming  it  inexpedient,  from  the  very  rugged  and  almost  impenetrable  nature  of  the 
country,  to  retain  possession  of  any  post  on  shore  during  the  night,  I  directed  the  whole 
force  to  re-embark  at  4  P.M. 

"  The  French  and  Dutch  detachments  were  already  in  their  boats,  when  the  naval 
brigade  stationed  at  battery  No.  5  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  strong  body  of  Japanese 
assembled  in  the  valley  in  the  rear  of  the  battery.  Colonel  Suther's  battalion  of  Marines 
coming  up  at  this  moment,  a  joint  attack  was  instantly  organised,  and  the  enemy 
driven  back  upon  a  strongly-placed  stockaded  barrack,  from  which  they  were  dis- 
lodged after  making  a  brief  but  sharp  resistance,  leaving  seven  small  guns  in  our 
possession." 

On  this  occasion,  Captain  Alexander,  while  leading  his  men,  was 
badly  wounded  in  the  foot,  and  numerous  other  casualties  took  place. 
The  force  re-embarked  without  further  incident.  The  Perseus, 
while  assisting  in  the  landing  operations  in  the  morning,  was  driven 
on  shore  by  a  strong  eddy  of  the  current,  and  remained  fast  until 
midnight  on  the  7th,  when,  having  been  lightened,  she  was  towed 
off  undamaged  by  the  good  management  of  Commander  Moresby. 
An  extraordinary  incident  of  the  second  day's  work  was  the  arrival 
of  envoys  from  Choshiu,  with  a  request  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities 
for  forty-eight  hours,  it  being  alleged  that  the  Japanese  troops  were 
tired  and  hungry,  but  would  be  prepared  to  renew  the  engagement 
at  the  expiration  of  the  period.  The  episode  recalls  the  easy-going 
behaviour  of  the  Belgian  and  Dutch  troops,  who,  during  the  four 
days'  fighting  in  Brussels  in  1830,  desisted  each  day  for  dinner,  as 
by  common  consent,  and  even  allowed  each  other  time  for  a  brief 
siesta  afterwards. 

The  batteries  from  1  to  8  inclusive  being  in  possession  of  the 
Allies,  working  parties  were  landed  early  on  September  7th,  and 


206     MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

began  to  embark  the  captured  guns.  In  the  afternoon,  the 
Tartar,  Metalen  Kruis,  Djambi,  and  Dupleix  moved  round  to  the 
westward  of  Moji  Saki  Point,  preparatory  to  an  attack  on  batteries 
9  and  10. 

On  September  8th,  accompanied  by  Jaures,  Kuper  shifted  his 
flag  to  the  Coquette,  and,  with  the  four  ships  above  mentioned, 
proceeded  to  open  fire  on  batteries  9  and  10.  The  fire  was  not 
returned ;  and  soon  afterwards  parties  were  landed  from  the 
squadron  to  destroy  the  works  and  embark  the  guns,  the  whole 
operation  being  completed  by  the  evening  of  September  10th. 
Sixty-two  pieces  in  all  were  brought  away.1 

On  the  8th,  while  the  work  on  shore  was  still  in  progress,  an 
envoy  from  Choshiu  went  on  board  the  British  flagship  under  a  flag 
of  truce,  and  produced  letters  and  documents  which  induced  Kuper 
and  Jaures  to  allow  a  two  days'  truce,  at  the  expiration  of  which 
a  Japanese  officer  of  high  rank  brought;  humble  and  satisfactory 
submissions  from  Choshiu,  his  promise  to  erect  no  more  batteries, 
and  his  consent  to  open  the  strait. a 

In  the  course  of  the  operations,  the  allies  had  12  people  killed, 
and  60  wounded.  The  British  loss  was,  Euryalus,  5  killed,  18 
wounded ;  Tartar,  8  wounded  ;  Conqueror,  2  killed,  4  wounded ; 

1  ORDNANCE  CAPTURED  AT  SIMONOSEKI,  SEPT.,  1864. 


BATTERT. 

GUNS. 

HOW:TZEI:S.                  MURTAKS.                FIELD  PIECES. 

No.  1 

No.  2     .      .      . 

1—  9-pr. 
1—  9-pr. 

1—  32-pr.                     .                   2—  12-prs. 

No.  3     .      .      . 

Stockaded  j 
Barracks  ) 

.    . 

Removed  by  the  Japanese. 
1  —  12-pr.             1  coehorn        •!     „       ~^Tf'. 

No.  4     .      .      . 

4—  30-prs. 

No.  5     .      .      . 

/     1—  8-ton 
I     6—  24-prs. 

No.  6     .      .      . 

/     2—  11-in.     \ 
I     3—  78-prs.   / 

3—  12-prB. 

No.  7     .      . 

/     1—  8-in. 

\     1—  13-in. 

(     1—  u-in.        j 

No.  8     .      .      . 

3—  24-prs.           2—  5-in. 

(     7-  30-prs.  J 

Nos.  9  and  10   . 

6—  30-prs.    j 
1-24-pr.             1-5-in.                                     \       -G-Pre- 
(     2-9-prs.      j                                                                     —  3-prs. 

Total     .      . 

38 

5                           3                          16 

2  Disps.  and  letters  of  Kuper,  Alexander,  Hayes,  and  Suther;  Journals  of  Capt. 
Payne  and  Chf.  Paym.  B.  R.  A.  Kichards :  Corr.  of  Times,  and  of  A.  and  N.  Gazette. 


1864.]  CASUALTIES  AT  SIMONOSEKI.  207 

Barrosa,  1  wounded;  Leopard,  2  wounded;  Perseus,  '2  wounded; 
Bouncer,  1  wounded ;  and  the  battalion  of  Royal  Marines,  1  killed, 
and  12  wounded :  total,  8  killed,  48  wounded.  No  officers  were 
killed,  but  the  following  were  wounded :  Captain  John  Hobhouse 
Inglis  Alexander,  Lieutenant  Frederick  Edwards,  and  Midshipman 
C.  W.  Atkinson  (Euryalus) ;  Lieutenant  William  Arthur  de  Vesci 
Brownlow,  and  Midshipman  Edward  John  Wingfield  (Tartar) ;  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles  William  Adair,  E.M.,  Captain  Nevinson 
William  de  Courcy,  E.M.,  and  Lieutenant  James  Weir  Inglis,  R.M., 
of  the  Marine  battalion. 

The  promotions  consequent  upon  the  action  were  :— 

To   be   Captains  :    Commanders   John   Moresby   and   Augustus   John   Kingston 

(Nov.  21st). 
To  be  Commanders :  Lieutenants  Henry  Lowe  Holder,  William  Henry  Cuming, 

William  Arthur  de  Vesci  Brownlow,  Richard  Hastings  Harington,  and  Richard 

Edward  Tracey  (Nov.  21st). 

To  be  Master :  Second-Master  James  Greenwood  Liddell  (Nov.  18th). 
To  be  Surgeon :  Assistant-Surgeon  Richard  Lovell  Bluett  Head  (Nov.  18th). 


ADMIRAL   SIB   WILLIAM    MONTAGU    DO  WELL,    G.C.B. 

Most  of  the  British  casualties  occurred  on  September  6th,  when 
the  Naval  Brigade  and  Marines  were  engaged  on  shore.  It  was  then 
that  Captain  Alexander  was  wounded,  the  command  of  the  Brigade 
devolving  on  Lieutenant  Harington.  In  the  course  of  that  after- 
noon's fighting  some  gallant  deeds  were  done,  and  no  fewer  than 
three  Victoria  Crosses  were  gained ;  one  by  Midshipman  Duncan 
Gordon  Boyes  of  the  Euryalus,  "  who  carried  a  colour  with  the 
leading  company,  kept  it  with  headlong  gallantry  in  advance  of  all, 
in  face  of  the  thickest  fire,  his  colour-sergeants  having  fallen,  one 
mortally  and  the  other  dangerously  wounded,  and  was  only  detained 
from  proceeding  further  yet  by  the  orders  of  his  superior  officer. 
The  colour  he  carried  was  six  times  pierced  by  musket  balls."1  The 
others  were  gained  by  Thomas  Pride,  captain  of  the  afterguard, 
who,  until  he  fell  disabled,  had  supported  Boyes ;  and  by  William 
Seeley,  seaman,  who  daringly  ascertained  the  position  of  the  enemy, 
1  Alexander  to  Kuper,  Sept.  10th. 


208     MILITARY  J/ISTOllY   OF   THE  HOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

and   afterwards,  though  wounded,  continued   in   the   front   of   the 
advance.1 

In  addition  to  most  of  the  officers  who  have  been  already  named, 
the  following  were  mentioned  in  the  dispatches  : — 

"  Lieutenants  Robert  Peel  Dennistoun  (flag),  Cottrell  Burnaby  Powell,  and  Alfred 
Jephson;  Masters  George  Williams,  John  Charles  Solfleet,  and  John  Emauuel 
Chappie;  Paymaster  Hemsley  Hardy  Shanks  (Secretary);  Surgeons  David  Lloyd 
Morgan,  and  Christopher  Knox  Ord,  M.D. ;  Assistant-Surgeons  Samuel  M'Bean, 
Edward  Alfred  Birch,  and  John  Thomson  Comerford;  Midshipmen  Henry  Hart  Dyke, 
and  Edward  Plantagenet  Hume ;  Clerk  Robert  N.  Haly ;  Lieut.-Colonel  Penrose 
Charles  Penrose,  B.M. ;  Captain  Ambrose  Wolrigc,  B.M. ;  Lieutenant  John  Christopher 
Hore,  H.M. ;  Lieutenant  William  Henry  Townseud  Morris  Dodgin,  K.M.A. ;  and  a 
Prussian  officer,  Herr  vou  Blanc,  who  was  attached  to  the  Tartar." 

After  much  further  negotiation,  some  internal  outbreaks,  and  a 
demonstration  by  the  fleets  of  the  powers  at  Osaka,  the  Mikado 
ratified  the  treaties  at  the  end  of  1865.  In  1866  the  Shogun,  or 
Tycoon,  Jyemochi,  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  Hitosubashi,  under 
the  name  of  Keiki.  At  about  the  same  time  Choshiu,  who  had 
previously  repulsed  the  Shogun's  forces,  became  reconciled  both 
with  the  Mikado  and  with  Satsuma.  In  1867  the  Mikado  also  died, 
and  the  crown  devolved  upon  Mutsu  Hito,  then  a  boy  of  fifteen, 
who  later  distinguished  himself  as  a  most  successful  and  enlightened 
ruler.  There  was  thenceforward  no  serious  difficulty  with  foreigners. 
An  attack  in  May,  1867,  on  two  British  subjects  who  were  travelling 
between  Osaka  and  Jeddo  was  promptly  punished ;  and  the  murder 
of  two  men  of  H.M.S.  Icarus,  at  Nagasaki,  was  as  quickly  inquired 
into,  the  perpetrators  being  executed.  In  November  of  the  same 
year,  the  dual  government  was  terminated  by  Keiki's  surrender  of 
the  remains  of  his  power  to  the  Mikado. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  further  the  evolution  of  the  modern 
regime  in  Japan.  It  was  not  accomplished  without  much  violence ; 
and  in  1868  seamen  and  Marines  had  again  to  be  landed  on  Japanese 
soil,  this  time  at  Kobe.  They  had,  however,  little  or  no  fighting  to 
do ;  and,  soon  afterwards,  the  conservative  chiefs  formally  admitted 
that  the  long  efforts  to  close  the  country  were  a  mistake,  and  prayed 
that  relations  of  amity  with  foreigners  might  be  encouraged.  In 
March,  1868,  the  European  and  American  ministers  were  invited 
for  the  first  time  to  visit  the  Mikado  at  Kioto.  Isolated  outrages 
continued  for  some  time ;  and  even  on  the  occasion  of  this  visit  to 
the  Mikado,  the  British  minister  narrowly  escaped  assassination  ; 
1  Gazette,  April  21&t,  1865. 


1864-66.]  WEST  AFRICAN  AFFAIRS.  209 

but  proper  punishment  was  instantly  meted  out  to  the  offenders ; 
and  it  was  generally  admitted  that  these  crimes  were  the  work 
of  individual  fanatics,  and  were  in  no  sense  instigated  by  the 
government. 

Japan,  under  the  Emperor  Mutsu  Hito,  began,  very  soon 
afterwards,  to  astonish  her  friends  by  the  rapidity  with  which  it 
assimilated  European  methods  and  civilisation  ;  and,  ere  the  end  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  she  won  her  way  to  recognition  as  one  of 
the  great  powers  of  the  world. 

In  1864,  and  again  in  1865  and  in  1866,  various  expeditions 
proceeded  up  the  Niger  to  maintain  British  prestige,  and  to  keep 
the  turbulent  chiefs  in  order.  For  this  work  the  Investigator,1  2, 
paddle,  drawing  as  she  did  only  about  4  feet  4  inches  of  water, 
proved  most  useful.  She  was  employed  almost  constantly  during 
those  three  years,  either  up  the  river,  or  in  the  Lagos  lagoons, 
where,  in  March,  1865,  she  participated  in  the  action  at  Ikorudu. 
Among  the  officers  who  successively  commanded  her  on  these 
services  were  Lieutenant  Charles  George  Frederick  Knowles,  Lieu- 
tenant John  George  Graham  M'Hardy,  Lieutenant  George  Truman 
Morrell,  and  Lieutenant  John  William  Jones.  In  the  Congo,  in 
1865,  the  boats  of  the  Archer,  13,  screw,  Captain  Francis  Marten, 
were  engaged  against  the  river  pirates. 

Early  in  1865,  while  the  Dart,  5,  screw,  Commander  Frederick 
William  Richards,  lay  at  Akatoo,  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  a 
rumour  arose  to  the  effect  that  the  natives  were  about  to  plunder 
the  British  factories.  One  factory,  indeed,  had  been  actually  looted, 
and  a  schooner  had  been  stripped  and  set  adrift.  Richards  there- 
fore landed  some  men  from  his  gun- vessel,  and,  also  a  small  detach- 
ment from  the  Lee,  5,  screw,  Lieutenant  Oliver  Thomas  Lang. 
Several  boats  were  capsized  in  the  surf,  and  two  people  drowned  ; 
and,  in  a  subsequent  collision  with  the  natives,  one  seaman  was 
wounded. 

Of  the  captures  of  slavers  made  in  the  same  year,  no  case 
was  more  gallant  and  creditable  than  one  in  which  the  pinnace 
and  cutter  of  the  Wasp,  13,  screw,  Captain  William  Bowden, 
were  concerned.  On  May  12th,  the  boats  in  question,  containing 
24  seamen  and  two  Midshipmen,  under  Lieutenants  Charles 
Compton  Rising,  and  Charles  Barstow  Theobald,  found  an  Arab 

1  Built  at  Deptford  in  1861. 
VOL.   VII.  P 


210      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

dhow,  with  283  slaves  and  a  crew  of  76  Arabs  on  board,  about 
nine  miles  off  Zanzibar,  and  captured  her,  after  the  enemy  had 
made  a  desperate  resistance,  and  had  killed  the  pinnace's  coxswain, 
John  New,  and  wounded  11  people,  including  Kising,1  Theobald,2 
and  Midshipman  William  Wilson.3  The  Wasp  made  several  more 
captures,  resistance,  however,  not  being  offered  in  most  cases. 
Another  vessel  which,  at  about  the  same  time  and  on  the  same 
station,  greatly  harassed  the  slave-trade,  was  the  Lyra,  7,  Com- 
mander Eobert  Augustus  Parr.  At  her  paying  off,  in  April,  1868, 
after  a  fifty-two  months'  commission,  she  had  eleven  dhows  to 
her  credit. 

In  June,  1865,  while  surveying  off  the  south  cape  of  Formosa, 
a  boat  party  from  the  screw  gunboat  Dove,  Master  George  Stanley, 
was  set  upon  by  cannibal  natives,  and  had  one  man  wounded.  The 
vessel,  upon  the  return  of  the  party,  opened  fire  with  effect  upon  the 
assailants,  who  crowded  the  beach.  The  scene  of  the  outrage  is 
now  known  as  Attack  Bay. 

In  consequence  of  the  long-continued  outrages  committed  by 
certain  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  "New  Hebrides,  Commodore  Sir 
William  Saltonstall  Wiseman,  Bart.,  in  the  Quracsoa,  23,  screw, 
bombarded  Tanna  and  Erromanga  in  1865.  At  Tanna  one  British 
seaman  was  killed  by  a  native.  On  the  native  side  the  damage  done 
was  confined  chiefly  to  property. 

On  December  12th,  boats'  crews  from  the  Salamis,  paddle 
despatch-vessel,  Commander  Francis  Grant  Suttie,  and  Janus,  gun- 
boat, Lieutenant  Cecil  Frederick  William  Johnson,  had  a  brush 
with  some  Chinese  pirates  at  Tia  Nia,  on  the  west  coast  of  the 
island  of  Tonqua.  Acting  on  information  received  from  the 
mandarins,  Commander  Suttie  landed  with  45  officers  and  men, 
and,  approaching  three  junks  and  five  snake-boats  which  lay  in  a 
creek,  was  fired  upon  from  several  directions  by  a  force  of  about 
200  people,  who  presently  fled  to  the  hills.  Lieutenant  Johnson, 
with  only  six  men,  followed  the  main  body  of  these,  and  fought 
them  gallantly  until  he  was  recalled.  About  a  dozen  of  the  enemy 
were  killed  and  wounded,  and  all  their  craft  were  destroyed.  On  the 
British  side  there  were  no  casualties. 

Among  the  numerous  engagements  which  took  place  during 
these  years  between  H.M.  ships  and  Chinese  pirates,  few  were  more 

1  Com.,  Nov.  26,  1865.     Pension  of  £100  for  wounds,  Aug.  9,  1866. 

2  Com.,  Nov.  16,  1865.  3  Gazette,  July  21,  1865. 


1865.]  ENGAGEMENTS    WITH   CHINESE   PIRATES.  211 

noteworthy  than  one  fought  by  the  gunboat  Grasshopper,  Lieutenant 
George  Digby  Morant,  in  November,  1865.  The  vessel,  on  several 
other  occasions,  rendered  useful  service  of  the  same  sort,  and,  at 
her  paying  off,  she  was  able  to  claim  prize-money  in  respect  of 
20  pirate  vessels,  and  483  men.  Morant,  while  lying  in  Chimmo 
Bay,  near  Amoy,  learnt  that  three  pirate  lorchas,  which  were 
then  at  Port  Matheson,  had  lately  captured  five  cargo  junks. 
Arriving  off  Pyramid  Point  at  about  8  A.M.  on  November  23rd. 
Morant  found  the  three  pirates  under  sail,  and  their  prizes  at  anchor 
inside  of  them.  He  gave  chase,  and,  at  8.45,  fired  a  gun  to  bring 
them  to.  They  replied  at  once,  and  formed  line  of  battle  at  the 
shoal  end  of  the  bay,  tacking  backwards  and  forwards.  Having 
little  more  water  under  him  than  he  drew,  Morant  was  obliged  to 
engage  them  at  1200  yards.  At  11  A.M,  one  of  his  68-pr.  shells  blew 
up  the  magazine  of  the  largest  pirate,  a  Macao  lorcha,  and  set  fire 
to  the  hull.  The  other  two  tried  to  make  off  through  a  rocky 
channel.  The  Grasshopper  steamed  round  outside,  and  drove  them 
back,  and,  upon  the  tide  rising,  was  able  to  close  within  800  yards. 
At  12.45  the  people  of  one  of  the  lorchas  began  to  jump  overboard  ; 
whereupon  Morant  ordered  his  Gunner,  Mr.  H.  Gardner,  to  take  the 
cutter  and  capture  her.  This  was  done.  The  third  lorcha  kept  up 
the  engagement  until  1.15,  when  she  struck,  her  crew  leaving  her. 
Morant,  in  the  gig,  went  and  took  possession  of  her.  The  gunboat 
had  no  casualties,  and  was  hulled  only  twice.  Upon  seeing  the 
Grasshopper  approach,  the  pirates  had  deliberately  beheaded  34  of 
the  prisoners  whom  they  had  on  board,  and  disembowelled  two  boys, 
sons  of  the  masters  of  two  of  the  prizes.  Lieutenant  Morant,  who 
was  promoted l  for  this  affair,  was  fortunately  able  to  capture  23  of 
the  scoundrels  who  had  jumped  overboard.  The  largest  of  the 
lorchas  mounted  two  long  16-prs.  and  six  6-prs.  Each  of  the  others 
had  five  guns,  and  among  them  the  three  had  about  150  men  on 
»oard.2 

In  the  previous  month,  the  Opossum,  2,  Lieutenant  Henry 
Craven  St.  John,  tender  to  the  Princess  Charlotte,  had  been  sent 
in  search  of  some  pirates  who  were  reported  to  be  lying  in  Mirs 
Bay.  She  had  there  found  two  pirate  junks,  which  she  burnt,  and 
their  prize,  which  she  restored  to  her  owners,  from  whom  St.  John 
received  news  which  induced  him  to  proceed  at  once  to  Tooniang 
Island,  where  he  discovered  three  more  piratical  craft  in  a  creek. 
1  Com.,  Feb.  6th,  1866.  2  Morant  to  King. 

P  2 


212      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Having  landed  a  force  to  take  them  in  rear,  he  attacked  in  the 
gunboat  from  seaward,  the  result  of  his  excellent  dispositions  being 
that  he  captured  all  three  without  suffering  any  loss.  This  exploit 
was,  for  the  moment,  the  last  of  a  series  of  operations,  during 
which,  in  about  a  year,  St.  John  had  captured  35  pirate  vessels, 
mounting,  in  the  aggregate,  140  guns. 

One  of  the  most  brilliant  bits  of  hard  fighting  done  by  the  Navy 
in  the  second  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  stands  to  the  credit  of 
the  paddle-sloop  Bulldog,  6,  of  1124  tons,  and  500  nominal  horse- 
power. .She  was  on  the  North  America  and  West  Indies  station 
in  1865,  when  Sylvestre  Salnave  was  endeavouring  to  wrest  the 
presidency  of  the  Haytian  Republic  from  Fabre  Geffrard.  On 
October  22nd,  off  Acul,  and  in  sight  of  the  sloop,  a  Salnavist 
steamer,  the  Valorogue,  fired  into  a  British  Jamaica  packet. 
Captain  Charles  Wake,  of  the  Bulldog,  having  approached,  and 
inquired  into  the  matter,  informed  the  commander  of  the  Valorogue 
that,  unless  he  ceased  firing,  his  ship  should  be  sunk  under  him. 
The  rebel  officer  thereupon  desisted,  and  took  his  vessel  into  Cape 
Haytien.  As  soon  as  he  heard  what  had  happened,  Salnave  ordered 
the  arrest  by  force  of  a  number  of  fugitives  who  had  sought  refuge 
in  the  British  Consulate  there. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  Wake,1  who  was  accompanied  by 
three  Geffrardist  war-steamers,  appeared  off  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour.  The  Consul  had  informed  him  in  the  interval  that  the 
refugees  had  been  not  only  seized  but  also  shot,  that  the  Consulate 
had  been  wrecked,  and  that  the  flag  had  been  insulted  in  other 
ways.  Wake  demanded  satisfaction,  and,  getting  only  a  refusal, 
began  to  shell  Fort  Cirolet  at  8.45  A.M.  The  work  replied  five 
minutes  later.  Pushing  further  in,  and  engaging  all  the  batteries, 
Wake  presently  caught  sight  of  the  Valorogue,  which,  perhaps 
rather  unwisely,  he  endeavoured  to  ram  at  full  speed.  Unfortu- 
nately, he  was  in  waters  which  were  strange  to  him;  and  his 
navigating  officer,  Acting-Master  Edwin  Behenna,  was  a  young 
man  fresh  to  the  station.  The  result  was  that  the  sloop  ran  on  a 
reef  within  short  musket-shot  of  the  enemy's  vessel,  and  within 
point-blank  range  of  a  masked  shore  battery,  which  instantly  opened 
on  her.  Nevertheless,  the  Bulldog  sank  the  Valorogue  at  9.45  ;  and 
at  10.10  A.M.  the  largest  schooner  of  the  Salnavist  fleet  was  also 

1  The  two  Lieutenants  of  the  Bulldog  were  John  Lewis  Way,  and  Frank 
Kougemont. 


1865.]  -WAKE,    OF   THE  "BULLDOG."  213 

sunk.  In  addition,  the  sloop  blew  up  the  Salnavist  powder- 
magazine,  set  fire  to  the  town,  and  dispersed  with  grape  and  canister 
the  riflemen  who  had  assembled  on  the  shore.  At  11.30,  Wake  sent 
a  message  to  the  United  States'  war-steamer  De  Soto,  requesting 
her  captain,  Lieutenant-Commander  Howell,  to  tow  him  off.  Some 
steps  in  this  direction  seem  to  have  been  taken,  but  in  vain,  by  the 
Americans,  who,  at  noon,  through  Lieutenant  Sumner,  kindly  offered 
to  receive  and  tend  the  sloop's  wounded.  This  Wake  thought 
proper  to  decline  at  the  moment.  During  the  whole  time,  and, 
indeed,  until  dark,  the  engagement  continued.  When  the  firing 
had  ceased,  the  gallant  British  Captain,  who  had  no  intention  of 
allowing  his  ship  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  blacks,  and  who  had 
little  ammunition  left,  set  fire  to  and  abandoned  her,  transferring 
himself,  his  people,  his  wounded,  and  his  killed  (with  the  exception 
of  a  few  who  were  sent  to  the  friendly  De  Soto),  to  the  Geffrardist 
steamer  Vmgt-deux  Decembre.  The  sloop,  still  fast  aground,  finally 
blew  up. 

Of  her  complement  of  175  officers  and  men,  the  Bulldog  had 
3  killed,  and  10  wounded.  A  court-martial,  which  was  held  at 
Devonport,  considered  that  Wake  and  Behenna  were  to  blame  for 
having  run  the  sloop  on  to  the  reef,  and  that  she  had  been  abandoned 
and  destroyed  prematurely ;  and  it  severely  reprimanded  Wake,  and 
reprimanded  Behenna.  Captain  Wake  called  the  attention  of  the 
Admiralty  to  his  sentence,  which,  according  to  public  opinion,  was 
a  somewhat  harsh  one,  and  was  informed  that  their  lordships  "  did 
not  consider  that  any  imputation  was  cast  on  his  honour  or  his 
courage.1  This  gallant  officer,  as  will  be  seen  on  reference  to  the 
Flag-Officers'  List,  died  in  1890.  It  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  add 
that  he  was  soon  again  employed  afloat.2 

On  November  9th,  following,  the  offending  forts  at  Cape  Haytien 
were  bombarded,  and  silenced  one  after  the  other,  by  the  Galatea, 
26,  scr.,  Captain  Eochfort  Maguire,  and  Lily,  4,  scr.  Commander 
Algernon  Charles  Fieschi  Heneage.  The  firing  lasted  from  9  A.M. 
until  6  P.M.  The  Galatea  had  no  casualties  ;  but  the  Lily  had 

1  Disps. :  Wake's  account  in  Army  and  Navy  Gazette,  Dec.  2nd,  1865;  letter  of 
officer  of  the  De  Soto.    Mins.  of  C.M.,  Jan.  15th,  1866. 

2  Punch  elided  some  verses  on  the  affair  and  its  sequel  with : 

"Then  here's  three  cheers  for  Captain  Wake;   and,  while  we  sail  the  sea, 
May  British  Bulldogs  always  find  Captains  as  stout  as  he, 
That's  all  for  biting  when  they  bite,  and  none  for  bark  and  brag, 
And  thinks  less  about  court-martials  than  the  honour  of  the  flag." 


214      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  I10YAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

several  people  hurt.     As  the  forts  were  reduced  they  were  occupied 
by  the  Geffrardists. 

In  opening  the  Legislative  Session  of  1865,  Governor  E.  J.  Eyre, 
of  Jamaica,  made  the  following  reference  to  the  part  played  by  the 
Navy  in  repressing  the  very  serious  disturbances  which  had  then 
recently  taken  place  in  the  island  : — 

"To  the  senior  naval  officer,  Captain  de  Horsey,  of  H.M.S.  Wolverene,  we  owe  it 
that  we  were  enabled  to  carry  out  with  promptitude  and  efficiency  the  arrangements 
necessary  to  control  and  suppress  the  rebellion.  The  Wolverene  and  her  gallant 
Captain  were  kept  almost  unceasingly  at  work,  day  and  night,  in  all  weathers,  and  off 
a  lee  coast;  but  all  was  done  with  hearty  good  will,  zeal,  and  cheerfulness.  .  .  . 
Lieutenant  Brand,  of  H.M.S.  Onyx,  is  entitled  to  the  highest  praise  for  the  unceasing 
and  valuable  services  rendered  by  the  little  gunboat  under  his  command." 

Captain  de  Horsey  was  the  Admiral  Algernon  Frederick  Bous 
de  Horsey,  the  dates  of  whose  commissions,  etc.,  will  be  found  in 
the  Flag  Officers'  List.  Lieutenant  Herbert  Charles  Alexander 
Brand,  commanding  the  Onyx,  one  of  the  smallest  of  the  gunboats 
which  had  been  built  for  the  purposes  of  the  war  with  Kussia, 
became  a  victim  of  a  hot  and  foolish  agitation  in  England, 
the  result  of  which  was  that,  with  Brigadier-General  Nelson,  he 
was  arraigned  at  the  Old  Bailey  on  a  charge  of  wilful  murder.  The 
prisoners  were  happily  acquitted ;  and,  after  further  honourable 
service,  Brand  retired  in  1883  with  the  rank  of  Commander.  He 
died  in  1901. 

In  1865  the  piratical  depredations  of  the  Arabs  on  the  west 
coast  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  especially  of  those  of  El  Kateef, 
became  so  troublesome  that,  towards  the  close  of  the  year,  the  screw 
corvette  Highflyer,  21,  Captain  Thomas  Malcolm  Sabine  Pasley, 
was  sent  thither  to  exact  satisfaction.  Failing  to  obtain  it,  Pasley, 
in  January,  1866,  destroyed  two  forts,  and  burnt  some  dhows 
belonging  to  the  marauders.  Misapprehending  the  nature  and 
strength  of  a  fort  near  El  Kateef,  he  subsequently  sent  his  boats 
ashore  there,  and  landed  a  party  which,  in  an  attempt  to  rush  the 
work,  succeeded  in  getting  inside  the  outer  wall  only,  and  was  at 
length  obliged  to  retreat  thence  with  a  loss  of  3  killed  and  8  wounded,1 
one  of  the  latter  also  dying  on  the  following  day.  After  the  repulse, 
the  Highflyer  sent  in  her  boats,  and  shelled  the  fort  at  long  range, 
but  apparently  did  it  little  damage.2 

1  Among  the  wounded  was  Lieut.  John  Fellowes  :  see  Disps. 

2  Bombay  Gazette. 


1806.]  THE  "OPOSSUM"   Iff   CHINA.  215 

During  the  Fenian  disturbances  in  Canada,  in  1865-67,  a 
number  of  Her  Majesty's  sbips  and  vessels  were  employed,  under 
the  direction  of  Captain  de  Horsey,  on  the  river  St.  Lawrence, 
•and  lakes  Ontario,  Erie,  and  Huron.  Their  services  were  not,  for 
the  most  part,  of  a  very  exciting  character,  being  mainly  of  a  pre- 
ventive nature ;  but,  in  respect  of  them,  a  medal  and  clasp  were 
granted  in  1899  to  officers  and  men  who  were  in  the  following 
vessels  on  the  occasion  :— 

Aurora,  35,  screw,  Captain  Algernon  Frederick  Ecus  de  Horsey;  Pyladrs,  21, 
Captain  Arthur  William  Acland  Hood;  Niger,  13,  screw,  Captain  James 
Minchin  Bruce;  liosario,  11,  screw,  Commander  Louis  Button  Versturme ; 
the  gunboats  Heron,  Lieutenant  Henry  Frederick  Stephenson;  Britomart, 
Lieutenant  Arthur  Hildebrand  Alington;  and  Cherub,  Lieutenant  Spencer 
Eobert  Huntley ;  and  the  armoured  hired  gunboats  Canada,  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Hooper  ;  Royal,  Lieutenant  John  Henry  Vidal ;  Hercules,  Lieutenant 
Archibald  Lucius  Douglas ;  SI.  Andrew,  Lieutenant  Seymour  Spencer  Smith ; 
Michigan,  Lieutenant  Frederick  William  Burgoyne  Heron  Maxwell  Heron  ; 
and  Rescue,1  Lieutenant  Henry  James  Fairlie. 

The  Cretan  revolt,  which  began  in  1866,  caused  so  little  anxiety 
to  the  British  authorities  in  the  Mediterranean  that  it  is  not 
mentioned  in  the  autobiography  and  journals  of  Vice-Admiral  Lord 
Clarence  Edward  Paget,  who  was  Conirnander-m-Chief  there  at  the 
time.  Nevertheless,  precautions  were  taken  for  the  protection  of 
British  interests;  and  for  some  months  in  1866-67,  the  gunboat 
Wizard,  Lieutenant  Patrick  James  Murray,  was  stationed  off  the 
coast  for  that  purpose. 

Lieutenant  Henry  Craven  St.  John,  who  was  reappointed  to 
command  the  gunboat  Opossum,  2,  at  the  beginning  of  1866, 
signalised  his  fresh  term  of  command,  and  earned  his  promotion, 
by  the  zeal  which  he  again  displayed  in  the  repression  of  Chinese 
piracy.  In  February,  he  left  Hongkong  on  a  cruise,  and,  hearing 
of  the  presence  of  a  number  of  pirates  near  Pakshui,  on  the 
west  coast  beyond  Macao,  he  at  once  went  in  search  of  them. 
He  discovered  fifteen  vessels  at  the  head  of  a  small  creek,  mounting 
among  them  43  guns,  and  protected  by  a  battery  mounting  three 
others.  He  had  but  about  thirty  men  on  board;  yet  he  silenced 
the  battery,  and  drove  the  pirates  from  their  vessels,  which  he 
seized,  and  many  of  which  he  destroyed,  handing  over  the 
rest  to  the  Imperial  Chinese  authorities.  His  loss  was  5  people 

1  Twin-screw,  of  248  tons,  and  100  H.P. 


216      M1LITA11Y  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

wounded.  Two  clays  later,  he  recaptured  a  junk  which  had  been 
stolen  from  her  owners  and  used  for  piratical  purposes  by  her 
skipper.  Not  long  afterwards,  he  made  another  prize.  After  his 
promotion,  which  was  dated  April  12th  following,  he  made  a  further 
attack  on  Pakshui,  where  he  captured  nine  snake-boats,  and  again 
destroyed  a  battery.  He  was  then  superseded  by  Lieutenant  Karl 
Heinrick  Augustus  Mainwaring.  In  June,  1866,  the  Osprey,  4, 
Commander  William  Menzies,  with  the  Opossum,  left  Hongkong  in 
search  of  some  more  pirate  junks,  which,  to  the  number  of  twenty  - 
two,  were  found  in  Sania  creek.  Among  them  they  mounted 
upwards  of  200  guns.  The  Osprey  approached  within  1200,  and 
the  Opossum  within  700  yards,  and,  after  a  two  hours'  cannonade, 
landed  parties,  which  took  the  junks  in  rear,  and  compelled  their 
abandonment.  The  vessels  were  all  burnt,  and  the  village  of  Sarna, 
which  had  sheltered  them,  was  destroyed.  The  only  person  killed 
on  the  side  of  the  attack  was  a  Chinese  mandarin,  who  had  accom- 
panied it  in  order  to  identify  the  freebooters.1 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1867  several  of  her  Majesty's  ships 
were  actively  employed  on  the  coast  of  Ireland  in  connection  with 
the  repression  of  the  Fenian  disturbances  there.  The  Navy  took 
part,  however,  in  no  fighting  deserving  of  the  name. 

Early  in  the  same  year,  the  British  consul  at  Cartagena,  Colombia, 
having  complained  that  his  letters  were  opened  and  detained  by  the 
local  authorities,  Commodore  Sir  Francis  Leopold  M'Clintock,  in 
charge  at  Jamaica,  despatched  to  the  spot  the  Doris,  24,  screw, 
Captain  Charles  Vesey.  Vesey  made  certain  demands  which  the 
governor  of  the  town  declared  that  he  had  not  power  to  grant; 
whereupon,  on  February  26th,  the  Colombian  Government  steamer 
Colombiano  was  seized  by  an  armed  party  in  three  boats  from  the 
frigate.  This  measure  induced  the  governor  to  adopt  new  views  as 
to  his  powers,  and,  matters  having  been  settled  satisfactorily,  the 
steamer  was  released  on  March  1st. 

On  June  26th,  the  gunboats  Bouncer,  Lieutenant  Karl  Heinrick 
Augustus  Mainwaring,  and  Havock,  Lieutenant  Yelverton  O'Keefe, 
with  a  mandarin  accompanying  them  from  Kowloon  Bay,  found 
two  piratical  Chinese  vessels  at  anchor  in  Starling  Inlet,  and, 
getting  out  their  boats,  took  and  destroyed  both,  and  released  their 
prize,  a  trading  junk.  Such  pirates  as  escaped  were  followed  to  the 
shore,  but  in  vain.  On  the  28th,  fifty  miles  further  up  the  coast, 
1  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Sept.  22,  1866. 


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1867.]  11EVIEW  AT  SPITHEAD,  217 

the  same  gunboats  attacked,  captured,  and  destroyed  a  considerable 
flotilla  of  piratical  craft,  preserving,  however,  one  prize  which,  on 
the  29th,  was  towed  by  the  Havock  into  Hong  Kong.  In  the  course 
of  1867,  when  the  treaty  port  of  Cheefoo,  in  north  China,  was 
threatened  by  a  large  horde  of  rebels,  a  British  force  was  landed 
there  for  its  defence.  The  senior  officer  on  the  spot  at  the  time 
was  Commander  Frederick  William  Hallowes,  of  the  paddle-sloop 
Argus,  6. 

On  July  17th,  1867,  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria  reviewed  a 
large  fleet  at  Spithead.  Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Sabine  Pasley  was  in 
command,  with  his  flag  in  the  Victoria,  screw  wooden  three-decker. 
The  port  column  on  this  interesting  occasion  consisted  exclusively 
of  vessels  of  the  old  and  doomed  types.  The  starboard  column, 
under  Rear-Admiral  Frederick  Warden,  who  had  his  flag  in  the 
Minotaur,  consisted  exclusively  of  ironclads,  and  included  not  only 
iron-hulled  armoured  battleships,  like  the  Bellerophon,  but  also 
wooden-hulled  ones,  like  the  Lord  Clyde,  together  with  coast-defence 
turret-ships,  such  as  the  Royal  Sovereign  and  the  Prince  Albert, 
and  armoured  gun-vessels,  such  as  the  Vixen  and  the  hydraulic- 
driven  Waterwitcli.  No  non-steamers  were  present  in  the  lines. 
Accompanying  the  Queen  were  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  and  the  Viceroy 
of  Egypt.  Lieutenant  William  Eobert  Kennedy  acted  as  Flag- 
Lieutenant  to  the  Board  of  Admiralty  at  the  review,  and  was 
promoted,  on  the  following  day,  to  be  Commander.  In  August, 
1869,  when  their  Lordships  went  for  a  cruise  in  the  Agincourt  with 
the  Channel  Squadron,  which  was  then  commanded  by  Vice-Admiral 
Sir  Thomas  Matthew  Charles  Symonds,  in  the  Minotaur,  Captain 
James  Graham  Goodenough,  Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Edward  Stanley 
Dawson  was  appointed  Flag-Lieutenant  to  the  Board.  The 
Admiralty  flag  was  hauled  down  on  September  30th,  and  Mr. 
Dawson  received  his  promotion  on  the  following  November  llth. 

Numerous  acts  of  piracy  and  murder  by  the  natives  of  the 
Nicobar  Islands  led  to  the  despatch  thither  from  the  Straits  Settle- 
ments on  July  19th,  1867,  of  the  Wasp,  13,  screw,  Captain  Norman 
Bernard  Bedingfeld,  and  the  Satellite,  17,  screw,  Captain  Joseph 
Edge,  the  latter  having  native  troops  on  board.  Some  villages  and 
war-canoes  were  burnt,  and  one  or  two  prisoners  were  released ;  but, 
disturbances  having  in  the  meantime  broken  out  at  Penang,  the 
ships  had  to  return  thither  in  the  middle  of  August.  The  Wasp 
had  been  originally  commissioned  in  November,  1863,  for  the 


218      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

suppression  of  the  slave-trade  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa.  One  of 
her  exploits  there  in  the  year  1865  has  been  already  recorded. 

The  Navy  had  but  a  modest,  though  an  altogether  creditable 
share  in  the  Abyssinian  Expedition  of  1868.  The  naval  arrange- 
ments in  the  Indian  seas  were  in  the  hands  of  Captain  Leopold 
George  Heath,  C.B.,  who  flew  a  broad  pennant,  as  Commodore  of 
the  First  Class,  in  the  Octavia,  35,  screw,  Captain  Colin  Andrew 
Campbell.  To  the  Octavia  was  attached,  as  Director  of  the 
Transport  Service,  Captain  George  Tryon,  who  had  on  his  staff 
Paymasters  Thomas  Henry  Lovelace  Bowling,  and  Thomas  Nelson 
Firth,  and  Assistant-Paymaster  Thomas  Edmund  Goodwin.  These 
officers  did  most  of  their  work  at  the  base  at  Zoulla,  in  Annesley 
Bay,  one  of  the  hottest  places  on  earth,  and  were  fully  employed, 
seeing  that  no  fewer  than  291  transports,  besides  tugs,  lighters,  and 
native  craft,  were  engaged  in  the  operations.1 

More  interesting  experiences  fell  to  the  Naval  Brigade  which, 
with  rockets  and  Sniders,  was  landed  at  Zoulla  on  January  25th, 
under  Commander  Thomas  Hounsom  Butler  Fellowes,2  of  the 
Dryad,  4,  screw,  and  which  accompanied  the  army  to  Magdala. 
The  ships  which  chiefly  contributed  were  the  Octavia,  the  Dryad, 
Commander  Fellowes,  and  the  Satellite,  17,  screw,  Captain  Joseph 
Edye ;  though  medals  for  the  campaign  were  also  granted  to  the 
Star,  4,  screw,  Commander  Eichard  Bradshaw ;  Argus,  6,  paddle, 
Commander  Frederick  William  Hallowes ;  Daphne,  4,  screw,  Com- 
mander George  Lydiard  Sulivan ;  Nymphe,  4,  screw,  Commander 
Thomas  Barnardiston ;  Spiteful,  6,  paddle,  Commander  Benjamin 
Langlois  Lefroy ;  and  Vigilant,  4,  screw,  Commander  Ealph 
Abercrombie  Otho  Brown ;  these  ships  being  engaged  on  various 
services  in  connection  with  the  campaign. 

The  Brigade  marched  on  February  29th,  reached  Senafe  on 
March  5th,  and,  advancing  again  on  the  7th,  arrived  at  Antalo  on 
March  16th.  It  consisted  of  but  100  European  officers  and  men, 
with  2  farriers,  13  grasscutters,  3  water-carriers,  6  sick-bearers, 
1  hospital-sweeper  (Indian  natives),  and  88  battery  mules,  54 
baggage  and  provision  mules,  or  their  equivalent  in  camels,  11 
officers'  horses,  and  3  bullocks  for  carrying  water.  At  Antalo  it 
was  attached  to  the  2nd  brigade,  1st  division.  At  Lat,  on  March 

1  Fitzgerald,  "  Life  of  Tryon,"  99. 

2  In    his   absence   the    Dryad  was    temporarily   commanded   by   Lieut.   George 
Woronzow  Allen. 


1868.]  THE  ABYSSINIAN  EXPEDITION.  219 

23rd,  it  joined  the  first  division  under  Major-General  Sir  Charles 
Staveley,  and  thence  continued  on  the  25th  towards  Magdala.  On 
joining  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Robert  Napier,  the  commander-in- 
chief,  at  Santara,  on  March  30th,  the  force  was  drilled,  and  fired 
rockets,  under  his  Excellency's  inspection.  It  was  then  attached  to 
the  1st  Brigade  under  Brigadier-General  Schneider,  which  moved 
forward  on  the  31st.  On  April  10th  it  rendered  valuable  service 
during  the  action  in  the  Arrogie  Pass,  where  it  led  the  attack  up 
the  King's  Road.  On  April  13th  it  threw  rockets  into  Magdala,  and 
took  part  in  the  assault  on  the  place.  Two  or  three  days  later  it 
again  used  its  rockets  to  disperse  Galla  plunderers.  In  the 
distribution  of  the  loot,  the  Brigade  received  as  its  trophy  "  a 
valuable  and  handsome  shield,  with  gold  filigree  and  lion's  skin, 
and  a  solid  silver  cross."  At  the  review  on  Dalanta  Plain,  on 
April  20th,  the  Brigade  was  placed  on  the  right  of  all  the  troops, 
excepting  the  cavalry.  The  return  march  was  begun  on  the  22nd. 
In  the  meantime  another  Brigade,  under  Captain  Colin  Andrew 
Campbell,1  had  been  landed  for  the  defence  of  Senafe,  but  was  not 
required  there,  and  was  re-embarked. 

Throughout  the  operations  the  men  behaved  admirably,  and 
marched  very  well  indeed,  although,  in  many  cases,  their  boots  gave 
out.  Commander  Fellowes,  who  was  himself  mentioned  in  the 
despatch  of  Sir  Robert  Napier,  specially  brought  to  the  notice  of 
the  Admiralty  (in  his  despatch  dated  Marrawah,  May  2nd)  the 
names  of  the  following  officers  and  men  of  his  little  command  :  viz. 
Lieutenant  Charles  Searle  Cardale  (Satellite),  Assistant-Surgeon 
Henry  Nanton  Murray  Sedgwick  (Octavia),  Chief-Gunner's  Mate 
Charles  Henry  Jones,  Gunner's  Mate  Robert  Smith,  Boatswain's 
Mates  Thomas  Vaughan,  and  John  Graham,  coxswain  of  the  barge 
Benjamin  Starkes,  and  second  captain  of  the  foretop  Charles 
Austin.  There  were  no  casualties.2  For  their  services  Commodore 
Heath  received  a  K.C.B.,  and  Captains  Edye,  Tryon,  and  Fellowes 
each  a  C.B.3  In  addition,  Commanders  Fellowes  and  Barnardiston 
were  posted  ;  Lieutenants  John  Fiot  Lee  Pearse  Maclear,  Edmund 
Lyons  Green,  and  Charles  Searle  Cardale  were  made  Commanders  ; 

1  In  his  absence  Com.  William  Henry  Maxwell  commanded  the  Octavia. 

2  Gazette,  June  16th,  1868.     Fellowes  to  Admlty.,  May  2nd  (in  A.  and  N.  Gazette, 
June  27th,  1868).     Hozier,  "  Brit.  Exped.  to  Abyssinia  "  (1869).     Heath  to  Admlty., 
June  10th,  1868.     The  last  makes  favourable  mention  of  a  number  of  officers. 

3  All  dated  Aug.  15th,  1868.     Capt.  Edye  died  on  Sept.  13th,  1868,  at  Hong  Kong. 


220      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

acting  Sub-Lieutenant  George  Lambart  Atkinson  was  made  acting 
Lieutenant ;  Navigating-Lieutenants  Daniel  John  May,  and  Thomas 
Pounds  were  made  Staff-Commanders ;  Surgeon  James  Nicholas 
Dick  was  made  Staff-Surgeon  ;  Assistant-Paymaster  William  Edwin 
Boxer  was  made  Paymaster;  and  Engineer  William  Henry  Grose 
was  made  Chief-Engineer.1 

This  year  is  remarkable  for  the  unusual  number  of  cases  of 
piracy  and  outrage  which,  in  various  quarters  of  the  world, 
necessitated  the  active  employment  of  ships  of  the  Navy. 

Lieutenant  Cornpton  Edward  Domvile,  of  the  Algerine,  1, 
screw,  who  had  already  done  useful  service  against  Chinese  pirates, 
continued  to  be  very  active  in  the  summer.  On  May  26th,  1868, 
the  gun-vessel  left  Hong  Kong  in  search  of  a  piratical  junk  or 
snake-boat,  which  had  committed  piracy  just  outside  the  harbour. 
She  found  a  junk  of  about  100  tons  in  an  inlet  of  Mirs  Bay,  and, 
acting  upon  information  received,  took  her,  burnt  her,  and  drove 
her  people  away,  then  proceeding  to  Stanley  for  further  directions. 
Early  on  the  31st  she  again  started,  calling  at  Macao,  and  thence 
going  to  Namoa.  On  her  way  back,  when  between  that  place  and 
St.  John's,  on  June  3rd,  she  fell  in  with  a  squadron  of  thirteen 
heavily-armed  pirates.  Domvile  hailed  them,  and  demanded  their 
papers,  whereupon  they  fired  into  him.  The  mandarin  with  him 
assured  him  that  they  were  pirates,  and  the  fire  was  promptly 
returned.  In  a  few  minutes  the  action  became  general.  The 
gun-vessel  rolled  badly,  but  made  fairly  good  practice.  She  cut 
off  and  boarded  one  junk,  which  was  endeavouring  to  run  in-shore, 
and  then  she  chased  the  others,  which  were  going  off  in  a  body  to 
the  westward.  She  got  up  with  them  at  about  dusk,  having  first 
engaged  them  at  a  little  after  3  P.M.  A  fresh  and  close  action 
followed,  and  lasted  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  Owing  to  the  darkness 
and  the  shoaling  water  the  pursuit  had  then  to  be  abandoned  ;  but 
the  already  captured  junk,  which  made  off  to  seaward,  was  retaken 
two  hours  after  dark,  and  towed  into  Hong  Kong  on  June  9th. 
Whether  the  Chinese  were  really  pirates  is  more  than  doubtful ; 
for,  on  trial,  the  prize  was  judged  to  be  a  trader,  and  was  released. 
Domvile,  indeed,  though  with  the  best  intentions,  acted  too  hastily. 
Otherwise  the  affair  was  most  creditable ;  for  while  on  the  Chinese 
side  about  800  men  and  130  guns  seem  to  have  been  engaged,  the 
Algerine  had  on  board  but  one  large  and  two  small  pieces,  and  about 
1  All  dated  Aug.  14th,  18G8. 


1868.]  MINOll    OPERATIONS  IN    CHINA.  221 

20  people  ;  among  whom  there  were,  strange  to  say,  no  casualties.1 
On  July  15th  the  Algerine  captured  three  other  alleged  piratical 
junks  in  a  bay  in  Tychan  Island.  Domvile  was  promoted  on 
September  2nd  following.  British  officials,  both  consular  and 
naval,  were  at  that  time  rather  too  ready  to  employ  force  in  China. 
In  1869  the  Foreign  Office  strongly  censured  Consul  Sinclair,  of 
Foochow,  for  having  unnecessarily  induced  Lieutenant  Leicester 
Chantrey  Keppel,  of  the  Janus,  1,  to  intervene  on  behalf  of  a  certain 
missionary. 

At  Yangchow,  on  August  22nd,  1868,  the  unpopularity  of  the 
British  missionaries  led  to  a  serious  outrage,  which  only  by  great 
good  fortune  did  not  terminate  in  the  whole  household  of  the 
Eev.  Mr.  Taylor  being  burnt.  Happily,  the  entire  British  party 
escaped  to  Chinkiang.  Consul  Walter  Medhurst,  and  the  Einaldo, 
1,  screw,  Commander  William  Kemptown  Bush,  proceeded  as  soon 
as  possible  from  Shanghai  to  Chinkiang,  whence,  with  an  escort  of 
80  officers  and  men  from  the  sloop,  the  Consul  went  to  Yangchow 
on  September  8th,  and  made  certain  demands.  Some  of  these  the 
local  authorities  professed  themselves  powerless  to  grant,  whereupon 
the  Consul  and  his  party  moved  up  to  Nankin ;  but,  Commander 
Bush  falling  ill,  the  Einaldo  was  withdrawn  ;  and  the  Governor- 
General,  seeing  the  Consul  deprived  of  his  supports,  assumed  an 
intractable  attitude.  Medhurst  had  to  return  to  Shanghai,  and 
refer  the  matter  to  Pekin.  The  affair  was  most  injurious  to  British 
prestige,  and  Commander  Bush  was  much  blamed  for  withdrawing 
his  sloop  instead  of  leaving  her  at  Nankin  and  himself  going  to 
Shanghai  in  one  of  the  regular  steamers.2  After  some  negotiations, 
Sir  Eutherfold  Alcock  was  obliged  to  place  the  matter  of  the  attack 
on  the  missionaries  in  the  hands  of  Vice-Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir 
Henry  Keppel,  who,  accordingly,  sent  up  the  Eodney,  78,  screw 
(flag 3),  Captain  Algernon  Charles  Fieschi  Heneage,  Einaldo,  1,  and 
Slaney,  1,  screw,  Lieutenant  William  Francis  Leoline  Elwyn,  to 
Nankin,  where  the  Icarus,  3,  screw,  Commander  Lord  Charles 
Thomas  Montagu  Douglas  Scott,  and  the  Zebra,  7,  screw,  Com- 
mander Henry  Anthony  Trollope,  subsequently  joined  them.  The 
squadron  seized  the  Chinese  gunboat  Tien  Chi,  on  November  8th, 

1  China  Mail ;  Admiralty  Corr.  in  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  May  22nd,  1869. 

2  SJumghai  News  Letter.    Friend  of  China.     Shanghai  Corr.  of  Times  in  letter  of 
Oct.  13th,  1868. 

*  But  Keppel  was  temporarily  elsewhere,  in  the  Salamis. 


222      MILITARY   HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

as  a  material  guarantee  ;  and  a  strong  landing  party,  under  Captain 
Heneage,  was  then  despatched,  in  November,  to  Yangchow,  where 
it  remained  until  the  whole  of  the  British  demands  had  been 
conceded.1 

There  were  other  outrages,  arising  chiefly  out  of  the  local 
opposition  to  missionaries,  and  the  attempt  of  the  Chinese  to 
monopolise  the  camphor  trade,  in  the  island  of  Formosa.  Claims 
for  redress  were  evaded,  and  at  length  Consul  Gibson  requested 
Lieutenant  Thornhaugh  Philip  Gurdon,  commanding  the  Algcrine,  1, 
screw,  to  occupy  the  Amping  and  Zelandia  forts,  which  constituted 
the  key  to  the  capital,  Taiwan.  At  Amping,  forty-one  guns  were 
already  in  position.  To  prevent  the  mounting  of  more,  Gurdon,  on 
November  25th,  1868,  opened  fire  with  his  pivot-gun  at  2000  yards ; 
but,  finding  that  he  could  not  stop  the  construction  of  earthworks, 
he  very  pluckily  landed  at  night  in  his  gig  and  cutter,  accompanied 
by  two  officers  and  twenty-three  men.  The  gig  was  swamped,  but 
he  disembarked  in  safety  through  the  surf,  two  miles  below  the 
town.  Advancing  carefully,  as  it  was  moonlight,  he  took  shelter 
under  some  rising  ground,  800  yards  from  the  works,  until  2  A.M., 
when  he  made  a  rush,  and  carried  the  place  almost  instantly,  killing 
several  Chinamen,  and  driving  off  the  rest.  At  daylight  he  also 
took  possession  of  Zelandia,  and,  when  attacked  there  by  a  force 
from  Taiwan,  repulsed  it  with  heavy  slaughter.  This  brilliant 
action  led  to  the  submission  of  the  local  authorities,  the  punishment 
of  those  who  had  committed  the  outrages,  and  the  breaking  down 
of  the  camphor  monopoly.  On  the  other  hand,  Consul  Gibson, 
Lieutenant  Gurdon,  and  Sir  Henry  Keppel  were  severely  attacked, 
besides  being  blamed  by  the  Admiralty,  for  having  had  recourse  to 
such  active  measures,  although,  in  fact,  fruitless  negotiations  had 
been  going  on  for  five  months  ere  any  blow  was  struck.2  Gurdon 
was,  however,  promoted  on  June  1st,  1869. 

On  February  2nd  and  3rd  of  the  following  year,  the  Algerine, 
then  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Henry  Eowland  Ellison  Grey, 
destroyed  twelve  piratical  snake-boats  off  Tonqua,  subsequently 
releasing  four  valuable  prize  junks.3 

The  town  of  Choochi,  on  the  river  Hau,  above  Swatow,  was 

1  Keppel,  "  A  Sailor's  Life,"  iii.  221. 

2  Keppel,  "  A  Sailor's  Life,"'  iii.  223.     A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Feb.  13th  and  Mar.  13th, 
18G9. 

3  Honykong  Daily  Press,  Feb.  10th,  1869. 


1808.]  JOHNSON  AT  CHOOCHI.  223 

long  the  headquarters  of  a  band  of  pirates,  who  interfered  with  the 
transport  of  merchandise  from  the  interior  to  the  coast,  and  even 
plundered  vessels  in  sight  of  Swatow  itself.  In  1868  some  of  these 
people  foolishly  fired  upon  and  robbed  a  boat  which,  in  charge  of 
a  British  subject,  was  bringing  down  stores  for  the  Bustard,  2, 
screw,  Lieutenant  Cecil  Frederick  William  Johnson.  Johnson 
demanded  the  punishment  of  the  offenders,  but  the  local  mandarin 
declared  that  Choochi  was  fortified,  and  far  too  strong  for  him  to 
meddle  with ;  whereupon,  on  June  29th,  the  Bustard  steamed  up 
the  river,  and  anchored  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  pirate 
stronghold.  The  co-operation  of  some  mandarins,  with  300  Chinese 
troops,  had  been  obtained.  The  town  having  been  summoned,  and 
having  refused  to  surrender,  Johnson  landed,  and  led  the  troops 
to  the  attack  of  the  place,  which  was  stoutly  held  and  mounted  two 
guns.  The  Chinese  soldiers  did  well  until  they  became  entangled 
among  spikes  and  other  obstructions  under  a  heavy  fire  inside  the 
outer  stockade.  Johnson  was  then  obliged  to  retire,  as  he  had  with 
him  too  few  Europeans  to  attempt  a  storm,  and  the  enemy  could 
concentrate  600  men  at  any  given  point.  Returning  to  the  gunboat, 
he  began  a  bombardment  which  he  kept  up  until  dark.  In  the 
night  he  landed  sixteen  of  his  men  with  a  24-pdr.  howitzer,  which, 
posted  within  600  yards  of  the  works,  opened  fire  at  dawn  on  the 
30th.  When,  after  some  hours,  the  inner  fortifications  were 
breached,  the  Chinese  troops  were  again  induced  to  advance. 
Johnson  led  them  gallantly,  but  they  were  once  more  repulsed. 
On  the  two  following  days  the  bombardment  was  continued.  At 
length,  the  town  being  on  fire  in  several  places,  Johnson,  with 
twenty-four  of  his  own  small  ship's  company,  succeeded  in  taking 
it.  After  levelling  the  works  and  burning  the  stockades,  he  handed 
it  over  to  the  Chinese  authorities.1  Johnson  was  recommended  for 
his  services,  but  was  not  promoted  until  1873. 

Owing  to  Mr.  Baker,  a  missionary,  and  some  of  his  dependents 
having  been  murdered,  the  Challenger,  18,  screw,  Commodore 
Rowley  Lambert,  C.B.,  proceeded  in  August,  1868,  to  Eewa,  in  the 
Fiji  Islands,  and  despatched  her  launch,  and  first  and  second 
cutters,  under  Commander  Charles  James  Brownrigg,  who  shelled 
one  or  two  villages  as  a  punitive  measure,  and,  it  was  believed, 
killed  several  natives.  On  the  British  side  two  persons  only  were 
wounded.  On  September  llth  and  12th  the  Blanche,  6,  Captain 
1  Hunykong  Daily  Press,  Aug.  lOih,  1808.  Johnson  to  Keppel. 


224      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

John  Eglinton  Montgomerie,  executed  similar  punitive  measures  at 
Rodora  Bay,  in  the  Solomon  Islands. 

As  in  so  many  previous  years,  some  of  the  piratical  tribes  on  the 
Congo  gave  trouble  in  1868.  They  were  effectively  punished, 
particularly  at  Maletta  Creek  in  November.  The  vessels  whose 
officers  and  men  participated  in  the  affair  were  the  Myrmidon,  4, 
screw,  Commander  Henry  Boys  Johnstone,  Pandora,  5,  screw, 
Commander  John  Burgess,  and  Plover,  3,  twin  screw,  Commander 
James  Augustus  Poland. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  year  a  schooner  under  the  British  flag 
was  captured  by  pirates  near  Malluda  Bay,  and  three  of  her  people 
were  killed.  Upon  hearing  of  the  outrage  the  Governor  of  Labuan 
went  in  pursuit  in  the  Dwarf,  2,  screw,  Lieutenant  Charles  Francis 
Walker.  The  pirates  made  a  stand  on  the  island  of  Ubean,  and, 
refusing  to  deliver  up  their  leader,  were  punished  by  a  landing  party, 
which  burnt  their  village,  and  brought  about  their  submission. 
Governor  John  Pope  Hennessy  left  the  question  of  compensation  to 
be  settled  by  an  official  of  the  Sultan  of  Sulu. 

Piracy  in  the  Arabian  Gulf  received  a  check  at  the  hands  of 
Commander  Benjamin  Langlois  Lefroy,  of  the  Spiteful,  6,  paddle, 
who,  during  a  month's  cruise  in  the  early  part  of  1868,  captured 
and  destroyed  six  vessels,  and  rescued  200  slaves.  Two  of  the 
slavers  taken  were  armed  with  6-pr.  carronades.  On  one  occasion 
determined  resistance  was  offered ;  and  on  another  the  fugitive 
crew  of  a  captured  dhow  returned,  and  made  a  bold  but  vain  effort 
to  regain  the  prize,  which  had  to  be  blown  up. 

In  the  late  summer  of  1868,  as  soon  as  she  could  be  spared  from 
service  with  the  Abyssinian  Expedition,  the  Vigilant,  4,  screw, 
Commander  Ealph  Abercrombie  Otho  Brown,  was  sent,  with  three 
vessels  J  of  the  Bombay  Marine,  to  deal  with  the  troublesome  chief, 
Mahomet  ben  Kuleef,  of  Bahrein,  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  with  his 
neighbours  and  allies,  who  had  greatly  oppressed  Indian  traders. 
Mahomet  ben  Kuleef's  fort,  war-vessels,  and  guns  were  destroyed 
after  a  two  days'  bombardment ;  reparation  was  made ;  fines  were 
imposed ;  and  certain  chiefs  were  deposed  and  outlawed.  The 
Bombay  vessels  subsequently  proceeded  to  Muscat,  which  was 
found  to  have  been  captured  by  rebels  on  the  day  previous  to  their 
arrival ;  and  assistance  was  rendered  to  the  Sultan.2 

1  Sir  ffuyh  Hose,  Sinde,  and  Clyde. 

2  Times  of  India,  Oct.  2,  1868  ;  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Nov.  7,  1868. 


1869.]  JONES  IN   OUTINOPOI   CHEEK.  225 

At  Bahrein  matters  did  not  remain  quiet  for  long  ;  and  towards 
the  end  of  1869  it  became  necessary  again  to  take  action  there.  The 
matter  was  entrusted  to  Commander  George  Amelius  Douglas,  of 
the  Daphne,  4,  screw,  who,  accompanied  by  the  Nymphe,  4,  screw, 
Commander  Edward  Spencer  Meara,  and  two  vessels  of  the  Bombay 
Marine,  proceeded  to  the  spot,  and,  in  October  and  November, 
blockaded  the  island  of  Bahrein,  took  the  fort  of  Menameh,  and 
seized  or  obtained  the  surrender  of  several  truculent  chiefs,  who 
were  presently  carried  to  Bombay  as  prisoners.  It  may  be  added 
that,  previous  to  this  expedition,  both  the  Nymphe  and  the  Daphne 
had  been  unusually  successful  while  slave-cruising.  During  the 
commissions  which  they  were  then  serving  they  captured  between 
them  about  sixty  slave  vessels  of  one  kind  or  another.  The  Star,  4, 
screw,  Commander  Walter  Sidney  de  Kantzow,  was  also  con- 
spicuously successful. 

Another  craft  which,  on  the  same  station,  did  good  service 
against  slavers  in  the  years  1868  and  1869  was  the  Dryad,  4,  screw- 
sloop,  Commander  Philip  Howard  Colomb,  who  subsequently 
wrote  an  interesting  account  of  his  work,  and  published  it  under 
the  title  of  '  Slave-Catching  in  the  Indian  Ocean.' 

Early  in  January,  1869,  when  Vice-Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  Henry 
Keppel  happened  to  be  with  the  British  Consul  at  Canton,  informa- 
tion reached  him  from  Captain  Oliver  John  Jones,  Commodore  at 
Hong  Kong,  concerning  an  outrage  which  had  just  been  committed 
by  the  Chinese  in  the  vicinity  of  Swatow.  The  crew  of  the  Cock- 
chafer, 2,  screw,  while  exercising  in  the  boats  up  the  River  Han, 
under  the  commander  of  the  gunboat,  Lieutenant  Howard  Kerr, 
had  been  attacked  by  the  inhabitants  of  some  neighbouring  semi- 
piratical  villages,  and,  having  been  landed,  had  found  itself  opposed 
by  about  600  people,  and  ultimately  obliged  to  retire,  with  a  loss  of  11 
wounded.  Keppel  communicated  with  the  Chinese  authorities,  who 
undertook  to  co-operate  in  punishing  the  assailants  ;  and  he  ordered 
the  Commodore  to  proceed  to  the  spot  with  the  Einaldo,  7,  screw, 
Commander  Frederick  Charles  Bryan  Robinson,  Perseus,  15,  screw, 
Commander  Charles  Edward  Stevens,  Icarus,  3,  screw,  Commander 
Lord  Charles  Thomas  Montagu  Douglas  Scott,  Leven,  2,  screw, 
Lieutenant  Orford  Somerville  Cameron,  Bouncer,  2,  screw,  Lieu- 
tenant Rodney  Maclaine  Lloyd,  and  a  detachment  of  seamen  and 
Marines  from  Keppel's  flagship,  the  Rodney,  which  was  making 
good  defects  at  Hong  Kong.  Keppel  did  not  intend  Jones  to  act 

VOL.  VII.  Q 


226      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

before  his  senior's  arrival,  and,  having  proceeded  to  Hong  Kong, 
sailed  thence  on  January  30th,  1869,  in  the  Salamis,  2,  paddle, 
Commander  Henry  Matthew  Miller. 

The  impetuous  Commodore,  however,  probably  fearing  to  be 
superseded  in  the  command  of  the  expedition,  did  not  wait  for  the 
arrival  either  of  his  chief,  or  of  the  whole  of  the  Chinese  forces,  but, 
having  landed  a  sufficient  detachment,  advanced  on  January  28th 
along  the  banks  of  Outingpoi  Creek,  burnt  two  or  three  villages, 
killed  or  wounded  88  natives,  re-embarked,  and  returned  to  his  ships. 
The  British  loss  was  only  five  wounded,  including  Lieutenants 
Herbert  Frederick  Gye  (Rodney),  Philip  Bennet  Aitkens  (Rinaldo), 
and  Eodney  Maclaine  Lloyd  (Bouncer).1 

The  slave  trade  persisted  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa  many  years 
after  it  had  become  practically  extinct  elsewhere ;  and,  indeed, 
slavers  continued  to  be  captured  there,  though  with  diminishing 
frequency,  until  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century.  In  1869  the 
traffic  was  extremely  active,  as  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
between  January  4th  and  April  9th  of  that  year,  the  Nymphe,  4, 
screw,  Commander  Edward  Spencer  Meara,  took  no  fewer  than 
sixteen  slave-dhows  on  the  station.  On  April  llth,  when  the  sloop 
was  at  Zanzibar,  her  two  cutters  were  ordered  away,  at  the  request 
of  the  Sultan,  to  stop  another  dhow,  which  was  putting  to  sea.  She 
was  made  prize  of,  but  in  the  struggle,  and  by  subsequent  fire  from 
the  shore,  a  seaman  was  killed,  and  two  officers  were  wounded.2 
On  May  21st,  while  on  her  way  to  Aden,  the  Nymphe  took  two 
more  large  slavers,  making  nineteen  in  less  than  five  months. 
Other  vessels  were  almost  equally  successful  at  about  the  same 
period. 

An  expedition,  consisting  of  the  Lynx,  4,  twin  screw,  Com- 
mander James  Wylie  East,  and  the  Pioneer,  2,  paddle,  Lieutenant 
William  Wiseman,3  left  Lagos,  on  July  21st,  1869,  in  order  to  pro- 
ceed as  far  as  possible  up  the  Niger  in  support  of  British  trade  and 
influence.  The  bar  of  the  river  was  crossed  on  July  23rd,  but  only 
very  slow  progress  could  be  made,  owing  to  the  sandbanks  and 
natural  obstacles.  After  a  point  upwards  of  400  miles  from  the 

1  Keppel,  "  A  Sailor's  Life,"  iii.  233  (untrustworthy  especially  as  regards  names). 
A.  and  N.   Gazette,  Feb.  20th,  March   6th,  March   13th,   and   March   27th,   3869. 
Saturday  Review,  May  2<Jth,  1869. 

2  Sub-Lieut.  Norman  Leith  Hay  Clark,  who  commanded,  and  Sub-Lieut.  Thomas. 
Tarleton  Hodgson  (severely).     Both  were  presently  promoted. 

3  Afterwards  Capt.  Sir  Wm.  Wiseman,  9th  Bart.,  died  Nov.  1,  itfvjs. 


1869.]  THE  "BOUNCER"    OFF  GOWTOW.  227 

sea  had  been  reached,  the  vessels,  which  had  become  very  sickly, 
returned ;  but  the  difficulties  of  navigation  prevented  them  from 
recrossing  the  bar  until  September  13th.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
Lynx  at  Ascension,  every  one  of  her  people  except  four  had  to  be 
sent  to  hospital.  The  expedition  was  purely  a  peaceful  one,  yet  it 
narrowly  escaped  being  of  the  most  costly  nature. 

In  June,  1869,  the  Bouncer,  2,  Lieutenant  Eodney  Maclaine 
Lloyd,  tender  to  the  Princess  Charlotte,  receiving-ship  at  Hong 
Kong,  proceeded,  in  company  with  two  Chinese  gunboats,  on  a 
cruise  in  search  of  pirates.  On  the  night  of  June  12th,  off  Gowtow 
Island,  in  the  Gulf  of  Tonquin,  the  'Bouncer  took  five  large  junks, 
after  her  landing-party  had  had  a  sharp  engagement  with  some  of 
the  freebooters  on  shore,  who,  swimming  off  at  length,  turned  the 
guns  of  one  of  the  junks  upon  the  others  as  they  were  attacked.  A 
Marine,  James  Murphy,  had  previously  distinguished  himself  by 
swimming  in  the  darkness  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  position.  By 
the  26th  the  Bouncer  had  captured  twelve  piratical  craft,  and  her 
consorts  nine  more.  Some  of  the  prizes  were  excellently  armed. 
Lloyd  was  specially  thanked  by  the  Hong  Kong  Government,  and 
promoted  on  his  return  to  England. 

Upon  the  death  in  England  of  the  American  philanthropist, 
George  Peabcdy,  who  had  contributed  half  a  million  sterling  to  the 
relief  of  the  poor  of  London,  it  was  decided  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment, at  the  suggestion  of  H.M.  the  Queen,  to  send  the  body  of 
England's  dead  benefactor  across  the  Atlantic  in  a  man-of-war,  in 
order  to  let  it  be  seen  how  greatly  his  generosity  was  appreciated  by 
the  nation.  It  was  at  first  intended  to  employ  the  large  iron  cruiser 
Inconstant,  but  the  new  turret  battleship  Monarch,  Captain  John 
Edmund  Comrnerell,  C.B.,  V.C.,  was  ultimately  selected  as  being 
more  worthy  of  the  occasion.  Mr.  Peabody's  coffin  was,  accordingly, 
placed  in  the  specially  fitted  stern  cabin  of  the  ironclad  at  Ports- 
mouth on  December  llth,  1869,  under  a  salute  of  twenty  minute 
guns ;  and  the  ship  then  went  to  Spithead,  where,  however,  she  was 
delayed  for  several  days  by  heavy  weather  ;  and  she  did  not  sail  for 
Boston  until  December  21st.  She  was  escorted  by  the  U.S.  corvette 
Plymouth.1 

In  the  same  year,  when  an  iron  government  floating-dock,2  then 
the  largest  in  the  world,  was  towed  across  the  Atlantic  to  Hamilton, 

1  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Dec.  llth,  18th,  and  25th,  1869. 

2  Length  over  all,  381  ft. ;  width  at  entrance,  84  ft. ;  lifting  power,  11,000  tons. 

9  2 


228      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE   ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Bermuda,  one  of  the  vessels  which  convoyed  her  was  the  twin-screw 
gun-vessel  Lapwing,  3,  Commander  Philip  Euffle  Sharpe.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  year,  having  seen  the  dock  to  its  destination,  the 
Lapwing  was  usefully  employed  off  Nassau  in  watching  and  inter- 
cepting blockade  runners  bound  for  Cuba.  She  captured  four  of 
these  craft ;  and  she  also  disarmed  and  embarked  296  filibusters 
whom  one  of  them  had  landed  on  Nurse  Key. 

On    January    28th,    1870,    when    the    twin-screw    gun-vessel 
Growler,  4,  Commander  Edward  Hobart  Seymour,  was  lying  in  the 
mouth  of  the  Congo,  she  was  boarded  by  some  men  belonging  to 
the  British  schooner  Loango,  who  reported  that  their  vessel  had 
been  attacked  by  pirates  on  the  previous  afternoon.     The  Growler 
weighed  at  once,  and  steamed  up  to  the  scene  of  the  outrage.     At 
1  P.M.,  having  sighted  the  schooner,  she  manned  and  armed  three 
boats,  which   pursued  the  freebooters,  who  abandoned  their  prize. 
Thirteen  canoes  and  a  prisoner  were  captured  ere  the  boats  returned. 
It  was  discovered  that  the  Loango  had  been  pillaged,  and  that  her 
master  and  a  boy  were  missing.     Seymour  suspected  a  chief  named 
M'pinge  Nebacca  to  be  implicated,  and  decided  to  surprise  him  in 
his  town.     On  the  29th,  three  boats  were  again  manned  and  armed. 
First  a  visit  was  paid  to  a  village  belonging  to  the  chief's  brother, 
and  some  plunder  was  there  recovered.     The  expedition  then  pushed 
on,  and  landed  two  miles  from  the  town,  towards  which  the  force 
advanced  under  a  dropping  fire  from  the  retreating  natives.     In  the 
place  the  missing  master,  badly  wounded,  was  discovered  by  Sub- 
Lieutenant  Henry  Bingham  Chesshyre  Wynyard  ;  and  much  gun- 
powder, which  had  been  looted  from  the  schooner,  was  found  and 
blown   up.     The  town  was   burnt   before  the  force  retired.      Still 
anxious   to  find   the   missing  boy,   Seymour   sent   his   cutter,  with 
the  wounded  master,  back  to  the  Growler,  and,  with  his   gig  and 
whaler,  moved  up  two   miles  further  to  Nebuila.     He   landed   in 
a    narrow    creek,    exposed    to    a    desultory    fire,    which    wounded 
Navigating   Sub-Lieutenant   William    Stephen    Eobert   Gow,   and, 
after  the  village  had  been    burnt,   struck  down   Seymour  himself. 
When  the  party  had  withdrawn,  word  was  sent  that,  in  exchange 
for  a  certain  quantity  of  cloth,  the  missing  boy  would  be  released. 
Seymour,   however,    replied   that,    unless    the    boy    were    released 
unconditionally,  all  the  villages  in  that  direction  would  be  burnt, 
whereupon  the   youngster  was   at  length    sent  down  to  the  ship. 
Seymour's  wound,  a  serious  one  in  the  right  leg,  obliged  him  to 


1871.]  liOBINSON  AT  SELANGOB.  229 

invalid  some  weeks  later.1  Only  a  few  months  earlier  the  recall  of 
the  cruisers  from  the  West  African  coast  had  been  foolishly  urged 
upon  the  Admiralty. 

In  consequence  of  the  piratical  depredations  of  certain  Malays, 
and  of  the  resistance  offered  by  them  and  their  friends  to  the 
colonial  officers  sent  to  secure  the  culprits,  Colonel  Anson,  Adminis- 
trator of  the  Straits  Settlements,  desired  Commander  George 
liobinson  (2),  of  the  Binaldo,  1 ,  screw,  to  take  under  his  orders  the 
colonial  steamer  Pluto,  and  to  proceed  with  her  to  Selangor.  The 
two  vessels  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  the  Selangor  river  early  on 
July  3rd,  1871 ;  and  the  sloop's  boats,  being  manned  and  armed, 
were  sent  with  a  field-piece  party  to  the  Pluto.  The  party  from  the 
Hinaldo  consisted  of  ninety-five  officers  and  men  under  Commander 
Eobinson,  Lieutenant  Grosvenor  Stopford,  and  Acting-Lieutenant 
Eustace  Downman  Maude.2  At  7.30  A.M.,  the  Pluto  got  under 
way  to  proceed  with  the  boats,  but  at  9  A.M.  grounded,  and  did  not 
arrive  off  Selangor  until  2  P.M.  Parties  were  detached  to  search  the 
houses,  shipping,  and  river  banks.  Lieutenant  Maude's  party,  in 
a  cutter  which  was  armed  with  a  rocket-tube,  landed,  and,  upon 
returning  to  the  beach,  was  fired  at,  one  man  at  once  falling 
mortally  wounded.  The  party,  pursued  by  a  hot  fusillade,  made 
the  best  of  its  way  to  the  Pluto,  which  then  returned  the  fire.  In 
the  scuffle  and  the  retreat,  seven  members  of  the  party  were 
injured.  The  Malays,  however,  seem  to  have  suffered  much  more 
heavily. 

Commander  Robinson  ordered  the  Pluto  to  weigh,  her  position 
and  that  of  the  boats  being  unduly  exposed.  Later  in  the  day  he 
sent  her  to  Penang  with  the  wounded,  and  with  a  request  for  troops 
and  a  surgeon.3  On  the  4th,  the  Binaldo  steamed  into  the  river 
alone.  At  6.15  A.M.  the  forts  near  the  southern  side  of  the  entrance 
opened  on  her  at  about  400  yards,  the  northern  forts  soon  afterwards 
joining  in  with  such  good  effect  that  in  less  than  five  minutes  the 
sloop  had  three  men  wounded,  and  her  hull  and  rigging  much  cut. 
She  replied,  and,  steaming  on,  took  the  batteries  from  the  rear, 
quickly  knocking  them  to  pieces  and  dismounting  their  guns.  At 
6.40  A.M.  Robinson  anchored  off  the  town,  and  laid  out  an  anchor 

1  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  July  23,  1870.  -  Wounded. 

3  The  Binaldo  was  without  any  medical  officer,  her  Surgeon  being  ill,  and  her 
Assistant-Surgeon  having  been  appointed  by  the  C.-in-Chief  to  the  Xaval  Hospital  at 
Hong  Kong.  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Sept.  16,  1871. 


230      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

astern  so  as  to  keep  his  battery  bearing  on  the  forts.  By  8  A.M. 
he  had  driven  the  enemy  from  all  his  works.  Occasional  guns  were 
fired  during  the  day  to  prevent  the  Malays  from  remanmng  their 
pieces.  At  4.30  P.M.,  after  having  been  aground  for  several  hours, 
the  Einaldo  weighed,  and  steamed  leisurely  down  again,  ceasing  fire 
at  5.30,  and  re-anchoring  in  the  road  at  6.  The  Pluto  returned  on 
the  5th  with  a  detachment  of  Eoyal  Artillery,  and  another  of  the 
19th  Madras  Native  Infantry.  On  the  6th,  these  troops  were  landed, 
but  there  was  no  further  resistance,1  and  the  place  was  quietly 
occupied. 

On  September  20th,  1871,  Bishop  J.  C.  Patteson,  of  Melanesia, 
was  murdered  by  a  native  of  Nukapu  Island,  one  of  the  Swallow 
group  of  the    Santa   Cruz   archipelago   in   the   Pacific.     At   about 
that   time,    largely,    it   must   be    admitted,  in   consequence   of   the 
iniquities  of  the  labour  traffic,  the  natives  were  exceedingly  hostile 
to  white  men,  and   had   recently   committed   numerous   outrages. 
Not   too   soon,   therefore,    did   the   Eosario,   3,    screw,    Lieutenant 
Albert  Hastings  Markham  (acting  Commander),2  undertake  a  cruise 
among   the   islands  where  the  worst  troubles  had  arisen.     In  the 
middle   of   November,   1871,  she   reached   Havannah   Harbour,   in 
Vate,  one  of  the   New   Hebrides,    and   thence   sent   her  boats   to 
Montague   Island 3   hard   by  to  enquire  into  the   murder   of   some 
people  belonging  to  the  schooner  Fanny.     The  natives  declined  to 
give  up  the  murderers,  and,  attacking  the  party,  were  punished  by 
the  destruction  of  their  village.     On  the  15th  the  Bosario  steamed 
round,  and  made  a  harmless  but  effective  demonstration  with  her 
guns.     On  November  23rd,  the  sloop  anchored  off  Cherry   Island, 
in  connection  with  an  outrage  on  the  people  of  the  ship  Marion 
Rennie  * ;  but,  although  the  natives  seemed  friendly,  no  satisfaction 
could  be  got  out  of  them.     Probably  they  were  innocent.     On  the 
29th,  the  sloop  reached  Nukapu.     Markham's  object  was  to  acquire 
information  concerning  the  murder  of  the  Bishop.      He  sent  in  a 
boat,  which  was  fired  at  with  arrows.     It  was  recalled,  but,  being 
sent  in  again,  was  again  fired  at,  whereupon   the  Rosario  opened 
with   her   two   40-pr.   Armstrongs   and    her   7-inch   muzzle-loader. 

1  Eobinson  to  Anson,  July  6 ;  Robinson  to  Admiralty.     Col.  Papers,  c.  466 :  1872. 

2  Com.  Henry  Joseph  Challis,  of  the  liosario,  had  been  appointed  acting  Captain  of 
the  Blanche  on  Oct.  12,  1871,  and  his  place  had  been  taken  by  Lieut.  Markham,  who 
retained  it  until  Feb.  10,  when  Challis,  superseded  in  the  Blandie,  relieved  him. 

s  Otherwise  Nguna. 

4  See  Fiji  Times,  Feb.  1,  1871. 


1871.]  CRUISE   OF  THE  "liOSAHIO."  231 

At  high-water  a  party  landed  and  destroyed  the  village  and  canoes. 
Two  of  the  sloop's  crew  were  wounded  in  this  affair,  one  mortally  ; 
and  about  five-and-twenty  natives  are  said  to  have  been  killed.1 

Nitendi,  or  Santa  Cruz,  where  Goodenough  fell  in  1875,  and 
Espiritu  Santo,  the  largest  of  the  New  Hebrides,  were  also  visited. 
At  Cape  Lisburn,  the  south-west  point  of  the  latter,  the  natives 
were  interrogated,  on  December  16th,  as  to  the  murder  of  the  crew 
of  the  New  Zealand  craft,  Wild  Duck.  They  admitted  having 
killed  the  men,  and  were  believed  to  have  also  eaten  them.  Mark- 
ham  would  have  let  them  off  very  mercifully  with  a  fine  of  twenty- 
five  pigs,  but,  as  only  four  of  these  were  paid,  he  burnt  the  village 
and  destroyed  the  canoes.  Pentecost  and  Aurora  Islands  were  next 
touched  at.  At  Aurora,  where  the  natives  at  first  seemed  friendly, 
Paymaster  Shuldham  Samuel  Crawford  Hill,  who  had  confidingly 
sat  down  to  rest  on  the  beach,  was  treacherously  clubbed  and  badly 
hurt  on  December  27th ;  and  there  also  the  villages  and  canoes  were 
wrecked  in  retaliation.  The  sloop  returned  to  Sydney  on  February 
8th,  1872.2 

The  fact  that  the  offending  natives  were  treated  with  a  con- 
sideration which  they  did  not  merit  is  proved  by  Markham's  offer 
to  allow  the  Nitendi  people  to  compound  by  the  payment  of  a  few 
pigs  for  the  murders  which  they  admitted  having  been  guilty  of. 
Nevertheless,  the  proceedings  of  the  Eosario  gave  great  offence 
to  certain  pseudo-philanthropists  in  England.  Questions  on  the 
subject  were  even  put  in  the  House  of  Commons,  where  eventually 
Mr.  Goschen  quieted  clamour  by  laying  the  despatches  on  the  table. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Pacific  natives  were  sometimes  frightfully 
ill-treated.  A  letter  written  from  the  Basilisk,  5,  paddle,  Captain 
John  Moresby,  and  dated  from  Cardwell,  Queensland,  February  5th, 
1872,  contains  the  following  : — 

"  This  morning  at  about  11  o'clock,  just  after  we  had  passed  the  entrance  to  tin; 
bay,  there  was  the  report  of  a  sail,  and  the  Captain,  wishing  to  send  letters,  stood  for 
her.  She  was  soon  made  out  to  be  a  schooner  of  about  80  tons.  When  we  got  close 
to  her  we  saw  a  lot  of  Polynesians  in  her.  We  immediately  sent  the  first  Lieutenant 
and  the  gig  to  board  her ;  but,  as  they  seemed  inclined  to  show  fight,  we  sent  the 
cutter,  armed,  to  assist.  When  they  got  on  board  they  found  twelve  blacks  all  right, 
one  dying,  and  three  dead  of  starvation,  the  ship  stinking  like  a  pest  house,  so  that  all 


1  Markham   himself  seems  to  doubt  whether   any  were  killed.     'Cruise  of  the 
Eosario,'  150-156. 

2  Sydney  Empire,  Feb.  9,  1872 :  A.  and  A'.  Oazette,  Ap.  6  and  20,  1872.     Mark- 
ham,  '  Cruise  of  the  Bosario.' 


•2'.V2      MILITAltl'  UlSToliY    <>F   THE   HOYAL    XAVY,    1857-1900. 


our  men  were  as  sick  as  possible.  It  appears  she  was  a  kidnapping  schooner  (torn 
Samoa,  and,  running  short  of  provisions,  besides  being  waterlogged,  the  white  men, 
supposed  to  be  Portuguese,  deserted  her  four  days  ago,  and  left  nothing  for  the  poor 
blacks  (seventeen)  but  a  bucket  of  water,  and  not  a  scrap  of  provisions,  so  that  they 
had  eaten  one  of  their  own  number.  They  were  the  most  frightful  looking  \vretches  I 
ever  saw,  being  so  fearfully  attenuated,  and  quite  naked.  The  very  bones  \\riv 
sticking  through  their  skin  ;  and,  as  for  the  dead  men,  they  were  quite  putrid  and  blue, 
so  that,  when  they  hoisted  them  out  of  the  hold,  a  hand  or  a  foot  would  be  left 
behind.  .  .  ." 

This  schooner  was  the  Peri.  Subsequent  inquiry  showed  that 
she  was  from  Eewa,  Fiji,  not  from  Samoa,  and  that  she  had  sailed, 
with  50  Polynesians  and  three  white  men  on  board,  on  December 
•27th,  1871.  It  was  suspected  that  the  natives  had  really  risen  and 
murdered  their  kidnappers  ;  but  the  truth  seems  never  to  have  been 
fully  ascertained.1 

During  the  same  cruise,  the  Basilisk  sent  an  expedition,  under 
Lieutenant  Francis  Hayter,  which  severely  punished  some  Australian 
aborigines  who  had  murdered  part  of  the  crew  of  the  brig  Maria, 
wrecked  on  the  Great  Barrier  Beef.2  Navigating-Midshipman 
Hubert  Heath  Sabben,  who  had  charge  of  a  schooner,  tender  to 
the  Basilisk,  went  in  a  boat  with  a  small  party  early  in  1872  in 
search  of  survivors  of  the  brig's  people.  He  was  attacked  by  a 
large  body  of  natives,  and  being  shamefully  deserted  by  his  crew, 
and  left  ashore  with  only  a  single  supporter,  a  gallant  bluejacket 
named  Springay,  he  was  in  serious  peril.  The  two  Englishmen, 
however,  drove  off  the  enemy,  no  fewer  than  sixteen  of  whom  were 
killed  or  wounded  by  the  steady  fire  from  their  Snider  rifles.3 

In  May,  1872,  while  the  Nassau,  4,  screw  surveying  vessel, 
Commander  William  Chimmo,  was  engaged  in  the  performance  of 
her  duties  in  the  Sulu  Sea,  she  had  occasion  to  land  a  boat's  crew 
on  the  north-east  end  of  Sulu  Island,  where  it  was  desired  to  take 
bearings.  The  party  was  attacked  on  May  llth  by  forty  or  fifty 
Illanoon  pirates,  and  had  to  retreat  fighting,  several  people,  in- 
cluding Navigating-Lieutenant  Francis  John  Gray,4  being  wounded. 
Attempts  were  made  to  secure  satisfaction,  it  being  at  first  supposed 
that  the  natives  had  mistaken  the  British  for  Spaniards  ;  but,  as 
the  enemy,  during  prolonged  negotiations,  displayed  a  truculent 
attitude,  the  Nassau  eventually  shelled  and  destroyed  their  village, 

1  Many  examples  of  the  barbarity  of  the  kidnappers  are  given  by  Markham. 
-  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  June  15,  1872.  »  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  July  20,  1872. 

4  Transferred  on  Apr.  1,  1873,  to  the  Lieutenants'  list  with  seniority  of  Mar.  2, 
1866,  in  recognition  of  this  service. 


1*72.]  SETTLEMENT   OF   THE   SAN  JUAN   QUESTION.  233 

Carang-Carang.1  During  the  operations  about  190  of  the  pirates 
were  believed  to  have  been  killed. 

A  very  creditable  capture  of  a  slave-dhow  was  made  in  the  same 
year  by  the  boats  of  the  Vulture,  3,  twin-screw,  Commander  Robert 
Barclay  Cay,  off  Eas-el-Had,  in  the  Persian  Gulf.  The  affair,  which 
gained  promotion  for  Sub-Lieutenant  Frank  Hannam  Henderson, 
revealed  in  their  most  repulsive  forms  some  of  the  horrors  of  the 
middle  passage.  Of  169  slaves  on  board,  no  fewer  than  36  were 
found  to  be  down  with  small-pox.  Forty-four  wretches,  who,  before 
the  capture,  had  been  recognised  by  the  crew  and  slave-merchants 
to  be  -infected,  had  been  flung  overboard  alive  ;  and  when  it  had 
been  seen  that  this  procedure  did  not  check  the  spread  of  the  plague, 
the  owners  had  run  to  the  other  extreme,  and  had  forced  sick  and 
sound  to  huddle  together  until  the  vessel  became  so  foul  that  the 
captors  could  hardly  endure  to  board  her.2 

The  Bittern,  3,  twin-screw,  Commander  the  Hon.  Archibald 
St.  Clair,  rendered  some  useful  services  on  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa.,  In  January,  1872,  she  undertook  active  operations  against 
the  piratical  natives  of  Corisco  and  Elobey  Islands,  after  the  loss 
of  the  mail  steamer,  McGregor  Laird,  and  succeeded  in  capturing 
Coomba,  the  chief  of  Corisco.  She  was  subsequently  engaged  in 
the  mouth  of  the  Congo  in  protecting  the  Banana  Creek  factories 
from  native  attack. 

For  many  years  the  ownership  of  the  San  Juan,  or  Haro  Islands, 
an  archipelago  lying  between  Vancouver  Island  and  the  mainland, 
had  been  disputed  by  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  In 
July,  1859,  when  the  group  was  in  the  joint  occupation  of  the  two 
powers,3  General  Harney,  commanding  in  Washington  Territory, 
largely  reinforced  the  American  garrison  in  San  Juan,  and  made  an 
unqualified  declaration  of  United  States  sovereignty.  The  Governor 
of  British  Columbia  remonstrated,  but  General  Harney  persisted, 
and,  indeed,  persisted  in  a  most  provocative  manner.  Happily  the 
government  of  the  United  States  assumed  a  more  friendly  attitude, 
and  despatched  to  the  scene  of  the  dispute  G-eneral  Winfield  Scott, 
with  whom  it  was  amicably  arranged  that  the  American  reinforce- 
ment should  be  withdrawn,  and  that  both  powers  should  maintain 
only  a  very  small  number  of  troops  in  the  islands,  pending  the 
ultimate  settlement  of  their  ownership.  In  consequence  of  the 

'  Kl raits  Times.  2  Times  of  India  ;  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Oct.  26,  1872. 

Under  a  provisional  arrangement  come  to  iu  1855. 


234      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

temporary  friction,  a  small  British  squadron  had  been  ordered  to  the 
scene.  This  thereupon  dispersed,  leaving  behind  it,  however,  a  few 
Eoyal  Marines  to  serve  as  garrison  under  the  agreement.  Thence- 
forward, for  many  years,  Marines  were  stationed  in  the  islands. 
After  General  Harney's  recall,  in  1860,  the  joint  occupation  was 
managed  with  good  feeling  on  both  sides.  At  length,  by  arbitration 
of  the  German  Emperor,  on  October  21st,  1872,  the  dispute  was 
settled  in  favour  of  the  United  States ;  and  the  British  Marines, 
then  commanded  by  Captain  William  Addis  Delacombe,  evacuated 
the  islands  on  November  22nd  following. 

Among  the  vessels  most  active  in  their  operations  against  the 
slave-trade  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa  and  in  the  Eed  Sea  at  about 
the  time  when  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  as  envoy  to  Zanzibar  and  Muscat, 
was  specially  exerting  himself  against  it,  were  the  Columbine,  3, 
screw,  commanded  in  1871-3  by  Commanders  John  Collier  Tucker, 
and  Edward  William  Hereford ;  the  Daphne,  5,  screw,  Commander 
Eichard  Sacheverell  Bateman ;  and  the  Thetis,  13,  screw,  Captain 
Thomas  Le  Hunte  Ward.  The  Columbine  took  numerous  dhows, 
especially  in  1871 ;  the  Daphne,  which  also  made  many  prizes,  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  one  of  her  officers,  Sub-Lieutenant  Marcus 
M'Causland,  in  a  treacherous  affair  with  natives  at  Kiunga,  near 
Barawa,  on  the  Somali  coast,  in  the  autumn  of  1873  ;  and  the  Thetis, 
though  then  only  passing  through  the  station  on  her  way  to  China, 
captured  ten  dhows  in  May,  1873.  Most  of  them,  however,  seem 
not  to  have  been  slavers,  for  they  were  not  condemned.  After  the 
murder  at  Kiunga,  Sub-Lieutenant  Percy  Hockin,1  who  was  boat- 
cruising  in  company  with  the  dhow  from  which  M'Causland  had 
landed,  took  his  men  ashore  with  great  determination,  and  forcibly 
obliged  the  murderers  to  give  up  the  body.  He  afterwards  proceeded 
to  the  southward,  until  he  fell  in  with  some  boats  of  the  Briton,  10, 
screw,  under  Lieutenant  Arthur  Stephens  Phillpotts,  with  whom  he 
returned,  and  partially  destroyed  Kiunga.2 

In  1872-73,  disputes  relative  to  the  then  partly-built  interoceanic 
railway  led  to  the  overthrow  of  President  Medina,  of  Honduras,  and 
to  the  installation  in  his  place  of  Senor  Arias.  A  movement  was 
thereupon  begun  in  Honduras  and  Guatemala  for  the  reinstatement 
of  Medina,  who  lay  imprisoned  at  Comayagua ;  and  the  troops 
assembled  for  the  purpose  from  both  states  were  placed  under  the 

1  Promoted  to  be  Lieutenant,  Sept.  23,  1873. 

2  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Nav.  22,  1873. 


1873.]  BOMBARDMENT  OF   OMOA.  235 

orders  of  General  Palacios,  who  had  been  Guatemalan  minister  in 
London.  As  the  railway  was  being  built  largely  with  British  capital 
and  under  British  supervision,  British  interests  suffered  considerably 
from  the  disturbances,  and  from  the  consequent  insecurity.  Puerto 
Cortez,  the  Atlantic  terminus  of  the  line,  lies  near  the  Honduran  town 
of  Omoa ;  and  at  Omoa  is  the  ancient  Spanish  casemated  fort  of 
San  Fernando,  which  was  occupied  by  a  certain  General  Streber,  on 
behalf  of  Arias  ;  the  old  governor,  General  Alvarez,  being  superseded, 
but  remaining  as  commandant  of  the  port.  In  view  of  this  situation, 
the  Niobe,  Commander  Sir  Lambton  Loraine,  Bart.,1  was  despatched 
from  Jamaica  to  Omoa  in  June,  1873,  with  instructions  to  protect 
British  interests  and  to  enforce  treaty  obligations.  On  her  way, 
she  called  at  Truxillo,  where  Loraine  was  informed  of  certain  acts 
of  oppression  which  had  been  committed  in  the  Bay  Islands  against 
neutral  persons  who  were  under  treaty  protection.  At  Puerto  Cortez 
Streber  was  found  to  have  made  military  exactions  from  the  railway 


REAR-ADM.   SIK    LAMBTON   LOBAINE,   BART. 

company,  and  to  have  tried  to  force  the  company's  labourers  to  join 
him.  He  was  duly  cautioned ;  and  the  Niobe  then  proceeded  to 
Belize,2  to  gain  further  intelligence  from  the  Lieutenant-Governor, 
and  from  Mr.  Debrot,  British  vice-consul  at  Omoa,  who  had  taken 
refuge  in  British  Honduras,  to  escape  from  the  outrages  and  tyranny 
of  Streber.  That  general  had  also  obliged  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
consuls  to  flee  with  their  families ;  and  the  people  had  ta'ken  up 
their  residence  on  the  Zapotillo  Cays,  dependencies  of  British 
Honduras ;  whither  Streber  had  had  the  audacity,  on  July  4th,  to 
send  an  expedition  which  captured  and  handcuffed  the  fugitives,  and 
•carried  them  off,  after  threatening  the  inhabitants.  They  were 

1  A  few  months  earlier,  Sir  Lambton  had  exhibited  a  salutary  display  of  determina- 
tion at  Puerto  Plata,  San  Domingo,  where  three  refugees  had  been  kidnapped  from  the 
British  Consulate.  The  governor  himself  was  forced  to  remove  the  shackles  from 
the  feet  of  his  prisoners,  and  then  to  deliver  them  up  on  board  the  Niobe.  The  San 
Domingan  troops  were  also  obliged  to  replace  the  ensign  above  the  consulate,  and  to 
*alute  it  with  twenty-one  guns.  A.  and  N.  Gaz.,  May  17,  1873. 

*  Arriving  on  July  12th. 


236      MILITAHY   IflSTOllY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

fortunately  retaken  on  their  way  to  Omoa  by  a  steamer  belonging 
to  Palacios. 

When  Sir  Lambton  Loraine  returned  to  Omoa,  he  learnt  that,  in 
his  absence,  Palacios  had  secured  military  possession  of  the  railway 
works  at  Puerto  Cortez,  and,  by  occupying  San  Pedro,  had  wholly 
cut  off  Streber  from  connection  with  Arias  and  the  interior.  Streber 
was  communicated  with,  and  was  induced  to  promise  that,  upon 
proof  being  given  that  British  territory  had  been  violated,  he  would 
give  satisfaction,  and  that,  in  the  meantime,  he  would  abstain  from 
further  raids  in  that  direction.  The  discussion  about  the  Zapotillo 
affair  occupied  nearly  a  fortnight ;  and,  during  much  of  that  period, 
the  Niobe,  as  she  had  yellow  fever  on  board,  usually  kept  under  sail 
in  the  offing,  or  visited  Puerto  Cortez.  Thus,  her  Commander 
could  not  continuously  observe  what  was  going  on  in  Omoa  ;  nor 
did  he  learn  immediately  after  the  occurrence  that  on  July  29th 
some  of  Streber's  soldiers  had  rifled  a  building  belonging  to  Mr. 
Debrot.  Indeed,  though  he  was  at  Omoa  on  the  30th  and  31st, 
he  heard  no  news  of  the  outrage  until  his  return  on  August  15th 
from  a  cruise  to  the  Bay  Islands.  He  was  then  met  with  sworn 
evidence,  not  only  of  the  events  of  July  29th,  but  also  of  further 
outrages,  including  the  tearing  down  of  the  British  flag,  the  robbing 
of  Mr.  Debrot's  premises,  the  firing  on  the  troops  of  Palacios  under 
a  flag  of  truce,  and  the  sacking  of  Omoa  in  celebration  of  this 
treachery,  foreign  property  suffering  to  the  extent  of  £20,000,  and 
four  British  subjects  being  imprisoned,  after  one  of  them  had  been 
flogged. 

Having  satisfied  himself  as  to  the  facts,  Sir  Lambton  Loraine 
took  on  board  the  acting  British  vice-consul,  Mr.  Bain,  and,  on 
August  18th,  anchored  in  a  suitable  position  opposite  the  fort  of 
San  Fernando.  Early  on  the  following  morning  Streber  was  supplied 
with  a  precis  of  the  evidence,  and  desired  to  give  his  explanations, 
to  deliver  up  the  prisoners,  and  to  state  what  reparation  he  purposed 
to  offer.  Four  hours  were  allowed  him  for  a  reply.  In  the  interim 
General  Alvarez  visited  the  Niobe,  informed  himself  as  to  what 
terms  would  be  accepted,  expressed  his  sense  of  their  fairness,  and 
obtained  an  additional  three  hours'  delay.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
it  being  2  P.M.,  Alvarez  returned  with  a  verbal  refusal  of  satisfaction 
from  Streber,  whose  folly  he  denounced,  and  who,  at  the  moment, 
paraded  his  troops  on  the  ramparts,  and  fired  shots  of  defiance, 
though  not  towards  the  Niobe.  Loraine  sent  ashore  a  letter  stating 


1873.]  WOOLLCOMBE   IN   THE  LARUT  RIVE II.  237 

what  course  he  intended  to  pursue,  and,  at  2.30,  Alvarez  remaining 
on  board,  opened  a  bombardment  of   the  fort  with   his   7-in.  and 
40-pr.  guns.     The  troops  promptly  disappeared  from  the  ramparts, 
•and  returned  the  fire  only  with  badly  aimed  musketry.     The  Niobe 
pounded  the  20-foot  walls  for  three  hours  and  three  quarters,  and 
then  withdrew  until  1  A.M.  on  August  20th,  when  she  closed  again, 
and  fired  at  long  intervals  until  4  A.M.     At  9  A.M.  a  white  flag  was 
shown,  and   Streber's  secretary  went  off  to  the  ship  with  a  verbal 
request  for  a  72  hours'  truce.     This  was  refused,  and  a  renewed 
bombardment  promised  for  2.30  P.M.  unless  a  satisfactory  written 
communication  should  be  received  in  the  interval.      Nevertheless, 
some  further  delay  was  accorded ;  and  it  was  not  until  1  P.M.  on 
the  21st  that  Streber  at  last  yielded,  promising   surrender  of   the 
prisoners,  restitution  of  stolen  goods,  and  compensation  for  damage 
done.      He  subsequently  signed  a  formal  declaration  to  the  same 
effect ;  but  he  so  badly  carried  out  parts  of  his  undertaking  that,  011 
September  10th,  a  detachment  had  to  be  landed  from  the  Niobe  to 
secure  and  seal  up  the  plundered  houses,  and  to  nail  a  British  flag 
over  the  vice-consulate.     The  vessel  sailed  on  September  13th  for 
Jamaica.     She  had  suffered  neither  loss  nor  damage.1 

Sir  Lambton  Loraine's  proceedings  in  this  matter  were  so 
warmly  approved  by  the  British  at  Belize,  and  so  well  supported 
by  Commodore  Algernon  Frederick  Rous  de  Horsey  and  Vice- 
Admiral  George  Greville  Wellesley,  Commander-in-Chief,  that  Mr. 
Gladstone's  government,  perhaps  unwillingly,  realised  their  necessity, 
and  stood  by  the  action  of  the  Commander,  who,  very  soon  after- 
wards, had  a  further  opportunity  of  showing  his  readiness  to  assume 
serious  responsibilities. 

Some  piratical  Chinese  freebooters  in  the  Larut  River,  on  the 
Perak  coast,  gave  much  trouble  in  1873,  especially  in  connection 
with  an  attack  which  they  made  upon  the  British  steamer,  Fair 
Malacca.  At  length  it  was  decided  to  take  the  severest  measures 
against  them ;  and,  on  September  19th,  by  arrangement,  the 
Thalia,  6,  screw,  Captain  Henry  Bedford  Woollcombe,  met  the 
Midge,  4,  twin-screw,  Commander  John  Frederick  George  Grant, 
which  already  had  had  peculiar  experience  both  of  the  local  water- 
ways and  of  the  habits  of  the  pirates  throughout  the  Straits  of 
Malacca.  Indeed,  on  September  16th,  while  two  of  her  boats  were 
searching  a  creek,  they  had  been  set  upon  by  row-boats,  supported 
1  Disps.  Priv.  accounts  of  eye-witnesses.  A.  it-  N.  Gazette,  Oct.  18,  Oct.  25,  187;!. 


238      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

by  fire  from  a  7-gun  stockade.  After  a  hot  action,  in  which  the 
British  had  employed  both  small-arms  and  rockets,  the  Chinese  had 
been  driven  off  with  heavy  loss,  but  not  until  Sub-Lieutenants 
William  Booke  Cresswell,  and  Abraham  Hamilton  Lindesay  had 
been  badly  wounded. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  the  two  commanders  consulted  ;  and, 
on  the  morning  of  September  20th,  towed  by  the  Midge,  and  by 
the  yacht  of  the  friendly  Bajah  Muntri,  the  ships'  boats  went  up 
the  stream.  At  about  11  A.M.,  being  near  the  fort,  the  stockade, 
and  the  three  heavy  war  junks  which  belonged  to  the  pirates, 
the  boats  cast  off,  led  by  the  Thalia's  galley  under  Wooll- 
combe  in  person,  and  covered  by  the  fire  of  the  Midge,  while, 
soon  afterwards,  the  Bajah's  yacht,  brought  up  by  Grant,  steamed 
close  to  the  fort,  and  there  anchored.  The  enemy  fired  briskly ; 
but,  apparently  the  attack  was  delayed  owing  to  the  yacht  drifting 
ashore  under  the  Chinese  guns.  She  was,  however,  got  off,  thanks 
largely  to  the  energy  of  Gunner  Alexander  Ellis,  of  the  Thalia,  who 
gallantly  laid  out  an  anchor  for  the  piirpose  ;  and,  soon  after  2  P.M., 
the  attack  was  most  daringly  delivered.  The  Chinese  fought 
stubbornly,  and,  being  about  4000  in  number,  while  only  150 
seamen  formed  the  assaulting  party,  were  a  formidable  enemy. 
But  at  length  they  were  driven  from  all  their  positions,  and  the 
fort,  the  stockade,  and  the  three  junks  were  taken  possession  of, 
and  destroyed,  all  the  guns  being  spiked.  The  boats  then  proceeded 
further  up  the  river  in  company  with  the  yacht,  burnt  a  fourth 
junk,  captured  a  fifth,  and  destroyed  a  second  stockade  ;  whereupon 
the  pirate  chiefs  surrendered  unconditionally  with  the  whole  of  their 
forces.  They  had  lost  about  200  men  in  the  fighting.1  The  British 
had  two  people  (one  mortally)  wounded. 

In  the  same  year  there  occurred  an  affair  which  has  provided  the 
international  lawyers  with  some  famous  precedents,  and  which  is 
also  interesting  as  an  illustration  of  the  kind  of  good  work  which  is 
often  done  for  humanity  at  large  by  the  British  Navy. 

The  Virginias,  an  American  steamer  secretly  engaged  in  the 
cause  of  the  rebellion  in  Cuba,  after  causing  some  anxiety  and 
trouble  to  the  British  authorities  at  Jamaica,  who  suspected  her 
true  character,  but  could  obtain  no  proof  of  it,  sailed  from  Kingston 
on  October  23rd,  1873,  ostensibly  bound  for  Port  Limon,  in  Costa 

1  Penang  Gazette,  Oct.  4,  1873.     Disps.,  especially  Woollcombe's  of  Oct.  4.     Col. 
Papers,  c.  1111,  1871.     A.  &  N.  Gaz.,  Aug.  19,  1876. 


1873.]  THE  "VIRGINIUS"   AFFAIR.  239 

Rica,  for  which  place  she  had  been  advertised  to  sail  with  passengers, 
having  been  cleared  in  due  form  by  the  United  States  Consul.  She 
carried  155  people,  of  whom  103  were  passengers,  while  the  re- 
maining 52  included  the  crew  and  certain  poor  persons  who  had 
been  engaged  to  work  their  passage  to  Port  Limon.  Among  the 
155  were  32  British  subjects,  and  14  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
The  rest  were  principally  Cubans  ;  and  four  of  them  were  chiefs  of 
the  Cuban  rebellion,  and  were  named  Varona,  Cespedes,  Del  Sol, 
and  Byan.  The  steamer  was  commanded  by  Captain  Fry,  formerly 
of  the  United  States  Navy. 

Soon  after  leaving  Jamaica  the  Virginius  began  to  leak,  and 
directed  her  course  to  Haiti,  ostensibly  for  repairs,  but  really  to- 
embark  arms  and  ammunition.  This  done  she  left  her  anchorage  on 
October  30th,  and  steered  for  the  coast  of  Cuba,  to  the  dismay  of  the 
British  passengers  and  all  who,  like  them,  had  paid  their  passage 
money  to  Costa  Rica- 

On  the  afternoon  of  October  31st  the  Virginius  was  sighted 
eighteen  or  twenty  miles  off  the  coast  of  Cuba  by  the  Spanish  man- 
of-war  Tornado,  whose  commander,  suspecting  her  intentions,  gave 
chase,  and,  though  without  any  international  right  to  do  so,  captured 
her  that  same  night  on  the  high  seas  while  running  towards  Jamaica. 
It  is  said  that  the  arms  embarked  at  Haiti  had  been  thrown  over- 
board during  the  chase. 

On  the  following  day,  November  1st,  the  Tornado  arrived  with 
her  prize  at  Santiago  de  Cuba.  All  on  board  the  Virginius  were 
at  once  declared  by  the  Spanish  authority,  and  in  defiance  of 
public  law,  to-  be  pirates.  Their  property  was  taken  from  them. 
The  crew,  brought  into  harbour  ironed  and  corded,  was  then  con- 
veyed on  board  Spanish  gunboats  to  await  trial  by  a  naval  court- 
martial.  The  passengers  were  thrown  into  prison  to  await  trial  by  a 
military  one. 

Brigadier-General  Don  Juan  Nepomuceno  Burriel  y  Lynch  was 
at  that  time  departmental  governor  of  the  district  of  which  Santiago 
is  the  capital.  This  officer  found  himself  in  the  fortunate  position- 
so  far  as  concerned  the  immediate  purposes  which  he  cherished — of 
being  cut  off  for  a  time  from  his  superior  authority  at  Havana,  as 
well  as  from  Spain  and  all  Europe,  by  the  fortuitous  interruptions  of 
telegraphic  communication  between  Santiago  and  the  western  end  of 
the  island. 

It  may  be  added  that  General  Jovellar,  then  Captain-General  of 


•240      M1L1TAIIY  HISTORY   OF    TIIK    ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Cuba,  and  Senor  Castelar,  head  of  the  republican  government  in 
Spain,  both  stated  afterwards  that  they  had  received  no  information 
of  the  proceedings  at  Santiago  until  it  was  too  late  to  interfere. 
General  Burriel,  on  his  own  part,  had  mendaciously  affirmed  to 
his  interlocutors,  all  through,  that  he  was  acting  under  the  orders 
of  superior  authority. 

General  Burriel's  first  step  was  to  stop  the  sending  of  telegrams 
to  Jamaica  (that  line  being  open)  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
Consul  at  Santiago,  to  whose  protests  against  the  Virginias' s  capture 
and  the  impending  trials  by  courts-martial  he  had  responded  in- 
sultingly. On  November  4th  the  four  captured  insurgent  chiefs 
were  shot.  This  news  reached  Jamaica  on  November  5th.  The 
fate  of  the  Cuban  chiefs  inspired  there  no  particular  regret,  and,  had 
the  justly  exasperated  Spanish  authorities  gone  no  further,  their 
illegalities  of  procedure  might  have  been  condoned  by  the  British. 
When,  however,  the  following  day  brought  to  Jamaica  further  tele- 
grams from  Santiago  to  the  effect  that  thirty-seven  of  the  Virginius's 
crew — half  of  them  British  subjects  and  mostly  innocent  cooks, 
stewards,  servants,  and  firemen — were  about  to  be  condemned  to 
death,  the  community  received  a  shock.  Sir  John  Peter  Grant, 
Governor  of  Jamaica,  and  Commodore  Algernon  Eous  de  Horsey, 
commanding  the  West  Indies  division,  at  once  telegraphed  strong 
protests  against  these  summary  and  bloodthirsty  proceedings,  and 
H.M.S.  Niobe,  Commander  Sir  Lambton  Loraine,  Bart.,  was 
ordered  by  the  Commodore  to  sail  the  same  night  (November  6th) 
for  Santiago  de  Cuba  to  stop  them. 

The  protests  just  mentioned,  together  with  the  prospect  of  a 
man-of-war's  interference,  had  no  other  effect  than  to  cause  General 
Burriel  to  hurry  on  his  summary  courts  and  to  execute  their  sen- 
tences with  all  rapidity.  The  naval  court-martial  sat  through  the 
night  of  the  6th,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  the  aforesaid  thirty- 
seven  captives — among  them  Captain  Fry,  with  eight  other  Ameri- 
cans and  nineteen  innocent  British  subjects — were  sent  from  the 
Spanish  men-of-war  to  the  gaol  under  sentence  of  death.  Their 
consuls  had  been  denied  access  to  these  friendless  persons,  and,  on 
protesting,  had  received  contemptuous  replies.  The  Spanish  priests, 
however,  had  free  access  to  them,  and  seized  the  opportunity  to  assail 
the  faith  of  all  who  did  not  belong  to  their  own  communion.  At 
about  4  P.M.  the  thirty-seven  were  marched  from  the  gaol,  bound 
with  cords  and  followed  by  the  exultant  shouts  of  the  crowd,  to  the 


1873.]  THE  "  VIRGINIUS"   AFFAIR.  241 

common  slaughter-house  of  the  town ;  and  there,  ranged  in  line 
against  the  wall  surrounding  this  place,  all  on  their  knees  and  facing 
the  wall,  they  were  shot.  So  clumsily  was  the  execution  performed 
that,  although  four  soldiers  were  detailed  to  each  victim  and  ordered 
to  pour  their  fire  into  his  back  at  close  quarters,  seven  minutes  of 
struggling  and  butchery  were  counted  by  a  spectator  before  the  last 
man  was  completely  despatched.  The  bodies  were  carted  off  in  loads 
and  shot  into  a  trench  hard  by. 

On  the  following  morning,  November  8th,  at  7  A.M.,  and  while 
the  Niobe  was  nearing  her  goal,  twelve  of  the  more  prominent  Cuban 
prisoners  were  shot  in  like  manner.  At  9.30  A.M.  the  Niobe  arrived 
and  cast  anchor.  Not  many  minutes  afterwards,  her  Commander, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Theodore  Brooks,  British  acting  Vice-Consul, 
presented  himself  at  Government  House  and  called  for  a  cessation  of 
the  executions.  He  was  passionately  answered  by  Burriel  that  the 
prisoners  were  in  the  power  of  Spain,  and  that  any  more  of  them 
sentenced  to  death  would  infallibly  be  shot.  Written  arguments 
impeaching  the  legality  of  his  proceedings  were  next  addressed  to 
the  Governor  by  the  Commander.  Burriel  only  found  fault  with  his 
interference,  and  would  give  no  guarantee.  All,  indeed,  that  could 
be  obtained  from  him  was  permission  for  Sir  Lambton  Loraine  and 
the  acting  Vice-Consul  to  visit  the  prison,  with  liberty  there  to  see 
and  question  in  open  court  such  of  the  accused  as  were  of  their  own 
nationality.  The  British  Commander,  therefore,  authorised  his  Con- 
sulate to  give  out  that  the  shedding  of  more  innocent  blood  would  be 
the  signal  for  him  to  sink  the  Spanish  man-of-war  lying  nearest  to 
the  Niobe. 

Nothing  was  heard  of  executions  thereafter  ;  and  Burriel,  for  the 
first  time,  consented  to  refer  to  his  Captain-General.  But  for  this 
check  on  his  vindictive  intentions,  it  is  probable  that  of  the  remaining 
prisoners  fifty-seven  would  have  been  shot,  and  forty-five  (being 
mere  youths  and  boys)  sent  to  penal  servitude  for  life.  All  instead 
were  freed.  The  citizens  of  Santiago,  ultra  patriots  all,  had  been 
looking  forward  eagerly  to  their  Governor  prolonging  the  executions 
through  several  days.  "No  hay  carne  fresca  esta  rnanana?"  (Is 
there  no  fresh  meat  this  morning?)  they  would  say.  In  the  written 
language  of  the  commander  of  the  Tornado,  their  "  enthusiasm  was 
turned  into  frenzy."  Meanwhile,  the  British  Commander,  attended 
by  the  acting  Vice-Consul  and  two  Spanish  magistrates,  examined, 
in  the  hall  of  justice  in  the  gaol,  the  prisoners  claiming  to  be  British. 

VOL.    VII.  R 


242      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

In  course  of  time,  the  circumstances  became  known  in  Europe 
and  America,  and  on  November  15th  (a  week  after  the  last  exe- 
cutions) a  telegram  reached  Santiago  de  Cuba  to  announce  that 
the  British  Government  had  notified  Spain  that  her  government 
and  all  concerned  would  be  held  responsible  for  any  further  execu- 
tions of  British  subjects.  This  was  the  coup  de  grace,  and  it  was 
followed  next  day  by  the  necessary  telegraphic  orders  from  Spain, 
extended  so  as  to  apply  to  the  prisoners  of  all  nationalities. 

Up  to  that  time  no  foreign  power  but  Britain  had  been  repre- 
sented in  Santiago  harbour ;  and  the  foreign  consulates  were  without 
instructions.  Of  Spanish  men-of-war  there  had  been  six  present ; 
but  two  were  detached  on  November  13th  to  escort  the  Virginius  to 
Havana.  The  town  itself  and  the  fortifications  of  the  harbour  were 
amply  garrisoned.  Even  when,  at  length,  ships  of  war  from  the 
United  States  and  from  France  appeared  on  the  scene  (November 
26th-December  2nd),  it  was  left  to  the  Niobe,  on  an  occasion  when 
the  Spanish  Governor,  Morales,  acting  in  Burriel's  place,  clandes- 
tinely removed  the  prisoners  in  the  night  (December  3rd)  and 
shipped  them  off  in  a  gun-vessel  outside  the  harbour,  to  pursue 
that  vessel  as  far  as  Havana,  and  there  procure  orders  from  the 
Captain-General  of  Cuba  for  her  immediate  return,  with  the 
prisoners,  to  Santiago. 

The  first  result  of  diplomatic  negotiations  was  that,  on  demand 
of  the  United  States,  the  V-irginius'was  surrendered  to  the  American 
flag.  This  took  place  at  Bahia  Honda  on  December  15th.  Next, 
the  surviving  prisoners,  102  in  all,  were  delivered  up  to  the  U.S.  cor- 
vette Juniata  at  Santiago  on  the  18th,  the  Niobe  being  present. 
There,  for  the  last  time,  a  refined  cruelty  was  practised  by  the 
Spanish  officials  on  the  captives,  in  informing  them  they  were  being 
taken  out  of  prison  to  be  shot.  The  Virginius  herself  speedily  came 
to  an  end.  She  sank  off  the  American  coast  while  being  towed  from 
Bahia  Honda  towards  New  York.  The  released  captives  were  in 
due  time  dispersed  by  the  United  States'  authorities  to  their  own 
homes.  In  the  sequel  the  British  Government  demanded  from 
Spain  a  national  recognition  of  the  wrong  done  to  Great  Britain, 
and  compensation  to  the  families  of  the  British  subjects  executed. 
The  United  States  demanded  further  the  trial  of  General  Burriel, 
but  that  was  not  conceded ;  and  after  a  time  the  man  was 
appointed  to  an  important  governorship  in  the  Peninsula.  He  died 
in  January,  1878. 


1873.1  THE   SPANISH  1NTBANSIOENTES.  243 

For  his  services  in  this  affair,  Sir  Lambton  Loraine  received  the 
thanks  of  the  British  and  French  Governments,  the  freedom  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  other  well-deserved  recognition,  but,  pro- 
bably because  he  was  only  a  Commander,  not  the  honour  of  a  C.B. 

Early  in  1873,  King  Amadeus,  after  a  brief  and  anxious  experi- 
ence of  its  discomforts,  resigned  the  crown  of  Spain,  and,  quitting 
the  country,  left  it  a  prey  to  various  factions.  Of  these  the  strongest 
for  the  moment  was  the  republican  party,  which,  under  Senores 
Salmeron  and  Castelar,  assumed  power  at  Madrid ;  but  in  the  north 
the  Carlists  were  active,  and  in  more  than  one  town  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean littoral  a  separate  cantonal  government  of  communist  type 
was  proclaimed. 

One  of  the  places  to  take  this  course  was  the  important  naval 
port  of  Cartagena,  in  Murcia,  where  the  Intransigentes  seized  a 
considerable  part  of  the  Spanish  fleet,  including  the  four  ironclads, 
Numancia,  Vitoria,  Tetuan,  and  Mendez  Nunez,  together  with 
several  unarmoured  craft.  On  July  20th,  President  Salmeron 
proclaimed  these  vessels  to  be  pirates,  and  his  foreign  minister 
duly  brought  the  fact  to  the  notice  of  the  diplomatic  corps  in 
Madrid. 

In  the  meantime,  in  consequence  of  the  action  of  the  British 
consul  at  Valencia,  the  British  and  German  senior  naval  officers  on 
that  part  of  the  coast  had  entered  into  an  agreement  each  to  afford 
protection  to  the  subjects  and  interests  of  the  other  as  well  as  of  his 
own  nationality.  The  senior  German  officer  was  Captain  Werner, 
of  the  ironclad  Friedrich  Carl.  He  at  once  quitted  Valencia  for 
Alicante,  where  the  Intransigentes  were  believed  to  be  about  to 
cause  trouble.  The  British  force  on  the  coast  was  small,  but 
information  as  to  the  state  of  affairs  at  Cartagena  and  elsewhere 
was  promptly  despatched  to  Malta,  whence,  in  pursuance  of  orders 
from  the  Admiralty,  the  ironclad  Swiftsure,  Captain  Thomas  Le 
Hunte  Ward,  departed  westward  on  July  25th,  followed,  on  the 
26th,  by  the  ironclads  Lord  Warden,  Captain  Thomas  Brandreth, 
bearing  the  flag  of  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Hastings  Reginald  Yelverton, 
K.C.B.,  Invincible,  Captain  John  Clark  Soady,  and  Pallas,  Captain 
Charles  John  Rowley.  The  Helicon,  dispatch  vessel,  Lieutenant 
Frank  Rougemont,  was  left  behind  to  await  the  arrival  of  the 
English  mail,  via  Italy,  and  then  to  press  after  the  other  ships  with 
all  speed. 

Werner's  prompt  appearance   before  Alicante   checkmated   the 

R  2 


244      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

designs  of  the  Cartagena  Intransigentes  there.  He  discovered  the 
Vitoria,  which,  with  the  revolutionary  leader  Galvez  Arce  on  board, 
had  sent  in  a  demand  for  the  instant  payment  of  a  war  contribution 
of  $80,000,  and  which,  upon  the  refusal  of  the  local  authorities  to 
comply,  had  already  bombarded  the  place,  but  had-  wisely  desisted 
upon  learning  of  the  Friedrich  Carl's  approach.  The  pirate  had 
committed  this  outrage  under  the  red  flag,  but  she  hoisted,  and 
saluted  with,  the  Spanish  flag  when  Werner  was  sighted.  She  then 
steamed  to  sea,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  out  of  gunshot  rehoisted  the 
red  flag.  On  July  22nd,  as  Werner  was  about  to  return  to  Carta- 
gena, Salmeron's  proclamation  of  the  20th  was  brought  on  board  to 
him  by  the  German  consul.  He  reached  Cartagena  on  the  23rd  at 
1  A.M.,  and  found  the  Vitoria  already  anchored  there.  As  day  broke 
there  came  in  the  dispatch-vessel  Vigilante,  which  hoisted  the  new 
unauthorised  flag,  and,  moreover,  had  been  seen  on  the  previous 
day  in  company  with  the  Vitoria.  She  paid  no  heed  to  Werner's 
orders,  enforced  with  an  unshotted  gun,  to  bring  to  ;  and,  as  soon  as 
the  German  captain  had  been  assured  by  his  consul  that  the  new- 
comer was  one  of  the  Intransigente  ships,  he  decided  to  take  posses- 
sion of  her.  He  instantly  seized  her,  capturing  with  her  the 
insurgent  leader  Galvez  Arce ;  and  she  was  placed  securely  in  a 
berth  between  the  Friedrich  Carl  and  the  British  gun -boat 
Pigeon,  2,  Lieutenant  John  Archibald  Harvey  Trotter,  which  had 
arrived  that  morning,  and  which  happened  to  be  the  craft  with  whose 
commander  Werner  had  made  the  compact  at  Valencia  a  few  days 
earlier.  The  Cartagenans  were  furious,  and  threatened  reprisals. 

With  the  co-operation  of  a  British  Captain,  who  soon  afterwards 
reached  the  spot,  Werner  arranged  with  the  Intransigentes  that  no 
ship  should  quit  Cartagena  until  July  28th,  by  which  date  he  hoped 
to  receive  instructions  from  his  government.  Galvez  Arce  and  his 
friends  promised  to  take  care  of  the  lives  of  all  German  and  British 
subjects  on  shore,  and  when,  in  addition,  they  formally  admitted 
that  the  Vigilante,  having  been  taken  under  unrecognised  colours, 
was  good  prize,  Werner  released  his  prisoners. 

In  the  interim  the  whole  Spanish  coast,  from  Barcelona  to  Cadiz, 
was  carefully  watched  by  British  and  German  vessels  ;  and  a  large 
international  squadron  began  to  assemble  in  Spanish  waters. 

Early  on  August  1st,  the  Friedrich  Carl  appeared  off  Malaga, 
which  was  threatened  with  bombardment  by  the  Intransigentes.  A 
few  hours  later,  the  Sw-iftsure,  which,  as  has  been  shown,  had  left 


1873.]         CAPTURE    OF   THE  INTRANSIGENTS  SQUADRON.  245 

Malta  on  July  25th,  also  arrived  there.  Malaga,  like  Cartagena, 
had  declared  itself  independent  of  the  central  government  at  Madrid  ; 
but  this  fact  did  not  prevent  the  Cartagenans  from  desiring  to  levy 
a  contribution  from  the  town,  money  being  very  scarce  in  Murcia. 
At  Malaga  lay  the  French  frigate  Jeanne  d'Arc. 

Werner  and  Ward  put  to  sea  together,  and  found  in  the  offing 
the  Intransigente  ironclad  Vitoria,  and  frigate  Almansa,  flying  no 
flags,  and  declining  to  hoist  any,  until  a  shot  from  the  Friedrich 
Carl  across  the  Almansa's  bows  brought  the  Spanish  flag  to  the 
peak,  and  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  truck.  Werner  then  ordered  the 
insurgent  General  Contreras  to  quit  the  Almansa  and  go  on  board 
the  Friedrich  Carl.  The  rebel  chief  did  so,  and  was  made  prisoner ; 
the  Almansa  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  Germans,  and  simul- 
taneously the  Swiftsure's  people  seized  the  Vitoria.  The  two 
captains  were  about  to  conduct  their  prizes  back  to  Cartagena,  and 
there  to  liberate  them,  when  they  were  fallen  in  with  by  Vice- 
Admiral  Yelverton,  who  directed  that  the  vessels  should  be  retained, 
and  that  Contreras  should  be  kept  as  a  hostage,  but  that  the 
crews  might  be  released  upon  certain  conditions.  Werner  and 
Ward,  accordingly,  took  the  ships  to  Cartagena,  and  on  August  3rd 
anchored  them  in  Escombrera  Bay.  Yelverton,  who  was  overtaken 
by  the  Helicon  shortly  before  he  reached  Gibraltar,  anchored  there 
on  August  2nd. 

At  Cartagena  the  people  belonging  to  the  prizes  were  put  ashore. 
Malaga  was  delighted  at  Werner's  conduct,  and  the  British  Captains 
were  loud  in  their  praises  of  his  behaviour.  Unfortunately  he  was 
disavowed  by  his  political  superiors  in  Berlin,  and,  on  August  14th, 
was  superseded,  though  he  was  immediately  employed  elsewhere. 
Berlin  made  a  mistake,  and  a  few  months  later  Werner's  successor 
found  himself  obliged  to  deliver  an  ultimatum  to  the  Cartagenan 
insurgents,  and  to  claim  payment  of  an  indemnity  of  $15,000  under 
threat  of  bombardment.  Had  Werner's  action  been  supported 
throughout,  German  interests  would  have  been  respected  by  the 
Intransigeiites  from  August  1st  onwards. 

The  Vitoria  and  Almansa  remained  in  Escombrera  Bay  in  charge 
of  Yelverton,  who  proceeded  in  person  to  the  scene.  He  was 
anxious  to  hand  them  over  to  the  Madrid  government,  which, 
however,  seemed  at  the  time  to  be  almost  impotent,  and  which  was 
then  able  to  send  to  sea  only  a  wooden  frigate  and  three  old  paddle- 
vessels.  Occasional  shots  from  the  insurgent  batteries  fell  near 


246      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

the  British  ships  and  boats,  but  Yelverton  diplomatically  assumed 
that  these  were  fired  unintentionally  in  his  direction.  While  he 
waited  at  Cartagena  with  the  ironclads  Lord  Warden,  Triumph, 
Captain  John  Dobree  M'Crea,  and  Siviftsure,  the  Helicon,  and  the 
gun-vessel  Torch,  5,  Commander  Hugh  M'Neile  Dyer,  he  kept  the 
Pallas,  and  the  Rapid,  11,  Commander  the  Hon.  Alexander 
Montagu,  at  Barcelona  ;  the  Hart,1  4,  Commander  Thomas  Harvey 
Eoyse,  at  Valentia  ;  the  Pheasant,1  2,  Lieutenant  George  Woronzow 
Allen,  at  Malaga ;  the  Invincible  at  Cadiz ;  and  the  rest  of  his 
immediately  available  force 2  at  Gibraltar. 

Towards  the  end  of  August,  as  the  Spanish  Admiral  Lobo 
seemed  to  be  less  able  than  ever  to  meet  the  Intransigentes  with 
any  reasonable  prospect  of  beating  them,  Yelverton  made  up  his 
mind  to  remove  the  prizes  to  an  anchorage  where  their  custody 
would  be  less  troublesome  to  him.  On  August  31st  he  caused  all 
the  merchantmen  in  harbour  to  be  towed  out  of  the  way,  ordered 
all  his  ships  to  get  up  steam  and  to  be  prepared  to  slip,  and  warned 
the  Consul  and  British  subjects  ashore  to  be  ready  to  go  off  to  the 
squadron  in  case  of  need ;  and,  on  September  1st,  in  spite  of  the 
threats  of  the  insurgents,  he  brought  out  the  Vitoria  and  Almansa, 
under  their  own  steam,  and  with  British  crews  on  board.  The 
prizes  and  their  escort  passed  the  three  ironclads,  Numancia,  -Mendez 
Nunez  and  Tetuan,  and  the  forts,  all  of  which  had  their  guns  loaded 
and  run  out;  but  nothing  happened.  Had  a  shot  been  fired,  the 
three  ironclads  were  to  have  been  taken  or  sunk  by  the  Lord 
Warden,  Triumph  and  Swiftsiire,  and  the  forts  were  to  have  been 
afterwards  silenced. 

The  Vitoria  and  Almansa,  which  were  in  a  disgustingly  filthy 
condition  when  captured,  were  convoyed  by  the  Swiftsure  and 
Triumph  to  Gibraltar,  where  they  arrived  on  August  3rd.  They 
were  eventually  handed  over  to  Admiral  Lobo,  who  was  waiting 
there  for  them,  and  who,  on  October  llth  following,  employed  them 
in  a  long-range  indecisive  engagement,  which  he  fought  off  Carta- 
gena. As  for  the  rest  of  Yelverton's  squadron,  after  the  bringing 
out  of  the  prizes  it  returned  to  its  anchorage  in  Escombrera  Bay, 
where  it  was  not  molested.3  After  the  action  of  October  llth, 

1  Later  summoned  to  Cartagena. 

2  Including  the  detached  squadron  under  Eear-Adm.  Fredk.  Archibald  Campbell. 

8  Disps.,  Brit,  and  German;  Tesdorpf,  '  Gesch.  der  k.  d.  Marine';  A.  and  N. 
Gazette,  Aug.  16,  Aug.  30,  Sept.  6,  Sept.  13,  1873. 


1873.]  THE  ASHANTEE    WAR.  247 

Yelverton  sent  Lieutenant  Tynte  Ford  Hammill  to  Cartagena,  and 
Commander  Eoyse  to  Admiral  Lobo  with  offers  of  surgical  assis- 
tance. Lobo  professed  to  have  no  killed  or  wounded.  The 
Intransigentes  appeared  to  need  no  help.  In  the  middle  of  the 
month,  Sir  Hastings  was  happily  instrumental  in  preventing  the 
insurgent  ships  from  Cartagena  from  bombarding  Valencia.  A. 
blockade  of  the  port  was  afterwards  established. 

On  March  5th,  1867,  a  convention  had  been  concluded  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  Netherlands,  in  virtue  of  which  a  transfer  of 
territory  had  taken  place  in  that  part  of  West  Africa  known  as  the 
Gold  Coast.  Great  Britain  handed  over  to  Holland  Apollonia, 
Dixcove,  Secondee,  Cornmenda,  and  the  protectorate  of  Denkira, 
East  and  West  Wassaw,  and  native  Apollonia,  while  she  received 
part  of  Accra,  Cormantine,  Moree,  and  Apam. 

The  negroes  were  not  pleased  with  the  transaction.  The  king 
of  Apollonia,  and  other  chiefs,  protested ;  and  the  people  of 
Commenda,  refusing  to  accept  the  arrangement,  attacked  a  boat's 
crew  from  a  Dutch  man-of-war,  killed  some  seamen,  captured 
others,  and  were  punished  by  having  their  town  bombarded.  At 
Dixcove  there  was  another  conflict ;  nor  were  affairs  much  more 
satisfactory  in  the  new  British  protectorate. 

It  seemed,  however,  that  the  country  might  soon  settle  down 
if  the  whole  coast  were  subjected  to  a  uniform  system  of  customs 
duties,  and  if  only  one  European  flag  flew  there ;  and  as  the  Dutch 
were  not  enthusiastically  in  love  with  their  possessions,  it  was 
found  easy  to  begin  negotiations  with  them  for  the  cession  to  Great 
Britain  of  all  their  remaining  Gold  Coast  territory. 

The  attitude  of  the  coast  tribes  for  generations  had  been  greatly 
influenced  by  that  of  the  King  of  Ashantee,1  a  considerable  tract 
of  country  forming  the  Gold  Coast  hinterland.  In  1868  a  new 
king,  Coffee  Calcallee,  young,  warlike,  and  ambitious,  mounted  the 
Ashantee  throne,  and  embarked  at  once  upon  an  anti-European 
policy.  He  committed  several  outrages  to  the  westward,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Eiver  Volta ;  and  a  relative  of  his,  Prince 
Atjempon,  stirred  up  some  of  the  Fantees  and  Denkiras  to  assist 
him  in  an  attack  upon  the  Dutch  forts  at  Elmina. 

1  General  authorities  for  the  history  of  the  causes  and  events  of  the  Ashantee  War : 
Winwood  Reade,  '  The  Ashantee  Campaign '  (1874) ;  Stanley,  '  Coomassie  and 
Magdala'  (1874);  Hay,  '  Ashanti  and  the  Gold  Coast'  (1873);  H.  Brackenbury, 
'  Narrative  of  the  Ashanti  War '  (1874) ;  Boyle,  etc. 


1873.]  THE  ASI1ANTEE    WAR.  249 

Mr.  Salmon,  British  Administrator  of  Cape  Coa'st  Castle,  inter- 
fered to  prevent  tribes  under  British  protection  from  going  to  war 
with  Great  Britain's  allies,  and  checked  the  formation  of  a  Fantee 
Confederation,  which  had  been  projected  by  speculative  traders  and 
ambitious  natives. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  attack  on  Elmina  rendered  Sir  Arthur 
Kennedy,  Governor  of  the  British  West  African  settlements,  un- 
willing to  contemplate  the  proposed  transfer  of  Elmina  to  Britain 
so  long  as  there  was  danger  of  Ashantee  complications  arising  out 
of  the  transaction.  The  position  of  Holland  was  that  Ashantee 
had  no  claim  whatsoever  upon  Elmina.  Coffee  Calcallee,  however, 
maintained  that  from  time  immemorial  the  Elmina  forts  had  paid 
regular  tribute  to  his  predecessors,  and  that  Elmina  was  practically 
his.  It  had  brought  him  in,  he  said,  £80  a  year ;  but  the  Dutch 
contended  that  the  £80  was  neither  tribute  nor  rent,  but  merely 
a  present. 

To  induce  Coffee  Calcallee  to  adopt  their  view,  the  Hollanders 
arrested  his  relative,  Atjempon,  and  stopped  the  payment  of  the 
£80  ;  and  by  these  and  other  methods  they  secured  from  Coffee 
an  unwilling  retractation  of  his  former  statement. 

This  seemed  to  remove  the  objections  on  the  part  of  Great 
Britain  to  accepting  the  transfer  of  Elmina ;  and  when,  in  April, 
1872,  Mr.  John  Pope  Hennessy  succeeded  to  the  governor-general- 
ship, he  arrived  with  instructions  to  complete  the  business.  The 
cession  was  thereupon  effected,  mainly  on  the  strength  of  British 
confidence  in  Dutch  representations. 

Coffee  Calcallee  was  displeased ;  and,  upon  demands  being  made 
to  him  for  the  release  of  some  missionaries  and  others  who  had  been 
taken  prisoners  during  the  raids  to  the  westward  in  1869,  he  declined 
to  surrender  them,  save  upon  payment  of  1800  oz.  of  gold.  The 
result  was  a  blockade  of  the  trade-routes  leading  from  the  coast  into 
Ashantee. 

If  the  British  Government,  as  represented  by  Mr.  Pope  Hennessy, 
had  been  firm  and  consistent  in  its  attitude,  it  is  possible  that  war 
might  have  been  avoided,  in  spite  of  the  disturbances  which  broke 
out  at  Elmina  and  elsewhere  when  it  became  known  that  the 
transfer  had  been  decided  on.  Unfortunately,  Coffee  Calcallee  was 
by  turns  threatened  and  cajoled.  He  was  given  to  understand  that 
on  no  account  would  the  British  pay  him  the  1800  oz.  of  gold, 
but  it  was  suggested  that  perhaps  the  missionary  society  whose 


250      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

missionaries  had  been  captured  might  be  disposed  to  spend  £1000 
on  effecting  their  liberation.  Moreover,  a  present  of  gold-embroidered 
silks  was  forwarded  to  the  King :  he  was  told  that  his  roads  should 
be  opened  again  to  traders  ;  and  he  was  promised  a  yearly  gratuity 
double  that  which  he  had  received  from  the  Dutch.  In  addition, 
a  turbulent  Ashantee,  who  had  been  imprisoned  at  Cape  Coast 
Castle,  was  liberated,  and  his  expenses  up  country  were  paid.  But 
the  still  more  turbulent  and  dangerous  native,  Atjempon  himself, 
was  arrested,  and  then  inconsequently  released  before  the  European 
captives  had  been  freed ;  and  although  the  imprisoned  missionaries 
had  been  sent  down  as  far  as  the  River  Prah,  and  their  society  had 
supplied  the  £1000  for  their  ransom,  it  was  foolishly  determined 
that  the  money  should  not  be  handed  over  until  the  poor  people 
were  safe  at  Cape  Coast  Castle. 

The  indecision,  weakness,  delay,  and  haggling  of  the  administra- 
tion, coupled  with  the  fact  that  Atjempon  returned  to  Coomassie, 
the  capital  of  Ashantee,  on  the  eve  of  a  "  grand  custom,"  or  court 
orgie,  brought  matters  to  a  crisis.  Coffee  Calcallee,  nattered  by  his 
subjects,  spurred  on  by  his  war  chiefs,  annoyed  by  the  story  of 
Atjempon's  imprisonment,  and  excited  by  what  he  had  eaten  and 
drunk,  swore  that  he  would  conquer  all  lands  from  Coomassie  to  the 
sea,  and  would  wash  his  royal  stool  in  British  blood  at  Cape  Coast 
Castle. 

On  January  22nd,  1873,  he  began  his  invasion  of  territories 
which,  though  absolutely  undefended,  were  under  nominal  British 
protection.  The  chiefs  of  Assin,  Abrah,  Annamaboe,  and  Mankassim 
applied  in  terror  for  aid.  Fifty  Houssa  police  were  sent  from  Lagos, 
but  only  as  far  as  Dunquah,  where,  even  had  they  been  ten  times  as 
numerous,  they  would  have  been  useless.  Sixty  thousand  Ashantees, 
having  crossed  the  Prah,  were  advancing  in  three  armies  towards 
the  coast.  At  that  time  Mr.  Pope  Hennessy  was  relieved  by 
Mr.  Keate. 

The  idea  of  a  Fantee  Confederation,  for  defence,  was  revived ; 
volunteers  were  organised ;  and  arms  and  ammunition  were  sent  to 
a  native  contractor  named  Bentill,  who  had  offered  to  raise  20,000 
men :  but  the  tide  of  invasion  was  almost  unchecked ;  and  on 
March  1st  the  victorious  Ashantees  occupied  Yancomassie,  only 
about  five-and-twenty  miles  from  Cape  Coast  Castle.  The  Fantee 
allies  proved  useless ;  and  as  for  the  available  regulars,  all  of  them, 
and  more,  were  needed  for  the  defence  of  the  coast  settlements. 


1873.]  ADVANCE   OF   THE  ASHANTEES.  251 

On  April  llth  a  great  but  indecisive  battle  was  fought  between 
Dunquah  and  Yancomassie,  and  40,000  Ashantees,  under  Amanquatia, 
received  a  slight  check.  On  the  14th,  there  was  another  action,  the 
result  of  which  was  that  the  Fantee  allies,  after  committing  some 
outrages,  dispersed.  It  was  vain  to  attempt  any  more  righting  in 
the  field  at  that  time.  Cape  Coast  Castle,  Annamaboe,  and  Elmina 
were  garrisoned  as  well  as  might  be  by  the  aid  of  detachments  from 
the  Druid,  10,  Captain  William  Hans  Blake,  Argus,  6,  paddle, 
Commander  Percy  Putt  Luxmoore,  Merlin,  4,  Lieutenant  Edward 
Fitzgerald  Day,  Decoy,  4,  Lieutenant  John  Hext,  and  Seagull,  3, 
Commander  Ernest  Augustus  Travers  Stubbs.  Even  then  Colonel 
Harley  had  barely  a  thousand  men  with  whom  to  defend  the  coast 
settlements. 

The  news  of  the  situation  reached  England  in  the  middle  of 
May ;  whereupon  the  Government,  instead  of  sending  out  at  once 


ADMIRAL   THE    HON.    SIR   EDMUND    ROBERT    FREMANTLE,   G.O.B.,  C'.H.O. 

a  body  of  troops  sufficiently  large  to  permit  of  the  offensive  being 
assumed,  contented  itself  with  slightly  reinforcing  the  West  India 
and  Houssa  detachments  in  the  colony,  and  with  despatching 
thither  110  Eoyal  Marines,1  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Francis 
Worgan  Festing,  while  augmenting  the  small  squadron  on  the 
coast  by  adding  to  it  the  Barracouta,  6,  paddle,  Captain  Edmund 
Robert  Fremantle.  This  craft  reached  Elmina  on  June  7th,  when 
Fremantle  became  senior  naval  officer. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Ashantees,  instead  of  making  straight  for 
Cape  Coast  Castle,  had  struck  somewhat  to  their  right,  in  the 
direction  of  Elmina,  in  and  around  which  town  they  had  many 
sympathisers  ;  and  Atjempon,  with  3000  fighting  men,  had  proceeded 
further  to  the  westward  in  order  to  attempt  to  raise  the  Apollonia 
tribes  against  the  British.  Had  Coffee  Calcallee  pushed  ahead 
from  the  beginning,  things  must  have  gone  badly  with  the  defence. 
1  With  two  mountain  guns  and  200  rocket?. 


252      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

It  was  quickly  seen  that  the  state  of  affairs  at  Elrnina  was  most 
dangerous.  The  suburb  known  as  King's  Town  was  furnishing  the 
enemy  with  arms,  stores,  and  information,  and  the  local  chiefs  were 
disaffected.  Harley  ordered  these  last  to  come  in  and  surrender 
their  weapons.  They  did  not  obey;  and  it  was  determined  to 
punish  the  Elmina  rebels  swiftly  and  severely. 

On  the  night  of  June  12th,  Festing  occupied  the  land  side  of 
Elmina  with  Marines,  West  India  and  Houssa  troops,  and  volunteers 
to  the  number  of  300.  As  many  officers  and  men  from  the  squadron 
were  told  off  to  co-operate;  and  the  twenty-one  boats  containing 
them  were  all  ready,  inside  the  bar  of  the  river,  by  daybreak  on  the 
13th.  There  were  four  paddle-box  boats,  each  with  a  20-pr.  R.B.L. 
gun  on  a  swivel  mounting  ;  one  cutter  with  a  7-pr.  gun ;  eight  cutters 
with  rocket-tubes ;  two  pinnaces  also  with  rocket-tubes ;  five  whale 
boats ;  and  one  jolly-boat,  all  posted  opposite  the  hostile  quarter  of 
the  town,  above  the  bridge  that  led  from  the  loyal  quarter  to  the 
esplanade  of  the  castle.  The  officers  in  command  were  Captain 
Fremantle,  Lieutenant  Hext,  who  was  to  lead,  as  he  knew  the  river 
mouth  well,  and  Lieutenants  Lewis  Fortescue  Wells,  William 
Marrack,  Edmund  George  Bourke,  and  Gordon  Charles  Young. 

A  final  summons  was  addressed  to  the  rebels,  and  delay  was 
granted  for  the  removal  of  their  women  and  children.  Then,  at 
noon  on  June  13th,  a  bombardment  of  their  town  began  both  from 
the  boats  and  from  the  castle.  In  ten  minutes  Elmina  was  011  fire 
in  several  places,  and  the  natives,  leaving  it,  took  to  the  bush, 
whither  they  were  pursued  by  Festing,  Fremantle,  with  most  of  the 
bluejackets,  also  landing  to  assist.  While  the  boats  continued  to 
ply  their  guns  and  rockets,  Hext  and  Young,  with  a  very  few  men, 
and  at  considerable  risk,  went  along  the  windward  side  of  the  native 
town  with  torches,  and  completed  its  destruction. 

Scarcely  had  the  bluejackets  and  troops  returned  from  the  pursuit 
ere  an  attack  was  made  upon  the  loyal  part  of  the  town  by  about 
600  Ashantees.  A  brisk  engagement  resulted ;  but  the  Ashantees 
fired  badly,  and,  though  sometimes  at  very  close  range,  succeeded  in 
hitting  only  about  half-a-dozen  of  the  defenders,  of  whom  three  were 
killed.  The  enemy  drew  off  towards  6  P.M.,  having  lost  very  heavily. 
They  carried  away  their  wounded,  but  left  behind  them  some 
hundreds  of  dead,  and  six  prisoners. 

It  was  by  that  time  evident  that  the  Ashantee  war  was  not  to'  be 
concluded  without  a  serious  effort ;  for  the  Ashantees,  while  not 


1873.]  THE  AFFAIR   AT  CHAM  AH.  253 

again  attacking  Elniina,  lay  around  both  that  place  and  Cape  Coast 
Castle,  confined  the  British  and  their  allies  within  a  comparatively 
small  tract  beyond  range  of  the  guns  of  the  ships  and  forts,  and 
plainly  awaited  only  what  they  should  deem  a  good  opportunity  for 
sweeping  the  whites  into  the  sea.  Yet  in  England  the  situation  was 
not  grasped  for  some  time  ;  and,  in  the  interim,  little  more  than 
purely  defensive  measures  could  be  undertaken  by  the  feeble  forces 
on  the  spot.  In  those  services  the  Navy  proved  very  useful, 
especially  on  August  28th,  at  Aquidah,  ten  miles  from  Dixcove, 
where  the  Druid  co-operated  with  the  Dixcove  natives  in  taking 
revenge  upon  their  Aquidah  cousins,  who  had  attacked  them 
without  provocation.  The  corvette  shelled  the  offending  village, 
and  then  covered  the  successful  attack  of  the  native  allies  by 
sending  in  three  of  her  boats.  During  this  waiting  period  two 
strong  outposts  were  formed  inland,  about  six  miles  behind  the  two 
threatened  towns.  Fort  Abbaye.  to  the  rear  of  Elmina,  and  Fort 
Napoleon,  to  the  rear  of  Cape  Coast  Castle,  served  as  stations  from 
which  any  movement  of  the  enemy  could  be  observed  promptly,  and 
whence  information  could  be  sent  to  the  shore  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  prevent  undue  panic  there. 

In  August,  when  at  length  the  home  authorities  were  beginning 
to  take  a  proper  view  of  their  difficulties,  Commodore  John  Edmund 
Commerell,  V.C.,  C.B.,  in  the  Rattlesnake,  17,  Commander  Noel 
Stephen  Fox  Digby,  arrived  on  the  scene ;  and  it  was  decided, 
pending  the  receipt  of  further  military  forces  from  England,  to  make 
a  reconnaissance  up  the  river  Prah,  which  comes  down  from  the 
Ashantee  country,  passes  through  or  near  the  district  then  held  by 
the  right  of  the  Ashantee  army,  and  falls  into  the  sea  at  Chamah, 
midway  between  Commenda  and  Secondee.  It  was  supposed  that 
011  an  island  in  that  river,  which  is  navigable  for  about  twenty-five 
miles  inland,  there  was  a  large  force  of  the  enemy.  It  was  an 
unfortunate  and  costly  decision. 

On  August  13th  the  Commodore  went  to  Secondee,  and  at  9  A.M. 
on  the  following  day  quitted  the  Rattlesnake  with  the  following 
boats  manned  and  armed,  viz.,  the  steam-cutter  of  the  Simoon,1 
under  Lieutenant  Frederick  Edwards,  of  the  Rattlesnake,  who  had 
with  him  Navigating  Sub-Lieutenant  Peregrine  William  Pepperell 
Hutton  ;  the  gig  of  the  Rattlesnake,  under  Sub-Lieutenant  Archibald 

1  The  Simoon,  troopship,  Capt.  Mountford  Stephen  Lovick  Peile, which  had  arrived, 
lent  her  steamboat  for  the  occasion. 


254      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

James  Pocklington ;  the  Rattlesnake's  whaler,  under  Surgeon  Charles 
Frederick  Kennan  Murray,  M.D. ;  the  colonial  steam-launch,  under 
Sub-Lieutenant  Charles  Henry  Cross,  of  the  Argus,  and,  towed  by 
the  latter,  his  own  galley,  in  which  were  himself,  Commander 
Luxmoore,  and  Captain  William  Helden,1  civil  commandant  at 
Secondee. 

Commerell  landed  unarmed  at  Chamah,  and  had  what  was 
deemed  to  be  a  friendly  interview  with  the  chiefs  there,  who, 
however,  expressed  a  wish  to  be  neutral  in  the  quarrel,  and  who 
declined  to  allow  two  of  their  number  to  accompany  the  expedition. 
Soon  afterwards  the  Rattlesnake  anchored  off  Chamah,  while  the 
boats  entered,  the  river,  the  colonial  launch,  however,  breaking 
down  almost  immediately,  and  being  left  behind,  with  the  gig  to 
assist  her. 

Supposing  the  Chamah  people  to  be  neutral,  if  not  actively 
friendly,  the  Commodore  ascended  the  stream  on  the  Chamah  side. 
The  stream  is  seventy  or  eighty  yards  broad,  and  the  banks  are 
covered  with  dense  brushwood.  The  boats  had  advanced  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  against  a  two-knot  stream  when,  without  the 
slightest  warning,  they  were  saluted  with  a  most  murderous  fire 
from  the  Chamah  bank,  where  an  ambuscade  had  been  prepared. 
The  fire  was  returned,  but  the  rockets  could  not  be  used,  as  they 
were  in  the  Simoon  s  steam-cutter,  which  was  then  towing  the  two 
other  boats.  Commerell,  Luxmoore,  and  Helden  were  severely  hit 
at  the  first  discharge,  and  a  number  of  men  were  wounded.  The 
boats  were  ordered  into  mid-stream,  and,  in  view  of  the  numerous 
casualties,  were  then  directed  to  return  to  the  Rattlesnake. 
Luxmoore  behaved  most  pluckily.  He  continued  to  carry  on, 
and  no  one  save  himself  knew  that  he  was  wounded  until  he  nearly 
fainted. 

At  6  P.M.  the  Rattlesnake  was  reached,  and  the  injured  people 
were  transferred  to  her.  On  the  way  down  Surgeon  Murray  not 
only  attended  to  them,  but  also  steered,  and  directed  the  fire  of,  the 
whaler. 

In  the  meantime  another  act  of  treachery  had  been  perpetrated. 
It  had  been  arranged  that  the  fort  at  Chamah  was  to  be  occupied  by 
ten  policemen.  A  cutter,  under  Sub-Lieutenant  William  Pitt 
Draffen,  took  these  men  ashore  from  the  Rattlesnake  while  the 
other  boats  were  still  up  the  river.  After  Draffen  and  the  police 

1  2nd  W.I.  Regt. 


1873.]  COMMERELL    WOUNDED.  255 

had  landed,  the  cutter  was  swamped  in  the  surf ;  and  while 
Midshipman  Kichard  Henry  Francis  Wharton  Wilson  l  and  the 
crew  were  endeavouring  to  right  her,  and  to  land  the  stores,  they 
were  fired  into  by  the  natives  on  the  beach.  Draffen,2  who  had 
remained  at  hand,  coolly  did  all  that  was  possible,  by  forming  up 
the  police,  and  throwing  them  out  as  skirmishers,  to  cover  the 
people  in  the  water ;  and  he  certainly  saved  many  lives  ;  but  a 
seaman,  a  Krooman,  and  two  Fantee  policemen  were  killed,  and 
several  of  the  boat's  crew  were  wounded. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  what  was  happening  on  the  beach, 
Commander  Digby  despatched  further  boats  under  Lieutenants 
Henry  Holden  Wilding  and  John  Dundas  Nicholls ;  but,  ere  they 
reached  the  shore,  the  natives  had  made  off  to  the  bush.  Upon  the 
return  of  the  boats  from  the  river,  the  Rattlesnake  was  cleared  for 
action,  and  the  town  of  Chamah  was  bombarded  and  burnt.  It  was 
not,  however,  believed  that  the  treacherous  natives  suffered  heavily 
from  the  fire  either  of  the  boats  or  of  the  corvette.  During  the 
bombardment,  the  Merlin,  4,  arrived  on  the  scene.  The  Commodore 
at  once  sent  her  to  Secondee  with  Sub-Lieutenant  Edward  Henry 
Bayly,  of  the  Rattlesnake,  who  was  ordered  to  take  the  place  of  the 
wounded  Captain  Helden  as  civil  commandant  there.  Commerell 
subsequently  himself  proceeded  to  Secondee,  whence  he  sent  on  the 
Merlin  to  communicate  with  Dixcove  and  Axim.  Although  severely 
wounded  in  the  right  side,  he  decided  to  endeavour  to  continue  to 
exercise  the  command  of  the  squadron.  Word  to  that  effect  was 
carried  to  Cape  Coast  Castle  by  the  Simoon's  steam-cutter.  On  the 
14th,  Commander  Digby,  and  Assistant-Paymaster  AVilliam  Nichols 
Thomas,  the  Commodore's  Secretary,  held  a  palaver  with  such  of  the 
Secondee  chiefs  as  could  be  induced  to  attend ;  and  on  the  15th, 
the  Argus  having  arrived  that  morning,  the  Rattlesnake  weighed, 
and  proceeded  for  Cape  Coast  Castle.  In  addition  to  the  officers 
already  named,  Commerell  mentioned  Charles  Godden,  coxswain, 
and  William  Sermon,  ordinary  seaman,  both  of  Lieutenant  Wilding's 
party,  who,  he  said,  had  "  evinced  great  pluck." 

The  total  casualties  in  these  two  lamentable  affairs  amounted,  on 
the  British  side,  to  4  killed  and  20  wounded.3 

During  August  and  the  first  half  of  September  great  preparations 
were  made  in  England  for  the  prosecution  of  the  military  part  of 

1  Wounded.  2  Slightly  wounded. 

3  Wilding  to  Commerell,  Aug.  14 ;  Commerell  to  Adrnlty.,  Aug.  15.  1873. 


256      MILITAllY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

the  campaign  ;  and  on  September  llth,  Major-General  Sir  Garnet 
Joseph  Wolseley,  who  had  been  selected  to  conduct  it,  embarked 
with  his  staff  for  Africa.  On  October  2nd  he  landed  at  Cape  Coast 
Castle  ;  but  he  preceded  the  greater  portion  of  the  force  which  was 
to  be  employed  under  him.  Nevertheless  he  began  work  without 
delay,  and  set  to  work  at  once  to  clear  the  enemy  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  Elmina. 

Commerell,  greatly  to  his  disgust,  had  been  obliged  to  relinquish 
active  command,1  his  wound  at  length  vanquishing  his  will ;  and 
Fremantle  was  left  senior  naval  officer  upon  the  coast.  The  first 
operation  undertaken  owed  much  of  its  success  to  the  Navy,  for, 
except  officers,  the  only  white  people  taking  part  in  it  were  22 
bluejackets  and  1  Marine,  with  a  7-pr.  gun,  from  the  Barracouta, 
158  Eoyal  Marine  Artillery  and  Light  Infantry,  from  the  Simoon ; 
38  seamen  and  19  Marines  from  the  Argus  ;  and  15  seamen  and  10 
Marines  from  the  Decoy.  The  total  force  landed  from  the  ships, 
including  19  Kroomen,  and  17  officers,  numbered  299,  the  officers 
being  :— 

Captain  Fremantle,  Lieutenant  Thomas  Edward  Maxwell,  Staff-Surgeon  Francis 
Hamilton  Moore,  and  Assistant-Paymaster  Edmund  Hickson  (Barracouta) ;  Captain 
John  Frederick  Crease,  K.M.A.,  Captain  William  Winkworth  Allnutt,  R.M.,  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Moore,  E.M.A.,  Lieutenant  Montague  Philip  Hall  Gray,  R.M.,  and  Surgeon 
Archibald  Adams,  M.U.  (Simoon) ;  Commander  Luxmoore,  Lieutenants  Gordon  Charles 
Young,  and  John  Leslie  Burr,  Sub-Lieutenant  Edward  John  Sanderson,  and  Staff- 
Surgeon  Leonard  Lucas  (Argus) ;  and  Lieutenant  John  Hext,  Boatswain  William 
Jinks,  and  Surgeon  James  William  Fisher,  M.D.  (Decoy). 

Some  miles  in  rear  of  Elmina  was  an  Ashantee  camp  at 
Mampon.  To  the  westward  of  Elmina,  and  along  the  coast 
between  it  and  Commenda,  were  the  disaffected  villages  of 
Amquana,  Akimfoo,  and  Ampanee  ;  and  between  these  villages  and 
Mampon  was  the  town  of  Essaman,  which  the  Ashantees  held. 
The  ships 2  left  Cape  Coast  Castle  on  the  night  of  October  13th, 
ostensibly  for  the  eastward,  a  baseless  rumour  having  been 
intentionally  allowed  to  circulate  to  the  effect  that  Commander 
John  Hawley  Glover,  E.N.3  (retired),  Official  Administrator  of 
Lagos,  who  was  raising  native  forces  for  an  expedition  up  the 
Volta,  was  in  difficulties  at  Ada,  at  the  mouth  of  that  river. 
Instead  of  going  eastward,  the  ships  steamed  westward ;  and  at 

1  He  left  for  the  Cape  on  Aug.  22. 

2  Barracouta  and  Decoy.     Argus  was  already  to  the  westward. 

?  Born  1825;  Com.  1862;  retd.  1870:  G.C.M.G.  1874;  later  Govr.  of  Newfound- 
land and  of  Leeward  Islands;  died  1885. 


1873.]  CAPTURE   OF  ESSAMAN.  257 

3  A.M.  on  the  14th  disembarked  the  major  part  of  the  intended 
landing  force  at  Elmina,  the  Decoy  and  Argus  then  proceeding,  and 
anchoring  off  the  coral  reef  in  front  of  Akimfoo  and  Ampanee,  while 
the  Barracouta's  steam-launch  and  the  Argus's  paddle-box  boats 
placed  themselves  inside  the  reef.  Meantime,  the  land  forces, 
including  the  main  part  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  marched  from 
Elmina,  and  at  7  A.M.  on  the  14th  approached  Essaman. 

The  enemy  was  on  the  alert,  and  opened  fire.  Though  the 
Ashantees  were  completely  concealed  in  the  bush,  the  fire  was 
returned  ;  and  the  party  pressed  on,  the  gun  and  rocket-trough  being 
quickly  placed  in  position  within  200  yards  of  the  place.  By  8.30, 
after  some  sharp  fighting,  the  enemy  retired,  and  Essamaii  was 
taken.  It  was  promptly  burnt.  From  Essaman  the  column 
marched  six  miles  to  Amquana,  which  was  taken  and  set  on  fire. 
Most  of  the  Marines  were  left  there  temporarily,  and  the  rest  of 
the  force  proceeded  four  miles  along  the  shore  to  Akimfoo,  where, 
at  3  P.M.,  it  was  joined  by  the  landing-parties  from  the  Argus  and 
Decoy,  which  vessels  had  been  engaged  during  the  day  in  shelling 
Akimfoo  and  Ampanee.  Both  villages  were  found  to  be  deserted, 
and  were  destroyed ;  but,  upon  leaving  Ampanee,  the  party  was 
attacked  by  an  ambushed  force  of  the  enemy,  and  while  the  Naval 
Brigade  was  being  re-embarked,  a  further  attack  was  made  upon  it, 
the  West  India  troops,1  however,  driving  the  Ashantees  back. 

This  day's  work  went  far  towards  securing  the  safety  of  Elmina 
and  Cape  Coast  Castle,  and,  indeed,  it  caused  the  whole  of  the 
Ashantee  army  to  fall  back  several  miles ;  but  it  was  not  carried  out 
without  some  loss.  Fremantle  was  wounded  severely ;  four  other 
people  from  the  ships  were  injured,  and  on  the  side  of  the  land 
forces  there  were  21  casualties.2 

Although  nothing  like  a  general  advance  could  yet  be  attempted, 
owing  to  the  non-arrival  of  troops  from  England,  the  Navy  did  not 
cease  to  be  engaged  almost  continuously  up  and  down  the  coast. 
On  one  occasion  a  party  from  the  Argus  landed  at  Tacorady  to 
destroy  some  canoes,  but  had  to  retire  with  a  loss  of  12  wounded, 
including  Lieutenant  Gordon  Charles  Young,  who  commanded  it. 
Brief  bombardments  of  the  unfriendly  coast  villages  occurred 
frequently.  On  October  28th,  Bootry,  three  miles  east  of  Dixcove, 

1  Two  hundred  of  these  were  with  the  column. 

2  Wolseley  to  Sec.  for  War;  Wolseley  to  Col.  Sec.,  both  of  Oct.  15;  Fremantle  in 
Gazette  of  Nov.  11. 

VOL.   VII.  S 


258      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

was  shelled  by  the  Argus  and  Decoy,  and  was  then  burnt  by  a 
landing-party  under  Lieutenants  J.  Hext  and  G.  C.  Young.  There 
were  no  casualties.1 

At  about  the  same  time  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  undertook  another 
short  inland  expedition  with  the  object  of  endeavouring  to  break  up 
a  detached  Ashantee  force  which,  he  had  reason  to  believe,  was  near 
Dunquah,  some  miles  on  the  main  route  between  Cape  Coast  Castle 
and  the  interior,  via  Mansu.  He  sent  a  small  military  force  from 
Cape  Coast  Castle  to  Dunquah  on  October  25-26th,  and  on  the  26th 
another  force  marched  out  of  Elmina,  which  was  garrisoned  in  its 
absence  by  a  party  from  the  Druid,  while  a  third  force,  with  which 
were  Sir  Garnet  and  a  detachment  of  bluejackets  and  Marines 2 
from  the  squadron,  moved  out  to  Assay  boo  in  support.  At  Assay  boo 
some  Houssas  and  native  levies  were  picked  up,  and  thence  an 
advance  was  made  to  Abrakrampa,  where  more  native  troops  were 
found,  some  of  these  being  under  Lieutenant  George  Northrnore 
Arthur  Pollard,  B.N. ;  but  in  such  fighting  as  occurred  on  October 
27th  and  28th  near  Dunquah  the  Brigade  had  little  share.  After 
that  fighting,  Lieutenant  Wells,  with  50  men,  was  left  to  form  part 
of  the  garrison  of  Abrakrampa,  and  the  rest  of  the  landed  force 
returned  to  Cape  Coast  Castle.3 

On  November  5th,  Abrakrampa,  where  Major  Baker  C.  Russell 
commanded,  was  attacked  by  the  enemy  in  force,  just  as  Lieutenant 
Wells,  with  his  seamen  and  Marines,  was  about  to  set  out  on  his 
return  to  Assayboo  and  the  coast.  The  firing  was  heavy,  and  the 
little  garrison,  though  well  entrenched,  was  for  a  time  hard  pressed. 
News  of  its  precarious  situation  reached  Wolseley  at  2  A.M.  on  the 
6th,  and  he  appealed  at  once  to  Fremantle  for  a  landing  force 
wherewith  to  attempt  a  relief.  The  Navy,  of  course,  responded 
with  cordiality,  every  man  who  could  be  spared  being  put  promptly 
ashore,  and  the  Brigade,4  with  Wolseley  and  Fremantle  accom- 

1  Luxmoore  to  Fremantle,  Oct.  28. 

2  Under  Captain  Fremantle :  from  the  Barracouta,  64  men  under  Lieut.  Lewis 
Fortescue  Wells ;  from  the  Simoon,  66  men  under  Capt.  Mountford  Stephen  Lovick 
Peile,  and  101  Marines  under  Capt.  William  Winkworth  Alluutt,  R.M. ;  and  from  the 
Bittern,  3,  t\vin-scr.,  34  men   under   Com.   Prescot   William   Stephens ;    besides   48 
Kroomen.     Owing  to  lack  of  Marine  officers,  Lieut.  Horatio  Fraser  Kemble  (Bittern), 
and  Sub-Lieut.  Francis  Avenell  Brookes  (Bamcouta)  did  duty  as  such.     Capt.  Allnutt 
breaking  down  on  the  march,  Capt.  Crease,  1I.M.A.,  took  his  place. 

3  Gazette,  Nov.  25,  1873. 

*  Three  hundred  and  twenty-five  officers  and  men  from  the  Sarracouta,  Simoon, 
Beacon,  Bittern,  and  Encounter. 


1873.]  RELIEF   OF  ABRAKRAMPA.  259 

panying  it,  marching  inland  soon  after  7  A.M.,  together  with  some 
Houssa  artillery  and  miscellaneous  troops.     The  march  was  most 
exhausting.     At  Assayboo,  100  bluejackets  and  Marines  were  left, 
but  at  Accroful  a  detachment  of  the  2nd  West  India  Kegiinent  was 
added  to  the  expedition,  which  pushed  on,  and  reached  Abrakrampa 
at  6.30  P.M.,  while  fighting  was  still  in  progress.     It  soon,  however, 
ceased.     This  march,  and  a  demonstration  made  on  the  following 
morning  by  some  cowardly  native  levies,  caused  a   regular  panic 
among  the  Ashantees,  who  retired  hastily,  abandoning  many  stores, 
and,  indeed,   almost  everything  except,  as  Wolseley  put  it,  "  the 
actual   weapons   in   the   hands   of   the   fighting   men."      In   these 
operations    no   white   man   was   wounded,    though    many   suffered 
terribly  from   the   heat.     Thenceforward  the   enemy  stood   almost 
exclusively  on  the  defensive,  and  soon  recrossed  the  Prah,  retiring 
on  Coomassie.     Its  retreat  was  hastened  by  Colonel  Evelyn  Wood,1 
who,  however,  experienced  a  check  on  November  27th  at  Faysowah, 
on   the   road   between    Mansu   and    Prahsu;    whereupon   a   small 
naval   contingent,'2   which   afterwards   became   the   nucleus   of  the 
Naval  Brigade  in  the  general  advance,  was  despatched  to  reinforce 
him  at  Sutah. 

On  November  14th,  Fremantle  was  superseded  as  senior  naval 
officer,  Commodore  William  Nathan  Wrighte  Hewett,  V.C.,  who 
had  succeeded  Commerell,  arriving  in  the  Active,  10,  screw,  Com- 
mander Robert  Lowther  Byng.  Fremantle  had  done  so  well  that 
Wolseley  paid  him  the  compliment  of  saying  that,  but  for  him,  the 
operations  leading  to  the  retreat  of  the  Ashantees  could  not  have 
been  carried  out.  This  was,  no  doubt,  perfectly  true  ;  but  Wolseley's 
praise  of  Fremantle  was  constructive  censure  of  the  authorities  at 
home,  who,  for  nearly  a  year  after  the  commencement  of  hostilities, 
had  left  the  colonies  without  white  troops,  and  who  had  thus 
obliged  the  Navy  to  undertake  work  for  which  it  was  never  intended. 
When,  at  the  end  of  the  year  1873,  troops  in  plenty  arrived  on  the 
scene,  the  Naval  Brigade  might  well  have  been  released  from  further 
service  ashore.  It  continued,  however,  to  be  employed,  and  although 
its  unnecessary  employment  was  economically  unsound,  the  Brigade, 
by  its  gallant  and  cheerful  behaviour,  gained  further  laurels,  which, 
perhaps,  even  the  bitterest  critics  of  the  administration  would  have 
been  sorry  to  see  it  shut  out  from. 

1  Later  Gen.  Sir  Evelyn  Wood.     He   had  begun  his  career  in  the  Navy.     See 
Vol.  VI.  435.  2  Three  officers  and  fifty  men. 

s  2 


260      MILITARY  JIIST011Y   OF  TEE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

In  December,  1873,  the  troopships  Himalaya,  Captain  William 
Burley  Grant,  and  Tamar,  Captain  Walter  James  Hunt-Grubbe, 
and  the  hired  transport  Sarmatian,  arrived  off  the  coast  with  the 
42nd  Highlanders,  the  2nd  battalion  of  the  Rifle  Brigade,  and  the 
23rd  Regiment,  but  were  sent  to  sea  again  until  all  was  ready  for 
the  advance.  Other  troops  also,  and  Royal  Marines,  went  out.  On 
December  26th  Wolseley  left  Cape  Coast  Castle  for  Prahsu ;  on  the 
27th,  a  new  Naval  Brigade  landed,  and  marched  up  to  Prahsu,  which 
it  reached  on  January  3rd ;  and  on  January  1st  the  troops  were 
disembarked. 

Almost  at  the  last  moment  before  the  general  advance  was 
begun  a  somewhat  amusing  affair  occurred  to  the  westward.  The 
Commenda  natives,  burning  to  prove  their  loyalty  by  attacking 
Chamah,  begged  the  British  to  convey  a  body  of  them  across  the 
mouth  of  the  Prah.  The  Encounter,  14,  Captain  Richard  Brad- 
shaw,  and  Merlin,  4,  Lieutenant  Edward  FitzGerald  Day,  accord- 
ingly transported  635  natives  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Prah  on 
December  24th.  A  day  later  the  valiant  natives,  who  were  like  to 
have  been  annihilated  by  the  Chamah  people,  were  glad  enough  to 
be  ferried  back  again.  On  the  26th,  Bradshaw,  before  returning 
to  Cape  Coast  Castle,  bombarded  and  burnt  a  village  on  Alboaddi 
Point,  where  the  Chamah  natives  had  congregated.  The  three 
boats  concerned  in  this  affair  were  respectively  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Day  (Merlin),  and  Lieutenants  Edward  Seymour  Evans, 
and  Alfred  Churchill  Loveridge  (Encounter).1  Ere  the  loyal  natives 
were  removed,  they  succeeded  in  burning  Chamah,  and  in  capturing 
about  50  canoes. 

During  the  final  advance,  the  chief  difficulties  which  the  Naval 
Brigade  had  to  contend  with  were  natural  ones ;  and  it  was  not  until 
the  last  five  or  six  days  of  the  campaign  that  it  took  part  in  any 
serious  fighting.  It  was  the  first  European  part  of  the  expedition 
to  cross  the  Prah,  which  it  passed  on  January  20th.  The  force, 
which  was  about  500  strong,  was  commanded  by  Commodore 
Hewett. 

On  January  29th,  there  being  a  hostile  force  under  the  King  of 
Adansi  on  the  left  flank  of  the  British  advance,  Borumassie  was 
captured,  and  the  enemy  driven  out  of  it.  A  much  more  important 
battle  was  fought  on  January  31st,  at  and  around  Amoaful,  on  the 
main  line  of  the  advance.  Says  Hewett : — 

1  Hewett,  of  Dec.  26 ;  Bradshaw,  of  Dec.  24  and  Dec.  2G. 


1874.]  BATTLES   OF  AMOAFUL   AND    ORDAH-SU.  261 

"  Without  attempting  to  give  the  details  of  the  General's  plan  of  operations,  I  will 
endeavour  to  afford  such  particulars  as  will  enable  their  Lordships  to  gain  some  idea  of 
the  position  occupied  by  the  Naval  Brigade  during  the  engagement.  The  first 
encounter  took  place  at  8  A.M.,  when  the  village  of  Egginnassie,  about  a  mile  from 
Araoaful,  was  carried  by  a  rush  of  the  scouts  under  Lord  Gifford.  The  Naval  Brigade 
was  divided  into  two  wings,  one,  under  Captain  Walter  James  H.  Grubbe,  of  her 
Majesty's  ship  Tamar,  being  attached  to  the  left  column,  and  the  other,  under  Acting- 
Captain  Percy  P.  Luxmoore,  of  her  Majesty's  ship  Druid,1  to  the  right.  On  the 
advance  being  made,  the  right  and  left  columns  were  ordered  to  cut  paths  at  right 
angles  to  the  main  road  for  a  distance  of  300  yards  into  the  bush  and  then  to  form 
upon  the  flanks  of  the  42nd  llegiment,  who,  in  the  front  column,  were  making  their 
way  through  the  thick  bush  on  either  side  of  the  road.  The  enemy's  centre  was  at 
Amoaful,  and,  throwing  out  two  columns  towards  us  in  a  diagonal  direction,  they 
formed,  as  it  were,  a  broad  arrow  with  the  main  path,  in  which  order  they  received  our 
attack.  After  suffering  very  heavy  losses,  the  42nd  Highlanders  eventually  captured 
the  town  at  1.45  P.M.  I  have  great  pleasure  in  acquainting  their  Lordships  with  the 
steady  behaviour  of  the  Naval  Brigade.  During  a  very  trying  time  they  showed  the 
greatest  coolness,  and,  advancing  slowly  under  a  continuous  and  heavy  fire,  steadily 
drove  back  the  enemy  until  3  o'clock,  when  they  forced  them  to  make  a  precipitate 
retreat,  and  the  day  was  ours." 2 

On  February  1st,  the  Brigade  was  sent  on  to  Becquah,  three 
miles  beyond  Amoaful,  where  a  large  force  of  Ashantees  was 
attacked,  and  driven  back  with  considerable  loss. 

The  naval  casualties  during  these  three  days  were  as  follows  :— 

At  Borumassie,  Jan.  29th :  two  seamen  of  the  Active,  and  one  seaman  and  one 
Marine  of  the  Argus  wounded. 

At  Amoaful,  Jan.  31st:  Capt.  HumVGrubbe  (Tamar),  Lieut.  Angus  MacLeod 
(Barracouta),  Actg.-Lieut.  Gerald  Elvers  Maltby,  and  Sub-Lieuts.  Robert 
Leyborne  Mundy,  and  Wyatt  llawson  (Active),  and  Mids.  Charles  Goodhart 
May  (Amethyst),  wounded.  Petty  officers,  seamen,  and  Marines,  twenty 
wounded  (Active,  Druid,  Amethyst,  and  Argus"). 

At  Becquah,  Feb.  1st :  one  seaman  killed  (Active),  and  threa  petty  officers  and 
seamen  wounded  (Active). 

On  February  4th,  there  was  further  fighting  at  Ordah-su,  where 
the  Naval  Brigade  had  an  officer 3  and  four  men  wounded ;  and  in 
the  afternoon  of  that  day  the  army  entered  Coomassie,  which  Sir 
Garnet  Wolseley,  on  the  6th,  ordered  to  be  burnt.  A  few  days 
afterwards,  Commander  Glover,  who  had  advanced  by  way  of  Akim, 
from  the  Volta,  joined  hands  with  the  main  force.  On  his  way,  on 
January  16th,  he  had  captured  the  town  of  Obogo  'just  in  time  to 
save  the  lives  of  40  slaves  who  were  to  have  been  sacrificed  that  day 
at  the  funeral  of  a  local  chief.  On  February  13th  peace  was 
concluded. 

1  Capt.  Wrn.  Hans  Blake  died  of  dysentery  on  Jan.  22,  1874.     Com.  Luxmoore 
had  taken  his  place  upon  his  being  invalided. 

2  Hewett,  of  Feb.  2.     See  also  Hunt-Grubbe,  of  Feb.  18,  and  Luxmoore,  of  Feb.  7. 
8  Lieut.  Adolphus  Brett  Crosbie,  E.M.L.I.  (Active). 


262      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Among  the  officers  favourably  mentioned  in  the  despatches  of 
Wolseley  and  Hewett,  or  in  their  enclosures,  were  : — 

Lieutenant  Ernest  Neville  Rolfe,  Naval  A.d.C.  to  the  Commander-in-Chief, 
Captains  Hunt-Grubbe,  Richard  Bradshaw  (Encounter),  Alfred  John  Chatfteld 
(Amethyst),  and  George  Henry  Parkin  (Victor  Emmanuel};  Commanders  John 
Hawley  Glover  (retd.),  Thomas  Henry  Larcom,  Percy  Putt  Luxmoore,  Herbert 
Franklyn  Crohan,  John  Hext  (actg.),  and  Robert  Lowther  Byng ;  Lieutenants  Robert 
Beaumont  Pipon,  Edward  FitzGerald  Day,  Gerard  Henry  Uctred  Noel,  George  Henry 
Moore,  Gerald  Rivers  Maltby,  William  Frederick  Stanley  Mann,  and  Angus  MacLeod  ; 
Sub-Lieutenants  Henry  Ponsonby,  Henry  Horace  Adamson  (retd.),  Wyatt  Rawson,  and 
Harry  Seawell  Frank  Niblett ;  Navigating-Lieutenant  Hugh  Halliday  Hannay ; 
Captain  (R.M.)  James  William  Vaughan  Arbuckle ;  Lieutenant  (R.M.)  Adolphus 
Brett  Crosbie  ;  Midshipman  Charles  Elsden  Gladstone  ;  Gunner  Thomas  Co\vd  ;  StafT- 
Surgeons  Ahmuty  Irwin,  James  William  Fisher,  John  Watt  Reid  (2),  and  William 
James  Hamilton;  Surgeons  Henry  Fegan,  Henry  Thompson  Cox,  and  Walter  Reid; 
and  Assistant-Surgeon  James  McCarthy.1 

In  addition  to  numerous  promotions  for  services  in  the  campaign, 
the  following  honours  to  naval  officers  were  gazetted  :— 

To  be  K.C.B.,  Capt.  John  Edmund  Commerell,  V.C. ;    Capt.  William   Nathan 

Wrighte  Hewett,  V.C. 
To   be  C.B.,   Capt.  Walter  James  Hunt-Grubbe;    Capt.  Hon.  Edmund   Robert 

Fremantle ;    Capt.  Percy  Putt  Luxmoore ;    Dept.  Insp.  of  Hosps.  Ahmuty 

Irwin;    Staff-Surg.  Henry   Fegan;    and  Col.  Sir   Francis   Worgan  Festing, 

R.M.A. 

To  be  K.C.M.G.,  Col.  Francis  Worgan  Festing,  C.B.,  R.M.A. 
To  be  C.M.G.,  Capt.  Hon.  Edmund  Robert  Fremantle,  C.B. 

Her  Majesty's  ships  which  were  concerned  from  first  to  last  in  the 
campaign,  and  their  commanding  officers  (where  these  have  not 
been  already  named) ,  were : — 

Active,  Amethyst,  Argus,  Barracoitta,  Beacon  (Com.  Hamilton  Dunlop),  Bittern, 
Coquette  (Lieut.  Edward  Downes  Law,  and  later  Lieut.  William  Eveleigh  Darwall), 
Decoy,  Dromedary  (Nav.-Lieut.  William  Wallis  Vine),  Druid.  Encounter,  Himalaya, 
Merlin,  Rattlesnake,  Seagull,  Simoon,  Tamar,  and  Victor  Emmanuel. 

On  April  23rd,  1874,  the  Queen  graciously  inspected  the  Ashantee 
Naval  Brigade,  and  the  Eoyal  Marines  who  had  been  sent  to  Africa. 
The  Barracouta's  and  Simoons  officers  did  not,  unfortunately,  arrive 
in  time  to  be  present ;  but  in  the  grounds  of  the  Eoyal  Clarence 
Victualling  Yard,  Gosport,  there  were  61  naval  officers  and  seamen, 
11  officers  and  209  men  of  the  Eoyal  Marine  Light  Infantry,  and  8 
officers  and  104  men  of  the  Eoyal  Marine  Artillery. 

At  about  this  time  much  success  attended  British  efforts  to 
repress  the  slave-trade,  especially  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 

1  Glover,  of  Feb.  25;  Hewett,  of  Mar.  3;  Ilunt-Grubbe,  of  Feb.  19;  Hewett,  of 
Mar.  4,  1874. 


!874.]  AFFAIRS    WITH  SLAVERS.  263 

On  March  13th,  1874,  the  Daphne,  5,  screw,  Commander  Charles 
Edward  Foot,  made  prize,  off  Madagascar,  of  one  of  the  finest  slave- 
dhows  ever  taken  in  those  seas,  a  vessel  of  upwards  of  200  tons' 
burden,  with  230  slaves  and  forty  other  people  on  board.  She  had 
then  been  eight  days  at  sea,  and  had  already  lost  thirty  slaves. 
Unfortunately,  owing  to  the  unwillingness  of  the  acting  agent  of 
the  Union  Steamship  Company  at  Mozambique  to  incur  the  respon- 
sibility of  taking  over,  and  giving  a  receipt  for  the  captives,  Foot, 
after  carrying  them  thither,  was  obliged  to  proceed  with  them  to 
Zanzibar ;  and  on  the  way  he  encountered  a  cyclone,  the  results  of 
which,  and  the  insanitary  nature  of  the  surroundings,  cost  the  loss 
of  about  forty  more  of  the  poor  wretches  ere  the  survivors  could  be 
landed.1  The  affair  naturally  made  some  stir  at  the  time,  it  being 
at  first  believed  that  Commander  Foot  was  to  blame  for  the  terrible 
mortality,  or  that  it  was  in  consequence  of  orders  from  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  in  the  East  Indies  that  the  slaves  could  not  be 
landed  earlier. 

In  April,  1874,  Captain  George  Lydiard  Sulivan,  who  was 
selected  on  account  of  his  wide  experience  in  dealing  with  the 
slave  trade,  was  appointed  to  the  London,  storeship  at  Zanzibar. 
During  his  period  of  command2  he  displayed  great  and  ceaseless 
activity ;  and  no  fewer  than  39  dhows  were  captured  by  the  boats 
of  the  ship  between  October,  1874,  and  April,  1876.  He  was  also 
instrumental  in  quelling  a  dangerous  native  insurrection  which,  at 
the  end  of  1874,  broke  out  at  Mombasa,  about  140  miles  north  of 
Zanzibar. 

Mombasa,  or  Mombas,  which  was  visited  by  Vasco  da  Gama, 
was  for  many  years  a  station  of  the  Portuguese,  who  built  there  a 
fort  called  Mozambique  in  1594,  and  a  citadel  in  1635.  The 
Portuguese  were,  however,  expelled  by  the  Imaum  of  Oman  in  1698  ; 
and  soon  afterwards  the  town  passed  into  the  possession  of  the 
Mazara  family,  which  placed  it  under  British  protection  in  1823. 
The  British  soon  abandoned  it ;  whereupon,  after  much  fighting, 
it  was  secured,  in  1834,  by  Sayyid  Said,  of  Zanzibar.  The  outbreak 
of  1874  was  the  work  of  a  rebel  named  Abdallah,  who,  with  about 
400  fighting  men,  seized  the  Portuguese  fort,  provisioned  it  for  a 
year,  and  set  himself  up  as  independent.  Early  in  January,  1875,  he 

1  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  May  16,  June  G,  July  18,  1874. 

2  He  was  superseded  on  Sept.  27,  1875,  by  Capt.  Thomas  Baker  Martin  Sulivan, 
who  was  also  very  active. 


264      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

attacked  the  Sultan's  people  and  burnt  the  town  of  Mombasa ;  and 
the  Sultan,  while  preparing  to  send  a  force  of  his  own  to  the  scene 
of  trouble,  asked  for  British  assistance. 

Captain  Sulivan,  with  100  of  his  bluejackets  and  Marines,  and 
accompanied  by  the  British  Consul,  Captain  W.  F.  Prideaux,  of 
the  Indian  army,  proceeded  northward  at  once  in  the  screw 
surveying  vessel  Nassau,  4,  Lieutenant  Francis  John  Grey.  The 
Rifleman,  4,  Commander  Stratford  Tuke,  also  went  to  the  spot,  and 
on  January  19th,  1875,  the  vessels  and  their  boats,  after  a  five 
hours'  bombardment,  drove  out  the  rebels,  who  lost  17  killed  and 
51  wounded,  and  occupied  the  fort,  subsequently  handing  it  over 
to  the  Sultan's  representatives.  The  British  suffered  no  casualties. 

In  the  following  November,  some  of  the  London's  people,  and 
five  of  her  boats,  under  Lieutenant  William  Martin  Annesley,  were 
engaged  at  Tangata,  where '  two  hostile  villages  were  taken  and 
burnt.1 

Another  vessel  which,  at  about  the  same  period,  and  on  the 
same  station,  was  most  useful  in  the  repression  of  the  slave  trade 
was  the  screw  corvette  Thetis,  14,  Captain  Thomas  Le  Hunte 
Ward.  During  her  commission,  1873-77,  her  boats  were  repeatedly 
employed,  especially  in  river  work,  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa  ;  and 
on  one  occasion  they  came  into  collision  with  the  natives  of 
Madagascar.  The  Flying  Fish,  4,  Commander  Herbert  Franklyn 
Crohan,  was  also  active  and  successful.  The  supply  of  steam-boats, 
in  addition  to  pulling  and  sailing  boats,  for  use  by  men-of-war  was 
then  a  novelty.  It  greatly  increased  the  utility  of  such  cruisers  as 
were  provided  with  the  new  craft,  and  led  to  the  capture  of 
numerous  dhows  which  otherwise  must  have  escaped.2 

On  July  -2nd,  1874,  the  sailing  schooner  Sandfly,  I,  Lieutenant 
William  Henry  George  Nowell,  cleared  Sydney  Heads  for  a  cruise 

1  A  daring  act  of  bravery  was  related  by  the  Zanzibar  correspondent  of  the  Western 
Morning  News.     Richard  Trigger,  captain   of  the  London's  launch,  and  two  blue- 
jackets named  Quint  and  "  Hope,"  were  cruising  in  Captain  Sulivan's  yacht  Victoria, 
off  Pemba,  when  they  saw  a  dhow  becalmed  about  seven  miles  away.     With  an  inter- 
preter, they  manned  their  dingy,  and,  after  a  two  hours'  pull,  reached  the  dhow.    There 
was  some  opposition ;  but  Trigger,  with  his  cutlass  between  his  teeth,  boarded  over  the 
bows.     He  and  his  comrades,  seeing  that  the  craft  was  full  of  slaves,  knocked  down 
and  tied  up  the  Arab  master,  put  him  into  the  dingy,  made  sail  on  the  dhow,  and,  with 
the  dingy  in  tow,  fetched  back  to  the  Victoria.     The  dhow  was  eventually  condemned 
at  Zanzibar.     This  was  in  1875.     I  believe  that  these  men  were  Richard  Harris  Trigger 
(Boatswain,  Sept.  30,  1876),  Stephen  Quint  (Gunner,  July  26,  1883),  and  Stephen 
Hopes  (Gunner,  Sept.  10,  1881). 

2  Western  Daily  Mercury.     Zanzibar  letter  of  July  2,  1875. 


1874-75.]  DEATH   OF   COMMODOUE   OOODENOUOH.  265 

among  the  Pacific  islands.  Nothing  of  importance  befell  her  until 
she  reached  Tapoua,  or  Edgecumbe  Island,  one  of  the  Santa  Cruz 
group,  where  the  natives,  at  first  very  friendly,  made  a  sudden  and 
unprovoked  attack  upon  the  vessel  on  September  17th.  They  were 
then  fired  at  and  dispersed,  twenty  of  their  canoes  were  destroyed, 
and  two  of  their  villages  were  burnt.  On  September  20th,  the 
schooner  anchored  off  Nitendi,  or  Santa  Cruz  Island.  Armed 
canoes  quickly  put  out,  and  presently  a  general  attack  was  made 
upon  the  Sand  fly,  many  of  the  natives  having  previously  climbed 
on  board.  Something  like  a  hand- to-hand  fight  took  place  ere  the 
assailants,  who  lost  about  thirty  men,  were  driven  off.  Nowell  then 
lowered  his  boats,  destroyed  as  many  abandoned  canoes  as  he  could 
lay  hands  on,  and  burnt  two  villages.  On  the  21st  and  22nd  the 
parties  sent  ashore  for  water  had  to  be  covered  by  rifle-fire,  and  a 
couple  of  shells  were  thrown  into  the  bush.  On  the  23rd,  the 
natives  were  again  dispersed.  These  collisions  were  the  cause  of 
the  visit  which  Commodore  Goodenough  paid  to  the  island  nearly 
a  year  later,  and  which  had  so  fatal  a  result.  In  the  course  of  the 
cruise,  the  Sandfly  also  called  at  Api,  or  Tasiko  Island,  in  the  New 
Hebrides,  where  she  shelled  a  village  by  way  of  punishing  certain 
natives  who,  some  time  before,  had  murdered  and  eaten  a  boat's 
crew  belonging  to  a  vessel  named  the  Zephyr,  She  returned  to 
Port  Jackson  on  December  10th,  1874. 

On  May  22nd,  1873,  Captain  James  Graham  Goodenough  had 
been  appointed  to  the  Pearl,  17,  as  Commodore  on  the  Australian 
station ;  and  in  the  following  August  he  arrived  at  Sydney.  After 
having  taken  part  in  the  inquiries  which  preceded  the  annexation  of 
the  Fiji  Islands  in  October,  1874,  he  conveyed  Sir  Arthur  Hamilton 
Gordon,2  as  Governor,  to  Levuka,  and  then  sailed  for  a  cruise  to 
the  New  Hebrides  and  Santa  Cruz  groups.  He  visited  Ambrym, 
Mallicolo,  Saint  Bartholomew,  Espiritu  Santo,  and  Vanikoro.  On 
August  12th,  1875,  accompanied  by  some  officers  and  men,  the 
Commodore  landed  in  Carlisle  Bay,  Santa  Cruz  Island,  his  intention 
being  to  conciliate  the  natives,  and  to  open  friendly  intercourse  with 
them.  The  people  assembled  on  the  beach,  showed  no  signs  of 
hostility,  and  were  ready  to  barter.  They  even  received  Goode- 
nough in  their  village,  and  allowed  him  to  mix  freely  with  them. 
But,  as  the  party  was  re-embarking,  a  man  discharged  a  poisoned 
arrow,  which  struck  the  Commodore  in  the  left  side ;  and,  before  the 

1  Sydney  Empire,  Dec.  11,  1874.  2  1st  Baron  Stanmore,  1893. 


266      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

British  could  get  to  their  arms,  several  flights  of  arrows  were  fired 
at  them,  and  six  people  were  wounded,1  Goodenough  also  being 
again  hit,  though  slightly.  On  returning  to  the  ship  the  Commodore 
resolved  to  punish  the  act  of  treachery  by  burning  the  village  which 
had  been  the  scene  of  the  attack ;  and  he  therefore  sent  in  four 
boats  for  the  purpose  ;  but  he  expressly  ordered  that  no  life  should 
be  taken.  He  might,  with  reason,  have  been  much  more  severe,  for, 


CAPTAIN   JAMES   GRAHAM   GOODENOUGH,    C.B.,    C.M.G.,    COMMODORE. 

(From  the  bust  bij  Adm.  Count  GJeicJien.) 
[By  permission  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.] 

as  has  been  noted,  the  Sandfly  had  been  attacked  at  the  same 
place  in  the. previous  September.  Moreover,  he  had  more  than  a 
suspicion  that  the  wounds  had  been  inflicted  with  poisoned  arrows, 
and  would  prove  fatal.  Unhappily,  they  did  so,  in  three  cases  out  of 
seven.  A  seaman  died  on  August  19th,  Goodenough  himself  on  the 
20th,  and  another  seaman  on  the  21st.  The  Pearl  returned  to  Sydney 

1  Including  Sub-Lieut.  Henry  Colley  Hawker. 


1873-74.]  EVENTS  IN   THE  MALAY  PENINSULA.  267 

on  the  23rd  with  the  Commodore's  body,  which  was  publicly  buried 
on  the  24th  at  St.  Leonard's  cemetery  in  the  presence  of  thousands 
of  people,  and  of  officers,  seamen  and  Marines,  from  the  Pearl  and 
Sappho.  Goodenough's  grave  lies  near  that  of  the  eminent  surveyor 
and  Arctic  navigator,  Captain  Owen  Stanley,  who  died  in  1850. 
That  officer's  brother,  Dean  Stanley,  in  a  sermon  at  Westminster 
Abbey  on  November  1st,  1875,  spoke  of  the  Commodore  as  "  one  of 
England's  best  seamen,  a  man  tender  as  he  was  brave,  a  man  of 
science,  full  of  the  highest  aspirations,  fit  for  any  great  work — such 
a  one  as  no  nation  can  afford  to  lose  lightly."  It  is  a  strange 
coincidence  that  Goodenough's  last  public  act  in  New  South  Wales 
was  to  unveil  at  Eandwick  a  statue  of  Captain  James  Cook  (1),  an 
officer  who,  besides  having  many  characteristics  in  common  with 
him,  met  death  in  almost  exactly  the  same  way — at  the  hands  of 
savages  who  attacked  without  provocation.1  Goodenough  had  re- 
ceived the  C.M.G.  in  .1874,  and  the  C.B.  in  1875. 

In  November,  1873,  Sir  H.  St.  George  Ord,  C.B.,  had  been 
succeeded  as  Governor  of  the  Straits'  Settlements  by  that  dis- 
tinguished administrator,  General  Sir  Andrew  Clarke,  K. C.M.G. 
Up  to  that  date  the  relations  between  the  British  authorities  and 
the  various  native  states  of  the  Malay  peninsula  had  been  generally 
unsatisfactory.  It  is  true  that  these  relations  had  been  regulated 
by  treaties,  as,  for  example,  those  of  1818  and  1826  with  Perak, 
and  those  of  1818  and  1825  with  Selangor ;  but  frequent  civil  wars, 
chronic  piracy,  the  tyranny,  weakness,  and  self-indulgence  of  the 
local  princes,  and  the  numerous  disputes  between  the  dominant 
chiefs  and  the  Chinese  settlers  within  their  territories  prevented  the 
development  of  the  country,  especially  on  the  west  coast,  crippled 
trade,  and  gave  perpetual  cause  for  active  British  intervention. 
The  new  Governor  might  have  found  plenty  of  excuse  for  conquering 
and  annexing  the  more  troublesome  provinces.  Instead,  he  set 
about  thoroughly  mastering  the  origin  and  history  of  the  disorders 
which  prevailed  among  his  semi-civilised  neighbours,  and  then, 
while  maintaining  a  firm  and  inflexible  attitude  with  regard  to 
piracy,  embarked  upon  a  policy  of  attempting  to  arrange  all  diffi- 
culties by  pacific  methods,  and  of  endeavouring  to  induce  the  chiefs 
to  accept  British  counsel  and  assistance  in  the  management  of  their 
affairs.  The  work  which  he  thus  mapped  out  for  himself  was  of  a 

1  C.  R.  Markham:  'Commodore  J.  Or.  Goodenough.'  Goodenough  to  Admiralty, 
Aug.  19th,  1875. 


1873.]  PATTERSON  AT  SILEMSENO.  269 

very  laborious  nature,  and  for  a  time  the  results  were  disappointing ; 
but  the  outcome  of  Clarke's  wise  and  far-sighted  action  was 
ultimately  the  addition  to  the  British  Empire  of  a  number  of 
protected  states  which,  while  retaining  much  of  their  independence, 
submitted  contentedly  to  British  methods  of  government,  and 
became  valuable  outworks  of  civilisation  instead  of  irritating  centres 
of  turbulence  along  its  borders. 

As  early  as  January  20th,  1874,  Sir  Andrew  concluded  with 
Perak  a  treaty  in  virtue  of  which  the  Raja  Muda  was  recognised 
as  Sultan  of  that  long  distracted  country,  and  a  resident  and  an 
assistant-resident  were  appointed  to  aid  him  in  preserving  order  in 
his  state.  Later  in  the  same  year  residents  were  also  appointed  to 
Selangor  and  Sungei  Ujong.  Even  that  measure  of  success,  how- 
ever, was  not  secured  until  the  imagination  of  the  chiefs  had  been 
stimulated  by  naval  demonstrations,  which,  owing  to  the  fortuitous 
presence  in  that  part  of  the  station  of  Vice-Admiral  Charles 
Frederick  Alexander  Shadwell  and  a  considerable  part  of  the 
China  command,  could,  when  desirable,  be  carried  out  upon  an 
impressive  scale. 

The  coast  of  Perak  at  that  time  swarmed  with  pirates ;  and  on 
the  night  of  December  llth,  1873,  the  Avon,  4,  Commander  John 
Conyngham  Patterson,1  being  near  the  Bindings,  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  come  upon  three  trading  craft  at  the  moment  when  they  were 
being  attacked  by  six  boats  full  of  these  cut-throats.  She  fired  upon 
the  scoundrels,  and  drove  them  off  with  loss,  but  did  not  succeed  in 
capturing  any  of  them  at  the  time.  Proceeding  in  January,  how- 
ever, to  Silemseng,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Larut  river,  and  taking 
with  him  the  armed  steamer  Joliorc,  Sub-Lieutenant  Charles 
Skelton  Nicholson,  Patterson,  who  had  satisfied  himself  as  to  the 
complicity  of  some  of  the  local  people,  enforced  the  surrender  of  a 
number  of  junks,  many  men,  and  a  quantity  of  arms,  and  burnt 
some  houses.2  This  action  sufficed  to  convince  the  people  of  Perak 
that  the  British  were  in  earnest.  To  convince  the  other  states, 
more  imposing  action  was  employed. 

Previous  to  the  inception  of  negotiations  with  Selangor,  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  induce  the  Sultan  of  that  state  to  promise  to 
make  reparation  for  certain  serious  piratical  acts  which,  not  long 

1  Patterson  had  retired  with  the  rank  of  captain  Oct.  1,  1873,  but  remained  in 
command  pending  the  arrival  of  his  successor. 

2  Patterson  to  Woollcombe,  Dec.  13,  1873 ;  Jan.  21,  1874. 


270      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

before,  had  been  committed  by  some  of  his  subjects  to  the  prejudice 
of  British  residents  at  Malacca ;  and,  to  attain  the  object  in  view, 
Vice-Admiral  Shadwell  himself  appeared  in  his  flagship,  the  Iron 
Duke,  Captain  William  Arthur,  off  the  mouth  of  the  Klang  and 
Langkat  Bivers,  where,  by  appointment,  he  met  the  Governor  on 
February  6th,  1874.  There  were  also  assembled  the  Thalia,  6, 
Captain  Henry  Bedford  Woollcombe ;  Salamis,  2,  dispatch-vessel, 
Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Algernon  Charles  Littleton ;  Rinaldo,  1, 
Commander  George  Parsons ;  Frolic,  4,  Commander  Claude  Edward 
Buckle ;  Midge,  4,  Commander  John  Frederick  George  Grant ; 
Avon,  4,  Commander  Arrnand  Temple  Powlett ;  and  the  colonial 
steamer  Pluto.  Shadwell  and  Clarke  went  up  the  Klang  river  to 
Langkat  on  the  7th,  and,  on  the  three  following  days,  effected  a 
satisfactory  arrangement  with  the  Sultan  of  Selangor,  who  agreed 
upon  measures  for  the  punishment  of  the  pirates,  and  assented  to 
the  destruction  of  certain  stockades.  Captain  Woollcombe  remained 
as  senior  officer,  with  the  Thalia,  Rinaldo,  Midge,  and  Avon,  and 
eventually  occupied  two  stockades  near  the  mouth  of  the  Jugra 
river.  These,  after  having  been  held  for  a  fortnight,  were  burnt.1 

Another  focus  of  piratical  activity  was  the  Lingie  river,  between 
the  British  state  of  Malacca  and  the  friendly  native  state  of  Sungei 
Ujong,  where  stockades  had  been  erected  under  the  alleged  authority 
of  the  chief  of  Eumbow.  At  the  beginning  of  May,  1874,  Sir 
Andrew  Clarke  went  to  the  Lingie  river  in  the  Charybdis,  17, 
Captain  Thomas  Edward  Smith,  accompanied  by  the  Avon,  4, 
Commander  Armand  Temple  Powlett,  and  the  colonial  steamer 
Pluto.  The  chief  of  liumbow  made  excuses  for  not  attending  a 
conference  to  which  he  had  been  invited,  whereupon  the  Governor, 
on  May  4th,  gave  his  support  to  the  chief,  or  Klana,  of  Sungei 
Ujong,  who,  without  opposition,  occupied  the  offending  stockades  at 
Bukit  Tiga.  They  had  been  abandoned  a  few  hours  earlier.  This 
action  was  of  great  commercial  importance,  as  it  reopened  the 
Lingie  river  to  the  trade  to  and  from  the  rich  tin  mines  in  the 
interior. 

In  the  following  September  the  Charybdis  and  Avon,  together 
with  the  Hart,  4,  Commander  Thomas  Harvey  Koyse,  took  part  in 
an  expedition  to  the  Indau  river,  a  stream  which  runs  into  the  sea 
on  the  east  coast  of  the  peninsula,  and  which  forms  the  frontier 

1  All  corresp.  relating  to  these  events  is  to  be  found  in  Command  Paper  1111, 
of  1874. 


1874.]  THE  LUKUT  RIVER   EXPEDITION.  271 

between  Johore  and  Pahang.  Sir  Andrew  Clarke's  object  in  going 
thither  was  to  compose  some  differences  between  the  rulers  of  those 
two  states.  He  was  very  successful. 

Soon  afterwards  serious  disputes  arose  in  Sungei  Ujong  between 
the  Klana,  or  ruling  chief,  and  the  Bandar,  a  feudatory  of  great 
wealth  and  influence.  As  the  former  had  already  asked  for  a 
British  resident  to  be  sent  to  his  court,  and  as  the  latter  was 
intractable  in  spite  of  Sir  Andrew  Clarke's  repeated  efforts  to 
persuade  him  to  adopt  reasonable  courses,  it  was  decided  to  support 
the  Klana,  who  had  been  forced  to  begin  hostilities  on  November 
16th,  1874.  On  November  24th,  accordingly,  Clarke  proceeded  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Lukut  river  in  the  Charybdis,  with  the  Hart  in 
company,  and  a  small  military  force  including  men  of  the  10th 
Eegimeiit  and  of  the  Eoyal  Artillery.  On  the  26th  the  troops 
were  disembarked,  together  with  a  small  Naval  Brigade '  under 
Lieutenant  John  George  Jones,  Acting-Lieutenant  Gerard  Marma- 
duke  Brooke,  Lieutenant  Eobert  Evans  Montgomery,  E. M.L.I., 
Surgeon  George  Gibson,  Gunner  Edwin  Bishop,  and  Midshipman 
Charles  Brownlow  Macdonald,  and  on  the  27th  began  to  march 
inland,2  ten  Marines  under  Montgomery  being,  however,  left  in 
charge  at  Lukut.  Clarke  in  the  meantime  went  on  in  the  Hart  to 
Langkat,  in  order  to  warn  the  Selangor  authorities  against  affording 
assistance  to  the  insurgents. 

The  force  which  included  the  Naval  Brigade  had  a  most  trying 
two  days'  march  ere  it  arrived,  on  November  28th,  within  three 
miles  of  Campayang,  the  Bandar's  headquarters,  where  a  halt  was 
called.  A  reconnaissance,  however,  brought  on  some  firing,  and  the 
advance  was  resumed  in  consequence.  As  soon  as  the  leading  body, 
under  Brooke,  showed  itself,  it  was  fired  at  from  the  stockades.  A 
rocket-tube  was  brought  up;  and  after  about  half-an-hour's  action, 
in  the  course  of  which  Eobert  Chambers,  captain  of  the  main-top, 
was  fatally  wounded,  the  enemy  was  nearly  silenced.  As  darkness 
was  falling  the  expedition  withdrew  for  the  night.  On  the  following 
morning  it  was  announced  that  Sir  Andrew  Clarke  had  sent  up 
orders  that  the  Bandar  was  to  be  given  twenty-four  hours  in  which 
to  come  to  terms.  On  the  30th,  no  reply  having  been  received  from 
the  rebel,  the  force  again  advanced,  but  discovered  to  its  disgust 
that  the  place  had  been  evacuated  by  the  Malays,  and  occupied  by 

1  Officers  6,  seamen  and  Marines  67 :  from  the  Charybdis. 
'*  Smith  to  Shadwell,  Nov.  26 ;  Jones  to  Smith,  Dec.  10,  1874. 


272      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

a  number  of  Chinese  coolies,  who  were  already  quarrelling  over  the 
loot,  and  who  did  not  desist  until  about  fifty  of  them  had  been 
killed.1  The  guns  found  were  four  of  iron,  about  12-prs.,  and  two 
of  brass,  about  2-prs.  Yet  another  gun,  which  had  been  captured 
from  the  British  on  some  previous  occasion,  was  recovered.  The 
place  was  burnt.  Parties  were  afterwards  sent  out  in  all  directions 
to  look  for  the  Bandar ;  but  he  could  not  be  caught,  and  the  Naval 
Brigade  had  to  return  empty-handed  to  the  Charybdis,  which  was 
reached  on  January  10th,  1875.  The  chief  surrendered  later. 

Towards  the  middle  of  1875  Governor  Sir  Andrew  Clarke  was 
succeeded  by  Sir  W.  F.  D.  Jervois.  The  affairs  of  the  peninsula 
had  settled  down,  and  the  general  outlook  was  exceedingly 
encouraging  when,  on  November  2nd,  1875,  Mr.  J.  W.  W.  Birch, 
the  resident  in  Perak,  was  murdered  near  Passir  Sala,  together 
with  several  of  his  attendants.  Jervois  at  first  mistook  the  outrage 
for  one  of  a  personal  and  isolated  character,  and  ordered  to  the  spot 
100  troops  from  Singapore,  60  from  Penang,  and  armed  police  from 
various  quarters.  He  also  went  thither  himself.  Upon  arriving  in 
the  Perak  Biver  on  November  8th,  he  learnt  that  on  the  7th  a  small 
party,  including  a  naval  officer  and  four  seamen 3  with  a  rocket-tube, 
had  attacked  the  village  in  which  Birch  had  been  killed,  and  had 
been  defeated  with  loss.  Jervois  then  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  disturbance  was  much  more  serious  than  he  had  at  first 
supposed  ;  and  he  applied  for  reinforcements,  naval  and  military. 

The  only  men-of-war  on  the  spot  were  the  Thistle,  4,  Commander 
Francis  Stirling,  and  the  Fly,  4,  Commander  John  Bruce,  which 
went  up  the  Perak  Biver  on  the  8th  with  such  few  additional  troops 
as  by  that  time  had  been  collected.  From  the  China  station  were 
despatched  the  Modeste,  14,  Captain  Alexander  Buller,  the  Egeria,  4, 
Commander  Ralph  Lancelot  Turton,  and  the  Ringdove,  3,  Com- 
mander Uvedale  Corbet  Singleton,  and,  from  the  East  India  station, 
the  Philomel,  3,  Commander  Edmund  St.  John  Garforth.  There 
being  trouble  in  Sungei  Ujong,  a  detachment  from  the  Thistle  was 
left  in  the  Lingie  and  Lukut  rivers  when  the  gun-vessel  herself 

1  Corr.  of  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Feb.  20,  1875. 

2  Sub.-Lieut.  Thomas   Francis  Abbott,  of  the   Thistle,  had   been   left  at  Banda 
Bahru,  with  four  men,  for  instructional  purposes.     Stirling  to  Jervois,  Oct.  16,  1875  ; 
Jervois  to  Carnarvon,  Nov.  16,  1875.     Abbott  behaved  admirably.     Going  up  under 
fire  from  Banda  Bahru  to  Passir  Sala,  upon  hearing  of  the  murder,  he  took  charge  of 
the  residency,  and  entrenched  himself  on  the  island  on  which  it  was  built.     It  was 
after  this  that  he  joined  in  the  attack  on  the  village.     He  was  promd.  Jan.  28,  1876. 


1875.]  THE  PERAK  EXPEDITION.  273 

went  to  the  northward.  The  Ringdove,  upon  her  arrival,  steamed 
up  the  Perak  River  to  Durian  S'batang,  where  she  established  a 
base ;  and  a  small  brigade  from  the  Thistle  and  Fly,  under  Com- 
mander Stirling,1  pressing  on  with  some  troops,  made  such  rapid 
progress  that,  on  November  15th,  the  force  was  able  to  attack  the 
stronghold  of  the  chief  in  whose  district  Birch  had  been  assassinated. 
Four  stockades  and  six  guns  were  taken,  without  loss  011  the  British 
side,  the  houses  and  villages  of  the  offending  people  were  destroyed, 
and  the  resident's  papers  and  effects  were  recovered.2 

The  trouble  in  Sungei  Ujong  was  soon  quelled.  The  insurgent 
Malays  were  badly  defeated  on  December  7th  by  a  purely  military 
force,  and  on  December  22nd  were  again  attacked  and  dispersed  by 
a  detachment  which  included  32  officers  and  men  from  the  Thistle 
under  Commander  Stirling.3  The  later  operations  in  that  state 
were  carried  out  without  much  further  help  from  the  Navy. 

In  the  meantime  the  chiefs  responsible  for  the  Perak  outrage, 
and  for  the  political  movements  with  which  it  was  connected,  had 
withdrawn  to  the  district  on  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Perak  Eiver  ; 
and  it  was  decided  to  attack  them  simultaneously  from  two  directions, 
viz.,  by  a  force,  under  Major-General  Sir  Francis  Colborne,  moving 
up  the  Perak  upon  Blanja,  and  by  another  force  under  Brigadier- 
General  J.  Eoss,  disembarked  at  Telok  Kartang,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Larut  Eiver,  and  moving  overland  thence  eastward  to  Qualla 
Kangsa,  on  the  Perak,  afterwards,  if  necessary,  advancing  down  the 
stream  upon  Blanja.  While  the  movements  were  in  preparation, 
the  Thistle  lay  for  a  time  in  the  Perak,  near  the  point  at  which  that 
river  is  joined  by  its  north-east  affluent,  the  Kinta  ;  and  the  Modeste, 
Fly,  and  Egeria  blockaded  the  Perak  littoral  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Bernam  to  that  of  the  Krean.  The  Egeria  also  sent  her  boats  up 
the  Kurow  Eiver,  and  destroyed  or  carried  off  some  guns,  arms,  and 
ammunition  which  might  have  been  useful  to  the  enemy/ 

1  Naval  Brigade  employed  near  Passir  Sala  on  Nov.  14-1(5,  1875,  under  Commander 
Francis  Stirling  ( Thistle) :  from   Thistle,  Lieut.  Arthur  Hill  Ommanney  Peter  Lowe, 
Sub-Lieut.  Thomas  Francis  Abbott,  Boatswain  Joseph  Tyler>  and  twenty-five- men ; 
from  Fly,  Commander   John   Bruce,  Lieut.  William   Codrington   Carnegie   Forsyth, 
Sub-Lieut.  Duncan  Munro  Ross,  Surgeon  Edward  Thomas  Lloyd,  Boatswain  George 
Vosper,  and   twenty-five   men;    with   one  7-pr.,  two    12-pr.  howitzers,  one  coehorn 
mortar,  and  two  24-pr.  rocket-tubes.     Stirling  to  Ryder,  Nov.  16,  1875. 

2  Dunlop  to  Jervois,  Nov.   l(i,  1875.      The   Naval  Brigade   here  employed  was 
•eighty-five  strong. 

3  Jervois  to  Carnarvon,  Dec.  28,  1875. 

4  Turton  to  Buller,  Dec.  2,  1875. 

VOL.    VII.  T 


274      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  TEE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

To  Major-General  Sir  F.  Colborne's  advance  up  the  Perak  Eiver 
from  Durian  S'batang  and  Banda  Bahru  was  attached  a  Naval 
Brigade  from  the  Modeste,  Ringdove,  and  Thistle,  consisting  of  10 
officers  *  and  GO  seamen.  To  Brig.-General  Boss's  advance  across 
country  from  the  mouth  of  the  Larut  to  Qualla  Kangsa  was  attached 
a  Brigade  from  the  Philomel,  Modeste,  and  Ringdove,  consisting  of 
7  officers 2  and  98  seamen  and  Marines. 

Buller  records  that  the  advance  from  Banda  Bahru  was  hegun 
on  December  8th,  and  that  Blanja  was  entered  on  the  13th,  without 
opposition.  The  chiefs  implicated  in  Mr.  Birch's  murder  were 
reported  to  have  fled  eastward  to  Kinta,  the  capital.  The  Perak 
Field  Force  left  50  soldiers  and  22  naval  officers  and  men  at  Blanja, 
and  started  in  pursuit  on  the  14th.  Two  miles  out  of  Blanja 
opposition  was  met  with,  but  the  enemy  was  easily  driven  off. 
Later  in  the  day  a  Malay  stockade  made  a  brief  stand,  but  was 
evacuated  upon  a  rocket-tube  being  brought  into  action.  The 
Brigade  halted  for  the  night  seven  miles  from  Blanja,  the  advance 
having  been  intensely  arduous,  and,  on  the  15th  moved  forward  six 
or  seven  miles  further  to  Pappan.  On  the  16th  the  Brigade  got 
within  half  a  mile  of  Kinta,  and,  after  some  interchange  of  shot, 
entered  it,  the  enemy  fleeing  up  the  Kinta  Kiver,  and  abandoning 
nine  brass  guns.  The  fugitive  chiefs  escaped  into  Lower  Siam. 

Garforth  records  that  he  landed  his  men  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Larut  Eiver  on  December  llth  and  13th,  with  a  24-pr.  rocket-tube 
and  a  7-pr.  gun.  He  reached  Qualla  Kangsa  without  adventure. 

Brig.-General  Boss  lay  for  some  days  at  Qualla  Kangsa,  and  on 

January  4th,  1876,  proceeded  thence  with  a  force,  which  included 

.32  officers  and  men  of  Garforth's  Brigade,  to  inflict   punishment 

upon  the  village  of  Kotah  Lamah,  three  miles  further  up  the  Perak 

Eiver   on   the   left   bank.     A  detachment  of  the  troops  were  un- 

1  Naval  officers  employed  with  the  Perak  Field  Force,  Dec.  1875 :  from  Modeste, 
Capt.  Alexander  Buller,  senior  naval  officer,  Straits'  Division,  Lieut.  John  Pakenham 
Pipon,  Sub-Lieut.   Walter   Travers  Warren,  Gunuer  John   Grant,  Mids.   Mansfield 
George  Smith,  Surgeon  Charles  Cane  Godding,  and  Asst.-Paymaster  William  Codgbrooke 
Gillies;  from  Ringdove,  Coin.  Uvedale   Corbet  Singleton,  Nav.  Sub-Lieut.  Valentine 
David  Hughes,  and  Surgeon  Anthony  Gorham.     Buller  to  Admlty.,  Dec.  19th  and 
29th,  1875. 

2  Naval  officers  employed  with  the  Larut  Field  Force,  Dec.  1875,  Jan.  1876 :  from 
Philomel,  Com.  Edmund  St.  John  Garforth,  Lieut.  Robert  Thomas  Wood,  Sub-Lieut. 
Richard  Poore,  and  Surgeon  Robert  William  Williams ;  from  Modeste,  Lieut.  Henry 
Townley  Wright,  Sub-Lieut.  James  Pipon  Montgomery,  and  Mids.  Thomas   Philip 
Walker.     Garforth  to  Ryder,  Dec.  13,  1875. 


HEWETT  IN   THE    CONGO.  275 

expectedly  attacked  by  a  concealed  body  of  Malays,  and,  it  was 
generally  admitted,  would  have  been  cut  to  pieces,  but  for  the 
extreme  gallantry  displayed  by  the  seamen,  who  had  been  formed 
up  as  a  guard  for  the  Brig.-General.  Lieutenant  Wood,  Sub- 
Lieutenant  Poore,  and  seamen  Henry  Thompson,  Henry  Bonnet, 
and  David  Sloper  gained  special  commendation  for  their  bravery 
in  this  affair.1  The  naval  casualties  were  two  killed  or  mortally 
wounded. 

Stirling's  share  in  the  operations  in  Sungei  Ujong  was  of  a  most 
creditable  character,  and  his  despatches  single  out  for  special 
mention  Navigating  Sub-Lieutenant  Michael  Stephens  Beatty,  and 
Assistant-Paymaster  Thomas  Foley  Harrison,  the  latter  of  whom 
did  duty  as  an  executive  officer.2 

These  operations,  and  a  punitive  attack  made  on  a  village  near 
Blanja  by  a  small  force  which  included  a  naval  detachment  under 
Lieutenant  Henry  Townley  Wright,  of  the  Modeste,  practically 
brought  the  brief  campaign  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion,  though  for 
some  time  afterwards  much  unrest  prevailed  on  the  Perak  Eiver. 
Ismail,  the  principal  offending  chief,  surrendered  at  Penang  on 
March  20th,  1876,  and  most  of  the  other  persons  implicated  also 
fell  one  by  one  into  British  hands.  Garforth  remained  for 
some  time  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Qualla  Kangsa,  and,  on 
February  4th,  1876,  was  slightly  engaged  at  Bnggar,  but  suffered 
no  casualties. 

Among  the  consequent  rewards  and  promotions  were  the 
following  :— 

To  be  C.B. :  Captain  Alexander  Buller,  Mar.  25,  1876. 

To  be  Captains :   Commanders   Francis   Stirling,  Mar.  9,  and   Edmund  St.  John 

Garforth,  Aug.  18,  1876. 

To  be  Commander:  Lieutenant  Henry  Townley  Wright,  Mar.  9,  1876. 
To  be  Lieutenants :  Sub-Lieutenants  llichard  Poore,  and  Walter  Travers  Warren, 
Mar.  9,  1876. 

In  the  autumn  of  1875  a  punitive  expedition  was  once  more  sent 
up  the  river  Congo.  At  the  beginning  of  that  year  the  trading 
schooner  Geraldine  had  stranded  while  proceeding  up  the  stream, 
and  had  been  attacked  and  looted  by  native  pirates,  four  of  her 
people  being  killed  while  endeavouring  to  defend  their  ship.  It 
having  been  determined  to  punish  the  marauders,  the  paddle-sloop 
Spiteful,  6,  entered  the  river  early  in  August  to  reconnoitre  the 

1  Jervois  to  Carnarvon,  Jan.  14,  1876,  with  enclosures :  Garforth  to  Ryder.  Jan.  6. 

2  Stirling  to  Buller,  Dec.  21,  1875,  and  Jan.  7,  1876. 

T   2 


276      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  EOYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900, 

various  creeks  ;  and  on  August  30th,  the  following  vessels  proceeded 
up  the  Congo  : — 


Guxs. 


COMMANDERS. 


(Sir    Wm.    Nathan    Wrighte    Hewett,    K.C.B.,    V.C., 

Active,  scr. 

10 

j     Commod. 

(Com.  Robert  Lowther  Byng. 

Encounter,  scr. 

14 

Capt.  Richard  Bradshavv. 

Spiteful,  padd. 

1       6 

Com.  Mervyn  Bradford  Medlycott. 

Merlin,  scr.  g.b. 

4 

Lieut.  Wollaston  Comyns  Karslake. 

Foam,  scr.  g.b. 

4 

Lieut.  Henry  Chapman  Walker. 

Ariel,  scr.  g.b. 

4 

Lieut.  Orford  Churchill. 

Supply,  st.  ship. 

i       2 

Staff-Corn.  Frank  Inglis. 

At  6  A.M.  on  August  31st  the  boats  of  the  Active,  Encounter,  and 
Spiteful  left  their  ships,  and  were  towed  to  the  entrance  of  Change 
creek,  four  miles  up  which  150  Marines,  under  Captain  Bradshaw, 
were  disembarked.  The  party  destroyed  three  villages,  and,  though 
it  sighted  no  enemy,  was  fired  at  from  the  dense  jungle,  but  had  no 
casualties.  On  September  '2nd,  the  gunboats  and  the  boats  of  the 
larger  vessels  bombarded  several  villages  on  the  northern  bank.  A 
detachment  which  was  landed  discovered  in  the  houses  some  relics 
of  the  plundered  merchantman.  There  was  again  firing  from  the 
jungle,  but  only  one  man  was  wounded.  All  the  villages  on  the 
north  bank,  as  far  as  Melilla  creek,  were  destroyed.  On  the  3rd, 
other  villages  were  bombarded  ;  and  a  force  which  was  landed,  burnt 
yet  other  villages,  and  marched  to  the  town  of  the  chief  Arman- 
zanga,  who  had  been  marked  out  for  severe  punishment.  In  spite 
of  dropping  shots  from  the  bush  the  place  was  taken  and  destroyed  ; 
and  Captain  Bradshaw,  011  his  way  back  to  the  creek,  burnt  addi- 
tional villages.  On  the  4th,  the  Encounter  and  Spiteful  steamed 
further  up  the  river  and  punished  the  natives  in  Luculla  creek ; 
and  the  Merlin  and  other  craft  proceeded  to  Punta  da  Lenha,  where 
Commodore  Hewett  summoned  the  local  chief  to  give  up  the 
murderers  of  the  Geraldine's  people  within  forty-eight  hours. 

No  reply  being  vouchsafed,  the  place  was  attacked  by  a  landing 
party  on  the  7th  ;  and,  in  spite  of  a  brisk  fire,  it  was  taken  and 
delivered  to  the  flames.  On  the  8th,  the  boats  returning  down  the 
north  bank,  a  landing  was  effected  under  fire  near  Manoel  Vacca's 
town,  which  was  found  to  be  deserted,  and  was  razed  to  the  ground. 
On  the  10th,  the  smaller  craft  entered  Sherwood  creek,  where  two 
chiefs  came  off,  and,  visiting  the  Commodore,  were  assured  that 


1873-75.]  TJiOUBLES  IN   THE  PERSIAN  GULF.  217 

people  who  had  behaved  themselves  would  not  be  interfered  with. 
On  the  llth  Commander  Medlycott,  with  the  Spite/id's  boats  and 
a  detachment  of  bluejackets  and  Marines,  destroyed  Polo  Bolo, 
having  one  man  wounded.  On  the  12th,  the  Commodore,  with  the 
three  gunboats,  ascended  the  river  to  Emboma,  seventy-three  miles 
from  the  mouth,  and  there,  on  the  15th,  had  an  interview  with 
seven  kings  or  chiefs,  who  expressed  satisfaction  with  the  work 
which  had  been  done,  and  hoped  that,  since  the  pirates  had  been  so 
severely  punished,  the  peaceful  trade  in  the  river  would  increase. 
Sir  William  Hewett  returned  on  the  17th,  and  a  few  days  afterwards 
the  ships  separated.1 

The  labours  of  the  expedition  were  most  arduous,  some  of  the 
creeks  being  literally  overgrown  with  luxuriant  vegetation  which 
had  to  be  cut  away  to  admit  of  an  advance,  and  the  country 
generally  being  difficult  to  a  degree.  The  entire  loss  by  the  enemy's 
fire,  however,  was  only  one  killed  (a  Portuguese  guide),  and  six 
wounded  (including  Engineer  Kobert  Dixon,  of  the  Ariel).  Nor 
was  there,  at  the  time,  much  sickness.  Later,  however,  the  effects 
of  the  malarious  climate  showed  themselves  ;  and  among  those  who 
perished  from  the  results  of  the  brief  campaign  were  Navigating 
Lieutenant  Edmond  Carter  Smith,  and  Paymaster  William  Alfred 
Brown,  both  of  the  Encounter.  Numerous  officers  were  mentioned 
as  having  rendered  conspicuous  service,  the  list  including  Captain 
Bradshaw,  Commander  Medlycott,2  Lieutenant  Karslake ; 3  Lieu- 
tenant Adolphus  Brett  Crosbie,  E.M.,  Lieutenant  Thomas  Peere 
Williams  Nesham,  Lieutenant  Ernest  Neville  Kolfe,  Fleet-Surgeon 
Henry  Fegan,  C.B.,  Paymaster  William  Alfred  Brown,  and  Sub- 
Lieutenants  Arthur  Charles  Middlemass4  and  Percy  Moreton 
Scott.4 

In  these  years  there  was  much  unrest  along  the  shores  of  the 
Gulf  of  Oman  and  the  Persian  Gulf.  In  1873,  Commander  Kobert 
Moore  Gillson,  of  the  Eifleman,  4,  had  to  land  a  party,  under 
Sub-Lieutenant  Harry  George  Grey,  for  the  protection  of  the  Indo- 
European  Company's  telegraph  station  at  Gwadur,  Baluchistan ; 
and  in  March,  1874,  the  fort  of  Masnaah,  Gulf  of  Oman,  was 
attacked  and  reduced  by  a  naval  force  under  Commander  Edmund 
St.  John  Garforth,  of  the  Philomel,  3,  who  was  assisted  by  the 
Nimble,  5,  Commander  Henry  Compton  Best,  and  the  Hugh  Bose, 

1  Hewett's  (lisps.,  and  St.  Helena  Guardian.  2  Posted,  Nov.  1,  1875. 

3  Com.,  Nov.  1,  1875.  "  Lieuts.,  Nov.  1,  1875. 


278      MJL1TABY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

of  the  Bombay  Marine,  the  last  named  having  on  board  a  party 
from  the  'Rifleman  to  work  her  guns.  In  August,  1875,  intervention 
again  became  necessary  in  consequence  of  a  disturbance  at  Muscat. 

The  reigning  Sultan,  Sayyid  Turki,  had  occasion  to  visit 
Gwadur,  which  belonged  to  him,  and,  proceeding  thither  in  the 
Rifleman,  then  commanded  by  Commander  Francis  Starkie  Clayton, 
left  Oman  and  Muscat  in  charge  of  his  brother  Abdul  Ayuz.  When, 
on  August  25th,  the  Daphne,  5,  Commander  Charles  Edward  Foot, 
happened  to  call  at  Muscat,  the  place  was  found  to  be  in  possession 
of  the  Bedouins.  The  presence  of  the  man-of-war,  however,  which 
despatched  four  of  her  boats  to  police  the  coast,  prevented  the 
commission  of  any  outrages ;  and,  the  situation  having  quieted 
down,  trade  was  resumed.  On  October  3rd,  up  to  which  time  the 
Daphne  remained  off  the  town,  news  arrived  that  a  former  Sultan, 
Salim  bin  Thoweynee,  who  had  been  warned  by  the  Indian  govern- 
ment not  to  enter  Oman,  was  about  to  return  and  seize  the  throne. 
Commander  Foot,  in  consequence,  weighed  and  cruised  to  intercept 
him,  and,  after  several  disappointments,  discovered  the  pretender  on 
the  10th  off  the  Suadi  Islands.  Boats  were  manned  and  armed,  and 
he  and  his  two  dhows  were  captured  without  resistance.  Two  or 
three  hours  later  he  would  have  disembarked  on  the  mainland,  and 
would  have  been  able  to  elude  pursuit.1 

A  hostile  collision  between  Great  Britain  and  Egypt  was  within 
a  little  of  taking  place  towards  the  end  of  1875.  Both  Egypt  and 
Zanzibar  claimed  the  coastline  north  of  the  river  Juba.  It  was 
occupied,  however,  by,  and  was  eventually  confirmed  to,  Zanzibar. 
Nevertheless  an  Egyptian  squadron,  under  M'Killop  Pasha,2  had 
sailed  down  the  coast,  and  substituted  the  Egyptian  for  the 
Zanzibari  flag  at  Barawa.  Upon  hearing  of  this  Dr.  John  Kirk, 
British  consul  at  Zanzibar,  proceeded  to  the  spot  in  the  Thetis,  14, 
Captain  Thomas  Le  Hunte  Ward,  in  order  to  see  how  matters 
stood,  and  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  numerous  Indian 
subjects  of  the  Queen  who  resided  there.  Kirk  and  Ward  landed, 
but  other  persons  from  the  corvette  were  prevented  from  doing  so, 
the  Egyptians  threatening  to  fire  on  them.  Having  returned  on 
board,  the  consul  demanded  an  apology,  and  the  concession  of  the 
right  of  British  officers  to  land  without  interference.  Both  demands 
were  refused ;  and  the  Thetis  had  actually  cleared  for  action  and 

1  Muscat  letter  of  Oct.  16  in  A.  and  N.  Gaz.,  Xov.  20,  1875. 

2  Henry  Fredk.  M'Killop,  a  Capt.  H.X.  of  1862,  who  had  retired  in  1870. 


1ST  1-76.]  CRUISE   OF   THE  "DIDO."  279 

prepared  to  laud  bluejackets  and  Marines  ere  the  commandant  on 
shore  changed  his  mind,  and  hurriedly  gave  way.1 

For  some  time  afterwards  the  Thetis  was  very  active  in  the 
suppression  of  the  slave  trade  off  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  capturing 
numerous  dhows  in  the  course  of  1876-77. 

The  Dido,  8,  Captain  William  Cox  Chapman,  which  was  paid  off 
in  the  summer  of  1876  after  having  been  absent  from  Portsmouth 
for  more  than  five  years,  served  a  singularly  useful  commission, 
owing  largely  to  the  tact  and  good  temper  of  the  officer  in  command. 
In  the  autumn  of  1871  she  was  instrumental  in  settling  without 
bloodshed  a  dispute  among  the  kings  of  New  Calabar,  Bonny,  and 
Ekrika,  on  the  Niger,  .and  in  procuring  safety  for  British  trade  in 
that  river.  In  1873  she  was  similarly  successful  in  effecting  a 
peaceful  solution  of  difficulties  which  had  arisen  in  Fiji  between  the 
native  government  and  the  white  settlers.  She  also  returned  to 
their  homes  in  the  New  Hebrides  and  other  groups  a  number  of 
South  Sea  islanders  who  had  been  kidnapped  by  a  notorious  brig 
named  the  Carl.  In  1874  she  assisted  the  crew  of  the  French 
man-of-war  Ermite,  which  had  been  wrecked  on  Wallace  Island, 
and  was  present  at  the  formal  transfer  of  the  Fiji  Islands  to  the 
British  flag.  On  the  death  of  Commodore  Goodenough,  Captain 
Chapman  was  appointed  Commodore  on  the  Australian  station 
pending  the  arrival  there  of  Captain  Anthony  Hiley  Hoskins.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  officers  who  left  England  with  her  in  1871 
returned  in  her  in  1876.  The  record  of  her  commission,  though 
unexciting,  serves  as  a  good  example  of  the  unostentatious  but 
valuable  work  which  is  often  done  by  British  men-of-war  of  whose 
proceedings  little  or  nothing  is  ever  heard  at  home.2  It  may  be 
added  that,  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  her  visits  to -Fiji,  the  ~Dido  was 
so  unfortunate  as  to  introduce  measles  among  the  native  population, 
and  that  lamentable  loss  of  life  followed.3 

For  many  years,  from  1868  onwards,  a  series  of  petty  civil  wars 
raged  almost  without  intermission  in  the  Navigators'  Islands,  better 
known  as  Samoa.  At  first  nothing  occurred  to  excuse  active  British 
interference,  but  in  1876  Captain  Charles  Edward  Stevens,  of  the 
paddle-sloop  Barracouta,  5,  who  was  then  at  Apia,  considered  it  to 
be  his  duty  to  intervene.  It  appears  that  an  American  named 
Steinberger  had  been  appointed  by  the  King  to  be  prime  minister 

1  Zanzibar  coir,  of  Western  Morning  News. 
.  2  A.  and  JV.  Gazette,  June  10,  1876.  "  Proc.  of  Ho.  of  Commons,  Aug.  1,  1876. 


280      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

for  life,  and  that  the  King  nevertheless  desired  to  get  rid  of  him. 
It  was  alleged  that  both  the  King  and  the  American  consul 
requested  Stevens  to  take  charge  of  Steinberger.  The  premier, 
therefore,  was  arrested,  and  conveyed  on  board  the  Barracoota. 
This  procedure  was  bitterly  resented  by  the  other  ministers  and 
the  holders  of  offices,  nearly  all  of  whom  owed  their  places  to 
Steinberger;  and  they  retaliated  by  seizing  the  King  and  trans- 
porting him  to  an  outlying  island.  The  Barracouta  took  on  board 
Malietoa,  the  exiled  monarch ;  and  Stevens,  landing  with  fifty 
seamen  and  Marines  at  Apia,  the  capital,  on  March  13th,  marched 
to  the  council-house,  where  the  legislature  was  assembled,  with  a 
view  to  the  restoration  of  his  majesty.  The  natives  resisted;  the 
Marines  were  ordered  to  disarm  them ;  a  fight  ensued ;  and  two 
Marines  and  one  seaman  were  killed,  and  five  Marines  and  three 
seamen  wounded.  Only  three  natives  fell  in  the  struggle.  Stevens 
withdrew  to  the  ship  with  his  wounded,  and  then  landed  again 
with  guns,  and  erected  breastworks  which  he  held  for  a  fortnight. 
During  that  time  he  was  not  re-attacked  ;  and  finally  he  went  back 
to  the  Barracouta  on  March  27th  with  three  chiefs  as  hostages. 
Upon  being  relieved  by  the  Sapphire,  14,  Captain  Elibank  Harley 
Murray,  the  Barracouta  transferred  the  native  prisoners  to  her,  and, 
with  Steinberger  on  board,  proceeded  to  Auckland  by  way  of  the 
Fiji  Islands.1  This  was  the  earliest  of  a  number  of  interventions 
which  would  have  been  justifiable  only  if  the  home  government  had 
been  consistently  determined  that  British  influence  should  be  always 
paramount  in  Samoa.  Seeing,  however,  that  no  steady  policy  was 
ever  formed  with  regard  to  the  islands,  and  that  at  length,  in  1899, 
the  group,  with  the  assent  of  Great  Britain,  was  divided  between 
the  United  States  and  Germany,  it  is,  perhaps,  to  be  regretted  that 
on  several  subsequent  occasions,  as  in  1876,  British  life  was  sacrificed 
in  support  of  causes  which  were  in  no  adequate  sense  of  imperial 
interest. 

Stevens's  interference  was,  there  is  no  doubt,  particularly  unwise. 
He  was  a  truculent  and  imperious  officer,  and,  a  little  later,  was 
tried,  and  dismissed  the  service,  for  tyrannical  conduct.2  The  action 
of  the  Samoans  could  not,  however,  be  overlooked.  The  Pearl 
visited  the  islands  to  make  enquiries ;  and  eventually  a  claim  for 
6000  dollars,  on  account  of  the  loss  of  life  among  the  Barracouta's 

1  London   newspapers  of  May  25,  1876 ;  Stevens's  disp.  of  Mar.  20 ;  A.  and  N. 
Gazette  of  May  13  and  27,  1876.  2  C.  M.  of  Ap.  11,  1877. 


1870.]  HEWETT  IN   THE  NIGER.  281 

people,  was  lodged  by  the  British  Government.  In  the  spring  of 
1878,  the  Sapphire,  still  commanded  by  Captain  Murray,  was  sent 
to  Apia  to  enforce  the  demand.  As  the  natives  declined  to  pay, 
preparations  to  bombard  the  town  were  made  on  March  18th. 
Happily  the  Samoans  gave  way  at  the  very  last  moment,  and  so 
saved  further  effusion  of  blood. 

In  June,  1876,  some  native  chiefs  on  the  banks  of  the  lower 
reaches  of  the  river  Niger  took  it  into  their  heads  to  interfere  with 
the  navigation  of  the  stream,  and  especially  to  endeavour  to  obstruct 
the  outward  passage  of  a  British  merchant  steamer,  the  Sultan  of 
Sokoto.  As  there  had  been  previous  outrages  and  unrest  Commodore 
Sir  William  Nathan  Wrighte  Hewett,  V.C.,  K.C.B.,  transferred  his 
broad  pennant  from  the  Active,  as  being  too  large  a  ship  for  the 
work,  to  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto,  and  directed  the  composite  gun- 
boats, Cygnet,  4,  Lieutenant  Robert  Frederick  Hammick,  and 
Ariel,  4,  Lieutenant  Orford  Churchill,  to  send  their  spare  stores 
and  their  upper  spars  on  board  the  corvette.  On  July  '29th, 
the  two  gunboats,  being  thus  lightened,  crossed  the  Nun  bar 
and  anchored  in  Akassa  creek ;  and,  on  the  following  day,  in 
company  with  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto,  which  had  taken  on  board 
four  guns  and  thirty  Marines  from  the  Active,  they  moved  up 
to  a  point  half  a  mile  above  the  village  of  Akado,  where  a  party 
was  landed,  and  three  small  guns  were  taken  possession  of  without 
resistance. 

On  the  31st  the  ships  weighed,  and,  after  stopping  at  various 
places  to  communicate  with  the  natives,  anchored  off  Sabogrega 
at  5  P.M.  The  Active's  steam  launch  was  sent  in  to  palaver  with 
the  people,  who,  however,  made  signs  to  Lieutenant  Ernest  Neville 
Eolfe,  who  was  in  charge,  to  keep  off,  and  then  opened  fire.  Sir 
William  Hewett  at  once  signalled  to  the  gunboats  to  bombard  the 
town,  which  was  of  considerable  size  and  strongly  defended  with 
rifle-pits  and  stockades  formed  of  trunks  of  trees.  The  natives 
replied  in  a  spirited  manner  both  wdth  heavy  guns  and  with  small 
arms.  At  dark  the  shelling  was  discontinued,  and  preparations 
were  made  to  assault  the  place  on  the  following  day. 

At  5.30  A.M.  on  August  1st,  accordingly,  the  bombardment  was 
re-commenced,  and  a  landing-party  of  bluejackets  and  Marines  was 
assembled  round  the  Cygnet  in  boats  under  the  command  of 
Commander  James  Andrew  Thomas  Bruce  (Active).  The  rocket- 
party  was  under  Lieutenant  Thomas  Peere  Williams  Nesham  ;  the 


282      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Koyal  Marines  were  under  Lieutenant  Adolphus  Brett  Crosbie, 
E.M.L.I. ;  the  boats  of  the  Cygnet  were  under  Sub-Lieutenant 
Francis  John  Oldfield  Thomas ;  and  the  boats  of  the  Ariel  were 
under  Sub-Lieutenant  Frederick  Kigaud  Gransmore.  When  every- 
thing was  ready  the  boats  dashed  in  under  a  galling  musketry  fire, 
dislodged  the  enemy,  burnt  the  lower  town,  flung  the  heavy  guns 
into  the  river,  and  blew  up  a  quantity  of  powder.  The  force  then 
re-embarked,  and  pulled  up  stream  a  quarter  of  a  rnile  to  the  upper 
town.  Commander  Bruce's  gig,  and  the  Cygnet's  cutter,  being  in 
advance,  did  not  wait  for  the  main  body,  but  landed  at  once, 
whereupon  their  people  were  set  upon  by  an  overwhelming  force  of 
the  enemy,  and  somewhat  roughly  treated  ere  the  other  boats  got 
up.  The  upper  town  was  then  destroyed,  and  the  force,  returning 
on  board,  moved  up  to  Agberi,  which,  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon, 
was  burnt  without  much  resistance.  That  day's  work  cost  the 
squadron  the  loss  of  one  Marine  killed,  and  of  five  officers '  and  nine 
men  wounded. 

On  August  2nd,  3rd,  and  4th,  the  force  proceeded  steadily  up 
the  river,  and  on  the  5th  it  reached  Onitcha,  about  170  miles  above 
the  Nun  bar.  Commodore  Hewett  there,  on  the  6th,  had  a 
satisfactory  interview  with  the  king,  after  which  he  returned, 
stopping,  however,  to  burn  Akado,  at  the  point  where  the  channel 
had  been  obstructed  in  June.  The  expedition  re-anchored  in 
Akassa  creek  on  the  10th,  and,  on  the  llth,  recrossed  the  bar, 
after  having  accomplished  its  objects  in  a  most  satisfactory 
manner.2 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  Niger  Expedition,  Sir  William  Hewett 
was  temporarily  called  away  from  troublesome  business  which 
occupied  him  elsewhere,  and  which,  indeed,  was  his  chief  pre- 
occupation during  nearly  the  whole  of  the  year  1876.  Quite  early 
in  that  year,  Gelele,  King  of  Dahomey,  who  had  succeeded  his 
father  Gezo  in  1858,  and  who  ever  since  had  been  intractable  and 
anti-British,  committed  certain  outrages  on  the  persons  of  British 
subjects  at  Whydah.  Hewett  proceeded  to  the  spot  in  February, 
and,  having  held  an  enquiry,  sentenced  the  King  to  pay  a  heavy 

1  Lieut.  T.  P.  W.  Nesham;   Sub-Lieuts.  F.  J.  0.  Thomas,  and  John   Casement 
(Mallard);   Rev.  Fras.  Chas.  Lang,  Chaplain;   and   Paym.  Hy.  Cecil  Wm.  Gibson, 
Secretary.     Nesham,  Thomas,  and  Casement  were  promoted  on  Oct.  3,  1876.     Sub- 
Lieuts.  Harry  Campbell  Reynolds  and  Tom  Bowden  Triggs,  both  of  the  Active,  were 
also  promoted  on  Oct.  13. 

2  Hewett's  disps. ;  Madeira  telegram  of  Sept.  5 ;  Corr.  of  Times,  Sept.  14. 


1876-77.]  BLOCKADE    OF  DAHOMEY.  283 

fine,  and  threatened  that,  unless  the  fine  were  paid  within  three 
months,  the  coast  would  be  blockaded  from  June  1st  onwards.1 
When  the  terms  of  this  warning  were  conveyed  to  the  Admiralty, 
their  Lordships,  for  some  not  very  obvious  reason,  directed  that 
no  blockade  should  be  established  until  after  June  30th,2  and  so, 
it  would  appear,  unwittingly  encouraged  Gelele  in  his  contumacy ; 
for  he  showed  no  signs  of  any  intention  to  hand  over  the  500 
puncheons  of  palm-  oil  demanded. 

On  and  from  July  1st,  accordingly,  a  blockade  was  declared 
between  1°  30"  and  2°  35"  East,  the  Spiteful,  5,  paddle,  Commander 
Armand  Temple  Powlett,  being  stationed  at  Whydah,  and  the 
gunboat  Ariel,  Lieutenant  Orford  Churchill,  being  stationed  at 
Little  Popo  to  enforce  it,  and  to  protect  British  interests. a  Vessels 
already  in  the  blockaded  ports  were,  however,  allowed  thirty  days 
wherein  to  load  and  depart.  Gelele  retaliated  by  seizing  some 
French  subjects ;  and,  as  he  held  them  practically  as  hostages, 
considerations  for  their  safety  thenceforth  fettered  Hewett  to  a 
very  inconvenient  extent.  And  so  the  affair  dragged  on.  In  the 
course  of  it,  Captain  Charles  Pringle,  of  the  Sirius,  12,  one  of 
the  vessels  engaged,  succumbed  to  coast  fever,  and  was  ultimately 
succeeded  by  Captain  George  Lydiard  Sulivan,  who,  towards  the 
end  of  the  blockade,  was  senior  officer  on  the  coast.  Hewett,  too, 
whose  period  of  command  expired  in  due  course,  was  succeeded  as 
Commodore  by  Captain  Francis  William  Sullivan,  C.B.,  who  flew 
his  broad  pennant  in  the  Tourmaline,  12,  but  who  took  little  direct 
share  in  the  dreary  and  unhealthy  work.  The  most  arduous  part 
of  the  duty  fell  to  the  Sirius,  Seagull,  3,  Commander  Frederick 
William  Burgoyne  Maxwell  Heron,  Cygnet,  4,  Lieutenant  Kobert 
Frederick  Hammick,  Contest,  4,  Lieutenant  George  Woronzow 
Allen,  Mallard,  4,  Lieutenant  Alfred  Wilmot  Warry,  Avon,  4, 
Commander  Leicester  Chantrey  Keppel,  Pioneer,  6,  paddle,  Lieu- 
tenant Edwin  Hotham,  Spiteful,  Ariel,  and  Supply,  2,  storeship, 
Staff- Commander  Frank  Inglis. 

The  whole  conduct  of  the  latter  part  of  the  blockade  was  left  to 
Captain  George  Lydiard  Sulivan,  with  the  result  that  on  May  4tb, 
1877,  Gelele  found  it  expedient  to  open  negotiations  with  him  at 
Whydah.  On  May  10th  a  preliminary  instalment  of  200  puncheons 
of  oil  was  handed  over;  and  two  days  later  the  blockade  was 

1  Hewett's  letter  to  Brit,  traders,  dated  off  Lagos,  Mar.  4,  1870. 

2  Gazette,  May  23,  1876.  3  A.  &  N.  Gaz.  July  20,  1876. 


284      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

formally  raised.1  Sulivan  received  the  approval  of  the  government 
for  the  arrangements  into  which  he  entered. 

Scarcely  had  affairs  been  settled  with  Dahomey  ere,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  refusal  of  some  of  the  Niger  natives  to  release 
prisoners  whom  they  had  taken  from  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto,  it 
became  necessary  to  undertake  a  fresh  expedition  into  the  lower 
reaches  of  that  pestilential  river.  Accordingly,  Captain  John  Child 
Purvis  (2),  of  the  Danae,  12,  shifted  his  pennant  to  the  Pioneer,  6, 
Lieutenant  Edwin  Hotham,  and  in  her,  with  the  Avon,  4,  Com- 
mander Leicester  Chantrey  Keppel,  and  Boxer,  4,  Commander 
Arthur  Hildebrand  Alington,  in  company,  proceeded  up  the  stream 
on  August  15th,  1877.  There  had  been  previously  transferred  to 
the  Pioneer  from  the  Danae  6  officers,  42  seamen,  and  17  Marines. 
Two  British  consular  officers  were  also  with  the  expedition.  On 
the  17th  the  flotilla  brought  to  off  Emblana,  and,  after  an  unsatis- 
factory interview  had  been  held  with  the  head  men,  the  people  were 
ordered  out  of  the  village,  which  was  promptly  subjected  to  a  fire  of 
shell,  case,  and  rockets.  A  landing  party,  under  Lieutenant  John 
Salwey  Halifax,  supported  by  another  under  Lieutenant  Edward 
Henry  Arden,  then  burnt  the  place,  and  a  number  of  canoes.  Off 
Osomari,  on  the  evening  of  the  18th,  the  Avon  piled  up  on  a  sand- 
bank, delaying  the  advance  for  some  hours.  On  the  following  day, 
Onitcha  was  reached,  and  on  the  21st  the  local  chief  gave  assur- 
ances of  friendliness.  The  vessels  next  dropped  down  to  Oko,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river.  The  chief  of  that  place,  though  con- 
tumacious and  defiant,  escaped  punishment.  On  the  26th,  when 
Emblana  was  repassed,  the  natives  opened  fire,  whereupon  a  party 
landed,  chastised  them  severely,  and  burnt  more  of  their  huts.  A 
village  on  Stirling  Island  was  subsequently  destroyed,  with  but 
slight  opposition.  In  these  affairs  the  only  loss  suffered  by  the 
expedition  was  three  men  slightly  wounded.  The  ships  quitted  the 
river  on  August  28th.2 

At  about  the  same  period  there  was  trouble  of  a  similar  character 
in  the  river  Congo.  On  December  27th,  1876,  when  the  Avon,  4, 
Commander  Leicester  Chantrey  Keppel,  lay  at  Loanda,  the  British 
steamer  Ethiopia  arrived  there,  having  on  board  the  master  and 
crew  of  the  American  schooner  Joseph  Nickerson.  These  people, 
who  had  been  picked  up  at  Banana  Creek,  reported  that  their 

1  Times  corr.  in  A.  <fc  N.  Gaz.,  June  23,  1877. 

2  Desps.,  and  corr.  in  A.  &  N.  Gaz.  of  Oct.  6  and  13,  1877. 


1877.]  HARRIS  IN   DEANS' S   INLET.  285 

vessel  had  run  on  shore  at  Shark's  Point,  while  endeavouring  to 
enter  the  Congo,  and  had  been  plundered  by  natives,  who  had 
fought  a  serious  skirmish  with  some  Dutch  settlers  who  endeavoured 
to  interfere.  The  Avon  thereupon  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  Keppel  held  a  palaver  on  December  30th  with  the  chiefs 
at  Shark's  Point,  and  demanded  that  the  stolen  goods  should  be 
returned.  There  being  no  sign  of  compliance,  he  landed  six  officers, 
forty  men,  and  four  guides  on  January  2nd,  1877,  and  burnt  two 
villages.  The  party  was  fired  at  as  it  returned.  The  Avon  con- 
sequently proceeded  higher  up,  burnt  three  more  villages,  and  fired 
rockets  into  others.  The  effect  was  excellent,  for  quantities  of 
the  stolen  goods  were  subsequently  given  up  by  the  people.  The 
Avon  suffered  no  loss,  and  Keppel's  action  received  the  full  approval 
of  the  government.1 

On  another  occasion,  at  about  the  same  time,  did  it  fall  to  a 
British  ship  to  avenge  an  outrage  on  the  crew  of  an  American 
vessel.  In  1873  a  steamer,  the  George  Wright,  while  on  her  voyage 
to  Alaska,  had  been  lost  in  Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  off  the  coast 
of  British  Columbia.  About  fifteen  of  her  people  had  escaped  to 
land,  and  had  been  brutally  robbed,  and  then  murdered  by  the 
Indians.  Early  in  1877  some  of  the  belongings  of  these  poor 
people  were  reported  to  be  in  possession  of  a  tribe  in  Deane's  Inlet, 
on  the  mainland.  The  gun-vessel  Rocket,  4,  Lieutenant  Charles 
Reynold  Harris,  with  an  interpreter  and  a  sergeant  of  police,  sailed 
for  the  spot  on  March  14th  from  Vancouver,  and  soon  discovered 
that  men  who  had  been  implicated  in  the  massacre  were  still  in 
the  neighbourhood.  Harris  seized  some  chiefs  as  hostages,  and 
demanded  that  the  culprits  should  be  given  up ;  but,  this  being 
in  vain,  he  was  ultimately  obliged  to  shell  and  burn  the  village, 
ere  he  could  secure  compliance.  Two  of  the  culprits  were  thus 
taken.2 

In  the  course  of  a  revolutionary  movement  which  occurred  in 
Peru  in  1877,  some  adherents  of  the  insurgent  leader,  Nicolas  de 
Pierola,  persuaded  the  officers  of  the  Peruvian  turret-ship  Huascar,3 

1  A.  &  N.  Gaz.,  Ap.  7,  and  June  23,  1877. 

2  Corr.  of  Western  Daily  Mercury,  May,  1877. 

8  The  Huascar,  an  iron  single-turreted  monitor  of  1130  tons  displacement,  was 
built  by  Laird  Brothers,  of  Birkenhead,  in  1865,  and  fitted  by  them  with  simple  jet 
condenser  engines  indicating  1200  horse-power,  and  working  a  single,  four-bladed,  non- 
raising  screw.  The  dimensions  were:  length,  196  ft.;  beam,  35  ft.  6  in.;  depth  of 
hold,  21  ft.;  freeboard,  4  ft.  6  in.;  draught,  15  ft,  forward,  16  ft.  aft.  The  hull  was 


286      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

to  rebel  against  the  central  government.  With  the  connivance  of 
the  officers,  a  number  of  the  insurgents  seized  the  vessel  in  the 
harbour  of  Callao,  and,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  put  to  sea, 
making  for  the  southward.  At  Cobija,  then  a  port  of  Bolivia,  the 
Huascar  took  Pierola  himself  on  board,  and  then  returned  to  the 
northward  with  a  view  to  effect  a  landing.  Soon  after  the  seizure 
of  the  turret-ship,  Bear-Admiral  Algernon  Frederick  Eous  de  Horsey, 
British  Cornmander-in-Chief  in  the  Pacific,  arrived  at  Callao  in  his 
flagship,  the  Shah  ; l  and,  being  informed  of  what  had  occurred,  and 
learning  also  that  the  Huascar  had  committed  outrages  against 
British  subjects  and  British  property,  he  made  formal  complaint 


divided  into  five  watertight  compartments  by  four  traverse  &-in.  iron  bulkheads  with 
watertight  doors.  There  was  also  a  collision  bulkhead  forward ;  and  on  each  side  of  the 
fire-room  there  was  a  longitudinal  |-in.  iron  bulkhead  extending  to  the  traverse  bulk- 
heads forward  and  aft,  and  leaving  a  space  3  ft.  wide  between  it  and  the  ship's  side. 
The  bottom  was  double.  The  turret,  on  Captain  Coles's  plan,  was  supported  on  rollers, 
and  revolved  by  hand  gearing.  Its  exterior  diameter  was  22  ft.  The  turret  armour 
was  5£  in.  thick,  backed  by  13  in.  of  teak  set  on  end,  and  by  a  J-in.  iron  inner  skin, 
except  around  the  two  oval  ports,  where  the  armour  was  increased  by  2-iu.  plates, 
and  the  backing  proportionately  reduced.  The  turret  roof  was  of  2-in.  plates,  and 
slightly  convex,  and  was  provided  with  two  bullet-proof  sighting  hoods.  The  side- 
armour,  extending  3  ft.  6  in.  below  the  load  water-line,  had  a  thickness  of  4-J  in. 
abreast  of  the  turret-chamber  and  the  fire  and  engine-rooms,  and  diminished  to  2J  in. 
at  the  bow  and  stern.  It  was  backed  by  10  in.  of  teak,  and  a  J-in.  inner  iron  skin. 
The  bow  was  strengthened  and  shaped  for  ramming.  The  deck  was  protected  by 
2-in.  plates.  Forward  was  a  small  top-gallant  forecastle,  6  ft.  high.  Aft  was  an  open 
poop.  Abaft  the  turret  was  an  hexagonal  conning-tower  7  ft.  6  in.  high  and  8  ft.  wide, 
by  5  ft.  2  in.  long,  carrying  3-in.  armour  in  vertical  slabs,  backed  by  balks  of  teak 
8  in.  thick,  placed  on  end.  The  summit  of  it  supported  a  bridge.  Abaft  the  conning- 
tower  was  an  unarmoured  funnel ;  and  around  this  was  the  fire-room  hatch,  with  a 
high  wooden  coaming,  and  no  bomb-proof  grating.  Abaft  the  funnel  was  an  iron 
mainmast  with  wire  rigging  set  up  to  the  rails  without  channels.  The  foremast  was  a 
tripod  of  iron  tubes,  and  the  rig  was  that  of  a  brig  with  movable  bowsprit.  The  coal 
capacity  was  300  tons ;  the  turning  period,  through  180°,  was  2  minutes  0'3  seconds  ; 
and  the  maximum  speed  was  11  knots.  Her  armament  consisted  of  two  10-in.  12^-ton 
300-pr.  Armstrong  ll.M.L.  mounted  in  the  turret,  and  commanding  138°  of  the  horizon, 
i.e.,  from  10°  on  either  side  of  the  bow  line  to  32°  on  either  side  of  the  stern  line ;  and 
two  40-pr.  Armstrong  E.M.L.,  placed  one  on  each  side  of  the  quarter-deck. 

'•  The  Shah,  an  iron,  wood  and  copper  sheathed  unarmoured  frigate  of  6250  tons 
displacement  and  7480  indicated  horse-power,  was  built  at  Portsmouth  in  1873,  and 
engined  by  Messrs.  Kavenhill.  At  her  official  trials  in  April,  1876,  her  mean  speed 
was  16  •  4  knots.  Her  armament  at  the  time  of  the  action  consisted  of  two  9-in.  12-ton 
E.M.L.,  sixteen  7-in.  6J-ton  E.M.L.,  and  eight  64-pr.  R.M.L.,  with  Gatlings  in  the 
tops,  and  with  three  above-water  torpedo  ejectors.  The  complement  was  602  officers 
and  men.  She  was  ship-rigged,  with  a  single  screw,  and  two  funnels ;  and  her  dimen- 
sions were :  length,  334  ft.  7  in. ;  beam,  52  ft. ;  mean  draught,  26  ft.  5i  in.  In  1892 
the  Shah  was  towed  to  Bermuda  to  serve  as  a  hulk  there.  She  was  commanded  at  the 
time  of  this  action  by  Captain  Frederick  George  Denham  Bedford. 


1877.]  THE  "SHAH"   AND    THE  "  I1UASCAH."  287 

to  the  Peruvian  Government,  which,  in  reply,  disclaimed  respon- 
sibility, declared  the  Huascar  to  be  a  pirate,  and  offered  a  reward 
for  her  capture.  The  Eear-Admiral  determined,  •  therefore,  to 
proceed  against  the  rebel  vessel  with  his  flagship  and  the  corvette 
Amethyst.1 

The  following  brief  account  of  the  resultant  proceedings  is  taken 
from  '  The  War  Ships  and  Navies  of  the  World,'  a  valuable  work 
by  Chief-Engineer  King,  U.S.N.  :— 

"  Having  put  to  sea  for  the  purpose,  the  Rear- Admiral  sighted  the  Huascar  off  the 
town  of  Ilo  on  the  afternoon  of  May  29th,  and  summoned  her  to  surrender.  This 
summons  the  commanding  officer  refused  to  entertain.  The  Shah  then  fired,  first  a 
blank  cartridge,  and  then  a  shotted  charge,  but,  the  Huascar  still  refusing  to  surrender, 
a  steady  and  well-sustained  fire  from  both  the  Shah  and  Amethyst  was  directed  against 
her.  The  fight  was  partly  in  chase  and  partly  circular,  the  distance  between  the 
combatants  being,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  from  1500  to  2500  yards.  The  time 
employed  in  the  engagement  was  about  three  hours,  the  fight  being  terminated  by 
darkness  coming  on  and  the  Huascar  running  close  in  shore  where  the  Shah  could  not 
follow,  consequent  upon  her  greater  draught.  Of  the  projectiles  thrown  from  the 
English  ships,  it  is  reported  that  some  seventy  or  eighty  struck  the  ironclad,  principally 
about  the  upper  decks,  bridge,  masts,  and  boats.  One  projectile  from  a  heavy  gun 
pierced  the  side  on  the  port  quarter  2  feet  above  the  water,  where  the  armour  was 
2£  or  3  in.  thick,  and  brought  up  against  the  opposite  side,  killing  one  man  and 
wounding  another.  Two  other  projectiles  dented  in  the  side  armour  to  the  extent  of 
3  inches.  The  turret  was  struck  once  by  a  projectile  from  the  heavy  guns  of  the  Shah. 
It  was  a  direct  blow,  but  penetrated  3  inches  only.  The  hull  showed  that  several 
64-pr.  shot  had  struck  it,  only  leaving  marks.  When  at  close  quarters — which  the 
Huascar  sought  for  the  purpose  of  ramming— the  (ratling  gun  in  the  Shah's  fore-top 
drove  the  men  from  the  quarter-deck  guns  of  the  former.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
a  Whitehead  torpedo  was  launched  at  the  ironclad,  but,  as  she  altered  her  course  at 
about  the  same  instant,  the  torpedo  failed  to  strike  its  mark." 

Neither  British  ship  suffered  any  loss ;  neither,  in  fact,  was 
struck  about  the  hull.  The  action  began  at  3.6  P.M.  and  terminated 
at  5.45  P.M.  The  Shah's  firing  was  telling  and  well-sustained,  but 
the  turret-ship,  being  a  small  and  low  target,  and  frequently  end  on, 
was  a  difficult  object  to  hit,  and  the  atmospheric  conditions  were 
not,  it  is  reported,  altogether  favourable  for  good  practice.  The 
Shah's  guns  also  were  more  than  once  ordered  to  cease  firing,  when, 
owing  to  the  Huascar  placing  herself  close  under  the  town  of  Ilo, 
there  was  risk  of  injuring  the  buildings  and  property  on  shore.  The 
Amethyst's  fire  was  conducted  with  great  precision ;  but,  for  the 
business  in  hand,  her  guns  were,  of  course,  useless.  The  Shah's 

1  The  Amethyst,  a  single-screw  unarmoured  wooden  corvette,  of  1970  tons  dis- 
placement and  2140  indicated  horse-power,  carried  fourteen  64-pr.  R.M.L.  guns,  and 
had  a  complement  of  226  officers  and  men.  She  was  commanded  on  the  occasion  by 
Captain  Alfred  John  Chatfield. 


288      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

movements  were  impeded  by  the  narrowness  of  the  waters  in  which 
she  was  operating ;  by  her  great  length ;  and  by  the  danger  of 
stopping  in  view  of  the  possibility  of  being  rammed.  The  Huascar 
lost  one  killed  and  three  wounded.  A  boat  expedition,  despatched 
in  the  course  of  the  following  night  under  Lieutenant  Charles 
Lindsay  to  attack  the  rebel  ship,  failed  to  find  her,  owing  to 
darkness  and  fog.1  Lieutenant  Thomas  Francis  Abbott,  Sub- 
Lieutenants  Hugh  Talbot,  and  Scott  "William  Alfred  Hamilton 
Gray,  Navigating  Sub-Lieutenant  Henry  William  Steele,  Surgeons 
Marcus  Allen,  and  Thomas  Martyn  Sibbald,  and  Assistant  Engineer 
William  Walter  White  volunteered  for  this  service. 

Two  British  officers  who  subsequently  inspected  the  Huascar 
were  of  opinion  that  seventy  or  eighty  projectiles,2  as  mentioned  by 
Mr.  King,  had  struck  her.  Numbers  of  pieces  of  shell  were  sticking 
in  the  woodwork.  One  9-inch  common  shell  had  struck  the  hull 
on  the  starboard  side,  about  2  feet  from  the  water-line  and  50  feet 
from  the  stern,  in  the  foremost  wardroom  cabin.  It  had  burst 
in  the  backing,  the  head  splintering  in  all  directions,  and  the  base 
continuing  its  course  until  brought  up  against  the  inner  skin  on  the 
opposite  side.  Don  Manuel  Carrasco,  in  his  official  report,  stated 
that  the  explosion  of  this  shell  killed  one  seaman  and  wounded  an 
officer  and  two  men. 

"The  plating  at  the  spot  where  it  struck  was  about  3J  in.  thick.  Two  64-pr. 
shells  left  indentations  on  the  plating.  One  heavy  shot,  evidently  a  ricochet,  hit  the 
upper  edge  on  the  starboard  side,  scoring  it  to  a  depth  of  3  in.  after  going,  through  the 
bulwark.  Another  hit  the  plating  2  ft.  from  the  water-line  at  an  angle,  making  a  dent 
2  in.  in  depth  and  18  in.  in  length.  On  the  port  side  there  was  a  shot  similar  to  the 
ricochet.  The  hull  showed  that  several  64-prs.  had  struck  it,  only  leaving  a  mark. 
One  shot  struck  the  poop  on  the  port  quarter,  and  went  out  on  the  starboard  side, 
splintering  an  iron  beam.  The  funnel-casing  and  funnel  had  been  hit  about  twelve 
times  by  shot  and  pierced  by  the  Galling  gun.  The  turret  had  only  been  struck  once — 
by  a  7-in.  projectile  hitting  direct  and  penetrating  3  inches." 


1  A.  &  N.  Gazette,  July  14,  and  July  21,  1877.     Desps.  (laid  on  table  of  House 
of  Commons  July  27,  1877). 

2  The  small  effect  produced  by  the  Shah's  9-in.  and  7-in.  projectiles  is  very  remark- 
able, seeing  that  theoretically  their  penetration  of  wrought  iron,  striking  direct,  should 
have  been — 

At  1000  yds.  At  2000  yds. 
in.  in. 

9  in 9-6  8-4 

7  in 6-5  5-6 

The  projectile  of  the  9-in.  gun  weighed  253  lb.,  and  the  powder-charge  50  Ib.  The 
projectile  of  the  7-in.  gun  weighed  112  lb.,  and  the  powder-charge  30  lb.  The  muzzle 
velocities  should  have  been  1440  and  1525  foot-seconds  respectively. 


1878.]  Pit  IN  OLE  IN   THE  PERSIAN   GULF.  289 

This  account  does  not  agree  strictly  with  that  given  by  Mr. 
King ;  but,  no  very  important  facts  being  at  stake,  it  is  not  deemed 
necessary  or  worth  while  to  endeavour  to  harmonise  or  explain  the 
apparent  differences. 

The  Huascar  was  afterwards  surrendered  to  the  Peruvian 
Government. 

On  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  in  1877,  the  vessels  there  employed 
for  the  repression  of  the  slave  trade  found  plenty  to  do,  the  boats 
of  the  London,  Captain  Thomas  Baker  Martin  Sulivan,  continuing 
their  activity  and  capturing  numerous  dhows.  On  one  occasion 
Lieutenant  William  Kooke  Cresswell,  when  about  to  board  one  of 
these  craft,  had  a  narrow  escape  of  his  life.  The  slavers  intended 
to  allow  him  to  board,  and  then  to  shoot  him ;  but  the  officer  was 
saved  by  the  interpreter,  who,  catching  sight  of  a  half-hidden  Arab, 
with  his  gun  cocked  and  levelled,  gave  warning  of  the  danger. 
Among  other  officers  of  the  London  whose  names  figure  in  the 
despatches  of  the  time  were  Lieutenant  Lloyd  William  Mathews, 
and  Sub-Lieutenant  Eobert  Maitland  King.  The  Lynx,  4,  Com- 
mander Francis  Metcalfe  Ommanney,  which  received  permission 
to  search  vessels  bearing  the  Portuguese  flag,  was  another  active 
cruiser  on  the  station.  The  Vulture,  3,  Commander  Henry  Holford 
Washington,  also  made  herself  useful  on  the  same  coast,  and  con- 
tinued to  do  so,  first  under  that  officer,  and  then  under  Commander 
John  Eliot  Pringle,  during  great  part  of  her  commission,  1876-80. 
In  the  Persian  Gulf,  in  1878,  Pringle's  boats  were  engaged  in  an 
action  of  some  importance. 

The  Vulture  proceeded  to  Bahrein  in  October  of  that  year  in 
order  to  exact  certain  fines  from  the  head  men  of  the  island  for  the 
infraction  of  a  treaty  which  had  been  concluded  in  1861.  On 
arriving,  she  learnt  that  all  communication  with  El  Kateef,  on  the 
mainland,  was  suspended,  and  that  that  town  was  beleaguered  by 
about  3000  Bedouins.  Pringle,  in  consequence,  went  on  to  El 
Kateef,  and  communicated  with  the  governor,  who  informed  him 
of  the  presence  of  a  considerable  piratical  fleet  of  dhows  near  Has 
Tinnorah.  The  Vulture  steamed  thither,  and  on  October  10th 
found  the  dhows  close  in  shore  in  shoal  water.  Although  it  was 
blowing  half  a  gale,  Pringle  manned  and  armed  his  boats,  and  led 
them  to  the  attack.  Six  of  the  largest  dhows  made  sail  and  stood 
out  to  engage,  while  the  others,  and  many  people  on  shore,  opened 
a  brisk  fire.  The  British,  however,  pushed  in,  drove  the  Arabs 

VOL.    VII.  U 


290      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,    1857-1900. 

from  their  vessels,  and  harassed  their  retreat  with  shrapnel  and 
rockets.  It  was  ascertained  that  the  enemy  lost  no  fewer  than 
34  killed  and  85  wounded,  while  the  attacking  party  escaped  scot 
free.  Twenty  dhows  were  taken  possession  of,  and,  each  in  charge 
of  a  bluejacket,  were  navigated  to  El  Kateef.  The  capture  of  the 
flotilla  relieved  the  governor,  who  had  long  suffered  from  the 
depredations  of  the  marauders  and  of  their  allies  on  shore.1 

In  1875  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  revolted  from  Turkey.  At  that 
time  the  Ottoman  Empire  was  bankrupt,  misrule  was  general 
throughout  the  country,  and  Eussian  influence  was  all  powerful  at 
Constantinople.  On  May  30th,  187B,  a  palace  conspiracy  cost  the 
Sultan  Abdul  Aziz  his  throne.  His  feeble,  if  not  imbecile  successor, 
Murad  V.,  made  way  in  three  months  for  Abdul  Hamid  II.,  and, 
while  these  changes  were  going  on,  the  Bosnian  revolt  extended  to 
Bulgaria ;  and  Servia  and  Montenegro  also  took  up  arms  against  the 
Porte.  It  was  then,  with  a  view  to  signifying  to  the  revolted 
provinces  and  to  their  Russian  instigators  that  she  would  not  suffer 
Constantinople  to  become  a  prize  to  any  of  the  Sultan's  enemies, 
and  with  a  view  also  to  the  protection  of  her  own  interests  as  a  great 
eastern  and  Mahometan  power,  that  Great  Britain  found  it  necessary 
to  make  a  naval  demonstration  by  dispatching  her  Mediterranean 
Fleet  to  Besika  Bay,  near  the  entrance  to  the  Dardanelles.  It 
assembled  there  in  June,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  remained  there, 
or  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  for  many  months.  There  was 
then  but  one  British  flag-officer  permanently  employed  afloat  in  the 
Mediterranean,  but,  as  soon  as  the  demonstration  had  been  decided 
upon,  Rear-Admiral  Edward  Bridges  Rice,  Superintendent  of  Malta 
Dockyard,  shifted  his  flag  from  the  guardship  Hibernia  to  the 
armoured  battleship  Triumph,  Captain  George  Henry  Parkin,  and 
joined  the  Commander-in-Chief,  Vice-Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  James 
Robert  Drummond,  K.C.B.,  who  flew  his  flag  in  the  armoured 
battleship  Hercules,  Captain  Nathaniel  Bowden-Smith.  Rear- 
Admiral  William  Garnham  Luard  was  also  sent  out  as  a  temporary 
Superintendent  to  Malta.  The  British  Naval  force  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean in  November,  187tj,  comprised  ten  ironclads,  inclusive  of  the 
•  small  and  inefficient  Pallas,  corvette,  and  Research,  sloop,  among 
the  number  being  the  Sultan,  then  commanded  by  H.R.H.  Captain 
the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  K.G.  It  also  comprised  about  a  dozen 
unarmoured  vessels,  the  only  really  valuable  one  of  which,  however, 
1  A.  A-  N.  Gaz.,  Jan.  11,  1879. 


1877.] 


HORNBY  IN   THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


291 


was  the  iron  screw  frigate  Raleigh.  Had  the  Mediterranean  fleet 
of  that  year  been  obliged  to  undertake  a  campaign,  it  would  have 
found  itself  even  worse  off  for  efficient  cruisers  and  scouts  than  the 
same  fleet  was  when  Nelson  most  complained  of  its  shortcomings 
in  that  direction.  Happily  Drummond  was  not  called  upon  to 
adopt  active  measures. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1877  Drummond  was  succeeded  in  com- 
mand by  Vice-Admiral  Geoffrey  Thomas  Phipps  Hornby,  an  officer 


SIR   OEOFFREY    THOMAS    PHIPPS    HORNBY,    G.C.B.,    A.D.C.,    ADMIRAL    OF   THK    FI.KKT. 
(From  a  photo  by  Rmsell.) 

who,  although  he  had  not  seen  a  shot  fired  in  anger  since  1840,  had, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-two,  established  for  himself  a  reputation  scarcely 
second  to  that  of  any  British  naval  officer  then  living.  It  is  not 
astonishing.  He  was  a  great  student  of  professional  history ;  he 
had  a  wonderfully  clear  head,  and  a  scientific  mind ;  he  was  a 
natural  diplomatist,  and  an  unrivalled  tactician ;  and,  to  a  singular 
independence  and  uprightness  of  character,  he  added  a  mastery  of 
technical  detail,  and  a  familiarity  with  contemporary  thought  and 
progress  that  were  unusual  in  those  days  among  officers  of  his 

u  2 


'202      M1L1TAHY   1IISTOKY    01''   THE   KOYM    NA  V)',    1857-1900. 

standing.  He  might  have  derived  no  small  additional  advantage 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  a  kinsman  and  close  friend  of  the  Earl 
of  Derby,  the  Foreign  Secretary  with  whom  it  became  his  duty  to 
co-operate,  so  that  his  qualifications  for  the  post  were,  upon  the 
whole,  greater  probably  than  were  possessed  by  any  other  man  of 
the  moment.  Unfortunately,  Lord  Derby  was  one  of  the  weakest 
Foreign  Secretaries  of  his  age. 

Hornby  hoisted  his  flag  and  went  out  in  the  battleship 
Alexandra,  Captain  Eobert  O'Brien  FitzEoy,  reaching  Malta  on 
March  17th.  In  July  he  took  the  fleet  to  Besika  Bay,  Kussia 
having  by  that  time  declared  war  against  Turkey,  and  crossed  the 
Danube.  Thenceforward,  until  December,  Besika  Bay  remained 
the  headquarters  and  usual  anchorage  of  the  fleet,  which,  in  the 
interval,  thanks  to  the  energy  and  administrative  ability  of  the 
Commander-in~Chi6f,  was  brought  up  to  a  very  high  degree  of 
efficiency.  As  the  Eussians  continued  to  advance,  Bear-Admiral 
Sir  Edmund  Commerell,  V.C.,  was  sent  out  in  the  Agincourt, 
Captain  Eichard  Wells,  as  second  in  command. 

On  December  27th,  the  fleet  weighed  from  Besika  Bay,  and 
proceeded  to  Vourla  Bay,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna, 
a  place  which  Hornby  had  selected  as  a  more  suitable  winter 
station  ;  and,  it  then  seeming  improbable  that  the  Eussians  could 
penetrate  much  further  southward  until  the  spring,  the  Admiral 
quitted  the  fleet  and  went  to  Malta  on  January  4th.  In  consequence 
of  a  telegram  which  reached  him  there  on  the  night  of  the  llth, 
he  returned  to  Vourla  Bay  in  the  Sultan,  Captain  the  Duke  of 
Edinburgh,  leaving  in  the  hands  of  the  dockyard  authorities  his 
own  flagship  the  Alexandra,  the  Achilles,  the  Devastation,  and  the 
Raleigh,  with  orders  to  rejoin  him  as  soon  as  possible.  At  that 
time,  and  indeed  for  many  months  previous,  he  was  most  anxioxis 
to  be  supplied  with  troops  from  England  to  enable  him,  if  necessary, 
to  occupy  the  lines  of  Bulair,1  above  Gallipoli,  and  so  to  secure  his 
own  communications,  and  threaten  those  of  the  Eussians,  in  case 
he  should  be  required  to  undertake  hostile  action  within  the 
Dardanelles.  As  these  troops  were  never  sent  to  him,  it  is  perhaps 
fortunate  that,  after  all,  he  was  not  called  upon  to  fight.  He  was 
also  an  importunate  advocate  for  a  more  determined  policy  than 
found  favour  at  Whitehall. 

1  Across  the  narrow  neck  of  the  peninsula  of  (rallipoli,— a  position  easily  defen- 
sible by  troops  supported  by  ships. 


1878.]  CONSTANTINOPLE  IN  DANGER.  293 

On  January  18th,  1878,  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir)  Austen  Henry 
Layard,  British  Ambassador  to  the  Porte,  telegraphed  to  the  Vice- 
Admiral  at  Vourla  :  — 

"Kussians  advancing  upon  Adrianople,  which  they  will  probably  occupy  imme- 
diately. .  .  .  Austria  and  England  have  remonstrated  at  St.  Petersburg.  Panic 
amongst  ministers  here." 

On  the  20th  came  a  further  telegram  :— 

"Consul  at  Dardanelles  reports  that  he  thinks  a  further  series  of  torpedoes  have 
been  laid  at  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  between  Castles  Koum-Kali  and  Sed-ul-Bahr, 
and  also  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  narrows  between  Forts  Nagara  and  Bovali. 
The  mid-channel  at  bottom  of  the  places  not  believed  to  be  obstructed.  .  .  .  About 
sixty  heavy  rifled  guns  are  mounted  now  in  the  four  principal  forts  in  the  narrows. 
The  50-ton  Krupp  gun  at  Sultanieh  Fort  may  be  called  ready  for  service." 

This  was  followed  by  : — 

"Admiralty,  London,  (j.40  p.m.,  Jan.  23,  to  Admiral,  Vourla,  11.55  a.m.,  Jan.  24. 
Secret. 

"  Sail  immediately  for  Dardanelles,  and  proceed  with  the  fleet  now  with  you  to 
Constantinople.  Abstain  from  taking  any  part  in  contest  between  Russia  and  Turkey, 
but  waterway  of  Straits  is  to  be  kept  open  ;  and,  in  the  event  of  tumult  at  Constanti- 
nople, protect  life  and  property  of  British  subjects.  .  .  ." 

Thereupon  Hornby,  on  the  24th,  telegraphed  to  the  Am- 
bassador : — 

"Have  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Constantinople  with  the  fleet,  and  to  keep 
Dardanelles  open.  I  sail  at  5  P.M.  to-day.  Bequest  firman  may  be  sent  for  the  fleet  to 
pass  Tchernak,  but  orders  do  not  permit  me  to  wait  for  firman." 

And  to  his  wife  he  wrote:— 

..."  With  a  determined  enemy  in  possession  of  the  Gallipoli  peninsula,  this  '  (the 
keeping  open  of  the  Dardanelles) '  is  not  possible  for  ships  to  guarantee.  I  fear  from 
the  vacillation  our  orders  denote  that  we  are  not  well  commanded,1  and  I  do  not 
anticipate  much  credit  will  accrue  to  the  country.  .  .  ." 

When  the  fleet  sailed,  no  one  but  the  Commander-in-Chief,  who 
led  the  starboard  line  in  the  dispatch-vessel  Salamis,  Commander 
Frederick  Wilbraham  Egerton,  knew  whither  nor  011  what  mission 
it  was  bound,  though  everyone  guessed.  By  8  A.M.  on  the  25th  the 
fleet  was  off  Besika.  No  fresh  orders  met  it  there,  and  it  passed  on. 
Close  to  the  mouth  of  the  Dardanelles,  Hornby  transferred  his  flag 
to  the  Sultan,  and  began  to  make  such  preparations  for  action  as 
were  possible  without  betraying  a  hostile  purpose.  The  Salamis 
was  sent  in  to  Tchernak 2  with  the  message  : — 

1  /.P.,  not  well  directed  from  London. 

2  On  the  Asiatic  shore  at  the  mouth  of  the  narrowest  part  of  the  Dardanelles.     See 
c'tiart  in  Vol.  V.,  p.  223. 


291      M1L1TAKY  HISTORY    OF   THE  BOYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

"  We  came  as  friends,  but  I  was  bound  to  go  on.  If  you  fired  at  me  I  should  ba- 
obliged  to  fire  at  you ;  and  then  we  should  only  be  playing  the  llussian  game,  which 
would  be  very  disagreeable  to  me." 

The  commandant  at  Tchernak  had  the  firman  granting  per- 
mission to  pass,  and  handed  it  to  Egerton,  who  was  on  the  point  of 
taking  it  off  to  the  flagship,  when  a  telegraph  clerk  ran  after  him 
with  a  message  as  follows  : — 

"  Admiralty,  London,  Jan.  24,  7.39  p.m.,  to  Admiral,  Tchernak,  Jan.  25,  3.30  p.m. 
"  Annul  former  orders.    Anchor  at  Besika  Bay  and  wait  further  orders.     Report 
arrival  there."' 

This  sudden  reversal  of  policy  was  most  annoying  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief,  who  feared  not  only  that  it  would  be  prejudicial 
to  British  material  interests,  but  also  that  it  would  be  most  injurious 
to  British  prestige  throughout  the  East.  He  anticipated  that  it 
would  encourage  Russia,  and  would  drive  the  Sultan  into  the  hands 
of  the  Czar.  The  truth  seems  to  be  that  the  British  Cabinet  had 
been  apprised  in  the  interim  of  certain  terms  upon  which  Eussia 
was  willing  to  make  peace,  and  regarded  those  terms  as  admissible. 
However  this  may  have  been,  a  different  view  presently  recom- 
mended itself  to  the  Ministry,  for,  on  February  9th  Hornby,  then 
in  Besika  Bay,  received  orders  to  proceed,  if  possible  that  afternoon, 
for  Constantinople  to  protect  the  life  and  property  of  British 
subjects.  He  was  informed  that  the  Ambassador  had  been  directed 
to  obtain  the  necessary  firman,  to  induce  the  Porte  to  send  pacific 
orders  to  the  forts,  and  to  communicate  the  results  to  the  Vice- 
Admiral.  Again,  therefore,  he  proceeded  for  Tchernak,  weighing 
at  6  P.M.  ;  but  at  Tchernak  there  was  neither  firman  nor  message 
from  Mr.  Layard,  and,  to  make  matters  worse,  the  Pasha  in 
command  protested  against  the  fleet  entering  the  strait.  After 
anchoring  for  some  hours,  Hornby  returned  to  Besika  Bay,  and 
curtly  telegraphed  home  to  ask  whether  he  was  to  go  on  and  force 
a  passage,  or  to  wait  for  permission  to  pass.  On  the  10th  he  heard 
from  the  Ambassador  that  permission  had  been  asked  for  and  had 
been  refused,  and  next  that  the  Eussians  had  threatened  to  occupy 
Constantinople  in  case  the  ships  should  pass  the  Dardanelles. 

On  February  12th  more  definite  and  satisfactory  instructions 
arrived  from  London.  The  Vice- Admiral  was  to  proceed  into  the 
Sea  of  Marmora  without  waiting  for  a  firman,  and  if  he  were  fired 
upon  and  his  ships  were  struck,  was  to  return  the  fire,  but  not 


1878.] 


HORNBY  IN   THE  DARDANELLES. 


295 


to  wait  to  demolish  the  forts.1     I  take  the  following  description  of 
those  works  from  Mrs.  Fred  Egerton's  biography  -  of  her  father  :— 

"  There  were  then  only  four  formidable  forts  in  the  Dardanelles.  The  lowest  of 
these  was  Fort  Namasghia,3  in  which  were  sixteen  Krupp  breechloading  rifled  guns, 
Hupposed  to  be  about  26  centimetres,4  also  one  Krupp  and  two  Armstrong  7-inch 
muzzle-loading  guns.  Nearly  opposite  is  the  Sultanieh  Fort,8  in  which  the  monster 
50-ton  Krupp  gun  had  been  mounted  to  command  the  approaches  to  the  Narrows. 
This  was,  however,  the  only  formidable  piece  of  ordnance  in  the  fort.  A  mile  above  is 
the  Medjidieh  Fort,  probably  the  strongest  of  all,  having  been  reconstructed  by  a 
German  officer,  Blum.  It  had  thirteen  6-inch  breech-loading  Krupp  guns,  seven  of 
which  enfiladed  the  channel.  The  fort  of  Nagara,6  two  and  a  half  miles  further  on, 
completed  the  defences,  as  the  other  forts  were  supplie  1  only  with  obsolete  guns,  or  the 
modern  ones  intended  for  them  had  not  been  mounted." 7 

No  mines  were  feared ;  for,  although  a  number  had  been  laid 
down,  Hornby  believed  that  recent  gales,  aiding  the  always  strong 
current,  had  washed  all  of  them  into  the  .ZEgean  Sea.  Woods 
Pasha,  who  had  to  do  with  the  laying  and  recovery  of  them,  has 
since  informed  me  that  Hornby  was  mistaken. 

The  Raleigh,  22,  Captain  Charles  Trelawny  Jago,  was  detached 
to  Dedegatch  to  embark  fugitives ;  the  Salamis  was  sent  forward 
to  communicate  once  more  with  the  Pasha  commanding  at 
Tchernak ;  and  with  the  following  six  battleships,  cleared  for 
action  and  with  their  upper  spars  sent  down,  the  Vice-Admiral, 
who  had  weighed  at  daylight,  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Dardanelles, 
a  snowy  gale  blowing  from  the  eastward  : — 


BATTLE-SHIPS. 

HEAVY 

Guxs. 

CoMMANDEJCS. 

OaDBM, 

|V.-Adm.  G.  T.  P.  Hornby.                                           1 

Altxundra     . 

12 

<Capt.  Robt.  O'Brien  FitzRoy. 
|jom.  Atwell  Peregrine  Macleod  Lake.                         ) 

To  destroy  the  50-ton  gun. 

.R.-Adiu.  Sir  J.  E.  Commerell,  K.C.B.,  V.C. 

Agincourt 

17 

Jt'apt.  Richard  Wells. 
(Cum.  Thomas  Sturges  Jackson. 

To  silenre  Namasghia. 

(Capt.  Sir  Wm.  Nathan  Wrighte  Hewett,  K.C.B.,  V.I  '.  ( 

Achilles    .     .     . 

16 

(Com  Wm.  Hargraves  Mitchell  Molyueux.                  J 

To  silence  Namasghia. 

Saiftsure      .     . 

14 

(Capt.  Nowell  Salmon,  C.B.,  V.C.                                  1 
(Com.  Hilary  Gnstavus  Andoe.                                      J 

To  attack  Medjidieh  Fort. 

JV'me'raiYe 

8 

(Capt.  Michael  Culine-Seymour.                                    » 
(Com.  Albert  Baldwin  Jcnkiugs.                                  J 

To  attack  MeJjidieh  Fort. 

Sultan 

11 

(Capt.  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  K.G.                1 
(Com.  llichd.  Kreiik.  Britten.                                            / 

To  destroy  the  50-ton  gnu. 

Xote. — The  Hotspur,  3,  Capt.  St.  Gejrga  Caulfiild  d'Arcy-Irvine,  and  Ruby,  curvette,  Capt.  Robt.  Hy.  More 
Molyneux,  whicb  had  quitted  Besika  Bay  with  the  Meet,  hat  been  detached  to  assist  the  Raleigh,  she  having 
run  ashore  near  Rabbit  IsUnd.  Numerous  other  vesse's  were  itt  the  Mediterranean,  but  not  then  upon 
the  spot. 


1  At  the  same  time  the  Channel  Squadron  was  ordered  to  Gibraltar,  and,  a  day  or 
two  later,  to  Malta. 

2  '  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  G.  T.  Phipps  Hornby ' :  London,  1896. 

3  Below  Kilid  Bahr.  4  I.e.  of  about  10.5-in.  calibre.  6  Near  Tchernak. 
0  The  ancient  Abydos.          7  See  the  chart  in  Vol.  V.,  p.  223. 


296      M1L1TAUY  HlSTOltY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

As  Egerton  landed  at  Tchernak  he  noted  that  the  tompion  had 
not  been  taken  out  of  the  big  gun.  That  was  reassuring.  The 
Pasha,  however,  appears  to  have  handed  to  Egerton  a  written 
protest,  although  he  qualified  it  by  saying,  as  he  dismissed  that 
officer,  "Keturn  to  the  Admiral,  and  tell  him  that  from  motives  of 
humanity  I  refrain  from  firing." 

The  flagship  grounded  on  the  edge  of  a  shoal  just  below  the 
narrowest  part  of  the  strait,  Retaining  the  Sultan  to  assist  the 
Alexandra,  Hornby  sent  on  the  other  four  ships  to  Gallipoli.  As 
soon  as  the  Alexandra  had  been  got  off,  she  proceeded  to  Nagara 
Point,  where  she  anchored  for  the  night.  On  the  14th  the 
Commander-in-Chief  learnt  that  the  Kussians  were  within  twelve 
miles  of  the  Bulair  lines.  He  therefore  left  the  Agincourt  and 
Swiftsure  off  Gallipoli,  ordered  forward  the  Salamis  to  com- 
municate with  Mr.  Layard,  and,  with  the  Alexandra,  Achilles, 
Sultan,  and  Temeraire,  steamed  leisurely  across  the  Sea  of 


SIR    GEOFFREY    THOMAS    PIII1TS    HOIiNlIY,    fi.l  .!'..,    ADMIRAL   OF   THE    FLEET. 

Marmora,  and  appeared  off  Constantinople  on  the  morning  of 
February  15th.  He  anchored  near  Prince's  Islands,  within  sight 
of  the  Russian  and  Turkish  tents  that  faced  each  other  close  to 
San  Stefano. 

Hornby's  opinion  always  was  that,  had  the  Turks  tried  to 
obstruct  his  passage,  he  could  have  silenced  their  batteries,  and, 
with  relatively  small  damage  to  himself,  have  reached  Constanti- 
nople. Had  the  Alexandra,  however,  or  any  one  of  the  ships 
grounded  under  fire,  it  might  have  been  impossible  to  save 
her.  He  knew  nothing  of  the  mines.  He  believed,  neverthe- 
less, that  if  either  the  Turks  or  the  Russians  had  determined 
seriously  to  hold  the  northern  bank  of  the  Dardanelles  against  the 
fleet,  they  could,  with  but  little  special  preparation,  have  accom- 
plished their  purpose,  or  at  least  have  prevented  the  passage 
of  the  Narrows  by  any  vessels  not  armoured.  His  ships,  he 
asserted,  could  have  dealt  with  the  existing  guns,  which  were 
near  the  water  level,  but  they  could  not  have  dealt  with  the  guns 
which  might  have  been  quickly  mounted  on  the  cliffs  above ;  and 
guns  so  mounted  might  have  entirely  prevented  the  upward  passage 


l^Ts]  TIIK  FLEET   OFF   CONSTANTINOPLE.  297 

of  colliers,  storeships  and  transports,  and  so  have  deprived  the  fleet 
off  Constantinople  of  all  resources.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  he 
ardently  desired  that  he  should  be  placed  in  a  position  to  occupy  the 
lines  of  Bulair  and  the  peninsula  of  Gallipoli  when  ordered  to  pass 
the  Dardanelles  ;  and,  as  he  was  never  placed  in  that  position,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  his  situation  in  the  Sea  of  Marmora  was  a 
most  precarious  one,  his  communications  not  being  in  any  way 
secured.  Fortunately,  the  Eussians  believed  that  the  ships  were 
crowded  with  troops.  Fortunately,  too,  they  remembered  that  their 
own  long  line  of  land  communications  northward  to  the  Danube 
was  a  difficult  one  to  protect,  and  that  they  had  pushed  southward 
with  more  hardihood  than  the  rules  of  sound  strategy  warranted. 
Austria  lay  on  the  flank  of  the  Russian  advance,  and  was  excessively 
irritated.  And  thus,  although  the  Grand  Duke  had  threatened  to 
occupy  Constantinople  if  Hornby  should  enter  the  Sea  of  Marmora, 
the  very  appearance  of  Hornby  deterred  him  from  risking  so  extreme 
a  measure.  Constantinople  was  saved. 

The  anchorage  of  the  body  of  the  fleet  was  presently  removed 
to  Touzla  Bay,  an  inlet  on  the  mainland,  a  little  to  the  southward 
of  Prince's  Islands,  Commerell,  however,  with  the  Agincourt  and 
Swiftsure,  remaining  off  Gallipoli  to  hearten  the  Turks  there,  and 
having  orders  to  blow  up  the  Dardanelles'  forts  rather  than  permit 
them  to  be  occupied  by  the  Eussians,  and  to  prevent  any  Eussian 
force  from  embarking  and  crossing  to  the  Asiatic  shore.  Having 
received  news  on  March  4th  that  preliminaries  of  peace  had  been 
concluded  on  the  previous  day,  Hornby,  on  the  9th,  took  his 
ships  to  pleasanter  quarters  off  Ismid.  Before  Easter  Lord  Derby 
resigned,  and  the  home  government,  adopting  a  firmer  policy, 
authorised  the  naval  chiefs,  if  necessary,  to  take  the  Turkish  troops 
at  Bulair  into  British  pay,  and  to  land  officers  and  men  for  the 
defence  of  the  lines.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Turkish  Ministry 
became  rather  less  anti-Russian  and  rather  more  anti-British  than 
it  had  been ;  so  that  the  prospects  of  peace  did  not  immediately 
improve.  In  May,  Lord  Beaconsfield  tellingly  reminded  both  the 
late  belligerents  that  he  was  prepared  to  interfere,  with  or  without 
the  Turkish  alliance,  if  necessary ;  and  his  summoning  of  10,000 
Indian  troops  to  Malta  produced  a  powerful  impression.  At  about 
the  same  time,  the  battleship  Devastation,  Captain  Walter  James 
Hunt-Grubbe,  C.B.,  Commander  Charles  John  Balfour,  took  the 
place  of  the  Sultan  in  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  the  boilers  of  the  latter 


298      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

ship  being  worn  out.1  Captain  Algernon  Charles  Fieschi  Heneage 
also  superseded  Captain  Hewett  in  command  of  the  Achilles.  On  June 
18th,  the  squadron  returned  to  the  anchorage  off  Prince's  Islands,  the 
neighbourhood  of  Touzla  Bay  being  reputed  unhealthy  in  summer. 

In  the  meanwhile,  in  order  to  strengthen  the  hands  of  the 
British  representatives  at  the  Congress  which  had  been  called  at 
Berlin  to  arrange  final  terms  of  peace,  the  Channel  Squadron/- 
under Vice-Admiral  Lord  John  Hay  (3),  C.B.,  in  the  Minotaur, 
Captain  Harry  Holds  worth  Rawson,  had  been  dispatched  to  the 
Mediterranean,  anchored  in  Suda  Bay,  and  placed  under  Vice- 
Admiral  Hornby's  orders.  At  the  end  of  June,  Hay  was  sent  to 
Larnaca,  in  Cyprus,  where  presently  the  battleship  Invincible  and 
the  cruiser  Raleigh  (both  of  the  Mediterranean  fleet)  joined  him. 
On  July  8th  the  conditional  cession  of  Cyprus  to  Great  Britain  was. 
announced  in  Parliament,  and,  on  the  same  day,  Lord  John  Hay- 
was  directed  to  take  possession  of  it.  This  and  the  decisions  of 
the  Congress  marked  the  end  of  the  period  of  extreme  tension  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Dardanelles,  although,  on  July  14th,  the  Swift- 
sure  s  steam-pinnace  was  fired  upon  by  the  Russians  near  Xeros, 
and  two  British  officers  were  taken  prisoners.  General  Todleben, 
the  Russian  commander-in-chief,  offered,  however,  satisfactory 
explanations  and  regretful  apologies. 

On  August  6th  Hornby  was  deservedly  rewarded  with  a  K.C.B. 
"  How  wonderfully  complete,"  wrote  Lord  Charles  Beresford, 
"  your  organisation  must  have  been,  as,  if  even  a  Midshipman  had. 
lost  his  temper,  he  might  have  run  the  country  into  war."  The 
San  Stefano  lines  were  evacuated  by  the  Russians  on  September 
'23rd,  and,  in  accordance  with  an  agreement  which  had  been  arrived 
at,  the  fleet  moved  to  Artaki  on  the  28th.  There  it  remained  until 
January  1st,  1879,  when  it  sailed  for  Ismid. 

On  January  2nd,  while  the  battleship  Thunderer,  Captain  Alfred 
John  Chatfield,  which  had  relieved  the  Devastation,  about  two 
months  earlier,  was  practising  at  quarters  in  the  Gulf  of  Ismid, 
one  of  the  12-in.  38-ton  Woolwich  muzzle-loaders,  supposed  to- 
be  charged  with  85  lb.3  of  powder  and  a  common  shell,  burst  in 

1  The  Sultan  turned  over  her  officers  and  crew  to  the  Jilack  Prince,  of  the  Channel. 
Squadron,  at  Malta  on  May  9. 

-  The  place  of  the  Channel  Squadron  in  home  waters  was  taken  by  the  Reserve- 
Squadron,  under  liuar-Adm.  Henry  Boys. 

3  The  full  charge  was  110  lb. ;  and  a  charge  of  that  weight,  with  an  empty  Palliser 
shell,  had,  as  was  imagined,  been  fired  a  few  minutes  earlier. 


1879.]  BURSTING    OF   TIIK  "TIlUNDEKElfS"    GUN.  299- 

her  fore-turret.  The  muzzle,  from  about  two  feet  in  front  of  the 
trunnions,  was  blown  off,  and  terrible  destruction  was  done.  Two 
officers,  Lieutenant  Augustus  Heyliger  Coker,  R.N.,  and  Lieutenant 
Edward  Daniel,  E.M.A.,  with  nine  men,  were  killed,  and  thirty-five 
persons  were  injured.  Only  one  of  those  who  were  in  the  turret 
survived.  The  accident  seems  to  have  been  due  either  to  double 
loading  or  to  a  shifting  forward  of  the  projectile  after  it  had  been 
hydraulically  rammed  home  in  the  depressed  muzzle.  The  com- 
mittee which  reported  upon  the  subject  adopted  the  former  theory.1 
Lord  Charles  Beresford,  writing  to  the  Times,  said:  "that  any  of 
the  Woolwich  pattern  guns  could  burst,  except  under  conditions 
unfair  to  the  gun,  I  do  not  believe."  There  was  evidence,  however, 
that  flaws  in  the  material  might,  in  certain  circumstances,  cause  an 
explosive  burst,  for  on  no  other  hypothesis  can  the  bursting  of  a 
9-in.  12-ton  Woolwich  gun  in  the  turret  ship  Wivern  in  1867  be 
explained.  On  that  occasion,  although  about  thirteen  persons  were 
inside  the  turret,  and  the  breech  of  the  gun,  weighing  about  a  ton, 
was  blown  off,  there  were  happily  110  casualties. '  While  the  great 
balance  of  probability  indicates  that  the  Thunderer 's  gun  had  been 
doubly  loaded  by  mistake,  owing  to  a  previous  miss-fire  during  the 
discharge  of  an  electric  broadside  not  having  been  noticed,  it  cannot 
be  said  that  the  truth  of  this  theory  was  ever  demonstrated  beyond 
all  doubt. 

Not  until  March  19th,  when  the  Russians  were  withdrawing  from 
Adrianople,  did  Sir  Geoffrey  Hornby  repass  the  Dardanelles. 

For  many  months  Europe  had  been  upon  the  verge  of  a  general 
war.  No  individual,  perhaps,  did  more  to  avert  that  catastrophe 
than  the  Vice-Admiral ;  yet  certainly  no  Englishman  was  more 
determined  than  he  to  champion  what  he  conceived  to  be  British 
interests,  and  to  fight  for  them  if  necessary.  His  fine  performance 
affords  a  good  example  of  the  old  truth  that  obvious  readiness,  to 
strike  more  often  saves  than  provokes  a  quarrel.  How  he  would 
have  fared,  had  he  had  to  strike,  is  another  question.  His 
squadron,  it  is  true,  was  small.  On  the  other  hand,  he  had  under 
him,  in  Sir  Edmund  Commerell,  Sir  W.  N.  W.  Hewett,  Captain 
Nowell  Salmon,  Captain  Culme-Seymour,  and  many  others,  officers 
who,  in  their  day,  were  among  the  very  best  in  the  Navy,  and  who, 

1  Report  issued  Mar.  1,  1879.  The  correctness  of  the  conclusion  was  to  a  great 
extent  confirmed  by  experiments  which  were  made  with  the  sister  gun  at  Woolwich  in 
the  following  December  and  January. 


300      MII.ITAllY  HISTORY   OF   1UK  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

almost  without  exception,  believed  in  Hornby  as,  so  more  than  one 
of  them  has  told  me,  they  believed  in  no  other  Commander-in-Chief 
of  their  time. 

During  the  time  of  tension,  Russia  made  numerous  purchases, 
especially  in  America,  of  vessels  suitable  for  service  as  privateers. 
Most  of  these  were  carefully  watched  by  British  cruisers.  From  the 
same  period  dates  the  formation  of  the  Russian  "  Volunteer  Fleet  " 
—a  flotilla  consisting  for  the  most  part  of  large  and  fast  craft  which 
are  chiefly  used  at  ordinary  times  as  transports  and  storeships,  but 
which  carry  formidable  armaments  in  their  holds,  and  can  mount 
them  promptly  in  case  of  need. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  much  concerning  the  occupation  of 
Cyprus.  The  ships  concerned  in  it  were  the — 


O'MMAM'KK*.  llEMAKK*. 


Minotaur,  b.s  W 

i  V.-Adm.  Lord  John  Hay  (3).  C.B.            i 
/(.'apt.  Harry  Holdsworth  Iluwson. 

Flagslrp,  Channel  Squad. 

Jilack  1'rincc  b  s.  .  .  .•  .  28 

(Coin.  .John  Fellowes. 
jOapt.  H.R.H.  Dnkn  of  Edinburgh,  K.G.  ) 
[Com.  liich.  Kredk.  Britten. 
,Capt.  Algernon  McLennan  Lyons. 

Channel  Squad. 
Channel  Sqnail. 

Capt    Liudesay  Brine 

Medit  Fleet. 

Pallas,  arm!,  corv.  ...  8 
j;alcig_k,  cr  22 

Foxlunind,  g.b  4 

\Corn.  \\m.  Fredk.  Maulev  Mann, 
Capt.  Hy.  Hamilton  Beamish,  C.B, 
.('apt.  Cba*.  Tn-lawny  .Jago.                      1 
{Com.  Day  Hort  Buwnqwt,  *                      / 

i  Lieut.  Win.  Hy.  Geo.  Nuwell. 

Medit.  Fleet. 
Medit.  Fleet. 

i  Dptained  on  way  home  from 
I     China. 

These  reached  the  neighbourhood  of  the  island  on  July  7th,  1878, 
and,  after  the  Raleigh  had  been  sent  in  to  take  soundings,  the 
squadron  anchored  in  Larnaca  Bay  on  the  8th.  On  the  10th  the 
British  dispatch-vessel  Salamis,  2,  Commander  Frederick  Wilbrahani 
Egerton,  arrived  from  Constantinople  with  the  Pasha  who  had  been 
empowered  to  transfer  the  island  to  British  rule ;  and  on  the  night 
of  the  llth  the  flagship  landed  53  Marines,  under  Captain  Henry 
Holdsworth  Kelly,  E.M.A.,  to  take  possession  of  the  capital, 
Nicosia.  Other  detachments  of  Royal  Marines,  and  a  force  of 
bluejackets,  under  Lieutenant  Jasper  Edmund  Thomson  Nicolls, 
were  subsequently  disembarked.  The  honour  of  having  first  hoisted 
the  British  flag  in  the  island  appears  to  be  due  to  Lieutenant 
Horatio  Fraser  Kemble,  first  of  the  Minotaur.1  Lord  John  Hay 
assumed  the  governorship  of  the  place  pending  the  arrival  of 
Sir  Garnet  Wolseley,  who  had  been  appointed  to  the  post,  and  who 
quickly  assumed  it. 

1  A.  .6  AT.  Oaz.,  July  20,  and  Aug.  3,  1878. 


1878.] 


THE   OCCUPATION    OF 


301 


Troops  were  soon  sent  to  the  island  to  relieve  the  bluejackets 
and  Marines  011  shore.  An  open  beach  was  the  only  landing-place 
for  them,  but  the  Navy  improvised  facilities.  That  the  labour 
involved  in  doing  so  w:as  very  arduous  may  be  gathered  from  the 
fact  that  the  working  hours  for  the  ships'  companies  were  from 
3.15  A.M.  to  9.30  P.M.,  with  an  interval  of  only  one  hour  for  rest, 
and  that  many  of  the  men  were  up  to  their  necks  in  water  while 


U.K. II.    ALKliKI)    EKNEST    ALBK11T,    DL'KK    OF    8AXE-COBC11G    AND   GOTHA,    DUKE   01' 

EDIXBUltGII,  K.C.,  K.T.,  G.C.B.,   K.P.,  O.C.S.L,  O.C.M.O.,  C.C.I.E.,  G.C.V.O.,  A.D.C., 

ADMIRAL   OF   THE    FLEET. 

(From  a  photo  bif  Duicnctj.) 

engaged  in  pier-building.  Captain  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  person- 
ally superintended  the  landing  of  the  whole  of  the  men  and  stores. 
The  following  extract  from  a  letter  sent  to  the  Scotsman  by  a  non- 
commissioned officer  of  the  71st  Highlanders  gives  an  interesting 
glimpse  of  the  energetic  manner  in  which  his  Royal  Highness  threw 
himself  into  his  work,  and  affords  room  for  regret  that  this  was  one 
of  the  very  few  occasions  when  the  lamented  Prince  was  able 


!K)2      MILITARY  I/rSTOSY   Of   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

actively  to  exert  himself  in  a  service  which  he  loved  ardently  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  twenty-two  years  later:— 

"The  order  was  given  for  the  regiment  to  disembark  at  4  A.M.  on  the  24th,  Rnd  so 
good  were  the  arrangements  (which  were  under  the  entire  control  of  H.R.EL  the  Duke 
of  Edinburgh)  that  at  4.20  A.M.  there  was  not  a  71st  man  left  in  the  ship.  We  were 
taken  on  shore  in  large  horse-boats,  tugged  by  steam  launches.  As  we  came  alongside 
the  pier  the  first  man  I  saw  wns  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  who  was  helping  the  men  out 
of  the  boats.  As  each  of  us  carried  our  valise  in  one  hand,  and  our  rifle  in  the  other, 
and  as  there  was  a  swell  on  the  water,  you  will  understand  that  a  man  jumping  out  is 
apt,  if  he  does  not  jump  at  the  proper  time,  to  find  himself  between  the  pier  and  the 
boat,  with  a  very  ^ood  chance  of  being  drowned  or  crushed  the  next  time  the  boat 
•comes  up.  To  prevent  this,  the  Duke,  and  others  with  him,  caught  each  man  by  the 
arm  as  he  jumped  out;  and  so  well  was  this  attended  to  that  not  a  single  man,  or 
rifle,  or  valise  fell  into  the  water.  I  can  assure  you  that  it  will  be  a  long  time 
before  we  forget  the  cheery  word  and  smile  his  Roy.il  Highness  had  for  each  of  us  as 
he  helped  us  on  to  the  pier.  Early  as  it  was,  the  sun  was  blazing  hot,  and  though  we 
had  our  hilmets  on,  he  had  onl\  his  navy  cap,  with  a  white  cover  on  it.  After  we 
were  all  out  of  the  boats,  and  when  I  was  going  to  Call  in  with  the  regiment,  I  saw  him 
amongst  the  baggage,  directing  and  encouraging,  all  his  anxiety  being  to  get  us  out  of 
the  sun." 

What  is  remembered  in  South  Africa  as  the  Transkei,  or  "  Old 
Colony  "  war,  but  which  was,  in  fact,  a  number  of  small  simultaneous 
•campaigns  against  rebellious  Galekas,  Gaikas,  Griquas,  and  other 
turbulent  native  tribes  in  1877-78,  was  carried  out  mainly  by  the 
land  forces;  but  the  screw  corvette  Active,  10,  Commodore  Francis 
William  Sullivan,  C.B.,1  bore  a  certain  share  in  the  operations. 
Her  boats  having  been  unable  to  effect  a  landing  through  the  surf 
.at  Bowker's  Bay  in  presence  of  a  large  body  of  Galekas,  she  turned 
her  guns  on  the  natives,  and,  it  was  said  at  the  time,  impressed 
them  so  powerfully  that,  if  only  their  responsible  leaders  had  been 
on  the  spot  at  the  time,  peace  might  have  been  then  and  there 
concluded.  A  little  later,  011  January  14th,  1878,  she  landed  a 
Naval  Brigade  of  196  officers,  seamen,  and  Marines  at  East  London, 
under  Commander  Henry  Townley  Wright.  This  took  part  in  the 
action  at  Quintana  on  February  7th,  and  rendered  most  useful 
service,  Lieutenant  William  des  Vcoux  Hamilton  doing  valuable 
work  in  command  of  the  rocket  party.2  On  July  3rd  following  the 
Commodore  and  his  officers 3  received  an  address  and  vote  of  thanks 
from  the  House  of  Assembly  of  Cape  Colony.  These  disturbances 

1  C.  M.  G.  May  24,  1878.  2  Norbnry :  'The  Naval  Brigade  in  S.  Africa.' 

3  The  officers  landed,  besides  those  already  mentioned,  were  Lieut.  Robt.  Wm. 

Craigie;  Lieut.  (R.M.)  Townley  Ward  Dowding;  Sub-Lieuts.  Arth.  Hy.  Loring,  Reg. 

Purves  Cochran,  and  Lionel  Aubrey  Wallis  Barnes-Lawrence ;  Staff-Surg.  Hy.  Fredk. 

"JSTorbury;  Gunner  Hy.  Bays;  and  Clerk  Ralph  I'alsom  Marwood. 


1878.]  THE   ZULU    WAR.  303 

led  incidentally  to  the  annexation  of  Walfisch  Bay,  which  was 
formally  taken  possession  of  on  March  12th,  1878,  by  Staff- 
Commander  Kichard  Gossan  tine  Dyer,  of  the  storeship  Industry,  1. 
They  also,  no  doubt,  had  some  effect  in  encouraging  the  Zulus  to 
become  restless,  and  actively  to  prosecute  their  ancient  feuds  with 
their  white  neighbours.1 

Before  the  actual  outbreak  of  the  Zulu  war,  the  Active  again 
landed  a  Brigade.  The  detachment  disembarked  at  Durban  on 
November  19th,  1878,  and  proceeded  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Zululand  boundary  line,  there  to  garrison  Fort  Pearson  and  other 
posts  on  the  Lower  Tugela  with  a  view  to  preventing  incursions 
into  Natal. 

The  Zulu  question  as  it  then  stood  may  be  thus  summarised. 

Cetewayo,  the  king,  had  had  a  dispute  of  long  standing  with  the 
South  African  Republic  concerning  some  land  between  the  Buffalo 
and  the  Pongola  which  had  been  occupied  as  Transvaal  territory. 
After  the  annexation  of  the  Transvaal  by  Great  Britain,  Cetewayo 
had  built  military  kraals  on  that  territory,  and  had  given  its 
inhabitants  notice  to  quit.  Attempts  had  been  made  to  arrange 
the  difficulty,  with  the  result  that  a  commission  had  been  appointed, 
and  had  reported  in  June,  1878 ;  but  the  final  award  had  been  left 
for  the  consideration  of  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  High  Commissioner  for 
South  Africa. 

Frere  proceeded  to  Natal  in  September,  1878,  and,  in  dealing 
with  the  situation,  took  account  not  only  of  the  boundary  question, 
but  also  of  the  general  relations  of  Cetewayo  with  his  neighbours. 
After  making  a  careful  survey  of  those  relations,2  which  was  very 
unsatisfactory,  he  decided  that  the  award  on  the  boundary  question 
should  be  made  known  to  Cetewayo  simultaneously  with  certain 
demands,  the  concession  of  which  was  regarded  as  necessary  for  the 
welfare  as  well  of  the  Zulus  as  of  the  inhabitants  of  Natal  and  the 
Transvaal.  The  award,  which  was  favourable  to  the  Zulu  claims, 
and  the  demands,  were  delivered  to  Cetewayo's  representatives  on 
December  llth,  1878 ;  and  twenty  days  were  allowed  the  king  for 
compliance  with  the  most  pressing  requirements  of  the  ultimatum. 
When  those  twenty  days  had  expired  without  any  sign  of  submission 

1  The  Transvaal  had   been  annexed  to  Great  Britain  on  Apr.  12,  1877,  by  Sir 
Theophilus  Shepstone,  who  continued  to  administer  it  until  Mar.,  1879.     Great  Britain, 
however,  iuheiited  the  Boer  feuds  both  with  Cetew.iyo,  of  Zululand,  and  with  Sikukuni, 
•chief  of  the  Bapidi  tribe  of  the  Bechuanas. 

2  Frere's  Mem.  of  Jan.,  1879. 


304      MJL1TA11Y  HISTOHY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

on  the  part  of  the  Zulus,  Sir  Bartle  Frere  transferred  the  further 
.conduct  of  the  affair  to  Lieutenant-General  Lord  Chelmsford. 

For  some  months  before  the  delivery  of  the  ultimatum  prepa- 
rations for  a  struggle  had  been  made  by  both  the  parties  concerned. 
The  Imperial  authorities  had  landed  troops  and  munitions  of  war  at 
Durban,  had  called  out  the  mounted  volunteers  of  Natal,  had  formed 
three  regiments  of  Natal  natives,  and  had  massed  all  their  forces  on 
the  Zululand  border,  in  three  columns.  The  first  of  these,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Tugela,  was  under  Colonel  Pearson,  and  included  the 
Naval  Brigade  from  the  Active.  The  second,  or  main  column,  under 
Colonel  Glyn,  had  its  headquarters  at  Helpmakaar ;  the  third,  under 
Colonel  Evelyn  Wood,  A'.C.,  had  Utrecht  as  its  base,  and  lay  in 
territory  the  ownership  of  which  was  in  dispute. 

Colonel  Wood  crossed  the  Blood  Kiver  into  Zululand  on  Janu- 
ary 6th,  1879,  and,  on  the  17th,  moved  towards  the  sources  of  the 
White  Umfolosi,  and  thence  to  Kambula,  where  he  entrenched 
himself.  Colonel  Glyn  crossed  the  Buffalo  at  Itorke's  Drift  on 
January  llth,  gained  a  facile  and  delusive  success  over  the  Zulus 
at  Usirayo's  stronghold  on  the  12th,  and  then  moved  tediously 
towards  Isandhlwana,  a  mountain  at  the  base  of  which  he  encamped 
on  the  20th.  On  the  22nd,  Lord  Chelmsford  and  Colonel  Glyn 
moved  out  of  camp  to  reinforce  Major  Dartnell,  who  had  proceeded 
with  a  patrol  in  the  direction  of  Matyana's  stronghold  ;  and,  during 
their  absence,  the  rest  of  the  column,  under  Colonels  Pulleine  and 
Durnford,  about  1100  strong,  was  surprised,  overwhelmed,  and 
practically  annihilated.1  The  little  commissariat  and  hospital  post 
at  Eorke's  Drift,  ten  miles  to  the  rear,  was  afterwards  attacked  by 
the  victorious  Zulus,  but  was  heroically  defended  by  Lieutenants 
Chard,  E.E.,  and  Broinhead  (24th  Kegiment),  until  the  enemy  was 
beaten  off,  leaving  350  dead  behind  him.  Lord  Chelmsford  did  not 
learn  what  had  befallen  his  camp  until  comparatively  late  in  the 
day.  On  the  23rd,  after  having  passed  an  anxious  night  in  the 
devastated  camp,  he  moved  back  to  Eorke's  Drift. 

Colonel  Wood,  from  his  post  at  Kambula,  harried  the  enemy 
very  successfully,  though  not  without  some  reverses.  Colonel 
Pearson  crossed  the  Tugela  Eiver  near  its  mouth  on  January  22nd, 

1  The  only  representative  of  the  Navy  present  at  Isaudhlwana  was  William 
Ayusley,  a  signalman  belonging  to  the  Active.  He  was  seeu,  "  his  back  against  a 
waggon-wheel,  keeping  the  Zulus  at  bay  with  his  cutlass;  but  a  Zulu  crept  up  behind 
him,  and  stabbed  him  through  the  spokes."  Hallam  Parr :  '  Sketch  of  the  Kaffir  and 
Zulu  Wars.'  Lieut.  A.  ».  Milne,  U.K.,  was  at  the  time  with  Lord  Chelmsford. 


1878.]  THE  ZULU    WAR.  305 

and  on  the  same  day  was  attacked  by,  and  defeated,  a  Zulu  force  at 
^he  Inyezane  River.  He  then  resumed  his  march,  and  next  day 
reached  Ekowe.1  He  had  intended  to  move  upon  Cetewayo's  kraal 
at  Ulundi,  but,  upon  hearing  of  the  disaster  at  Isandhlwana,  he 
decided  to  hold  Ekowe  fort,  sending,  however,  his  mounted  troops 
back  to  the  border.  He  retained  about  1,300  men,  inclusive  of 
the  Naval  Brigade,  and  plenty  of  ammunition  ;  and  he  held  his 
position  until  his  relief  on  April  3rd.  He  was  never  attacked. 

After  Isandhlwana  and  Eorke's  Drift,  Lord  Chelmsford  evacu- 
ated Zululand,  and  awaited  reinforcements.  At  the  beginning  of 
April  he  advanced  to  relieve  Ekowe,  and,  on  the  2nd,  defeated  the 
enemy  at  Ginginhlovo,  six  miles  south  of  the  Inyezane  River. 
Pearson,  freed  on  the  3rd,  returned  to  the  Tugela.  From  that  time 
forward  no  considerable  action  was  fought  until  July  4th,  just  after 
the  arrival  in  South  Africa  of  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  to  take  over  the 
supreme  command.  On  that  day  Lord  Chelmsford  signally  defeated 
the  Zulus  at  Ulundi,  and  virtually  ended  the  war ;  and  on  August 
28th  Cetewayo  was  captured  in  the  Ingome  Forest  by  Major 
Richard  Marter,  of  the  King's  Dragoon  Guards.  The  Zulu  King 
was  sent  to  Port  Durnford,  where,  embarking  in  the  transport 
Natal,  under  the  charge  of  Lieutenant  Crawford  Caffin,  he  was 
escorted  to  Cape  Town  by  the  gunboat  Forester,  4,  Lieutenant 
Sidney  Glenton  Smith. 

The  general  course  of  the  war  having  been  thus  briefly  sum- 
marised, the  share  taken  in  it  by  the  Royal  Navy  may  be  followed 
in  somewhat  greater  detail. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  Active  disembarked  a  detachment 
at  Durban  on  November  19th,  1878,  and  that  Commodore  Francis 
William  Sullivan 2  sent  it  to  the  neighbouring  Zululand  boundary 
line.  This  detachment  garrisoned  Fort  Pearson,  on  the  Natal  side 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Tugela,  and  established  and  worked  a  pontoon, 
by  which  eventually  Pearson's  column  crossed  into  Zululand.  The 
naval  force  consisted  of  174  blue-jackets,  42  Marines,  about  14  West. 
African  Kroomen,  two  12-prs.,  one  10-barrelled  Gatling  gun,  and 
two  rocket  tubes,  under  Commander  Henry  John  Fletcher  Camp- 
bell (acting  Captain)  ;  Lieutenants  Robert  William  Craigie,  and 

1  Or  Etshowe. 

2  Rear-Adm.  Dec.  31,  1878.     Soon  afterwards   Commod.   Fredk.  Wm.   Richards 
arrived  in  the  Boadicea,  Sullivan,  however,  remaining  on  the  station  for  some  little 
time,  and  surrendering  the  command  only  on  Mar.  24. 

VOL.   VII.  X 


306      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

William  des  Voeux  Hamilton ;  Sub-Lieutenant  Thomas  Guthrie 
Fraser ;  Navigating  Sub-Lieutenant  John  George  Heugh ;  Staff- 
Surgeon  Henry  Frederick  Norbury  ;  Surgeon  William  Thompson  ; 
Lieutenant  (E.M.)  Townley  Ward  Dowding;  Midshipman  Lewis 
Cadwallader  Coker l ;  and  Boatswain  John  Cotter.  Lieutenant 
Archibald  Berkeley  Milne,  who  was  also  landed  from  the  Active, 
was  attached  as  naval  aide-de-camp  to  Lord  Chehnsford's  staff. 

On  December  20th,  1878,  the  Tenedos,  12,  Captain  Edward 
Stanley  Adeane,  arrived  at  Durban ;  and  on  January  1st,  1879,  she 
also  landed  a  Naval  Brigade  of  3  officers  and  58  men,  under 
Lieutenant  Anthony  Kingscote,  who  took  them  to  the  Zulu  side 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Tugela,  and  there  built  and  garrisoned  Fort 
Tenedos. 

When  Colonel  Pearson  advanced  into  Zululand,  he  was  accom- 
panied by  the  Active's  Brigade,  of  the  behaviour  of  which  at  the 
action  of  the  Inyezane  Kiver  on  January  22nd,  Commander 
Campbell  wrote 2 : — 

"All  were  remarkably  steady  under  fire.  Those  employed  on  the  ridge  were 
exposed  to  a  cross  fire  for  nearly  two  hours,  after  which  they  responded  to  my  call  for 
the  final  assault  with  alacrity,  and  led  the  rush  till  success  was  secured.  I  particularly 
recommend  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  whose  company  was  in  front  during  the  action. 
Sub-Lieutenant  Fr«ser  also  did  good  service  in  command  of  the  reserve,  being  under 
fire  the  whole  time.  Boatswain  Cotter  was  most  successful  with  the  rockets  I  placed 
in  his  ci  >arge.  Lieutenant  Craigie  .  .  .  rendered  valuable  services  as  acting-adjutant. 
...  I  beg  to  recommend  to  your  notice  E.  While,  P.  0.  First  Clnss,  who  continued  to 
fight  afiei  having  been  struck  by  a  ball;  B.  Futcher,  P.  0.  First  Class,  who  took  a 
leading  part  in  the  movements;  Thomas  Harding,  ordinary,  who  was  the  first  un- 
mounted man  in  enemy's  position." 

The  Brigade  had  seven  men  wounded. 

In  the  meantime  the  disaster  of  Isandhlwana  had  struck  Natal 
with  panic,  and  had  caused  the  Colony  to  fear  an  immediate  Zulu 
invasion.  When  the  Boadicea,  16,  Commodore  Frederick  William 
Eichards,  which  had  gone  from  England  to  relieve  the  Active, 
reached  the  Cape,  small-pox  had  broken  out  in  her,  so  that  it  was 
impossible  for  her  to  land  a  Brigade  as  promptly  as  she  would 
otherwise  have  landed  one.  There  was  also  small-pox  in  the  Flora, 
guardship  at  Simon's  Bay,  so  that  people  could  not  be  drawn  from 
her.  Chelmsford's  column  was  shattered  ;  Pearson's  was  shut  up  ; 
Wood's  was  fighting  in  the  enemy's  country ;  the  cry  was  for  steady 
fighting  men.  It  was  unexpectedly  answered  from  the  sea. 

1  Died  in  Ekowe.  »  Report  to  R.-Ad.  Sullivan. 


1879.]  THE  ZULU    WAI!.  307 

The  screw  iron  frigate  Shah,  26,  Captain  Eichard  Bradshaw,  on 
her  way  home  from  the  Pacific,  called  at  St.  Helena,  the  Governor 
of  which  island,  having  heard  of  Isandhlwana,  allowed  him  to  take 
on  board  all  the  available  troops,  200  in  number.  With  them 
Bradshaw  sailed  for  Simon's  Bay  on  February  12th,  arriving  on 
February  23rd.  He  acted  on  his  own  responsibility,  and  was 
rewarded  with  the  full  approval  of  the  Admiralty  and  the  country. 
From  Simon's  Bay  he  was  ordered  up  to  Durban,  where,  on  March 
7th,  he  disembarked  16  officers  and  378  men,  under  Commander 
John  William  Brackenbury,  thus  at  once  doubling  the  strength  of 
the  naval  detachments  in,  and  on  the  borders  of,  Natal.  On  March 
18th  the  Boadicea  also  was  able  to  land  a  Brigade  of  10  officers  and 
218  men,  under  Commander  Francis  Eomilly.  These  two  detach- 
ments, together  with  the  one  from  the  Tenedos,  joined  the  force 
which  presently  proceeded  to  the  relief  of  Ekowe,  where  the  Active's 
contingent  remained  shut  up  with  Pearson.  They  had  a  con- 
spicuous share,  consequently,  in  the  battle  of  Ginginhlovo  on  April 
2nd,  1879,  when  Brackenbury  was  in  command  of  the  united 
Brigades,  Commodore  Richards,  however,  being  present.1  The 
Navy  held  the  corners  of  the  British  square,  and  its  guns  rendered 
excellent  service.  The  naval  casualties  that  day  were  one  officer 
(Staff- Surgeon  William  Digby  Longfield)  and  6  men  wounded. 

On  April  4th,  the  day  after  the  relief  of  Ekowe,  Acting-Captain 
Campbell,  of  the  Active,  was  placed  by  the  Commodore  in  command 
of  the  entire  Brigade,  then  numbering  upwards  of  800  officers  and 
men  ;  and  he  retained  that  position  until  the  Active's  and  ShaJi's 
contingents  re-embarked  on  July  21st ;  but,  up  to  the  time  of  the 
general  forward  movement  in  June,  Commander  Brackenbury  com- 
manded that  part  of  the  Brigade  which  remained  with  the  advanced 
force  on  the  Inyezane  Eiver.  The  Tenedos's  contingent  had  by 
that  time  been  withdrawn,  having  re-embarked  on  May  8th.  Says 
Commodore  Eichards : — 

"  During  the  occupation  of  Fort  Chelmsford,  several  reconnaissances  were  made  for 
the  examination  of  the  different  drifts  for  the  passage  of  the  Emlalazi  River ;  in  which 
Commanders  Brackenbury  and  Romilly,  and  Sub- Lieutenants  (James)  Startin,  and 
(Arthur  Hale)  Smith-Dorrien  to»k  part.  These  reconnaissances  were  made  under  fire. 
The  division  encamped  on  the  Emlalazi  plain  on  tlie  coast,  at  the  position  known  as 
Port  Durnford ;  and,  on  the  arrival  of  the  Forester  with  the  surf-boats,  and  of  store- 
ships,  for  the  purpose  of  opening  communications  with  the  shore  at  that  place,  the 


1  Richards's  disps.  of  Apr.  11,  and  Sept.  13,  1879.     The   Royal   Marines   were 
commanded  in  the  battle  by  Capt.  Joseph  Philips,  R.M.L.T. 

x  2 


308      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

services  of  the  Brigade  were  immediately  put  in  requisition  for  this  operation ;  and  so 
well  was  the  work  done  that  in  three  weeks'  time  over  2000  tons  of  commissariat  and 
ordnance  stores  had  been  landed  on  the  open  beach,  to  the  entire  relief  of  the  land 
transport." 

The  last  naval  contingent  to  re-embark  was  that  from  the 
Boadicea,  which  returned  to  its  ship  on  July  31st.  The  only  other 
vessel  which  had  any  of  her  people  serving  ashore  during  the  war 
was  the  Flora,  which  sent  two  officers  to  the  front  on  April  20th ; 
but  it  may  be  mentioned  that  two  members  of  the  Eoyal  Naval 
Artillery  Volunteers  went  up  country  at  their  own  expense,  and 
joined  the  Active  s  Brigade,  and  that  some  others  attached  them- 
selves to  other  commands.  A  Eoyal  Marine  battalion  sent  out  from 
England  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  land  in  Africa  too  late  to  partici- 
pate in  the  final  actions  of  the  campaign.  It  was  also  a  matter  of 
great  disappointment  to  both  the  Royal  Navy  and  the  Eoyal  Marines 
that  they  were  not  represented  at  the  battle  of  Ulundi,  save  by 
Lieutenant  A.  B.  Milne,  who  still  served  as  Lord  Chelmsford's 
aide-de-camp,  and  who  was  wounded ;  but  they  had  the  satisfaction, 
previous  to  their  re-embarkation,  of  being  inspected  by  Sir  Garnet 
Wolseley,  who,  in  his  General  Order,  declared  : — 

"The  conduct  of  the  men  has  been  admirable,  and  their  bearing  in  action  in  every 
way  worthy  of  the  service  to  which  they  belong,  while  they  have  worked  hard  and 
cheerfully  in  their  laborious  duties,  which  constitute  so  important  a  part  of  all  military 
operations." 

The  Forester,  4,  Lieutenant  Sidney  Glenton  Smith,  made  herself 
indispensable  in  surveying  the  coast  with  a  view  to  finding  suitable 
landing-places  for  troops  and  supplies ;  and  she  enabled  Port 
Durnford  to  be  utilised  as  a  base.  Her  second  visit  to  that 
neighbourhood  was  made  on  April  22nd.  On  the  24th,  when  the 
gunboat  was  lying  off  Port  Durnford,  and  two  of  her  boats  were 
sounding  close  in  shore,  a  large  body  of  Zulus  suddenly  appeared 
and  opened  fire  from  the  beach.  The  boats  retired,  firing  as  they 
went ;  and  the  Forester  then  shelled  the  coast  and  bush,  killing  a 
number  of  cattle,  and  probably  causing  other  casualties.1 

The  transport  service  during  the  war  was  managed  mainly  by 
Captain  Guy  Ouchterlony  Twiss,  Commander  Edward  Henry  Meggs 
Davis,  Lieutenants  Crawford  Caffm,  and  Frederick  Streatfield  Pelly, 
Staff-Surgeon  James  Hamilton  Martin,  and  Paymaster  William 
Besley  Eamsey  (all  borne  in  the  Boadicea),  and  by  Lieutenant 
Alexander  Milne  Gardiner,  of  the  Shah.  Among  the  numerous 

1  Xatal  Mercury. 


1877.]  CAFFIN  AT   TANNA.  309 

officers  whose  names  were  mentioned  in  the  dispatches,  the 
following  were  rewarded  with  honours  or  promotion  : — 

To  be  K.C.B. :  Rear-Admiral  Francis  William  Sullivan,  Nov.  27,  1879. 

To  be  C.B. :   Captains   Frederick  William   Richards,  Richard   Bradshaw,  Henry 

John   Fletcher   Campbell,   and    Fleet-Surgeon    Henry   Frederick    Norbury, 

Nov.  27,  1879. 
To  be  C.M.G. :  Captains  Edward  Stanley  Adeane,  and  John  William  Brackenbury, 

Dec.  19,  1879. 

To  be  Captain :  Commander  Henry  John  Fletcher  Campbell,  July  3,  1879. 
To    be    Commanders :    Lieutenants    Crawford   Caffin,   and   Anthony   Kingscote, 

July   3,   1879,  and   Frederick   Ralph   Carr,1   and   Robert   William   Craigie, 

Nov.  6,  1879. 
To  be  Lieutenants :  Sub-Lieutenants  James  Startin,  and  Thomas  Guthrie  Eraser, 

and  Navigating  Sub-Lieutenant  John  George  Heugh,  Nov.  6,  1879. 
To  be  Chief-Bontswain :  Boatswain  John  Cotter,  Nov.  6,  1879. 
To  be  Major,  R.M. :  Captain  Joseph  Philips,  R.M.,  Nov.  9,  1879. 
To  be  Captain,  R.M. :  Lieutenant  Townley  Ward  Dowding,  R.M.,  Nov.  15,  1879. 
To  be  Fleet-Surgeons:   Staff-Surgeons  Henry  Frederick   Norbury,  and  William 

Digby  Longfield,  July  3,  1879. 

In  1878  much  needless  importance  was  given,  in  Parliament  and 
elsewhere,  to  an  incident  which  had  occurred  at  Tanna,  in  the  New 
Hebrides,  in  September,  1877.  The  schooner  Beagle,  1,  Lieutenant 
Crawford  Caffin,  had  proceeded  thither  in  order  to  make  inquiries 
with  respect  to  the  murder  of  a  white  man  named  W.  Easterbrook  ; 
had  demanded  the  murderer  from  the  head  men  of  the  village  of 
Numukur ;  had  been  refused ;  and,  in  concert  with  the  commander 
of  the  schooner  Benard,  1,  Lieutenant  Horace  John  Moore  Pugh, 
had  seized  a  number  of  hostages.  As  a  result,  one  Nokwai,  a 
younger  brother  and  accomplice  of  the  actual  murderer,  had  been 
surrendered,  though  the  chief  criminal,  Yuhmaga,  had  not  been 
given  up.  Nokwai  had  thereupon  been  sentenced  to  death,  and  on 
September  25th  bad  been  hanged  at  the  fore  yard-arm  of  the  Beagle. 
Before  dying  the  prisoner  had  admitted  his  guilt.2 

In  his  comments  to  the  Admiralty  on  the  case,  Commodore 
Anthony  Hiley  Hoskins,  while  expressing  the  opinion  that  Caffin's 
proceedings  deserved  general  approval,  had  added  : — 

"that  it  would  have  been  more  satisfactory  had  the  man  executed  been  the  actual 
murderer,  Yuhmaga,  and  had  it  been  clearly  established  that  Easterbrook  was  free  from 
all  imputation  of  having  given  provocation.  I  also  think  that  it  would  have  been 
better  in  any  case  that  the  execution  should  have  taken  place  on  shore — if  possible,  on 
the  scene  of  the  murder :  and  I  purpose  so  informing  Lieut.  Caffin." 

Upon  these  facts  certain  well-meaning  people  based  an  agitation 
which  lasted  for  five  or  six  months.     Eventually  it  was  decided  that 
1  Gazetted,  but  subsequently  cancelled.          2  Caffin  to  Hoskins,  Sept.  26,  1877. 


310      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Lieutenant  Caffin  was  not  deserving  of  censure,  but  that,  upon  the 
whole,  it  was  undesirable  that  executions  of  the  kind  which  had 
taken  place  should  be  carried  out  on  board  H.M.  ships.1 

The  London,  store  ship  at  Zanzibar,  to  which  Captain  Hamilton 
Edward  George  Earle  was  appointed  in  the  summer  of  1878, 
continued  to  be  invaluable  as  a  centre  of  operations  against  the 
slave  trade.  Her  boats  were  unceasingly  active,  and  on  several 
occasions  her  officers  and  men  were  under  fire.  A  petty  officer 
named  Cornelius  Duggan  specially  distinguished  himself.  In  a 
dinghy,  with  one  seaman,  William  Clark,  only,  he  was  stationed  one 
night  to  watch  a  channel  between  an  outlying  island  and  Peniba, 
with  a  view  to  noting  whether  slaves  were  being  removed  from  the 
former.  In  the  small  hours,  two  canoes  full  of  people  suddenly 
quitted  the  small  island.  Although  his  possible  opponents 2  were  at 
least  thirty  or  forty  in  number,  Duggan  instantly  gave  chase.  The 
Arabs  opened  fire,  and  several  bullets  struck  the  dinghy,  while  one 
passed  through  Duggan's  clothes.  The  pursuit  was,  however,  most 
pluckily  persisted  in,  until  one  of  the  dinghy's  oars  broke ;  where- 
upon Duggan  and  his  companion  had  to  content  themselves  with 
emptying  their  revolvers  after  the  fugitives.3  At  about  the  same 
time  Sub-Lieutenant  Neville  Edmund  Cornwall  Legh  behaved  with 
great  gallantry  in  an  affair  at  Uzi,  and  also  made  numerous 
captures  of  slaves  at  Pemba. 

Early  in  1879  the  white  inhabitants  of  Sitka,  in  the  United 
States'  territory  of  Alaska,  had  reason  to  fear  that  their  Indian 
neighbours  were  about  to  rise  and  massacre  them,  and,  having 
in  vain  petitioned  their  own  government  for  assistance,  sent  an 
urgent  appeal  for  help  to  the  senior  British  naval  officer  at 
Esquimalt,  the  result  being  that  in  February  the  Osprey,  6, 
Commander  the  Hon.  Henry  Holmes  a'Court,  was  ordered  to  the 
threatened  spot,  where  she  remained  until  the  arrival  on  the  scene 
of  a  United  States'  corvette.  During  the  Osprey1  s  presence  off  the 
coast,  her  commander  was  boastingly  informed  by  the  Indians  that, 
whenever  they  might  choose  to  do  so,  they  could  make  themselves 
masters  of  the  little  United  States'  revenue  steamer  Oliver  Wolcott 
which  lay  there.  To  prevent  the  possibility  of  anything  of  the  sort, 
a'Court,  by  permission  of  the  American  naval  officer  in  charge  of 

1  Procs.  of  Ho.  of  Com.,  Aug.  5,  1878. 

2  About  half  seem  to  have  been  slaves,  and  half  Arab  dealers  and  their  men. 

3  Corr.  in  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Dec.  14  and  Dec.  28,  1878. 


1879.]  POLICE    WORK.  311 

the  feeble  craft,  put  a  body  of  British  bluejackets  and  a  Gatling  gun 
on  board  of  her  to  supplement  her  crew ;  and  with  these  the  Oliver 
Wolcott  undertook  an  expedition  to  intercept  some  war  canoes 
belonging  to  the  turbulent  chiefs.1 

In  the  Pacific  several  small  punitive  expeditions  were  undertaken 
by  her  Majesty's  ships  in  the  course  of  1879.  A  boat's  crew 
belonging  to  the  British  trader  Mystery  had  been  massacred  by  the 
natives  of  Aoba,  or  Lepers'  Island,  in  the  New  Hebrides,  and  there 
had  been  other  murders  of  white  men  in  the  Louisiade  Archipelago 
and  elsewhere.  The  vessels  employed  were  the  Cormorant,  6, 
Commander  James  Andrew  Thomas  Brace,  which  visited,  among 
other  places,  Brooker  Island,  New  Guinea,  and  Brother  Island, 
shelling  and  burning  villages  at  each  ;  the  Wolverene,  17,  Commodore 
John  Crawford  Wilson;  Conflict,  1,  schooner,  Lieutenant  John 
George  Musters ;  and  Beagle,  1,  schooner,  Lieutenant  Thomas 
de  Hoghton,  which  proceeded  to  Aoba,  Marau  Sound,  and  the 
Louisiades;  and  the  Danae,  12,  Captain  John  Child  Purvis  (2), 
which  also  went  to  Marau  Sound,  in  the  Solomon  Islands.  Wilson 
spared  the  Marau  natives,  understanding  that  they  had  already  been 
sufficiently  dealt  with  by  traders,  but  inflicted  severe  punishment 
at  Ferguson  Island,  and  in  the  Louisiades.  Purvis,  being  subse- 
quently despatched  to  Marau  Sound,  where,  after  all,  the  people 
had  not  been  taught  a  sufficiently  instructive  lesson,  destroyed  some 
villages  and  canoes,  but  suffered  a  loss  of  one  killed  and  two 
wounded.2 

Elsewhere  some  useful  police  work  was  done  in  the  same  year 
by  the  Boxer,  4,  Commander  Arthur  Hildebrand  Alington,  first  on 
the  west  coast  of  Africa,  where  the  gun-vessel  was  employed  to 
lodge  a  protest  against  the  French  occupation  of  the  island  of 
Matacong,  was  engaged  in  the  delimitation  of  the  Liberian 
boundary,  and  hoisted  the  British  flag  on  the  Scarcies  Eiver ;  and 
subsequently  off  the  coast  of  Haiti,  where,  in  the  summer,  a 
revolution  was  in  progress.  At  Port-au-Prince,  besides  protecting 
British  interests,  she  embarked  a  number  of  refugees,  including  a 
rebel  leader  who  had  sought  shelter  in  the  British  consulate ;  and 
more  than  once,  while  lying  there,  she  was  threatened  with  attack 

1  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Mar.  22  and  Apr.  12,  1879 :  Corr.  of  Times  and  Hampshire 
Telegraph. 

2  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Mar.  29,  Apr.  19,  May  24,  Aug.  16  and  30,  Sept.  6,  and 
Dec.  6,  1879. 


312      MILITARY  HISTOHY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,    1857-1900. 

from  the  shore.  Unhappily,  owing  to  the  insanitary  condition  of 
the  town  and  of  the  people  whom  she  saved  from  it,  yellow  fever 
attacked  her  officers  and  crew,  and  carried  off,  among  others, 
Lieutenant  Edward  Henry  Arden,  and  Paymaster  James  King  Bell. 
The  Decoy,  4,  Lieutenant  Victor  Edward  John  Brenton  von  Donop, 
in  the  earlier  half  of  1879,  rendered  useful  police  service  in  the 
Coanza  Kiver,  where  the  negroes  had  risen  and  murdered  two  white 
people  and  several  natives. 

More  serious  business  fell  to  the  lot  of  another  vessel  of  the 
West  African  command,  the  Pioneer,  6,  paddle,  Lieutenant  John 
Leslie  Burr.  In  April,  1879,  she  proceeded  into  the  Scarcies  River 
with  a  force  under  Governor  Howe,  of  Sierra  Leone,  in  order  to 
re-hoist  the  British  flag,  which  had  been  hoisted  there  in  March  by 
the  Boxer  in  face  of  some  opposition,  and  which  had  afterwards 
been  hauled  down  by  the  natives.  The  island  of  Kikoukeh,  which 
was  the  chief  point  annexed,  was  occupied  as  a  set-off  to  Matacong, 
which,  a  short  time  before,  had  been  annexed  by  the  French. 
Lieutenant  Burr  had  some  trouble  with  the  natives,  who  resented 
the  seizure  of  their  territory ;  but  he  managed  the  affair  with 
singular  success.  A  little  later  he  took  his  ship  about  700  miles  up 
the  River  Niger,  carrying  presents  from  the  imperial  and  colonial 
governments  for  the  Emir  of  Nupi.  On  his  return  he  attacked  and 
destroyed  the  village  of  Onitsha,  the  inhabitants  of  which,  not  for 
the  first  time,  had  murdered  British  traders  and  committed  other 
outrages ;  and,  making  a  short  overland  expedition,  he  burnt 
another  town  about  three  miles  from  the  river.  The  effect  of  his 
action  was  excellent,  and  earned  him  the  thanks  of  the  African 
Company,  which  also  presented  him  with  a  piece  of  plate.1 

The  African  slave-trade  languished,  though  a  few  captures  of 
dhows  were  made  upon  the  east  coast,  especially  by  the  Spartan,  12, 
Captain  Richard  Edward  Tracey,  by  the  Vestal,  9,  Commander 
Dashwood  Goldie  Tandy,  and  by  the  boats  of  the  London,  Captain 
Hamilton  Edward  George  Earle.  In  the  Malay  Archipelago, 
however,  the  kidnapping  piratical  tribes,  the  Balinini  and  Illanuns, 
were  so  active  in  seizing  fishermen  whom  they  subsequently  sold 
as  slaves  along  the  east  coast  of  Borneo,  that,  at  the  desire  of 
Governor  Treacher,  of  Labuan,  the  Kestrel,  4,  Commander  Frederick 
Edwards,  proceeded  against  them  in  August,  1879.  Having  traced 
certain  outrages  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Balinini  village  of 
1  Disps.,  and  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  June  7,  Dec.  6,  Dec.  20,  1879. 


1880.] 


LOSS    OF   THE  "ATALANTA." 


313 


Tarrebas,  Edwards  invited  the  local  chief  to  pay  him  a  visit  on 
board  the  gun-vessel.  The  man  made  excuses,  and  declined  to 
appear ;  whereupon,  after  due  notice  had  been  given,  Tarrebas,  and 
about  fifteen  piratical  craft,  many  of  which  had  bullet-proof 
bulwarks  of  iron-wood,  were  burnt.1  Shortly  afterwards,  with  the 
Encounter,  14,  Captain  the  Hon.  Albert  Denison  Somerville 
Denison,  the  Kestrel  took  part  in  a  demonstration  in  the  Larut 
River,  on  the  west  coast  of  the  Malay  peninsula,  with  a  view  to 
overawing  the  natives  who  threatened  disturbances. 

Early  in  1880  the  Eoyal  Navy  sustained  a  disaster  somewhat 
similar  to  the  loss  of  the  Eurydice  in  1878.2  The  sixth-rate 
Atalanta,  employed  on  training  service,  sailed  from  Bermuda  for 
England  on  February  1st  and  was  never  heard  of  again.  On 
June  '29th  a  reward  was  offered  by  the  Admiralty  for  information 
concerning  her,  but  it  was  never  claimed.  There  were  lost  in  the 
ship  Captain  Francis  Stirling,  the  crew  of  113  officers  and  men,  and 
170  ordinary  seamen  who  were  under  training.  A  committee  which 
was  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  vessel's  efficiency  reported 3  to  the 
effect  that :  the  A  talanta  was  sound  when  she  left  England  for  the 
West  Indies  in  November,  1879 ;  she  was  on  the  whole  a  very  stable 
ship,  save  at  large  angles  of  keel ;  Captain  Stirling  was  most  able 
and  experienced ;  the  other  officers  had  been  carefully  chosen ;  and 
nothing  could  be  more  satisfactory  than  the  character  of  the  crew. 
All  that  is  known  and  that  bears  on  her  fate  is  that  storms  of 
exceptional  violence  raged  at  that  time  in  the  part  of  the  Atlantic 
which  she  would  have  had  to  cross.  Just  before  her  last  cruise  the 
ship  had  been  very  thoroughly  repaired  in  the  dockyards.  The 
original  estimate  had  been  £11,000,  but  it  had  grown  to  £28,000. 
As  the  Atalanta  had  been  built  in  1844,  and  as  it  was  estimated  that 
a  new  ship  of  the  class  could  be  had  for  £36,000,  it  was  naturally 
argued  at  the  time  that  she  was  not  worth  so  large  an  expenditure. 
From  a  comparison  of  her  dimensions  with  those  of  the  Eurydice — 


Ship. 

Length  between 
Perpendicular. 

LreoTna£r             »">• 

n»nth                 Builder's 
Measurement. 

Atalanta,    . 

Ft.      in. 
131      0 

Ft.     in. 
107      2 

Ft.    in. 

40     3 

Ft.    in. 

10   10 

Tons. 

923 

Eurydice    . 

141     3 

117  10 

38     4 

8      9 

921 

Straits  Times  in  A.  and  N.  Gazette,  Nov.  8,  1879.        2  See  Appendix  of  Ships  Lost. 
3  Sessional  Papers,  1881.     Report  of  Atalanta  Committee. 


314      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

it  will  be  seen  that  the  Atalanta  should  have  had  considerable 
advantage  in  point  of  stability.1 

In  the  same  year  the  Eastern  question  once  more  necessitated 
action  on  the  part  of  the  great  Powers.  It  had  been  decided  at 
the  Berlin  Conference  that  Turkey  should  hand  over  Dulcigno  to 
Montenegro ;  but,  although  the  resources  of  diplomacy  had  been 
exhausted,  the  Porte  still  refused  to  carry  that  decision  into  effect. 
England,  therefore,  proposed,  and  France,  Russia,  Austria,  and 
Italy  agreed,  that  a  combined  naval  demonstration  should  be  made 
off  the  Albanian  coast,  there  being  an  understanding  that  no  troops 
were  to  be  landed.  It  was  further  agreed  to  regard  as  commander- 
in-chief  the  senior  flag-officer  present,'2  and  thus  Vice-Admiral  Sir 
Frederick  Beauchamp  Seymour,  then  in  command  of  the  British 
Mediterranean  fleet,  assumed  command  of  the  allied  squadrons  at 
Ragusa  on  September  20th,  1880.  The  ships  of  the  Royal  Navy 
present  were  the  Alexandra  and  Temeraire,  ironclads,  with  the  Condor, 
gun-vessel,  and  the  despatch-boat  Helicon.  The  display  was  enough. 
Negotiations  followed,  and  on  November  26th  Dulcigno  was  handed 
over  to  Montenegro.  Consequent  on  this  it  was  determined  that 
the  squadrons  should  part  company  after  communicating  their 
respective  destinations  ;  and  on  December  5th  the  force  dispersed. 

Early  in  1881  the  sloop  Wild  Swan,  6,  Commander  Seymour 
Henry  Pelham  Dacres,  was  ordered  to  cooperate  with  the  Portu- 
guese authorities,  who  were  making  efforts  to  suppress  the  slave 
trade  which  had  long  been  carried  on  by  the  Makuas  of  the 
Mozambique  coast.  With  that  object  she  left  Zanzibar  on 
January  22nd,  and  proceeded  down  the  coast  to  Chuluwan,  subse- 
quently moving,  in  company  with  some  Portuguese  gunboats,  to 
Conducia  Bay,  where  she  arrived  on  February  12th.  A  Portuguese 
landing-party,  which  was  presently  disembarked,  was  accompanied 
by  Commander  Dacres,  Sub-Lieutenant  Arthur  Henry  Stuart 
Elwes,  Clerk  Warwick  Arthur  Green,  and  three  men  from  the 
sloop ;  but  the  only  important  work  done  by  the  British  was 
accomplished  by  the  Wild  Swan's  guns,  and  by  that  vessel's 
rocket  apparatus  in  her  steam  cutter.3  The  behaviour  of  the 
Portuguese  on  shore  was  not  good ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
support  afforded  by  the  ships,  the  landed  force  would  have  met 
with  serious  disaster. 

1  Brassey,  '  British  Fleet,'  iv.  434.  ''  Times,  Sept.  13,  1880,  etc. 

3  A.&  N.  Gaz.,  Feb.  26,  Mar.  12  and  26,  1881 ;  Letters  of  Offrs. 


1881.]  LAING'S  NEK.  315 

On  December  16th,  1880,  the  Boers  of  the  Transvaal,  after  a 
brief  experience  of  British  rule,1  had  re-proclaimed  the  South 
African  Republic,  and  then,  without  delay,  had  laid  siege  to  nearly 
all  the  British  military  posts  in  the  country. 

General  Sir  George  Pomeroy  Colley,  who,  at  the  time,  was 
governor  and  commander-in-chief  in  Natal,  and  high  commissioner 
for  South-East  Africa,  began  immediate  preparations,  though  on 
a  very  inadequate  scale,  for  the  relief  of  the  threatened  towns 
and  the  suppression  of  rebellion,  and,  while  collecting  such  military 
forces  as  were  within  reach,  appealed  for  help  from  the  Navy. 
The  appeal  reached  Commodore  Frederick  William  Eichards,  C.B., 
of  the  Boadicea,  16,  a  few  hours  after  that  vessel's  arrival  off 
Durban,  on  January  5th,  1881,  and  was  instantly  and  loyally 
responded  to.  On  the  following  day  Commander  Francis  Eomilly, 
of  the  Boadicea,  with  whom  were  Lieutenants  Cornwallis  Jasper 
Trower,  and  Eeginald  Purves  Cochran,  and  Sub-Lieutenant 
Augustus  Lennox  Scott,  accompanied  by  Surgeon  Edward  Elphin- 
stone  Mahon,  of  the  Flora,  guardship  at  Simon's  Bay,  landed 
with  124  petty  officers  and  men,  two  Gatling  machine-guns,  and 
a  couple  of  rocket-tubes,  and  proceeded  to  Pietermaritzburg,  there 
to  place  himself  under  Colley's  orders. a 

The  morning  of  January  28th,  1881,  found  the  combined  force 
encamped  at  Mount  Prospect,  inside  a  spur  of  the  Draakensberg, 
opposite,  and  about  four  miles  distant  from,  the  pass  of  Laing's 
Nek,  where  the  Boers  were  known  to  be  in  force  and  to  have 
erected  defences.  At  6  A.M.  camp  was  struck :  two  companies 
of  infantry,  and  Lieutenant  Cochran,  with  40  Boadicea' s  and  the 
two  Gatlings,  were  left  behind  to  hold  three  entrenched  positions 
for  the  defence  of  the  laager ;  and  at  6.10  A.M.,  Colley,  with  the 
remaining  1211  officers  and  men,3  moved  forward  to  the  attack. 
The  Boadicea's  4  officers  and  84  men,  with  their  rocket-tubes,  were 
in  the  centre  of  the  column. 

At  9  A.M.  Colley,  with  whom  was  the  Commodore,  placed  his 
guns  on  an  undulating  ridge  facing  the  Nek,  and  2200  yards  from 
it,  and  ordered  Eomilly  and  his  detachment  to  take  up  a  station 
in  advance.  Behind  knolls  above  and  to  the  right,  and  about 

1  Consequent  upon  the  annexation  by  Sir  Theophilus  Shepstone,  who,  in  1877,  had 
been  sent  into  the  country,  and  who  saw  no  other  way  of  protecting  the  settlers  against 
the  natives. 

-  Parl.  Papers,  1831.     Vol.  LXVII.  contains  three  Blue  Books  on  S.  Afr. 

3  Besides  196  horses  and  9  guns. 


316      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

1700  yards  off,  bodies  of  Boers  could  be  seen.  Only  on  the  left 
was  the  position  assailable.  A  mealie  field  and  the  garden  of  a 
farm  house  enabled  the  Naval  Brigade  finally  to  bring  its  rocket- 
tubes  within  about  1500  yards  from  the  pass,  and  to  post  a 
covering  party  in  skirmishing  order  along  a  stone  wall  where, 
to  the  right,  the  line  was  continued  by  a  company  of  the  60th 
Bines.  Half  an  hour  later,  when  these  dispositions  had  been 
completed,  the  guns  and  rocket-tubes  opened  upon  the  enemy ; 
and,  as  soon  as  it  was  supposed  that  the  bombardment  had  shaken 
the  Boers,  the  British  infantry  and  mounted  troops  charged  up  a 
grassy  spur  on  the  right  of  the  Nek  to  assault  the  left  of  the 
hostile  entrenchments.  For  a  time  success  seemed  possible  ;  yet 
the  Boers  fired  so  well  and  so  heavily  that  soon  the  troops  were 
driven  down  again  with  serious  loss,  nearly  all  the  mounted  officers 
falling.  The  enemy  not  only  followed  up,  but  also  appeared  on 
the  British  right.  The  Naval  Brigade  sent  rockets  in  the  latter 
direction,  and  presently  found  itself  engaged  on  both  flanks  as 
well  as  in  front.  But  for  the  stone  wall,  it  must  have  lost  heavily. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  had  only  two  killed,1  ere  it  was  ordered  to 
fall  back  on  the  guns. 

After  the  retirement  had  been  effected,  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent 
out,  and  the  dead  and  wounded  were  brought  in.  At  4  P.M.,  the 
force  returned  to  camp,  and  learnt  from  Lieutenant  Cochran  that, 
during  its  absence,  a  body  of  400  Boers  had  reconnoitred  the 
laager,  but  had  moved  away  without  attacking.  Colley,  in  his 
despatch,  expressed  his  indebtedness  to  Commodore  Richards  and 
the  Brigade,  and  made  special  laudatory  mention  of  Surgeon 
Mahon,  Lieutenant  Trower,  and  Sub-Lieutenant  Scott.2 

The  general  decided  to  remain  at  Mount  Prospect  until  rein- 
forcements, which  were  on  their  way  in  the  transports  Euphrates, 
Crocodile,  and  Tamar,  could  reach  the  front ;  and,  in  the  mean- 
time, at  his  request,  Commodore  Richards  caused  an  additional 
50  men,  with  two  field-guns,  to  disembark  from  the  Boadicea  and 
the  Dido,3  under  Lieutenant  Henry  Asgill  Ogle,  of  the  latter 
vessel.4  These  men,  however,  did  not  join  until  after  February 
8th,  when  Colley  fought  the  battle  of  Ingogo  with  the  object  of 

1  Including  Gunner's  Mate  Henry  Ransome,  who  was  mentioned  in  desps. 

2  Colley  to  Sec.  for  War,  Feb.  1,  1881. 

3  Captain  Compton  Edward  Domvile. 

4  Richards  to  Admlty.,  Feb.  7,  1881. 


1881.]  MAJUBA.  317 

keeping  open  his  communications  with  Newcastle.  In  that  un- 
fortunate action  the  Naval  Brigade  had  no  share. 

The  Boers  made  no  important  advance,  but  concentrated  most 
of  their  energies  upon  the  strengthening  of  the  works  in  the  pass 
leading  from  Natal  into  the  Transvaal.  Dominating  the  western 
extremity  of  their  lines  was  the  flat-topped  hill  of  Majuba,  which, 
nevertheless,  they  made  no  attempt  to  hold.  Colley,  reinforced 
during  the  second  and  third  weeks  of  February,  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  Majuba  was  the  key  to  the  enemy's  position,  and, 
in  an  evil  hour,  decided  to  occupy  it  with  a  detachment  which 
proved  utterly  inadequate  to  the  end  in  view. 

At  10  P.M.,  therefore,  on  February  26th,  the  general  in  person 
moved  from  Mount  Prospect  with  554  officers  and  men  only, 
including  64  petty  officers  and  men  of  the  Navy  under  Commander 
Eomilly,  Lieutenant  Trower,  Sub-Lieutenant  Scott,  and  Surgeon 
Mahon.  Neither  guns  nor  rocket-tubes  were  taken.  Small  though 
the  original  detachment  was,  three  companies  which  had  left  camp 
with  it  were  dropped  at  various  points  to  guard  the  line  of  com- 
munications, so  that  but  four  companies  and  the  little  Naval 
Brigade  reached  the  front. 

The  top  of  the  hill  was  reached  by  a  very  precipitous  route ; 
but  all  the  men  were  at  their  assigned  stations  by  4  -A.M.  on 
Sunday,  the  27th,  there  having  been  no  opposition  whatsoever. 
A  section  of  the  Brigade,  under  Lieutenant  Trower,  remained 
near  that  end  of  the  mountain  where  the  ascent  had  been  made. 
The  rest  of  the  force  was  placed  in  a  hollow  at  the  end  closest 
to  the  Boer  lines ;  and  at  dawn  the  enemy's  laagers  could  be 
seen  below.  The  summit  was  not  entrenched,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  its  conformation  was  such  that  the  people  holding  it 
could  not  properly  command  the  exterior  slopes  without  danger- 
ously exposing  themselves;  and  an  extraordinary  degree  of  over- 
confidence  seems  to  have  prevailed. 

Soon  after  daylight  the  Boers  showed  some  signs  of  activity 
about  the  base  of  Majuba,  and  steady  firing  followed ;  but  for  a 
time  it  did  not  look  as  if  any  serious  object  had  occurred  to  the 
enemy,  who,  on  the  other  hand,  was  deemed  to  be  throwing 
away  his  ammunition.  Sub-Lieutenant  Scott,  with  the  second 
section  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  was  presently  sent  to  line  the  edge 
of  the  mountain  top  in  the  rear,  and,  a  little  later,  part  of  the 
58th  Regiment  was  withdrawn  from  the  left,  where  its  post  was 


318      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

taken  by  portions  of  the  first  and  second  sections.  The  men  lay 
down  under  good  cover,  seeing  very  little  of  the  Boers,  most  of 
whom  appeared  to  be  out  of  range,  and  firing  seldom.  Trower 
and  Scott  were  with  them.  So  also  was  Eomilly  during  great 
part  of  the  morning;  but  at  about  11  A.M.  a  dozen  men  were 
ordered  to  be  sent  from  the  left  to  the  front,  and  Eomilly  went 
across  to  fetch  them.  In  returning,  the  gallant  Commander  was 
shot  through  the  body,  and  fell  close  to  the  general.  Mahon 
attended  to  the  mortally  wounded  officer,  who  presently  was 
carried  into  the  hollow,  out  of  reach  of  gun-fire.  At  about  that 
time,  Scott,  with  six  men,  was  stationed  by  Trower  on  a  ledge 
about  twenty  feet  below  the  summit  on  the  right  side  of  the 
mountain,  near  the  track  by  which  the  ascent  had  been  made. 

During  the  whole  of  the  morning,  and  more  especially  during 
the  half  hour  or  so  after  noon,  the  people  on  the  top  of  Majuba 
had  their  attention  held  by  the  general  firing,  and  failed  to  see 
that  a  small  force  of  Boers  was  working  its  way  stealthily  up 
the  mountain,  covered  by  the  much  larger  force  below.  Shortly 
before  1  P.M.,  the  firing  increased  greatly.  Hearing  that  the 
enemy  was  close  at  hand,  Scott  ventured  to  take  his  men  from 
the  ledge,  and  lead  them  to  the  point  which  appeared  to  be  most 
threatened.  He  found  the  92nd  Highlanders  and  part  of  the 
58th  Begirnent  firing  on  the  foe,  who  was  then  nearing  the  top, 
but  he  was  at  once  ordered  back  by  the  general.  A  few  moments 
later  the  Boers  gained  the  summit,  and  the  British  began  a  retreat 
which  soon  became  a  rout.  Colley,  until  he  fell,  shot  through 
the  head,  and  his  officers,  did  all  that  lay  in  their  power  to  stem 
the  panic ;  but  the  frightened  troops  were  not  to  be  stayed.  Many 
rushed  at  break-neck  speed  down  the  almost  precipitous  sides  of 
the  mountain,  exposed  to  a  terrible  fire  from  the  Boers,  and,  for 
the  most  part,  losing  their  arms  in  the  descent.  Seeing  how  few 
in  number  were  the  assailants,  the  flight  is  one  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary in  history.  It  can  be  explained  only  by  the  completeness 
of  the  surprise,  and  by  the  men's  sudden  realisation  of  the  fact 
that  no  due  precautions  had  been  taken  by  their  own  leaders. 

Earlier  in  the  day  a  hospital   had   been   established   behind  a 

ridge  of  rocks  near  the  centre  of  the  plateau.     The  enemy  crowned 

the  rocks,  and   fired   upon  all   indiscriminately,1  shooting  down  a 

doctor  while   he   was   caring   for  the   wounded.      Perceiving   how 

1  Mahon  to  Richards,  Mar.  4. 


1881.]  MAJUBA.  319 

things  had  gone,  Surgeon  Mahon,  who  but  lately  had  quitted 
Eomilly  in  order  to  cross  to  the  hospital,  returned  to  his  Com- 
mander's side,  and,  to  save  further  slaughter  of  the  wounded 
and  non-combatants,  hoisted  a  white  flag.  All  the  fugitives,  how- 
ever, were  not  then  clear  of  the  top,  and  firing  continued  on  the 
summit.  To  avoid  the  bullets,  Mahon,  and  Assistant  Sick-Berth 
Attendant  Bevis,  who  was  with  him,  lay  down  till  the  plateau 
was  clear  of  their  flying  friends,  and  until  the  enemy  was  within 
a  few  paces  from  them.  When  they  rose,  they  were  not  molested, 
and  were  suffered  to  carry  poor  Eomilly  to  the  hospital  from  the 
point  where  he  had  lain  sheltered  on  the  south-west  front. 

Throughout  that  afternoon  and  the  following  night  Mahon 
remained  on  the  mountain,  seeking  out  and  attending  to  the 
wounded,  and  receiving  much  kindly  help  from  the  enemy.  He 
took  upon  himself  to  send  four  blue-jacket  prisoners  to  carry 
Eomilly  back  to  camp ;  but,  soon  after  they  had  started,  they 
were  ordered  back  by  the  enemy,  the  result  being  that  the  un- 
fortunate Commander  had  to  lie  in  the  open  during  the  whole  of 
the  wet,  dark,  and  chilly  night  of  the  27th.  At  6  A.M.  on  the 
28th,  Lieutenant  Cochran  came  up  from  camp  with  a  burial 
party,  and  with  stretchers  and  medical  comforts.  Of  the  fifty- 
three  men  who  were  buried  on  the  summit,  ten  belonged  to  the 
Naval  Brigade.  But  these  were  not  the  whole  of  the  naval 
casualties.  The  Boadicea  lost  Lieutenant  Trower  l  and  10  men 
killed,  and  Commander  Eomilly  and  5  men  mortally  wounded. 
The  Dido  lost  3  men  killed.  In  addition,  10  Boadicea's  and  3 
Dido's  were  wounded;  so  that  of  the  total  naval  force  engaged, 
33  (being  practically  50  per  cent.)  were  put  out  of  action.2 

Trower's  body  was  found  on  the  extreme  ridge,  and,  being 
taken  back  to  camp,  was  buried  there.  Eomilly  3  died  on  March 
2nd.  A  Boer  commandant  pointed  out  to  Cochran  the  bodies  of 
two  men  who  had  most  bravely  stood  their  ground  and  perished 
there.  They  were  those  of  George  Hammond  and  Samuel 
Witheridge,  quartermasters,  E.N.  Mahon,  who  reached  camp 
at  5  P.M.  on  the  28th,  with  five  ambulances  full  of  wounded, 
behaved  throughout  with  magnificent  devotion  and  gallantry,  and 

1  Lieut.,  Apr.  28,  1876. 

2  Admlty.  to  Col.  Off.,  May  2,  enclosing  Richards  to  Admlty.  of  Mar.  14,  covering 
Ogle  to  Richards,  Mar.  3,  and  Scott  to  Ogle,  Mar.  1,  1881. 

5  Com.,  Apr.  14,  1877. 


320      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

was   specially  promoted.1      In  the  opinion  of  all  those  who  were 
left  on  the  fatal  hill,  he  deserved  the  Victoria  Cross. 

Upon  the  death  of  General  Colley,  the  command  of  the  troops 
devolved  temporarily  upon  General  Sir  Evelyn  Wood;  and  011 
March  4th,  Captain  Compton  Edward  Domvile,  of  the  Dido,  went 
up  from  Durban  to  take  charge  of  the  remnant  of  the  Naval 
Brigade.  On  the  same  day  a  detachment  of  50  seamen,  who  had 
been  sent  out  in  the  Danube"'  to  fill  vacancies,  left  for  the  front 
under  Lieutenants  George  Morris  Henderson,  and  Andrew  Henry 
Farrell  Duncan.  Sir  Evelyn  Wood  went  from  Newcastle  back 
to  Pietermaritzburg,  where  he  assumed  for  the  nonce  the  functions 
of  governor  of  Natal ;  but  ere  the  new  permanent  governor  and 
commander-in-chief,  General  Sir  Frederick  Sleigh  Eoberts,  arrived 
on  the  scene,  Wood  had  held  a  prolonged  conference  with  the  Boer 
general,  Piet  Joubert,  and  had  concluded  an  armistice,  which 
resulted,  on  March  24th,  in  a  peace. 

This  is  not  the  place  in  which  to  enter  into  any  wide  criticism 
either  of  the  tactics  pursued  by  the  British  leaders  in  the  field,  or 
of  the  policy  directed  by  Mr.  Gladstone's  government  at  home. 
Colley  paid  for  his  negligence  and  his  contempt  for  the  enemy  with 
his  life :  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  was  animated  by  motives  some  at 
least  of  which  were  doubtless  excellent,  but  who  was  congenitally 
incapable  of  understanding  the  Boer  character,  patched  up  an 
unsatisfactory  arrangement  which,  it  was  generally  felt,  could  not 
be  lasting.  In  spite  of  what  had  happened  at  Laing's  Nek,  Majuba, 
and  elsewhere,  the  Boers  might  have  been  brought  to  reason  with 
comparative  ease  in  March.  They  did  not  realise  that  fact,  and 
they  mistook  British  generosity  and  quixotism  for  pusillanimity. 
Less  than  twenty  years  later,  both  parties  had  to  pay  a  frightful 
price  for  their  misapprehensions.  Yet  in  1881,  as  in  the  subsequent 
struggle,  the  Navy,  happily,  had  nothing  with  which  to  reproach 
itself.3 

The  Doterel,  6-gun  sloop  of  1,137  tons,  while  at  anchor  off 
Sandy  Point,  Straits  of  Magellan,  was  destroyed  by  an  explosion 
on  April  26th,  1881.  Commander  Richard  Evans,  Lieutenant  John 
Martin  Stokes,  three  other  officers,  and  seven  men  were  saved,  but 
the  rest  of  the  crew  of  156  perished.  The  ship  was  a  new  one, 

1  Staff-Surgeon,  July  18,  1881.  2  Merchant  steamer. 

3  Among  naval  officers  who  did  good  service  in  Natal  in  connection  with  transport 
work  were  Capt.  Hilary  Gustavus  Andoe  and  Lieut.  Edward  Chichester. 


1881-82. J  ARABICS  REBELLION.  321 

being  then  on  passage  to  the  Pacific  station  for  her  maiden  com- 
mission. Commander  Evans  reported  that  the  explosion  had  been 
so  sudden  and  destructive  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  lowering 
boats  to  save  life.  He,  with  the  surviving  officers  and  men,  was 
acquitted  of  all  blame  by  the  finding  of  the  court  -  martial, 
September  3rd,  1881. l  It  was  decided  that  the  destruction  of  the 
ship  had  been  due  to  an  explosion  of  gas  given  off  by  coal  in  the 
bunkers,  and  that  this  had  communicated  with  the  fore  magazine, 
causing  that  also  to  explode.  It  was  never  proved  how  the  explo- 
sions had  originated,  but  it  was  suggested  that,  as  the  ship  had  been 
about  to  complete  with  coal,  a  light  may  have  been  introduced  into 
one  of  the  bunkers.  Another  theory  was  that  the  disaster  had 
originated  with  a  spontaneous  explosion  of  xerotine  siccative,  a 
material  which,  on  November  23rd  of  the  same  year,  undoubtedly 
brought  about  an  explosion  in  the  Triumph,  off  Coquimbo,  and 
caused  the  loss  of  three  lives. 

The  history  of  the  most  serious  naval  operation  in  which  British 
men-of-war  were  engaged  during  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth 
century  has  next  to  be  followed. 

Owing  to  the  extravagance  of  the  Khedive,  Ismail  Pasha,  the 
finances  of  Egypt  had  fallen  into  great  disorder  ;  and,  in  November, 
1875,  partly  in  order  to  relieve  them,  and  partly  to  strengthen  the 
interests  of  Great  Britain  in  a  country  which  lay  on  the  direct  route 
to  India,  Lord  Beaconsfield's  administration,  acting  on  the  advice 
of  Mr.  Frederick  Greenwood,  had  purchased,  for  £4,080,000,  the 
shares  in  the  Suez  Canal  held  by  Ismail.  The  bondholders  did  not 
greatly  benefit ;  and  in  1876,  first  Mr.  Cave,  and  afterwards  Messrs. 
Goschen  and  Joubert,  made  certain  recommendations  which,  in 
September,  1878,  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Eivers  Wilson 
as  Minister  of  Finance,  and  of  M.  de  Blignieres  as  Minister  of 
Public  Works,  the  object  being  the  control  by  Europeans  of  the 
inordinate  expenditure.  The  Khedive  soon  found  their  interference 
irksome,  and  he  dismissed  them  in  April,  1879  ;  whereupon  the  Great 
Powers,  acting  in  the  interests  of  the  bondholders,  called  upon  the 
Sultan  to  depose  his  vassal,  who  was  accordingly  dethroned  in  June. 
Ismail  retired  to  Naples  with  an  immense  fortune,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  Mohammed  Tewfik.  To  liquidate  the  debt,  and 
to  effect  various  reforms,  the  Anglo-French,  or  "  Dual  "  control  was 

1   Times,  Aug.  27  and  Sept.  5,  1881. 
VOL.   VII.  T 


322      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

established,  with  Messrs.  Evelyn  Baring l  and  de  Blignieres  as 
controllers. 

Great  Britain  and  France,  the  two  Powers  chiefly  interested 
in  the  well-being  of  Egypt,  did  not  pull  well  together;  and  their 
jealousies  encouraged  the  gradual  formation  of  a  popular  party  which 
had  for  its  motto,  "  Egypt  for  the  Egyptians."  Owing  to  the  growing 
strength  and  machinations  of  this  party,  and  to  the  manner  in  which 
its  propaganda  appealed  to  the  army,  there  were  two  significant 
mutinies  in  1881.  The  second  of  these  was  ended  only  by  the 
resignation  of  the  ministry,  and  the  appointment  of  a  new  one, 
which  presently  gave  to  Arabi  Pasha,  the  leader  of  the  Egyptian 
party,  the  post  of  under-secretary  for  war,  and,  through  an 
"  Assembly  of  Notables,"  claimed  a  right  to  regulate  the  budget  in 
defiance  of  the  control.  Among  the  agitators  there  were,  no  doubt, 
men  of  sterling  patriotism,  as  well  as  others  of  more  selfish  aims  ; 
but,  having  regard  to  the  huge  indebtedness  of  Egypt,  the  Powers 
were  bound  to  guard  their  own  interests,  and  could  not  afford  to 
allow  the  untried  and  headstrong  Egyptian  party  to  seize  the 
reins  of  government.  In  the  next  ministry,  Arabi  took  the  post  of 
minister  for  war ;  and  on  May  10th,  upon  his  initiative,  the  chamber 
repudiated  the  authority  of  the  Khedive,  who  was  regarded  as  the 
creature  of  the  Powers.  Great  Britain  and  France  threatened  to 
intervene,  and  Arabi  was  obliged  to  resign  ;  but  on  May  27th,  he 
was  reinstated,  practically  as  dictator.  He  then  set  to  work  to 
strengthen  and  modernise  the  fortifications  of  Alexandria,  where,  in 
spite  of  the  presence  off  the  port  of  an  international  squadron,  a 
rising  against  Europeans  took  place  on  June  llth.2  This  led  to 
the  departure  from  the  city  of  most  of  the  foreign  residents  ;  while 
the  Khedive  became,  for  the  time,  the  unwilling  tool  of  Arabi. 

But  for  international  jealousies,  matters  would  never  have  grown 
so  serious.  If  clear  injunctions  had  been  given  at  an  early  stage 
both  to  the  French  and  to  the  British  naval  commanders  on  the  spot, 
the  "  national  "  movement  might  have  been  crushed  without  much 
difficulty  or  bloodshed  ;  but  France  was  playing  a  double  game,  and, 
while  willing  enough  to  profit  by  any  action  which  might  be  taken 
in  defence  of  the  interests  of  the  bondholders,  shrank— although  she 
would  not  confess  it  until  the  last  moment 3 — from  being  implicated 

1  Afterwards  Lord  Cromer. 

2  Among  the  68  Europeans  who  were  killed  on  the  occasion  were  Engineer  James 
Pibworth,  of  the  Superb,  and  two  men  belonging  to  the  Helicon. 

s  The  French  Squadron  withdrew  to  Port  Said  just  previous  to  the  bombardment. 


1882.]  SEYMOUR   AT  ALEXANDRIA.  323 

in  what  many  of  her  people  regarded  as  something  like  a  tyrannical 
repression  of  the  vox  populi  in  Egypt.  Puzzled  hy  the  hesitations 
of  French  diplomacy,  the  British  cabinet  pursued  an  unsteady 
course  for  some  time  ;  and,  at  last,  took  action  alone. 

The  British  fleet  lying  before  Alexandria  in  July,  1882,  under  the 
command  of  Admiral  Sir  Frederick  Beau  champ  Paget  Seymour, 
G.C.B.,  was  as  given  in  the  Table  on  the  following  page. 

Some  days  before  hostilities  were  decided  upon,  the  Invincible, 
Monarch,  and  Penelope  lay  inside  the  harbour  of  Alexandria.  The 
Alexandra  drew  too  much  water  to  get  in  with  ease  ;  and  Seymour 
temporarily  shifted  his  flag  from  her  to  the  Invincible,  not  only  in 
order  to  be  as  close  at  hand  as  possible  during  the  negotiations,  but 
also  to  be  able  to  exercise  a  personal  supervision  over  the  Egyptians, 
and  to  prevent  them  from  laying  down  mines,  of  which  they  had  a 
large  number  in  readiness. 

After  the  riotous  outbreak  of  June  llth,  Arabi's  officers  began 
systematically  to  strengthen  the  works  lying  along  the  neck  of  land 
which  separates  Lake  Mareotis  from  the  sea,  and  to  mount  additional 
guns  in  them.  Seymour  remonstrated,  and  demanded  that  the 
operations  should  be  stopped.  He  was  informed  in  reply  that  no 
operations  of  the  kind  mentioned  were  in  progress  ;  and  appeals  were 
made  to  his  humanity,  the  foreign  consuls  backing  these  up  with 
assurances  that  if  he  should  bombard  the  place,  as  he  had  threatened  to 
do  in  case  of  non-compliance,  neutral  property  would  inevitably  suffer. 
In  the  meantime,  labour  at  the  batteries  went  on  night  after  night, 
and  the  people  working  there  could  be  seen  plainly  from  the  ships. 
At  length,  when  Lieutenant  Henry  Theophilus  Smith-Dorien,  of 
the  Invincible,  who  had  been  ashore  on  leave,  made  a  declaration  to 
the  Admiral  that  he  had  actually  witnessed  the  mounting  of  two  guns 
in  Fort  Silsileh,  Seymour  summoned  a  council  of  war  on  board  the 
Helicon,  and  decided  to  send  in  a  strongly  worded  ultimatum.  The 
Egyptians  were  informed  that  unless  the  batteries  of  Eas  el  Tin,  and 
the  south  side  of  the  harbour,  were  "  temporarily  surrendered  for 
purposes  of  disarmament,"  the  fleet  would  attack  them.  To  this 
an  Egyptian  officer  replied  that  three  guns  in  the  batteries  named 
should  be  dismounted  ;  whereupon  most  of  the  foreigners  who  had 
remained  in  Alexandria,  seeing  that  fighting  was  inevitable,  quitted 
the  city.  Seymour  expressed  his  dissatisfaction,  and,  on  July  10th, 
supplemented  his  ultimatum  with  the  declaration  that  unless  the 
works  were  given  up  at  once,  he  would  open  fire  on  the  llth. 

Y  2 


324  MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 


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THE  ALEXANDRIA    FORTS. 


325 


This  was  the  signal  for  all  neutral  vessels  to  leave  the  harbour. 
As  the  foreign  men-of-war  which  were  present  departed,  the  British 
battleships  played  them  out.  In  the  meantime,  the  telegraph 
steamer  Chiltern,  which  was  at  Alexandria,  had  picked  up  the  cables 
to  Malta  and  Cyprus,  and,  establishing  an  office  on  board,  had 
placed  the  fleet  in  independent  communication  with  home. 

The  position  of  the  seaward  defences  of  Alexandria  will  be  seen 
on  the  plan.  The  guns  actually  mounted  in  them  in  July,  1882, 
were  much  inferior  to  those  carried  by  the  British  ships,  and  were 
as  follows  : — 


— 

Rifled. 

| 

Smooth  Bores.                      Mortars. 

Total. 

Muzzle-loaders.             B.  L. 

10-in. 

MB. 

8-in.     7-in.    40-pr. 

15-in. 

10-in.  6'5-in.  20-ln.    13-in. 

• 
12-in. 

11-in. 

Rifled. 

Others 

Fort  Silsileh    . 
Fort  Pharos     . 
Fort  Ada    .     . 
Has  el  Tin  lines 
Fort  Ras  el  Tin 
Fort  Saleh  Aga 
Battery.     .     . 
Fort    Oom    ell 
Knbebe  .     ./ 

1 
1 

1 

1 

3 
3 

4 

1 
2 

1 

2 

2 
2             1 

1 

4 
2 

4 

3         ....           1 
6         31          .4 
14          ..           ..            5 
16          11            1            6 
6         21          ..            1 
4           8          .... 
2            2          .       !     .. 

1 

2 
2 

2 

8 
5 
9 
6 

4 
41 
19 
40 
31 
12 
4 

18 

6 
14 

24 
4 
32 

6          10            .            1 

2           3          ..            1 
4            5          ..13 

11            9          ..... 
3            1          .... 
9          16          ..            2 

1 

'a 

4 

6 
9 

2 
6 

'f 

FortMex   .     . 
Mex  lines  .     . 
Fort  Marsa. 

1 

1 

.3    ::    : 

Fort  Marabout. 

3 

2            2 

Totals   .     . 

5 

18           14            4            3 

10 

84        11?            1          24 

44 

249 

The  smooth-bores  and  mortars  may  almost  be  ruled  out  as 
non-effective,  especially  as  the  carriages  and  platforms  of  many  of 
them  were  out  of  repair,  and  as  the  powder  used  with  them  seems 
to  have  been  of  defective  quality,  while  the  gunners  were  in- 
experienced. Of  rifled  heavy  guns,  as  will  be  seen,  the  Egyptians 
had  but  forty-four  to  the  British  ninety-seven.  Moreover, 
Forts  Marabout  and  Adjemi  were  not  engaged  by  the  ironclads, 
but  only  by  the  gun  vessels ;  Fort  Kamaria  took  no  part  what- 
sover  in  the  action ;  and  Fort  Marsa  is  reported  to  have  received 
no  shot.  As  for  the  works  themselves,  none  were  of  very  modern 
or  perfect  construction,  and  some  were  very  old.  With  the  exception 
of  Fort  Pharos,  they  were  low,  and  of  irregular  trace.  The  parapets 
of  the  heavy  rifled  guns  had  regular  embrasures,  but  the  smooth 
bores  fired  over  the  parapets,  and  their  crews  were,  therefore,  much 
exposed  to  the  British  shrapnel,  machine-gun,  and  small-arm  fire. 
Behind  the  forts,  or  inside  them,  were  buildings,  such  as  shell  stores 


326      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF    THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 


and  magazines,  showing  over  the  parapets,  and  offering  good  targets. 
The  magazines,  or  many  of  them,  had  open  ventilators  and  iron 
floors,  and  were  rendered  conspicuous  by  their  lightning  conductors. 
The  more  ancient  forts  were  constructed  of  very  soft  limestone,  and 
the  mortar  used  was  bad.  The  masonry  was  backed  with  sand, 
and  the  parapets  were  of  sand,  sloping  at  an  angle  of  30  degrees.  It 
cannot  be  said  that  the  defences  were  of  a  formidable  nature ;  and, 
judging  from  the  manner  in  which  Seymour  ordered  them  to  be 


ADMIRAL    SIR   CHARLES   FREDERICK    HOTHAM,    K.C.B. 

attacked,  he  must  have  despised  them  ;  for,  as  will  be  seen,  he  allowed 
his  Captains  some  discretion  as  to  whether  they  would  or  would  not 
anchor  within  range  of  the  batteries  during  the  action  ;  and  he 
prepared  to  attack  a  number  of  works  simultaneously,  instead  of 
concentrating  the  whole  of  his  fire  against  the  strongest  fort  opposed 
to  him,  and  then  dealing  with  the  others  in  succession.  This 
would  have  been  the  natural  procedure  of  a  Commander-in-Chief 
who  regarded  his  task  as  a  really  serious  and  difficult  one.  At  the 


1882.]  SEYMOUH'S    GENERAL    ORDER.  327 

same  time,  it  is  by  no  means  clear  that  Sir  Beauchaiilp  had  any  very 
definite  ideas  as  to  the  strength  of  the  defences,  and  the  resistance 
which  they  were  capable  of  offering ;  for  he  contemplated  the 
possibility  that  it  might  take  the  fleet  two  or  three  days  to  accomplish 
the  object  which  he  had  in  view. 

Seymour's  plan  of  action  is  laid  down  in  the  appended  extract 
from  a  General  Order,  which  was  issued  by  him  on  July  10th  :— 

"  In  the  event  of  my  not  receiving  a  satisfactory  answer  to  a  summons  which  1 
shall  send  to  the  Military  Governor  of  Alexandria,  calling  on  him  to  deliver  up  to  me 
temporarily  the  works  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  harbour,  and  those  on  the  Ras  el 
Tin  peninsula,  the  squadron  under  my  command  will  attack  the  forts  as  soon  as  the 
twenty-four  hours  given  to  neutrals  to  leave  the  place  have  expired  ;  which  will  be  at 
5  A.M.  of  the  Hth. 

"  There  will  be  two  attacks  : 

"  1.  From  the  inside  of  the  harbour,1  in  which  the  Invincible,  Monarch,  and  Penelope 
will  take  part. 

"2.  By  the  Sultan,  Superb,  Temeraire,  Alexandra,  and. Inflexible,  from  outside 
the  breakwater. 

"Action  will  commence  by  signal  from  me;  when  the  ship  nearest  the  newly-erected 
earthwork  near  Fort  Ada  will  fire  a  shell  into  the  earthwork. 

"  On  the  batteries  opening  on  the  off-shore  squadron  in  reply,  every  effort  will  be 
made  by  the  ships  to  destroy  the  batteries  on  the  Ras  el  Tin  peninsula,  especially  the 
Lighthouse  battery,  bearing  on  the  harbour.  When  this  is  accomplished,  the  Sultan, 
Superb,  and  Alexandra  will  move  to  the  eastward,  and  attack  Fort  Pharos,  and,  if 
possible,  the  Silsileh  battery. 

"  The  Inflexible  will  move  down  this  afternoon  to  the  position  off  the  Corvette  Pass 
assigned  to  her  yesterday,  and  be  prepared  to  open  fire  on  the  guns  in  Mex  Lines  in 
support  of  the  in-shore  squadron  when  signal  is  made.  The  Temeraire,  Sultan,  and 
Alexandra  will  flank  the  works  on  Ras  el  Tin. 

"  The  gun-vessels  and  gunboats  will  remain  outside,  and  keep  out  of  fire  until  a 
favourable  opportunity  offers  itself  of  moving  in  to  the  attack  on  Mex. 

"  Ships  must  be  guided  in  a  great  measure  by  the  state  of  the  weather  whether  they 
anchor  or  remain  under  way.  If  they  anchor,  a  wire  hawser  should  be  used  as  a 
spring.  The  men  are  to  have  breakfast  at  4.30  A.M.,  and  are  to  wear  their  working  rig. 

"  The  in-shore  squadron  will  be  under  my  personal  command ;  the  off-shore  ships 
under  that  of  Captain  Hunt-Grubbe,  C.B.,  of  the  Sultan.  The  Helicon  and  Condor 
will  act  as  repeating  ships. 

"  Finally,  the  object  of  this  attack  is  the  destruction  of  the  earthworks  and  the  dis- 
mantling of  the  batteries,  on  the  sea-fronts  of  Alexandria.  It  is  possible  that  the  work 
may  not  be  accomplished  under  two  or  three  days.  Shell  is  to  be  expended  with 
caution,  notwithstanding  that  ihellurnber,  with  a  fair  proportion  of  reserve  ammunition, 
may  be  expected  here  on  the  12th.  Should  the  Achilles  arrive  in  time,  she  is  to  attack 
Fort  Pharos,  or  place  herself  where  the  senior  officer  of  the  off-shore  squadron  may 
direct.  .  .  ." 

Towards  evening  the  ships  took  up  the  positions  assigned  to 
them,  the  Alexandra  1500,  the  Sultan  1750,  and  the  Superb  1950 

1  Sir  Beauchamp  meant  "  in-shore,  near  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,"  as  is  shown  by 
his  moie  detailed  instructions. 


328      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

yards  from  the  Lighthouse  Fort ;  the  Inflexible,  in  the  Corvette 
Pass,  3750  yards  from  Mex  ;  the  Temeraire,  outside  the  Boghaz 
Pass,  3500  yards  from  Mex ;  *  the  Penelope  and  Invincible 
in-shore,  1000  yards  from  Mex ;  and  the  Monarch  somewhat 
more  to  the  westward,  and  1300  yards  from  Mex.  Such  ships  as 
were  in  company  with  others  were  at  intervals  of  two  and  a  half 
cahles.  All  were  cleared  for  action  on  the  10th,  top-gallant  masts 
being  struck,  and  bowsprits  rigged  in.  The  small  craft  sent  down 
all  their  yards,  but  the  ironclads  only  their  upper  ones. 

The  morning  broke  fair  and  clear,  with  a  smooth  sea,  and 
a  light  N.W.  breeze,  which,  when  the  action  began,  carried  the 
smoke  in-shore,  and  obscured  the  target,  making  good  shooting 
a  little  difficult. 

At  7  A.M.,  by  order,  the  Alexandra  fired  the  first  shot  at  the 
battery  near  Fort  Ada ;  and  a  signal  for  general  action  was  hoisted 
in  the  Invincible,  where  the  Commander-in-Chief  still  flew  his  flag. 
It  was  greeted  with  cheers.     Indeed,  throughout  the  action  there 
seems  to  have  been  more  noise  and  chaff  on  some  of  the  British  decks 
than  would  have  been  desirable,  or  even  safe,  had  the  enemy  been  a 
more  serious  one.    The  Egyptians  replied  quickly  and  pluckily,  their 
officers  not  hesitating  to  leap  upon  the  parapets  in  order  to  direct 
and  encourage  the  gunners ;  and  the  guns'  crews  sticking  manfully 
to  their  work  in  spite  of  the  overpowering  fire.      In  the  British 
ships,  officers  stationed  in  the  tops,  or  elsewhere  aloft,  gave  such 
information   as   the   smoke   would  permit  them  to   collect   to   the 
people  at  the  guns  below.     The  shooting  on  the  part  of  the  attack, 
though  not  brilliant,  was,  perhaps,  as  good  as  could  be  looked  for 
in  the  circumstances ;  but  an  undue  proportion  of  the  large  shells 
failed  to  burst;    and  the  unsuitableness  of  ships  of  the  Inflexible 
type  for  war  service  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  concussion 
of  her  guns  smashed  her  boats  (which  ought  to  have  been  hoisted 
out,  and  sent  to  a  place  of  safety,  though  not  too  far  away),  and 
damaged  her  superstructure.      In  fact,  no  man-of-war,  if  she  can 
temporarily  get  rid  of  her  boats,  ought  to  go  into  action  with  them 
on  board.     It  is  very  important  that,  in  the  event  of  her  sustaining 
serious  injuries,  they  should  be  available  for  the  saving  of  her  crew ; 
and,  if  they  be  kept  on  board,  they  must  suffer  severely,  if  not  from 
the  concussion  of  the  ship's  own  guns,  at  least  from  the  quick-firing 
and  machine-guns  of  the  enemy.     Moreover,  they  become  a  fertile 
1  The  Temeraire  grounded  there,  but  got  off  again  during  the  action. 


1882.]  BOMBARDMENT  OF  ALEXANDRIA.  329 

source  of  splinters ;  and  they  increase  the  risk  of  fire,  which,  even 
though  it  may  not  actually  imperil  the  ship,  must  impair  her 
efficiency  hy  the  production  of  smoke. 

By  7.10  all  the  ships  were  engaged ;  and  all  the  forts  that  could 
bring  their  guns  to  bear  on  them  were  replying.  Of  the  in-shore 
squadron,  the  Invincible  fought  at  anchor,  using  a  hawser  as  a 
spring ;  the  Penelope,  after  first  fighting  at  anchor,  steamed  out 
to  a  range  of  about  1200  yards,  and  then  allowed  herself  to  drift 


ADMIBAL   THE   RT.    HON.    FREDERICK    BEAUCHAMP   FACET   SEYMOUR,    LORD 
ALCESTER,   Q.C.B. 

(From  a  photo  hy  the  London  Stereoscopic  Co.) 

in  to  a  range  of  about  700,  afterwards  repeating  the  manoeuvre ;  and 
the  Monarch  steamed  up  and  down,  parallel  with  the  Mex  lines, 
and,  at  8.30,  blew  up  a  magazine  in  the  rear  of  Fort  Marsa.  The 
Temeraire,  further  out,  supported  the  fire  of  the  in-shore  squadron ; 
and  the  Inflexible,  from  outside  the  centre  of  the  breakwater, 
divided  her  fire  between  earth  and  masonry  works — Oom  el  Kubebe 
at  4000  yards,  and  Eas  el  Tin  at  2700.  The  Alexandra,  Superb, 


330      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

and  Sultan,  first  under  steam  at  from  1500  to  2000  yards,  and 
then  at  anchor  at  about  2200  yards,  engaged  the  works  between 
Eas  el  Tin  and  Pharos.  The  firing  of  the  fleet  was  for  the  most 
part  very  slow  and  deliberate.  Nevertheless,  by  10.30,  the  Mex 
works  began  to  show  signs  of  having  had  enough  of  it ;  and  by 
about  12.30  the  Inflexible  and  Temeraire  moved  eastward,  and 
devoted  their  attention  to  Pharos  and  Ada.  The  Superb,  which 
had  previously  fired  chiefly  at  the  Eas  el  Tin  lines  and  Lighthouse 
battery,  also  attacked  Ada,  which  she  silenced  at  about  2  P.M.,  after 
having  exploded  the  magazine.  At  nearly  the  same  hour,  it  being 
seen  that  the  gunners  in  the  lower  battery  of  Mex  had  abandoned 
their  guns,  a  party  of  twelve  volunteers,1  under  Lieutenant  Barton 
Eose  Bradford,  landed  through  the  growing  swell  and  breaking  surf, 
spiked  six  smooth-bores,  and  disabled  two  10-inch  rifled  muzzle-loaders 
by  exploding  charges  of  gun-cotton  in  their  muzzles.  This  was  done 
without  casualty,  though  it  cost  the  loss  of  the  Bittern's  dinghy. 

Oom  el  Kubebe  had  been  silenced  at  about  1  P.M.  ;  part  of  the 
Eas  el  Tin  works  ceased  to  reply  an  hour  and  a  half  later ; 
the  Lighthouse  end  of  the  Eas  el  Tin  lines  became  quiet  at 
nearly  the  same  time ;  and  the  Hospital  end  of  the  same  lines 
fired  only  from  a  single  gun  after  about  3  P.M.  Pharos  held  out  till 
about  4.30 ;  and  not  till  after  5  did  the  last  gun  near  the  Hospital 
desist  from  replying.  For  a  little  longer  the  bombardment  was 
continued.  At  5.30,  however,  the  signal  was  made  to  cease  firing. 

In  the  meantime  the  gunboats,  and  especially  the  Condor,  had 
not  been  idle.  Early  in  the  day  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  noticing 
that  Fort  Marabout  was  endeavouring  to  annoy  the  in-shore 
squadron,  stood  in  to  the  work  so  close  that  its  guns  could  barely 
be  depressed  sufficiently  to  reach  him,  and,  anchoring,  warped  his 
little  craft  to  and  fro,  veering  away  and  heaving  in  cable,  and 
pouring  in  such  fire  as  he  could.  He  had  been  at  that  work  for 
about  an  hour  and  a  half,  when,  at  10  A.M.,  the  Admiral  ordered 
in  the  other  gunboats  on  the  same  duty.  They  all  gained  positions 
in  which  they  could  not  be  touched,  and,  no  doubt,  distracted  the 
attention  of  the  enemy  to  a  considerable  extent.  When,  at  length, 
the  gunboats  were  recalled,  the  Condor  was  cheered  from  the  flag- 
ship, which  made  the  signal,  "  Well  done,  Condor." 

During  the  morning  a  10-in.  shell  from  a  smooth-bore  pierce 

1  Including  LieutB.  Richard  Poore,  and  Hon.  Hedworth  Lambton  (flag),  and  Mids. 
Edward  Ernest  Hardy. 


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1882.]  CASUALTIES   AT  ALEXANDRIA.  331 

an  unarmoured  part  of  the  Alexandra's  side,  and  lodged  on  her  main 
deck.  Hearing  a  cry  to  that  effect,  Gunner  Israel  Harding,  who 
was  below,  rushed  up  the  ladder,  and,  seeing  that  the  fuse  was 
burning,  flung  some  water  over  it,  and  then  picked  up  the 
projectile,  and  immersed  it  bodily  in  the  contents  of  a  tub  that 
stood  at  hand.  For  this  act  he  was  promoted  to  be  Chief  Gunner 
as  from  the  day  of  the  engagement,  and,  in  the  following  September, 
was  awarded  the  Victoria  Cross. 

The  casualties  on  the  side  of  the  attack  were  insignificant.  The 
Alexandra  had  1  killed,  and  3  wounded;  the  Superb,  1  killed,  and 
1  wounded;  the  Sultan,  2  killed,  and  8  wounded;  the  Inflexible, 
1  killed,  and  2  wounded  (one  mortally) ;'  the  Invincible,  6  wounded ; 2 


VICE-ADMIRAL    SIR  JOHN   ARBUTHNOT    FISHER,    K.C.I). 
{Signature  when,  a  Bear-Admiral.') 

and  the  Penelope,  8  wounded ; 3  making  in  all,  5  killed,  and  28 
wounded.  The  Egyptian  loss,  never  accurately  ascertained,  has 
been  estimated  at  as  high  as  2000,  and  as  low  as  300.  It  was 
probably  about  150  killed,  and  400  wounded,  out  of  the  2000  men 
who  appear  to  have  been  engaged  in  the  forts ;  and,  doubtless, 
there  were  many  further  casualties  among  the  troops  who  were 
to  the  rear  of  the  works. 

That  night  the  ships  repaired  damages,  and  swept  the  forts  and 
harbour  with  their  search-lights,  in  order  to  prevent  the  Egyptians 
from  working,  or  from  using  mines  and  torpedoes.  The  morning 
of  the  12th  was  windy  and  gloomy.  The  dead  were  committed  to 

1  The  two  fatally  hit  were  Lieut.  Francis  Sydney  Jackson,  and  Carpenter  Win. 
Shannon. 

2  Including  Mids.  Walter  Lumsden. 

3  Among  these  was  Lieut.  Francis  Harvey  Davies. 


332      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

the  sea;  but,  although  the  Achilles,  armoured  battleship,  Captain 
Edward  Kelly,  had  arrived,  little  else  could  be  done  until  the 
weather  moderated.  When  that  happened  the  Inflexible  and 
T6meraire  fired  a  few  shots  into  Pharos  and  Ada,  whereupon  a 
flag  of  truce  was  hoisted.  The  Admiral  sent  his  Flag-Lieutenant, 
the  Hon.  Hedworth  Lambton,  in  the  Bittern,  to  receive  the  surrender 
of  the  forts ;  but,  the  governor  refusing  to  give  them  up,  it  was 
announced  that  the  bombardment  would  be  renewed ;  and,  at 
4  P.M.,  a  shot  was  fired  at  Pharos.  Immediately  another  white 
flag  was  hoisted.  The  day  was  so  far  advanced  that  Sir  Beau  champ 
decided  to  postpone  further  operations  until  the  13th.  The  Helicon, 
however,  steamed  into  the  harbour,  and,  though  she  found  no  one 
with  whom  to  treat,  returned  to  the  fleet  with  about  170  refugees.. 
When,  on  the  following  morning,  a  reconnoitring  party  landed,  it  was 
found  that  all  the  works  had  been  abandoned. 

The  damage  done  to  the  ships  was  small.  The  Inflexible  was 
the  most  injured.  Besides  being  somewhat  mauled  aloft,  and 
having  her  unarmoured  parts  penetrated  in  various  places,  she 
was  struck  outside  the  citadel  below  the  water-line  by  a  10-in. 
rifle  shot,1  which  glanced  upwards,  passed  through  the  deck,  killed 
Carpenter  Shannon,  and  mortally  wounded  Lieutenant  Jackson, 
who  was  directing  the  fire  from  a  20-pr.  on  the  superstructure. 
It  was  necessary  to  dock  her.  The  Monarch  and  Temeraire  were 
untouched.  The  Alexandra  had  twenty-four  hits  from  shot  or 
shell  outside  her  armour,  and  was  struck,  in  all,  about  sixty  times. 
The  Sultan  had  a  plate  dented  and  started  on  the  water-line,  four 
boats  damaged,  a  shot  through  one  funnel,  and  another  through 
the  mainmast.  The  Invincible  had  several  dents  on  her  armour, 
and  was  penetrated  more  than  once  outside  of  it.  The  Superb  was 
badly  hit,  just  above  the  water-line  and  belt,  by  a  shell,  which  burst 
and  blew  a  hole  ten  feet  long  and  four  feet  wide.  She  also  had  two 
other  holes,  one  near  her  fore  torpedo-port  on  the  port  side,  and 
another  on  the  port  side  abaft  the  battery.  The  Penelope  was 
hulled  eight  times.  One  shot,  entering  the  battery  and  striking 
the  engine-room  hatch-coaming,  fell  into  the  engine-room,  but  was 
caught  on  the  grating.  One  of  her  guns  on  the  port  side  had  its 
muzzle  chipped,  but  could  still  be  fired.  The  armour  in  all  cases 
afforded  considerably  better  protection  in  action  than  on  the  proving 

1  A  Palliser  shot.     In  the  course  of  its  career  it  struck  an  iron  bollard,  base  first, 
and  impressed  its  maker's  name  on  it.     It  also  wrecked  the  Captain's  cabin. 


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1882.]  CONDITION   OF   THE  FORTS.  333 

grounds,  and  it  was  not  penetrated.     As  for  the  ships  themselves, 
all  were  perfectly  in  condition  to  re-engage  on  the  following  day.1 

It  was  supposed  at  first  that  the  forts  had  suffered  very  severely 
indeed  from  the  fire  of  the  ships ;  but,  especially  after  they  had  been 
carefully  inspected  by  the  Eoyal  Engineers,  it  appeared  that  they 
had  by  no  means  been  crushed,  and  that  they  were  capable  of  being 
easily  repaired,  and  quickly  fought  again.  Some  of  the  guns  had 
been  capsized  by  their  own  recoil,  owing  either  to  the  defective 
nature  of  their  mountings,  or  to  their  having  been  improperly 
handled ;  but  only  10  out  of  the  44  rifled  guns  had  been  silenced 
by  the  fire  of  the  fleet.  Briefly  summarised,  the  effect  of  the 
bombardment  of  the  forts  was  as  follows  : — 

Fort  Silsileh,  a  regular  fort,  chiefly  of  earthwork,  had  been  not  much  engaged,  and 
had  suffered  little. 

Port  Pharos,  a  masonry  work  with  casemates,  had  had  several  of  its  casemates 
riddled  and  choked.  Three  guns  and  carriages  were  wrecked,  and  others  were  masked 
by  fallen  debris.  One  gun  on  the  reverse  face  had  been  carried  away,  and  pitched  upon 
its  muzzle  into  the  ditch,  thirty  feet  off.  Five  out  of  six  of  its  heavier  rifled  guns  were, 
however,  capable  of  being  still  worked. 

Fort  Ada,  an  earthwork  riveted  with  masonry,  was  cut  about,  but  its  parapets 
were  not  materially  damaged.  Three  guns  had  been  struck  and  put  out  of  action ;  yet, 
but  for  the  havoc  wrought  by  the  explosion  of  the  magazine,  the  work  might  have  gone 
on  firing. 

Ras  el  Tin  lines,  from  the  Hospital  battery  on  the  east,  to  Ras  el  Tin  Fort,  or  the 
Lighthouse  Fort,  on  the  west,  were  constructed  of  masonry  and  earth.  These  lines 
and  their  forts  had  fought  more  stubbornly  than  any  other  part  of  the  defences,  and 
had  been  badly  mauled,  but  no  guns  had  been  actually  disabled  in  the  lines,  though 
some  had  been  struck.  In  the  Hospital  Battery  the  fronts  of  the  embrasures  were 
destroyed,  and  the  guns  laid  bare,  but  although  one  of  the  weapons  bore  as  many  as 
forty-nine  marks  of  shrapnel,  none  had  been  materially  damaged.  In  Ras  el  Tin  Fort, 
three  guns  had  been  dismounted,  but  not  disabled  by  the  ships.  One  gun  had  turned 
over  and  crushed  its  gunners. 

Fort  Saleh  Aga,  a  work  insignificant  except  th.it  it  had  a  command  of  60  feet, 
had  a  6'5-in.  smooth-bore  dismounted. 

Fort  Oom  el  Kubebe,  a  masonry  and  earthwork,  with  good  profile,  and  a  command 
of  80  feet,  also  had  a  6'5-in.  smooth-bore  dismounted.  The  heavy  shells  from  the 
Inflexible  had  caused  much  damage  to  the  parapet. 

Fort  Kamaria  was  untouched,  and  appears  never  to  have  engaged. 

The  Mex  lines,  with  an  extreme  command  of  about  25  feet,  had  their  guns  firing 
en  barbette  over  earthen  parapets  from  15  to  18  feet  thick.  One,  if  not  two  of  the  guns, 
had  been  dismounted  by  the  fire  of  the  fleet. 

Fort  Mex,  with  22  feet  of  command,  also  had  its  guns  en  barbette,  with  unriveted 
earth  parapets.  These  last  were  hardly  injured,  but  the  buildings  in  rear  of  them  were 
swept  away.  Three  guns  were  struck  by  shells,  and  put  out  of  action ;  others  bore 
marks  of  machine-gun  and  shrapnel  bullets. 

Fort  Marsa  was  an  impotent  work. 

Fort  Marabout,  attacked  only  by  the  gunboats,  had  no  guns  put  out  of  action. 

1  Desps. :  '  Nav.  Annual,'  1886 :  Farret,  '  Ops.  de  Guerre  Marit.'  47 :  '  Journal  of 
R.U.S.I.,'  xxvii.,  200  :  Private  journals  :  Corr.  of  the  Times,  etc. 


334      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

The  large  shells,  it  was  found,  had  produced  remarkably  little 
effect  against  the  earthworks.  Many  burst  prematurely,  and  many 
others  did  not  burst  at  all.  Some  even  split  on  striking,  and  did 
not  burst  in  spite  of  it.  Anunexploded  8-in.  shell  from  the  Penelope 
was  found  in  an  Egyptian  magazine  which  contained  400  tons  of 
powder.  Apart  from  all  that,  the  amount  of  ammunition  expended 
was  incommensurate  with  the  results  attained.  The  two  ships,  the 
Inflexible  and  Temeraire,  which  had  guns  that  were  worked  hydrauli- 
cally,  seem  to  have  made,  upon  the  whole,  the  best  shooting. 

Let  it  be  admitted  that  the  bombardment  of  Alexandria  was  no 
very  brilliant  or  dangerous  exploit.  The  place  was  not  a  Toulon,  or 
a  Cherbourg ;  its  defenders  were,  for  the  most  part,  not  highly 
trained  ;  five-sixths  of  its  guns  were  obsolete  ;  and  the  operations  of 
the  attack  were  not  impeded,  as  they  would  have  been  before  many 
another  fortress,  by  the  presence  of  mines,  or  by  the  moral  effect  of 
the  vicinity  of  torpedo  boats.  The  Egyptians  had  plenty  of  mines, 
no  fewer  than  87  of  250  or  500  Ibs.,  and  500  of  100  Ibs,  being 
afterwards  found  in  the  magazines ;  but,  owing  to  causes  already 
noted,  they  were  unable  to  lay  them  down.  Again,  the  numerous 
mortars  mounted  in  the  works  were  but  little  employed,  and  were  fired 
without  skill  or  discretion.  A  13-in.  shell  dropped  on  the  deck  of  any 
ship  engaged  would  probably  have  put  her  out  of  action,  and  might 
have  been  fatal  to  her ;  for,  of  the  eight  ironclads,  only  three,  the 
Inflexible,  Alexandra,  and  Temeraire,  had  any  armoured  decks  at  all, 
and  those  had  comparatively  weak  ones.  In  face  of  well  served 
mortars,  it  would  certainly  have  been  extremely  risky  for  the  ships 
to  anchor,  as  some  of  them  did. 

One  of  the  most  suggestive  accounts  of  the  bombardment  is  to 
be  found  in  the  report1  which  was  furnished  to  "Washington  by 
Lieutenant-Commander  Caspar  F.  Goodrich,  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  who  witnessed  it.  The  main  conclusions,  other  than  some  of 
those  already  formulated,  of  this  able  and  observant  officer,  were 
that  :  — 

Command  is  important  for  forts. 

Thirty  feet  of  earth  stops  all  projectiles. 

Embrasures  should  be  cut  deep  below  the  crest. 

No  non-disappearing  guns  should  be  mounted  en  barbette. 

Guns  should  be  painted  the  same  colour  as  the  works. 

Flat-trajectory  guns  are  not  the  best  for  attacking  earthworks. 

Some  ships  should  carry  howitzers. 

1  '  Information  from  Abroad,'  iii. 


1882.]  TACTICAL    CONCLUSIONS.  335 

Vertical  fire  is  important  against  earthworks,  and  should  be  studied. 

Disappearing  guns,  firing  en  barbette,  are  very  efficient. 

Projectiles  not  specially  aimed  at  guns  or  magazines  are  thrown  away. 

Ships  do  not  fight  on  even  terms  with  forts  ;  yet 

Forts  cannot  stop  ships.1 

Opposed  to  forts,  ships  gain  more  than  they  lose  by  anchoring. 

In  a  heavy  swell,  broadside  guns  are  not  as  accurate  as  axially  mounted  ones. 

There  is  much  to  be  said  in  favour  of  nearly  all  these  conclusions  ; 
and  I  do  not  know  that  anything  has  since  occurred  to  modify  the 
majority  of  them.  But  it  is  impossible  to  agree  that,  looking  to  the 
manner  in  which  accuracy  of  fire  was  improved  in  the  last  years  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  and  to  the  means  which  may  be  adopted  by 
a  vigilant  enemy  for  judging  ranges  in  front  of  a  permanent  position, 
ships  have  any  right  to  anchor  before  forts.  Indeed,  even  when 
tinder  way,  ships  before  forts  are  always  exposed  to  extreme  risks,  if 
the  defenders  have  adopted  such  precautions  as  are  open  to  them. 
At  Kagosima,  in  1863,  Captain  Josling,  and  Commander  Wilmot 
were  killed  just  when  the  Euryalus  was  close  to  a  target  which  had 
been  laid  out  by  the  Japanese,  and  of  which,  no  doubt,  they  knew 
the  exact  range. 

If  Sir  Beauchamp  Seymour  had  been  only  slightly  mistaken  in 
his  estimate  of  the  nature  of  the  defences,  and  of  the  capacity  of  the 
people  who  manned  them,  he  would  scarcely  have  escaped  without 
very  serious  loss.  The  attack  of  a  place  such  as  Alexandria  can 
be  conducted  prudently  only  by  such  methods  as  were  afterwards 
pursued  by  the  Japanese  during  their  war  with  China  in  1894.  The 
function  of  a  fleet  before  a  naval  fortress  of  any  pretensions  seems  to 
be  to  hold  the  nut  while  forces  landed  on  each  side  of  it  close  and 
crack  it. 

The  official  Egyptian  account  of  the  engagement  ought  not  to  be 
omitted.  It  runs  :— 

"On  Tuesday,  Shaban  25th,  1299,  at  12  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  English 
opened  fire  on  the  forts  of  Alexandria,  and  we  returned  the  fire.  At  10  A.M.  an  iron- 
clad foundered  oft'  Fort  Ada.  At  noon,  two  vessels  were  sunk  between  Fort  Pharos  and 
Fort  Adjemi.  At  1.30  a  wooden  man-of-war  of  eight  guns  was  sunk.  At  5  P.M.  a 
large  ironclad  was  struck  by  a  shell  from  Fort  Pharos,  her  battery  was  injured,  and  a 
white  flag  was  immediately  hoisted  by  her  as  a  signal  to  cease  firing,  whereupon  the 
firing  ceased  on  both  sides,  having  lasted  for  ten  hours  without  cessation.  Some 
of  the  walls  of  the  forts  were  destroyed,  but  they  were  repaired  during  the  night. 
The  shot  and  shell  discharged  by  the  two  sides  amounted  to  about  6000;  and  this 
is  the  first  time  so  lavge  a  number  of  missiles  has  been  discharged  in  so  short  a 
period. 

1  This  was  often  demonstrated  during  the  operations  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  1893-4. 


336       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  HOYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

"At  11  A.M.  on  Wednesday  the  English  ships  again  opened  fire,  and  were  replied 
to  by  the  forts ;  but  after  a  short  time  the  firing  ceased  on  both  sides,  and  a  deputation 
came  from  Admiral  Seymour,  and  made  propositions  to  Toulba  Pasha  which  he  would 
not  accept.  No  soldiers  ever  stood  so  firmly  to  their  posts  under  a  heavy  fire  as  did 
the  Egyptian  under  the  fire  of  twenty-eight  ships  during  ten  hours.  At  9  A.M.  on 
Thursday  an  English  man-of-war  was  seen  to  put  a  small  screw  in  place  of  the  large 
one  which  she  had  been  using ;  and  it  was  then  known  that  her  screw  had  been  carried 
away  by  a  shot  from  the  forts.  On  examining  other  ships,  it  was  observed  that  eight 
had  been  severely  battered  on  their  sides,  and  that  one  had  lost  her  funnel." 

Various  honours  were  granted  for  this  in  conjunction  with  the 
subsequent  work  done  by  the  Navy  in  Egypt.  For  the  bombardment 
of  Alexandria  alone  the  following  executive  promotions  were  made, 
as  from  the  day  of  the  action  :— 

To  be  Captains :  Commanders  George  Weightman  Hand,  Charles  John  Balfour 
Lord  Charles  William  Delapoer  Beresford,  Albert  Baldwin  Jenkings,  and  Alan 
Brodrick  Thomas. 

To  be  Commanders  :  Lieutenants  Hugh  Cuthbert  Dudley  Ryder,  Edward  Payne, 
Arthur  Herbert  Boldero,  Duke  Arthur  Crofton,  William  Codrington  Carnegie 
Forsyth,  William  Llewellyn  Morrison,  William  Harvey  Pigott,  Henry  John 
May,  Barton  Rose  Bradford. 

To  be  Lieutenants  :  Sub-Lieutenants  Charles  Eustace  Anson,  Herbert  Willoughby 
Meredith,  George  Frederick  Godfrey  Purvis,  George  Sarsfield  Walsh,  William 
Henry  du  Caurroy  Chads,  Robert  Burlton  Abdy,  Reginald  Ambrose  Cave- 
Brown-Cave,  Norman  Burgoyne  Youel,  Norman  Godfrey  Macalister. 

Several  other  officers  were  noted  for  promotion. 

For  some  time  after  the  bombardment  the  Navy  continued  to 
take  a  conspicuous  share  in  controlling  the  course  of  events,  not 
only  in  and  near  Alexandria,  but  also  in  other  parts  of  Lower 
Egypt.  Seymour,  however,  was  cruelly  hampered,  especially  at 
the  outset,  by  the  impossibility  of  putting  ashore  a  force  strong 
enough  to  undertake  operations  on  any  but  the  most  modest  scale. 
The  authorities  at  home  had  failed  to  make  adequate  provision  for 
the  occupation  of  a  large  city,  and  the  management  of  a  turbulent 
mixed  population ;  and  the  consequences  were  not  creditable  to 
the  foresight  of  the  British  Government,  though  they  did  no  small 
honour  to  the  British  bluejacket  and  his  officers. 

On  July  13th  the  Invincible,  Penelope,  Monarch,  Condor,  Beacon, 
and  Bittern  steamed  into  harbour,  and  the  Admiral  landed  from 
them  a  detachment  of  150  bluejackets  and  450  Eoyal  Marines  to 
keep  some  kind  of  order  in  the  place.  The  city  was  still  burning, 
partly  as  the  result  of  the  bombardment,  partly  in  consequence  of 
incendiary  fires  which  had  been  lighted  by  released  convicts.  It 
was  supposed,  moreover,  to  be  mined  on  an  extensive  scale,  so  that 


1882.]  EVENTS  AT  ALEXANDRIA.  337 

the  streets  were  regarded  as  extremely  unsafe.  The  guns  in  several 
batteries  were  spiked  ;  the  Khedive's  palace  at  Eas  el  Tin  was 
garrisoned ;  and  efforts  were  made  to  clear  the  streets.  On  the 
following  day,  when  a  number  of  additional  Marines  had  been 
disembarked  for  police  duties,  the  Penelope,  with  Bear-Admiral 
Anthony  Hiley  Hoskins  on  board,  left  for  Port  Said.1  The  Khedive 
was  visited  by  Seymour  and  some  civilian  officers,  and  invited  to 
go  on  board  one  of  the  warships ;  but  he  preferred  to  remain  at 
Eas  el  Tin.  By  the  evening  all  the  most  important  positions  in 
the  city  had  been  taken  possession  of,  though  the  available  men 
were,  of  course,  far  too  few  to  hold  them  properly,  and,  indeed, 
too  few  to  repress  at  once  the  looting  and  continued  incendiarism 
that  prevailed.  Captain  Fisher  was  in  command  of  all  the  British 
naval  forces  ashore,  and,  with  small  means,  accomplished  wonders. 
On  the  15th,  when  the  senior  American  officer  on  the  spot  had 
landed  a  number  of  his  marines  to  assist  in  the  restoration  of  order, 
these,  and  the  British  naval  police,  were  placed  in  charge  of 
Commander  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  who  rendered  very  sterling 
service.  The  Americans,  as  usual,  co-operated  in  the  most  loyal 
and  friendly  fashion  with  the  British.  In  consequence,  apparently, 
of  the  example  set  by  them,  the  senior  naval  officers  of  one  or  two 
other  nationalities  also  offered  to  land  men ;  and  their  offers  were 
gratefully  accepted. 

In  the  meantime  Arabi  and  the  Egyptian  forces  had  withdrawn 
without  the  city,  and,  upon  the  whole,  neither  they  nor  the  tribes- 
men caused  much  trouble,  though,  on  one  occasion,  about  150 
Bedouins,  bent  probably  upon  looting,  appeared  close  to  the  Gabari 
gate.  When,  however,  Midshipman  Eustace  William  Clitherow 
Stracey,2  at  the  head  of  twelve  bluejackets,  attacked  them,  and 
killed  two,  the  rest  fled,  the  Egyptian  army  not  attempting  to 
intervene.  Lieutenant  Charles  Eustace  Anson,  of  the  Helicon, 
was  employed  on  another  occasion  to  destroy  the  railway  line  above 
Mallaha  Junction,  the  station  at  which  was  garrisoned  without 
opposition ;  and,  on  the  17th,  when  Commander  Eustace  Downman 
Maude,  of  the  Temeraire,  with  four  bluejackets  and  four  men  of 
the  Khedive's  Guard,  rode  towards  Kafr-dawar,  and  within  300 
yards  of  Arabi's  lines,  he  found  all  quiet.  Had  the  Egyptian 

1  Times  of  July  14  and  15,  containing  telegs.  from  Seymour,  etc.     Hoskins  seems 
to  have  returned,  and  to  have  gone  again  to  Port  Said  on  Aug.  16. 

2  Of  the  Alexandra. 

VOL.   VII.  Z 


338      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

general  maintained  an  actively  offensive  attitude,  the  difficulties  of 
the  British  officers  in  Alexandria  would  have  been  greatly  increased 
in  those  early  days.  While  he  lay  almost  inactive,  reinforcements 
arrived,  and  he  lost  such  chances  as  he  may  have  had  at  first. 

On  July  17th,  the  ironclads  Agincourt,1  Captain  Elibank  Harley 
Murray  (flag  of  Bear- Admiral  Sir  Francis  William  Sullivan),  and 
Northumberland,1  Captain  George  Stanley  Bosanquet,  and  the 
despatch  vessel  Salamis,1  Commander  Frederick  Boss  Boardman, 
together  with  the  troopship  Tamar,  Captain  Thomas  Harvey  Eoyse, 
reached  the  scene ;  and  a  stream  of  much-needed  troops  began  to 
pour  into  Alexandria.  The  reliefs  enabled  most  of  the  disembarked 
bluejackets  to  be  recalled  to  their  ships  on  the  18th,  though  the 
Marines,  of  course,  remained  ashore,  and  their  strength  there  was 
increased.  The  Navy,  moreover,  continued  to  take  charge  of  the 
town,  Major-General  Sir  Archibald  Alison,2  who  had  been  sent  out, 
commanding  the  army  which  at  length  was  assembling.  The 
naval  officers  holding  the  most  responsible  positions  in  Alexandria, 
under  the  Admiral,  were  Captain  Hotham  (Chief  of  the  Staff), 
Captain  Edward  Kelly,  of  the  Achilles  (Head  of  the  Transport 
Service),  Captain  Fisher  (Chief  of  the  Naval  Brigade),  Commander 
Lord  Charles  Beresford  (Chief  of  Police),  and  Paymaster  James 
Edward  Stanton,  of  the  Invincible  (Head  of  the  Commissariat). 
Immense  keenness  and  energy  were  displayed  by  all  ranks  and 
ratings.  Captain  Wilson,  of  the  Hecla,  who  landed  for  the  purpose 
at  Mex,  and  then  moved  along  the  coast,  destroyed  about  100 
guns  in  the  seaward  defences,  and  Lieutenant  William  Harvey 
Pigott,  of  the  Inflexible,  mounted  the  damaged  lighthouse  at  great 
risk,  and  relighted  the  lamp  in  it,  though,  with  the  seaman  who 
accompanied  him,  he  found  it  impossible  to  descend  unaided  from 
the  tower,  and  had  to  wait  there  until  he  could  be  rescued.  As 
for  the  Marines,  who,  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  occupation, 
were  under  Major  Joseph  Philips,  of  the  Alexandra,  they  were 
insatiable,  working  on  many  occasions  until  they  were  absolutely 

1  Detached  from   the   Channel   Squadron.      The  other   ships   detached   from  the 
Channel  Squadron  were  the  Achilles,  which  had  reached  Alexandria  immediately  after 
the  bombardment,  and  the  Minotaur  (flag  of  Vice-Adm.  Win.  Montagu  Dowell,  senior 
officer),  Captain   John   Fellowes.     Yice-Adm.  Dowell   became,   therefore,   second   in 
command  in   the   Mediterranean,  Bear-Adm.  Sullivan   being   third,   and   Bear-Adm. 
Hoskins  fourth.     The  last  had  been  specially  appointed  on  July  7,  1882,  and  hoisted 
his  flag  in  the  Penelope  upon  his  arrival. 

2  Sub-Lieut.  James  Erskine,  of  the  Helicon,  was  attached  to  Alison  as  naval  A.D.C. 


1882.]  HEWETT  IN   THE  It  ED    SEA.  339 

exhausted.1  It  was  during  this  period  of  the  campaign  that 
Captain  Fisher,  assisted  by  Lieutenant  Eichard  Poore,  devised  and 
improvised  an  armoured  train  which  at  once  became  exceedingly 
useful  for  reconnoitring  purposes,  and  which  seems  to  have  been 
first  employed  in  action  on  July  28th.2  In  a  skirmish  near 
Eamleh,  four  days  earlier,  a  couple  of  naval  guns  took  part ;  and 
these,  or  two  other  naval  9-prs.,  were  subsequently  posted  on  the 
high  ground  eastward  of  the  palace  to  defend  the  ridge  east  of 
the  city.  They  were  commanded  first  by  Captain  Alan  Brodrick 
Thomas,  and,  after  July  29th,  by  Commander  Tynte  Ford  Haminill. 
On  the  29th  Captain  Fisher  and  Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Hedworth 
Lambton,  with  300  Marines,  2  Nordenfelt  machine-guns,  and  a  9-pr., 
accompanied  Sir  Archibald  Alison  on  a  railway  reconnaissance 
from  Gabari  Station.3  It  was  on  the  29th,  also,  that  Midshipman 
Dudley  Eawson  De  Chair,  of  the  Alexandra,  while  carrying 
dispatches  between  Eas  et  Tin  and  Eamleh,  lost  his  way,  and 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  near  Siouf.4  He  was  well  treated 
by  Arabi  Pasha,  but  liberated  only  upon  the  occupation  of  Cairo 
by  the  British  Army.  Mex  forts  were  occupied  on  August  2nd 
by  Marines  from  the  Inconstant,  Superb,  and  Achilles,  under 
Lieut. -Colonel  Frederick  Gasper  Le  Grand.6  A  considerable  force 
of  both  arms  of  that  invaluable  and  historic  corps  had  arrived,  in 
the  interim,  from  England,  and  subsequently,  as  will  be  seen, 
distinguished  itself  greatly. 

While  preparations  were  being  made  for  grappling  with  the 
Egyptian  rebellion  from  the  Mediterranean  side,  the  Navy  also 
secured  a  foothold  and  a  shore  base  on  the  Eed  Sea  coast  of  Egypt. 
Eear-Admiral  Sir  William  Nathan  Wrighte  Hewett,  V.C.,  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  in  the  East  Indies,  had  come  westward  with  a 
portion  of  his  squadron,  and,  on  August  2nd,  learning  that  Suez 
was  in  danger  of  being  burnt,  he  disembarked  several  hundred 
Marines,  and  occupied  the  town.  No  resistance  was  offered,  the 
Egyptian  troops  fleeing  at  once.  The  vessels  which  contributed 
the  landing  force  were  the  corvettes  Euryalus  (flag),  Captain 
Alexander  Plantagenet  Hastings,  Ruby,  Captain  Charles  Edward 

1  Times,  July,  18,  19,  22. 

2  On  that  day  there  were  still  ashore,  under  Capt.  Fisher,  900  Marines  and  850 
«eamen. 

3  Times,  July  31.     When,  two  days  later,  Fisher  relinquished  some  of  his  shore 
duties,  the  Khedive  sent  for  him,  and  complimented  him  on  his  services. 

4  Times,  Aug.  1.  5  Times,  Aug.  3. 

•7.   0. 


340      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  HOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Foot,  and  Eclipse,  Captain  Edmund  St.  John  Garforth,  and  the 
sloop  Dragon,  Commander  Edward  Grey  Hulton.1 

The  armoured  train  had  a  busy  day  on  August  4th,  when  it 
accompanied  a  strong  reconnaissance  to  Mallaha  Junction,  and 
there  came  into  contact  with  Arabi's  outposts.  Upon  returning 
to  Gabari  Station,  the  train  took  on  board  Captain  Arthur  Knyvet 
Wilson,  of  the  Hecla,  and  one  of  his  40-pr.  Armstrong  breech- 
loaders, and  steamed  to  the  Mex  lines.  There  the  gun  was 
disembarked,  and  employed  with  extraordinary  success  against  the 
Mariout  earthworks,  distant  about  6000  yards.  In  the  evening, 
Admiral  Seymour  and  Bear-Admiral  Sullivan  used  the  train  to 
make  a  further  inspection  of  Arabi's  lines  to  the  eastward.  On  the 
day  following  the  train,  for  the  first  time,  was  seriously  engaged. 

On  the  5th  it  steamed  out  under  Captain  Fisher  at  about  4  P.M. 
On  board  were  Sir  Archibald  Alison,  Admiral  Seymour,  Lieut. - 
Colonel  Henry  Brasnell  Tuson,  E.M.A.,  Major  Henry  Harford 
Strong,  R.M.L.I.,  Commander  Reginald  Friend  Hannam  Henderson, 
Lieutenants  the  Hon.  Hed worth  Lambton,  and  Richard  Poore,  Major 
Joseph  Philips,  E.M.L.I.,  and  Midshipmen  Edward  Ernest  Hardy, 
and  E.  W.  C.  Stracey.  A  train  followed  with  700  men  of  the 
Marine  battalion.  In  conjunction  with  the  railway  expedition  a 
military  force 2  acted  from  Ramleh.  Apart  from,  that,  200  blue- 
jackets, and  1000  Marines,  in  all,  with  one  40-pr.,  and  two  9-prs., 
were  engaged,  the  naval  contingent  being  drawn  from  the  Invincible, 
Inflexible,  Alexandra,  Inconstant,  Hecla,  and  Helicon. 

Within  about  800  yards  of  Mallaha  Junction,  the  Marines 
detrained,  formed  up  under  cover  of  the  railway  embankment, 
and  then  advanced.  The  enemy's  vedettes  quickly  appeared  on 
the  left  front,  the  40-pr.  opened  on  them,  and,  when  a  company 
of  Marine  Infantry  moved  forward  under  Captain  Leaver  Henry 
Gascoyne  Cross,  R.M.,  the  Egyptians  were  subjected  to  a  brisk 
rifle  fire.  Cross  was  supported  by  another  company  under  Captain 
Edward  Berry  Byrch,  R.M.  The  40-pr.  quickly  dislodged  the 
enemy,  whereupon  a  company  of  Marine  Artillery,  under  Major 
Andrew  Donald,  R.M. A.,  occupied  the  Egyptian  entrenchments. 
Donald  was  supported  by  a  company  of  Marine  Infantry  under 

1  From  Suez,  on  Aug.  8th,  departed  Lieut.  Harold  Charrington,  of  the  Kuryalus, 
with  Capt.  Gill,  R.E.,  and  Prof.  Palmer,  to  make  arrangements  with  the  Arabs  for 
the  supply  of  camels.     All  three  were  murdered  by  the  Bedouins. 

2  60th  Rifles  and  part  of  38th  and  46th  Regts. 


1882.]  RECALL    OF   THE  NAVAL   BRIGADE.  341 

Captain  Eobert  Walker  Heathcote,  E.M.,  who  took  up  a  position 
in  extension  of  Donald's  left.  At  6.30  P.M.,  daylight  failing,  and 
the  General's  object  having  apparently  been  accomplished,  the  men 
began  to  be  withdrawn ;  whereupon  the  Egyptians  commenced 
an  extremely  galling  fire  upon  the  British  right.  The  Marines 
instantly  faced  round,  and  retired  company  by  company,  the  units 
supporting  one  another  as  each  fell  back.  The  operation  was  very 
well  performed ;  and  the  whole  day's  work  of  the  seamen  and 
Marines  elicited  high  praise  from  Sir  Archibald  Alison,  who  after- 
wards visited  their  barracks.  Six  prisoners  were  taken.  The 
casualties  of  the  Marines  and  Brigade  in  this  affair  were  1  Marine 
killed,  12  Marines  wounded ;  1  seaman  killed,  4  seamen  wounded.1 
The  number  of  the  enemy  engaged  was  about  2000,  with  6  guns, 
and  6  rocket-tubes.  The  armoured  train  continued  to  make 
reconnaissances  of  this  kind ; 2  but  the  value  of  them  was  considered 
to  be  doubtful,  as  the  positions  taken  were  never  held,  and  no 
immediate  objects  seemed  to  be  served. 

In  the  meantime  a  number  of  Bedouins  were  seen  to  be 
employed  upon  some  earthworks  east  and  south  of  Eamleh. 
Accordingly,  on  the  afternoon  of  August  8th,  the  Superb  weighed, 
and,  steaming  down  the  coast,  shelled  them,  and  drove  the 
labourers  away.  At  night  the  ship's  searchlights  were  turned 
upon  the  shore;  but  the  chief  effect  of  them  was  to  confuse  the 
British  pickets.  Searchlights,  indeed,  are  of  but  little  value  except 
to  observers  posted  behind  or  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  pro- 
jectors. In  the  early  days  of  their  introduction,  they  were  often 
employed,  especially  during  manoeuvres,  in  such  a  way  as  to  be 
a  positive  source  of  danger  to  their  users  and  their  users'  friends. 

On  August  llth,  the  greater  part  of  the  Naval  Brigade  was 
recalled  to  the  fleet,  two  9-prs.,  and  two  Gatling  machine-guns, 
with  their  crews,  being,  however,  left  with  the  army.  General 
H.E.H.  the  Duke  of  Connaught,  who  had  arrived  on  the  10th, 
caused  great  satisfaction  by  requesting  that  the  Eoyal  Marines 
might  form  part  of  his  brigade.  On  August  12th,  when,  by  the 
way,  the  foreign  landing-parties  were  all  re-embarked,  a  party 
from  the  Hecla  distinguished  itself  by  destroying  a  quantity  of 

AdmPs.  and  Genl's.  desps. ;  and  Times,  Aug.  7.     The  First  Lord,  in  the  Queen's 
name,  subsequently  cabled  thanks. 

-  E.g.,  on  Aug.  9  and  Aug.  14.  On  the  latter  clay,  when  it  moved  towards  Mex, 
it  was  fired  upon  by  the  enemy,  of  whom  it  killed  or  wounded  about  20. 


342      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

gun-cotton  while  exposed,  during  some  minutes,  to  a  smart  fire 
from  the  enemy. 

General  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley,  who,  with  Lieut.-General  Sir 
John  Adye  as  chief  of  his  staff,  had  been  appointed  to  the  supreme 
military  command  in  Egypt,  and  who  reached  the  scene  of  action 
at  about  this  time,  had  decided  not  to  use  Alexandria  as  his  base 
of  operations  against  Cairo,  but  to  advance  instead  from  Ismailia, 
a  port  on  the  Suez  Canal  nearly  midway  between  Port  Said  and 
Suez.  The  expeditionary  force,  however,  consisting  of  about 
17,000  troops  of  all  arms,1  made  preliminary  rendezvous  at 
Alexandria,  while  Rear-Admirals  Hewett  and  Hoskins  took  the 
necessary  measures  to  secure  the  Canal  and  the  desired  base,  a 
misleading  demonstration  being  made  simultaneously  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Aboukir. 

Under  Hoskins's  direction,  Captain  Fairfax,  of  the  Monarch, 
occupied  Port  Said,  and  Captain  Robert  O'Brien  FitzRoy,  of  the 
ironclad  Orion,  occupied  Ismailia  on  August  20th. 

At  Port  Said  no  difficulties  were  experienced.  At  3.30  A.M. 
on  that  day  a  party  of  216  seamen  and  276  Marines,2  with  2 
Gatling  machine-guns,  landed  in  silence  under  Captains  Fairfax, 
and  Edward  Hobart  Seymour  (Iris).  The  Egyptian  troops  in 
the  barracks  were  surrounded,  and  seamen  were  posted  right  across 
the  isthmus,  from  Lake  Menzaleh  to  the  sea.  The  troops  surren- 
dered immediately.  Captain  Seymour  then  seized  the  Canal 
Company's  office,  so  as  to  prevent  the  alarm  from  being  trans- 
mitted thence  to  other  stations.3 

At  Ismailia  there  was  more  trouble.  The  landing-force  con- 
sisted of  565  officers  and  men,  drawn  from  the  Orion,  and  the 
Northumberland,  from  the  corvette  Carys/ort,  Captain  Henry 
Frederick  Stephenson,  and  from  the  gunboat  Coquette,  Lieutenant 
Lenox  Napier,  with  a  7-pr.  and  2  Gatlings.  The  European  part 
of  the  town  was  occupied  in  silence,  and  without  fighting ;  but 
some  skirmishing  took  place  in  the  Arab  quarter,  and  it  was  found 
necessary  to  shell  certain  guard-houses.  In  the  meantime,  too, 
a  large  body  of  the  enemy  collected  at  Nefiche  station,  other  troops 
coming  thither  from  Tel  el  Kebir,  and  preparing  to  attack  Ismailia. 

1  Besides  an  Indian  contingent  of  about  7000  men. 

2  From  the  ironclad  Monarch,  and  the  cruiser  Iris,  with  a  few  from  the  ironclad 
Northumberland. 

3  Royle,  144. 


1882.]  SEIZURE   OF   THE  SUEZ   CANAL.  343 

When,  however,  the  Orion  and  Garysfort,  from  their  positions 
in  the  Canal,  opened  fire  at  about  4000  yards,  the  concentration 
was  checked,  although  the  Egyptian  position  was  visible  only 
from  the  corvette's  mast-head,  and  every  gun  had  to  be  aimed 
by  means  of  bearings  taken  from  that  point  of  vantage.  To 
enable  the  Orion's  guns  to  be  given  the  requisite  elevation,  the 
ironclads  port  boilers  had  been  emptied  and  her  projectiles  shifted, 
so  as  to  give  the  ship  a  list  to  starboard.  When,  at  length,  she 
burst  a  shell  under  a  train  which  was  bringing  up  reinforcements, 
the  Egyptians,  who  by  that  time  had  had  enough  of  it,  abandoned 
Nefiche.1  The  corvette  Tourmaline,  Captain  Kobert  Peel  Dennis- 
toun,  the  gun-vessel  Heady,  Commander  Herbert  Holden  Edwards, 
and  the  gunboat  Dee,  Lieutenant  Frank  Archdall  Harston,  were 
sent  promptly  by  Hoskins  to  FitzRoy's  support,  with  a  reinforce- 
ment of  340  Marines,  but  do  not  seem  to  have  been  needed.  In 
this  affair  Commander  Henry  Coey  Kane,  of  the  Northumberland, 
was  wounded. 

During  the  previous  night,  that  of  the  19th,  all  the  dredgers 
and  barges  in  the  Canal,  the  Company's  telegraph  system,  and  the 
village  of  Kantara,  had  been  seized  by  a  force  of  100  officers  and 
men  acting  under  direction  of  Commander  Edwards,  of  the  Ready ; 
so  that  by  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  the  Canal  and  all  its  machinery 
were  in  British  hands.  M.  de  Lesseps,  on  behalf  of  the  Company, 
made  vigorous  protests,  and  was,  to  some  slight  extent,  backed  up 
by  his  compatriots ;  but,  in  the  circumstances,  he  could  not  be 
listened  to.  Eventually  he  consoled  himself  by  bringing  ridiculous 
charges  of  barbarism  against  Captain  FitzBoy,2  whom  he  com- 
pared unfavourably  with  Arabi  Pasha. 

The  Canal  having  been  secured,  the  gun-vessels  Beacon,  Com- 
mander William  Frederick  Stanley  Mann,  and  Falcon,  Commander 
John  Eliot  Pringle,  the  dispatch-vessel  Helicon,  Lieutenant  Alfred 
Leigh  Winsloe,  and  the  special  service  vessel  Stormcock,  entered 
it  to  undertake  patrol  and  other  duties ;  and  on  August  21st,  the 
waterway  was  temporarily  closed  to  all  vessels  save  those  under 
the  orders  of  the  British  Government.  The  Dutch  Hotel,  com- 
manding the  Port  Said  entrance  to  the  Canal,  was  purchased  for 
£78,000,  and  occupied  by  two  companies  of  seamen  from  the 
Monarch,  under  Commander  Hammill,  and  Lieutenants  William 
Crawford  Beid,  and  Thomas  Henry  Fisher,  and  by  three  com- 

1  Eoyle,  137.  2  Times,  esp.  of  Sept.  5  and  6. 


344      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1000. 

panies    of    Marines    drawn    respectively   from    the    Monarch,   the 
Inflexible,  and  the  Alexandra. 

From  the  Suez  end  of  the  Canal,  on  August  '20th,  Captain 
Hastings,  of  the  Euryalus,  with  seamen  and  Marines  from  the 
gun-vessel  Seagull,  Commander  Mather  Byles,  and  the  gunboat 
Mosquito,  Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Francis  Kobert  Sandilands,  and 
200  of  the  72nd  Highlanders,  proceeded  to  Chalouf,  where  he 
landed,1  and  defeated  GOO  of  the  enemy,  capturing  a  number  of 
prisoners,  a  small  gun,  and  a  quantity  of  arms,  ammunition,  and 
stores.2  His  losses  were  only  2  Highlanders  drowned,  and  2  sea- 
men wounded,  while  the  Egyptians  had  168  killed. 

Previous  to  the  advance  of  the  army  from  the  Canal  westwards, 
the  work  of  the  Koyal  Navy  and  Boyal  Marines  was  chiefly 
confined  to  the  preservation  of  order  in  the  Canal,  although  on 
several  occasions  the  Minotaur,  lying  in  Aboukir  Bay,  bombarded 
the  enemy's  works,  and  although  in  the  brisk  action  at  Tel  el 
Mahuta,  near  Ismailia,  on  August  24th,  a  creditable  part  was 
borne  by  a  detachment  of  seamen  and  Marines,  with  2  Gatlings, 
from  the  Or«'o«,3and  Carysfort.  Marines  also  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  preliminary  affair  at  Kassassin 4  on  August  28th. 

Preparations  for  a  general  movement  from  Ismailia  along  the 
Fresh  Water  Canal  towards  Cairo  went  on  steadily,  until,  at  the 
end  of  the  first  week  in  September  a  considerable  British  force 
was  concentrated  at  Kassassin,  where,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th, 
the  Egyptians  attacked  again.  On  that  occasion  the  Marines  were 
on  the  left  of  the  British  line,  and,  with  the  King's  Boyal  Rifles, 
soon  began  to  drive  the  enemy  back.  After  the  Egyptian  artillery, 
which  was  posted  on  a  ridge,  had  been  shelled,  Captain  Boger  Pine 
Coffin,  B.M.L.I.,  and  Lieutenant  Herbert  Cecil  Money,  B. M.L.I., 
led  a  successful  charge  of  Marines  up  the  slope,  and  captured  two 
Krupp  guns,  whereupon  the  enemy  retired  within  his  earthworks. 
That  day  Lieutenant  Charles  Kennedy  Purvis,  of  the  Penelope,  was 
wounded  while  directing  the  fire  of  a  40-pr.  Armstrong,  and  was 
obliged  to  have  a  foot  amputated.  Towards  evening  the  small 
Naval  Brigade  at  the  front  was  reinforced  by  15  officers,  197  sea- 
men, and  6  Gatling  machine-guns  from  the  Temeraire,  Orion, 

1  The  naval  landing  party  was  under  Lieut.  Ebenezer  Rae,  and  Sub-Lieut.  Win. 
Oswald  Story. 

2  Times,  Sept.  1.  3  Under  Lieut.  Gerald  Lycidas  King-Harman. 

4  On  that  occasion,  Capt.  Wm.  Guise  Tucker,  R.M.A.,  mounted  a  captured  Krupp 
gun  on  a  railway  truck  and  worked  it  most  effectively  against  the  enemy. 


1882.]  THE  MARINES   AT   TEL   EL   KEBIR.  345 

Alexandra,  Monarch,  Superb,  and  Carysfort,  the  whole  being 
then  under  Captain  FitzKoy,  and  numbering  about  250  of  all 
ranks  and  ratings. 

For  three  days  longer  the  concentration  at  Kassassin  continued. 
Then,  on  the  night  of  September  12th,  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  moved 
forward  the  bulk  of  his  army  over  the  intervening  six  and  a  quarter 
miles,  marching  in  the  gloom  of  a  moonless  night ;  and  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  13th  he  surprised  Arabi's  army  in  its  positions 
eastward  of  Tel  el  Kebir,  and,  attacking  it  at  once,  defeated  it  with 
great  slaughter. 

The  Naval  Brigade  on  that  day  moved  along  the  railway.  A 
battalion  of  Eoyal  Marine  Artillery,1  under  Lieut.-Colonel  Henry 
Brasnell  Tuson,  and  another  of  Eoyal  Marine  Light  Infantry, 
under  Lieut. -Colonels  Howard  Sutton  Jones,  and  Samuel  James 
Graham,  also  took  part  in  the  action,  the  latter  especially  dis- 
tinguishing itself.  It  formed  the  left  of  Major  General  Graham's 
(2nd)  brigade  of  Lieut. -General  Willis's  (1st)  division.  After  a  long 
march,  the  brigade,  as  dawn  was  breaking,  found  itself  1200  yards 
from  the  front  of  the  northern  portion  of  the  Tel  el  Kebir  lines, 
but,  having  mistaken  its  way  in  the  darkness,  it  was  facing  in  the 
wrong  direction.  While  a  change  of  front  was  being  effected  the 
enemy  opened  fire,  and  ere  the  brigade  was  properly  formed  the 
fire  had  become  heavy.  Lieut.-Colonel  Jones  sent  forward  three 
companies  into  the  firing  line,  and  kept  three  in  support,  and  two 
more  in  reserve,  and  so  attacked  over  ground  which  afforded 
absolutely  no  cover.  But  the  men  moved  forward  with  extra- 
ordinary steadiness,  mounted  the  glacis,  and  reserved  their  fire 
until  they  were  within  little  more  than  100  yards  of  the  ditch. 
The  reserves,  under  Lieut.-Colonel  Graham,  then  came  up,  and 
the  whole  force  dashed  into  the  ditch  with  a  cheer,  scrambled  over 
the  eight-foot  parapet  on  the  other  side,  and  engaged  the  Egyptians 
at  hand  grips.  The  enemy,  after  a  brief  resistance,  broke  and 
fled,  and  was  pursued  for  about  four  miles.  The  casualties  in  the 
Light  Infantry  battalion  were ;  killed,  Major  Henry  Harford  Strong, 
Captain  John  Charles  Wardell,  one  non-commissioned  officer,  and 
10  men ;  wounded,  Captains  Eoger  Pine  Coffin,  and  Leaver  Henry 
Gascoyne  Cross,  Lieutenants  John  Hulke  Plumbe,  and  Edwin 
Loftus  McCausland,  and  43  men.  Lieutenant  Wyatt  Eawson,  E.N., 
who  was  acting  as  naval  A.d.C.  to  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley,  was 

1  Employed  as  Sir  G.  Wolseley's  bodyguard. 


346      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

mortally  wounded.  He  had  undertaken  to  guide  part  of  the  force 
during  the  night  by  means  of  the  stars.  "Did  I  not  lead  them 
straight?"  he  asked  the  commander-in-chief,  who  rode  back  to 
visit  him.  He  was  specially  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Commander, 
but  died  on  the  21st.1 

The  Naval  Brigade  was  withdrawn  to  the  ships  on  September  16th, 
and  the  gallant  Marines  saw  no  more  fighting,  for  Tel  el  Kebir  had 
been  the  decisive  battle  of  the  campaign.  On  September  19th  and 
20th,  Vice-Admiral  Dowell,  who  lay  meanwhile  in  Aboukir  Bay, 
landed  a  force  of  Marines,  under  Major  Arthur  French,  E.M.A., 
of  the  Minotaur,  and  occupied  the  forts  there.  On  the  21st,  a 
blockade  of  the  Damietta  mouth  of  the  Nile  was  established  by 
the  Iris,  Beacon,  and  Decoy  ;  but  the  operation  was  almost  needless, 
for  the  Damietta  forts  surrendered  on  the  23rd  without  opposition, 
and  a  few  days  later  the  last  sparks  of  Arabi's  rebellion  had 
flickered  out. 

The  naval  honours  granted  in  respect  of  this  campaign  were 
gazetted,  for  the  most  part  on  August  14th,  and  November  17th, 
1882,  and  included  the  following  :— 

To  Adm.  Sir  P.  P.  B.  Seymour,  G.C.B.,  a  peerage,  as  Baron  Alcester. 

To  Yice-Adm.  W.  M.  Dowell,  C.B.,  and  Rear- Adm.  A.  H.  Hoskins,  C.B.  (Nov.  17), 
and  to  Capt.  W.  J.  Hunt-Grubbe  (Aug.  14),  the  K.C.B. 

To  Capts.  T.  Le  H.  Ward,  St.  G.  C.  D'Arcy-Irvine,  H.  Fairfax,2  H.  F.  Nicholson, 
C.  F.  Hotham,  B.  H.  M.  Molyneux,  and  J.  A.  Fisher,  and  Dept.  Insp.-GenL 
Doyle  Money  Shaw  (Aug.  14),  and  to  Capts.  R.  O'B.  FitzRoy,  Harry 
Holds  worth  Rawson3  and  A.  P.  Hastings;  Chf.  Insp.  of  Maoh.  James  Roffey, 
Colonels  H.  S.  Jones,  R.M.L.I.,  and  H.  B.  Tuson,  R.M.A.,  and  Lieut.-CoL 
S.  J.  Graham,  R.M.L.I.  (Nov.  17),  the  C.B. 

In  addition  to  the  promotions  which  had  been  dated  July  llth 
in  recognition  of  the  bombardment  of  Alexandria,  the  following, 
among  other  advancements,  were  made  on  November  18th,  1882  : — 

To  be  Captains,  Corns.  M.  Byles,  H.  H.  Edwards,  and  H.  C.  Kane. 

To  be  Commanders,  Lieuts.  Win.  Wilson,  Lenox  Napier,  Geo.  Hy.  Moore,*  Jno. 
Edric  Blaxland,  Edw.  Chichester,*  Alex.  Cook,  Chas.  Jas.  Norcock,  Gerald 
Chas.  Langley,  Hon.  Fras.  Robt.  Sandilands,  and  Chas.  K.  Purvis. 

To  be  Staff  Commanders,  Nav.-Lieuts.  Hy.  Emilius  Wood  and  Jno.  Baker  Palmer. 

To  be  Chief  Engineers,  Geo.  Swinney,  Wm.  Thos.  Hy.  Bills,  and  Geo.  Rigler. 

To  be  Staff  Surgeons,  Surgs.  Chas.  Cane  Godding,  Herb.  Mackay  Ellis,  and  Evelyn 
Rd.  Hugh  Pollard. 

To  be  Colonels  in  the  Army,  Lt.-Cols.  H.  B.  Tuson  and  H.  S.  Jones,  R.M. 


1  Times,  and  Desps. ;  Journ.  of  R.U.S.  Inst.,  Standard,  A.  &  N.  Gaz. 

2  Mil.     He  had  been  made  a  Civ.  C.B.  in  1879. 

s  Rawson  served  as  Principal  Transport  Officer.  *  Transport  Offrs. 


1883.]  JOHNSTONE  AT   TAMATAVE.  347 

Before  giving  any  account  of  the  operations  which,  in  1883 
and  later,  were  rendered  necessary  by  the  fact  that,  after  Arabi's 
rebellion,  Great  Britain  assumed  responsibility  for  the  management 
of  the  affairs  of  Egypt,  it  will  be  convenient  to  glance  at  some 
useful  and  interesting  work  which  was  done  by  the  Navy  on  other 
parts  of  the  coast  of  Africa. 

In  virtue  of  an  obscure  clause  in  an  agreement  dating  from  the 
days  of  Kichelieu,  France  for  many  years  had  taken  a  special 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  island  of  Madagascar,  the  whole  of 
which,  indeed,  she  formally  annexed  in  1896.  In  1883,  however, 
when  first  she  adopted  a  forward  policy  in  her  dealings  with  the 
island,  and  when  she  sent  a  Commissary  of  the  Kepublic,  M.  Baudais, 
to  advance  her  interests  on  the  spot,  her  ambitions  seemed  to  limit 
themselves  to  the  occupation  of  certain  points  on  the  coast.  In 
the  spring  of  that  year  Bear-Admiral  Pierre  bombarded  and  took 
possession  of  the  villages  in  Ampassandava  Bay,  the  Hova  fort  of 
Amorantsanga,  and  the  customs'  house  and  town  of  Majunga  ;  and 
on  May  31st  he  arrived  off  Tamatave.  On  the  day  following  he 
made  demands  on  the  part  of  the  French  government,  and  declared 
that,  unless  they  should  be  complied  with  by  midnight  on  June  9th, 
he  would  adopt  hostile  measures. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Pakenham,  the  British  Consul  at  Tamatave, 
was  dying.1  His  successor  had  not  been  appointed,  and,  con- 
sequently, Commander  Charles  Johnstone,  of  the  sloop  Dryad,  took 
upon  himself  to  assume  the  post  of  acting  British  Consul,  in  order 
to  watch  over  the  local  interests  of  his  countrymen.  He  removed 
the  consular  records  on  board  his  ship. 

Two  days  later,  Kear-Admiral  Pierre  issued  a  notice  to  the  effect 
that  French  subjects  and  foreign  consuls  (after  having  hauled  down 
their  flags  on  shore)  would  be  received  in  his  vessels,  and  that 
otherwise  he  would  not  be  responsible  for  their  safety.  This  caused 
something  like  a  panic  in  the  town  ;  and  on  June  7th  Commander 
Johnstone  deemed  it  desirable  to  land  a  guard  of  19  Marines  for 
the  protection  of  the  consulate,  and  to  put  the  Dryad's  steam  cutter 
and  pinnace  at  the  disposal  of  such  persons  as  might  desire  to  take 
refuge  in  the  sloop.  For  this  purpose  the  boats  lay  near  the 
landing-place. 

On  June  9th  the  French  consul  was  handed  a  refusal  of  the 
ultimatum ;  and  he  embarked  at  once  on  board  the  French  flagship 

1  He  died  on  June  22nd. 


348      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Flore.  On  the  10th  the  town  was  bombarded  by  the  Flore  and  the 
Forfait,  and  set  fire  to  in  various  places ;  but  the  British  guard, 
assisted  by  a  few  Europeans,  succeeded  in  staying  the  progress  of 
the  most  serious  conflagration,  which  broke  out  in  the  market-place. 
Nevertheless,  Bear-Admiral  Pierre  had  the  hardihood  to  declare  that 
that  particular  fire  had  been  caused  by  an  incendiary,  and  that, 
since  Johnstone  had  landed  a  guard,  he  must  be  held  responsible 
for  the  outbreak. 

The  Hovas,  acting  on  British  advice,  did  not  reply  to  the  French 
guns,  and  evacuated  the  fort  early  on  the  10th;  but  it  was  not 
until  the  morning  of  the  l'2th  that  the  French  put  ashore  any  force 
capable  of  keeping  order  in  the  place.  This  force  behaved  in  a 
tyrannical  manner,  and,  among  other  outrages,  arrested  Mr.  Shaw, 
an  agent  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  on  a  ridiculous  charge 
of  having  harboured  spies,  and  drugged  wine  which  he  gave  to 
French  soldiers.  Meanwhile,  the  Dryad's  officers  and  crew  were 
forbidden  to  communicate  with  the  shore,  and  the  sloop  Dragon, 
Commander  Edward  Alverne  Bolitho,  which  had  arrived  on  the 
10th,  was  ordered  into  quarantine,  apparently  without  adequate 
excuse.  Not  until  July  28th  did  the  rear-admiral  permit  the  foreign 
consuls  to  resume  the  exercise  of  their  functions ;  and  during  great 
part  of  the  interval  the  tension  between  Pierre  and  Johnstone  was 
extreme.  Ultimately  Mr.  Shaw,  who  was  released  when  the  charges 
brought  against  him  were  proved  to  be  baseless,  was  paid  an  in- 
demnity of  £1000  by  the  French  government.1 

The  episode  was  a  most  extraordinary  one,  for  there  is  very  little 
doubt  that  Commander  Johnstone,  who  was  deservedly  promoted 2 
for  his  services,  had  to  deal  with  a  madman,  Pierre's  mental 
condition  becoming  obvious  soon  afterwards.  Yet,  though  the 
French  had  upon  the  spot  a  large  frigate-built  cruiser  of  3500  tons,3 
another  cruiser  of  2400  tons,4  and  various  other  vessels  of  force, 
Johnstone,  with  his  feeble  and  ill-armed  1620  ton  sloop,5  reinforced 
by  another  sloop  of  1130  tons,  not  only  prevented  French  inter- 
ference with  the  mails,  and  saved  much  valuable  property,  but 
also  added  to  the  glory  of  the  flag  by  resolutely  clearing  for  action 
in  order  to  prove  his  readiness  to  stand  up  to  the  death  for  the 

1  Times,  July  16,  July  18,  Aug.  25,  Sept.  11,  etc. :  Parl.  Paper  C.  3838  (1884). 

2  Posted  Nov.  21,  1883  :  retd.  as  i-.-adm.  Jan.  1,  1899. 

3  Flore.     She  carried  22  5'5-in.  guns,  besides  other  weapons. 

4  For/ait.     She  carried  15  5  •  5-iu.  guns,  besides  other  weapons. 

5  The  Dryad  seems  then  to  have  carried  9  64-prs. 


1883.]  BROOKE  IN   THE   NIGER.  349 

rights  of  his  countrymen,  undeterred  by  the  overwhelming  odds 
against  him.  An  officer  less  firm,  spirited,  and  tactful  might  easily 
have  met  with  disaster,  even  if  the  French  officer  opposed  to  him 
had  been  free  from  every  suspicion  of  insanity. 

An  affair  which,  unfortunately,  involved  the  loss  of  British  lives 
took  place  a  few  months  later  on  the  other  side  of  Africa.  There 
having  been  trouble  with  the  natives  of  Igah  and  Aboh,  on  the 
river  Niger,  Captain  Arthur  Thomas  Brooke,  of  the  Opal,  left  his 
corvette  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  and,  transferring  his  pennant 
to  the  paddle-vessel  Alecto,  Lieutenant  Frank  Archdall  Harston, 
proceeded  in  her  to  Igah,  accompanied  by  the  twin-screw  gun-vessel 
Flirt,  Commander  Eobert  Frederick  Hammick,  and  the  gunboat 
Starling,  Lieutenant  Francis  William  Sanders.  The  Opal's  steam- 
cutter,  under  Sub-Lieutenant  Alexander  Ludovic  Duff,  and  one  of 
her  pulling-boats  were  also  with  the  expedition.  Brooke  met  the 
chiefs  on  October  25th.  The  natives,  however,  showed  hostility, 
and  the  chiefs,  upon  being  required  to  disperse  them,  refused, 
whereupon  the  British  officer  withdrew  to  his  ship. 

The  natives  then  opened  fire  on  the  vessels,  which  retaliated 
by  beginning  a  general  bombardment.  Later,  bluejackets  under 
Hammick  and  Harston,  and  a  body  of  Marines  under  Sanders, 
landed,  and  completely  destroyed  Igah. 

On  the  day  following  the  three  ships  steamed  to  Aboh,  where 
a  British  subject  had  been  ill-treated ;  and  Brooke  ordered  the  local 
chiefs  to  assemble  for  a  palaver.  The  chief  who  was  specially 
implicated  refused  to  attend.  A  party  under  Lieutenants  Sanders, 
and  Leslie  Creery  Stuart  (first  of  the  Opal)  was  sent  ashore  to 
take  charge  of  the  Sierra  Leone  man  whose  complaint  had  brought 
the  expedition  to  the  spot,  and  Brooke  dispatched  to  the  recalcitrant 
chief  a  warning  that,  if  he  did  not  go  on  board  the  Alecto,  the  town 
would  be  shelled.  The  chief  still  refused,  and,  moreover,  expressed 
his  willingness  to  fight.  On  the  29th,  indeed,  about  four  or  five 
thousand  natives  assembled  on  the  shore,  and  attacked  the  various 
parties  which  had  been  landed.  After  a  smart  action  they  were 
driven  back  with  heavy  loss,  but  not  until  two  seamen  of  the  Opal 
had  been  killed,  and  Lieutenant  Charles  Henry  Hodgson  Moore, 
and  Midshipman  Edward  Hay  had  been  wounded,  the  last  fatally.1 

The  course  of  events  in  Egypt  may  now  be  returned  to. 

As   early  as  1881  a  religious   leader,  Mahommed  Ahmed,  who 

1  Times,  Nov.  2CJ,  1883  ;  A.  cfc  N.  Gaz.  Jan.  19,  1884. 


350      MILITARY  HISTOEY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

called  himself  the  Mahdi,  had  attained  a  commanding  position  in 
the  Soudan,  and  had  revolted  against  the  Egyptian  government. 
In  that  year  he  had  destroyed  a  small  force  which  had  been  sent 
to  arrest  him.  In  1882  he  had  annihilated  a  much  larger  force 
under  Yusef  Pasha.  In  1883  a  still  larger  army,  tinder  Hicks 
Pasha,  had  been  almost  totally  cut  to  pieces  by  the  rebels  near 
El  Obeid.  By  that  time  the  Mahdi's1  authority  had  extended 
greatly,  and  had  reached  the  Eed  Sea  littoral,  where  the  prophet's 
lieutenant,  Osman  Digna,  an  ex-slave  dealer  of  Suakin,  raised  the 
local  Arabs  and  invested  Sinkat  and  Tokar.  On  October  16th, 
and  again  on  November  4th,  1883,  he  intercepted  and  crushed 
Egyptian  reinforcements  which  were  intended  for  the  former  town. 

It  was  in  consequence  of  Osman  Digna's  activity  that,  in 
November,  1883,  Bear- Admiral 2  Sir  William  Nathan  Wrighte 
Hewett,  V.C.,  Commander-in-Chief  on  the  East  Indies  Station, 
ordered  the  gun-vessel  Banger,  Commander  William  Eveleigh 
Darwall,  to  Suakin,  to  support  Egyptian  interests.  On  November 
26th,  and  December  1st,  the  Suakin  forts  were  attacked  by  the 
enemy,  and  on  December  2nd  an  Egyptian  force  which  had  been 
sent  out  from  the  town  was  annihilated  near  Tamanieb.  For  some 
little  time  afterwards,  the  safety  of  the  place  depended  upon  the 
Ranger,  which,  on  December  6th,  opened  fire  with  some  effect 
upon  the  Arabs.3 

In  the  meantime  it  was  decided  in  London  and  at  Cairo 
temporarily  to  abandon  Kordofan  and  the  Upper  Nile ;  and  General 
Charles  George  Gordon  was  ordered  to  Khartum  to  give  effect  to 
that  decision.  Valentine  Baker  Pasha  was  simultaneously  sent 
to  Trinkitat,  with  2500  fresh  men,  and  ten  British  officers,  to  effect 
the  relief  of  Sinkat  and  Tokar.  Hewett  was  given  full  powers  on 
the  Eed  Sea  littoral,  and  300  Marines  from  the  Mediterranean  fleet 
were  despatched  to  him,  the  corvette  Carysfort,  Captain  Walter 
Stewart,  and  the  torpedo-depot  ship  Hecla,  Captain  Arthur  Knyvet 
Wilson,  being  also  ordered  thence  to  the  threatened  spot.  On 
February  4th,  1884,  there  was  a  further  catastrophe.  Baker's 
heterogeneous  force,  which  was  then  moving  between  Trinkitat 

1  The  activity  of  the  Mahdi  caused  a  certain  amount  of  sympathetic  unrest  in 
Egypt  proper.     In  Ap.   1883,  the  Iris,  Capt.  Ernest  Rice,  and  in  Feb.,  1884,  the 
Monarch,  Capt.  Fredk.  Geo.  Denham  Bedford,  and  another  vessel,  had  to  land  men 
at  Port  Said  by  way  of  precaution  against  serious  disturbances. 

2  With  local  rank  of  \7ice-Adm. 

s  Times,  Nov.  16  and  24 :  Dec.  10  and  12,  1883. 


1884.]  THE  BATTLE   OF  EL    TEB.  351 

and  Tokar,  was  routed  with  terrible  loss  at  El  Teb  by  a  numerically 
inferior  body  of  the  enemy. 

Upon  this,  Hewett  landed  at  Suakin  150  seamen  and  Marines 
from  his  flagship,  the  Euryalus,  Captain  Alexander  Plantagenet 
Hastings,  from  the  Eanger,  and  from  the  gunboat  Coquette,  Lieu- 
tenant Fritz  Hauch  Eden  Crowe,  to  assist  in  manning  the  fortifica- 
tions ;  and  the  British  government  determined  to  send  a  British 
force,  chiefly  made  up  of  troops  from  Egypt  and  returning  drafts 
from  India,  under  Maj. -General  Sir  Gerald  Graham,  to  relieve 
Tokar.  Sinkat,  unhappily,  fell  at  about  the  same  time,  after  a 
gallant  defence,  its  garrison  being  killed  almost  to  a  man.1 

General  Graham,  like  Baker  Pasha,  began  his  march  inland 
from  Trinkitat,  a  coast  town  a  few  miles  south  of  Suakin,  and 
utilised  in  his  advance  a  fort  which  Baker  had  constructed,  a  few 
bluejackets  and  Marines  being  sent  ahead  to  hold  it.  At  8  A.M.  on 
February  29th,  the  whole  force,  about  3900  strong,  moved  forward, 
and  was  soon  upon  the  scene  of  Baker's  defeat.  The  British 
marching  formation  was  practically  that  of  a  hollow  square,  with 
the  transport  in  the  centre.  Half  a  battery  of  the  Naval  Brigade, 
with  2  Gatling  and  1  Gardner  machine-guns,  was  on  the  left  front 
under  Flag-Lieutenant  Walter  Hodgson  Bevan  Graham,  of  the 
Euryalus ;  another  half  battery,  with  2  Gardners  and  1  Gatling, 
under  Captain  Walter  Stewart,  of  the  Carysfort,  was  on  the  right 
front ;  and  in  the  rear  centre  was  the  bulk  of  the  Brigade,2  115 
strong,  with  two  9-prs.,  under  Commander  Ernest  Neville  Eolfe,3 
of  the  Euryalus.  With  the  column  were  also  about  400  Koyal 
Marine  Light  Infantry  and  Artillery,  under  Colonel  Henry  Brasnell 
Tuson,  R.M.A.  Bear-Admiral  Hewett,  and  Commander  Crawford 
Caffin  were  with  General  Graham. 

At  about  11.20  A.M.,  the  enemy,  nearly  10,000  in  number,  and 
entrenched  on  rising  ground  near  El  Teb,  in  front  of  the  advance, 
opened  fire  as  well  from  musketry  as  from  several  Krupp  guns, 
some  of  which  were  worked  by  Egyptian  artillerymen  who  had 
been  made  prisoners  on  the  occasion  of  Baker  Pasha's  disaster. 
The  position  was  shelled,  and  the  line  of  advance  was  changed  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  column  had  passed  nearly  to  the  rear  of 

1  Times,  Nov.  16,  24,  etc.,  1883 ;  A.  &  N.  Gaz.,  Dec.  15,  1883 ;  Feb.  9  and  16,  1884. 

2  From  the  Euryalus,  Carysfort,  Hecla,  Briton,  Capt.  Andrew  James  Kennedy, 
Dryad,  Com.  Edward  Grey  Hulton,  and  Sphinx,  Com.  Crawford  Caffin. 

3  With  Lieut.  William  Hughes  Hallett  Montresor,  of  the  Euryalus,  as  adjutant. 


352      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  EOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

the  entrenchments  ere  the  final  attack  took  place.  Thus  the  rear 
of  the  square  became  ultimately  the  face  which  was  nearest  to  the 
enemy,  It  was  in  the  course  of  this  movement  that  Lieutenant 
Frank  Massie  Koyds,  of  the  Carysfort,  was  fatally  hit.  He  was 
taken  back  to  Trinkitat  at  great  risk  by  a  party  under  Surgeon 
Thomas  Desmond  Gimlette,  of  the  Euryalus,  but  died  next  day. 

The  tribesmen  made  repeated  and  most  heroic  attempts  to  rush 
the  square,  coming  on  in  dense  masses,  but  being  mown  down  in 
hundreds  at  close  quarters  by  machine-gun  and  rifle  fire.  At  length 
they  were  driven  back. 

Captain  Wilson,  of  the  Hecla,  had  attached  himself  to  the  right 
half  battery  of  machine-guns,  in  place  of  Lieutenant  Royds,  and 
moved  out  from  the  square  to  the  attack  of  the  first  of  the  enemy's 
batteries.  At  the  same  moment,  the  Arabs  made  a  dash  upon  a 
corner  of  the  square  where  a  detachment  was  dragging  one  of  the 
Gardners.  Wilson  rushed  to  the  front,  endeavouring  especially  to 
protect  a  Marine  who  was  hard  pressed,  and  was  at  once  surrounded 
by  five  or  six  Arabs,  who  engaged  him  in  personal  combat.  His 
sword  broke  short  off,  but  he  continued  to  fight  with  his  fists  and 
sword-hilt,  until  some  men  of  the  York  and  Lancaster  Regiment 
intervened  with  their  bayonets.  He  received  a  scalp  wound,  but, 
after  having  it  dressed,  was  able  to  remain  with  the  advance.  For 
this  piece  of  gallantry  he  was  deservedly  awarded1  the  Victoria 
Cross. 

The  guns  in  this  first  battery  were  captured  by  12.20  P.M.,  and, 
under  the  direction  of  Major  William  Guise  Tucker,  E.M.A.,  were 
turned  at  once  upon  the  enemy's  second  position — a  large  brick 
building  with  loopholed  walls,  surrounded  by  rifle-pits.  In  the 
capture  of  this  position,  the  Naval  Brigade,  headed  by  Lieutenant 
W.  H.  B.  Graham,  bore  a  leading  part.  The  village  of  El  Teb  was 
then  cleared  ;  and  the  last  position  was  rushed  at  about  2  P.M.,  two 
Krupp  guns,  one  Gatling,  one  brass  gun,  and  two  rocket-tubes  being 
captured  in  it.  Thereupon  the  Arabs  fled,  after  having  suffered  an 
estimated  loss  of  1500  in  killed  alone.  In  the  assault,  both  Sir 
William  Hewett  and  Commander  Caffin  participated.2  Besides 
Lieutenant  Eoyds,  three  seamen  were  killed.3 

In  his  general  order  after  the  action,  Sir  Gerald  Graham  wrote : 

1  May  21,  188k 

2  Times,  Mar.  3 :  Desps.  of  Hewett,  Graham,  and  Buller :  A.  &  N.  Gaz.  Mar.  8, 1884_ 

3  Total  British  loss,  34  killed,  155  wounded. 


1884.]  ACTION  AT   TAMAI.  ."53 

"The  Genera]  Officer  thanks  the  Xaval  Brigade  for  their  cheerful  endurance  during 
the  severe  work  of  dragging  the  guns  over  difficult  countr}',  when  suffering  from  heat 
and  scarcity  of  water,  and  for  their  ready  gallantry  and  steadiness  under  fire  while 
serving  the  guns.  The  Naval  Brigade  contributed  materially  to  the  success  of  the 
action,  and  the  General  Officer  commanding  cannot  too  highly  express  his  thanks 
for,  their  services." 

Among  those  who  were  favourably  mentioned  in  the  various 
despatches  were  Commander  Ernest  Neville  Eolfe,  Lieutenants 
W.  H.  B.  Graham,  W.  H.  H.  Montresor,  Walter  Byrom  Alrnack, 
Crawford  James  Markland  Conybeare,  and  Houston  Stewart  (2)  ; 
Surgeon  T.  D.  G-imlette ;  Midshipman  Edward  Matson  Hewett ; 
and  Gunner  Richard  Archibald  Cathie,  of  the  Sphinx.  The  last 
displayed  great  bravery  in  personal  encounters  with  the  enemy, 
and  was  specially  thanked  both  by  Rear-Admiral  Hewett  and  by 
Commander  Rolfe.  It  was  in  consequence  of  his  admirable  conduct 
on  this  and  other  occasions  that  he  received  the  exceptional  recog- 
nition of  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  in  1887.  ; 

The  inhabitants  of  Tokar  were  relieved  on  the  30th.  The 
Egyptian  garrison  of  the  place  had  already  made  terms  and  sur- 
rendered to  Osman  Digna.  The  force  began  its  return  to  Trinkitat 
on  March  2nd,  re-embarked l  for  Suakin  on  March  5th,  and  com-  / 

pleted  its  disembarkation  there  on  March  9th.  The  next  object  to 
be  attained  was  the  dispersal  of  the  Arabs  who  were  beleaguering 
Sinkat. 

The  new  advance  began  on  the  evening  of  March  llth.  At 
night  the  force  lay  in  a  zeriba  about  eight  miles  from  Suakin. 
There  information  was  received  to  the  effect  that  Osman  Digna's 
army  was  assembled  in  Khor  Ghob,  a  ravine  between  the  zeriba  and 
the  village  of  Tamai.  At  8.30  A.M.  on  the  12th  the  force  again 
moved  forward  in  two  echeloned  squares,  the  left  and  leading  one  of 
which,  composed  of  the  second  brigade,  under  General  J.  Davis, 
comprised  the  Naval  Brigade,  which  was  constituted  much  as 
before,  though  without  any  contingent  from  the  Carysfort.  The 
Naval  Brigade  marched  just  behind  the  front  face  of  the  square, 
and  in  front  of  the  reserve  ammunition.  The  left  front  face  and 
left  flank  were  filled  by  the  York  and  Lancaster  Regt.,  and  the 
right  front  face  and  right  flank  by  the  Royal  Highlanders  (42nd). 
The  rear  was  formed  of  the  Royal  Marines.2  About  4  P.M.,  being 
then  in  touch  with  the  enemy,  General  Graham,  after  firing  a  few 

1  Under  superintendence  of  Capt.  A.  J.  Kennedy,  of  the  Jiriton. 

2  The  Naval  Brigade  and  Roy.  Marines  numbered  14  officers  and  464  men,  with 
3  Gardners,  and  3  Gatlings. 

VOL.   VIT.  2   A 


354      MILITARY  HJSTORY   OF    THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    IS57-l!JOO. 

rounds  from  his  guns,  made  a  second  zeriba,  whence,  at  8.20  A.M. 
on  the  13th,  the  advance  was  resumed.  During  the  night  the 
sniping  had  been  very  troublesome,  and  the  enemy  close  at  hand. 
Nevertheless,  in  the  darkness,  Commander  liolfe  had  stolen  out, 
passed  the  Arab  lines,  and  secured  some  very  valuable  information. 
At  sunrise  the  guns  and  machine-guns  had  opened  on  the  enemy, 
and  driven  him  to  his  main  position.  General  Graham  joined,  and 
led,  the  second  brigade. 

The  first,  or  rearmost  brigade,  did  not  get  in  motion  quite  so 
promptly  as  had  been  expected.  There  was  consequently  a  gap  of 
unpremeditated  breadth  between  the  two  squares.  Across  the  line 
of  advance  lay  the  Khor.  A  few  minutes  after  starting,  the  second 
brigade  was  halted,  reformed,  and  moved  up  towards  the  edge  of 
the  ravine,  beyond  which  many  Arabs  could  be  seen.  Some  ugly 
rushes  were  made  by  the  Dervishes,  but  they  were  stopped ;  and 
within  about  200  yards  from  the  Khor  the  word  was  given  to  charge. 

The  Naval  Brigade,  with  its  guns,  and  the  42nd,  dashed  forward 
instantly  at  the  double,  leaving  the  York  and  Lancaster,  to  which 
no  order  had  been  given,  still  holding  the  left  front  and  flank  of  the 
original  square.  The  guns  were  already  in  hot  action ;  the  smoke 
hung  heavy  in  the  breezeless  air ;  and,  taking  advantage  of  this,  a 
mass  of  tribesmen  who  had  lain  concealed  in  a  small  nullah  running 
at  right  angles  with  the  Khor,  crept  up  and  rushed  upon  the  York 
and  Lancasters  from  behind.  Terrible  confusion  ensued,  and  the 
brigade  was  broken  up,  although  there  was  no  actual  panic.  On  the 
contrary,  the  troops  displayed  great  gallantry,  and  presently  rallied 
round  their  officers,  forming  a  number  of  little  squares,  and  fighting 
back  to  back.  Major  George  Harrie  Thorn  Colwell,  K.M.,  collected 
about  150  of  his  men,  and  made  a  most  useful  stand ;  yet  the 
remnant  of  the  square  was  driven  about  800  yards  to  the  left  rear. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Naval  Brigade,  which  had  advanced  with 
its  guns  to  the  verge  of  the  Khor,  found  itself  cut  off  from  its 
ammunition,  and  unable  to  continue  the  offensive.  The  men  formed 
round  their  useless  pieces  and  fought  desperately ;  but,  after  they 
had  lost  three  of  their  officers,  Lieutenants  William  Hughes  Hallett 
Montresor  (Eunjahts),  Walter  Byrom  Almack  (Briton),  and  Houston 
Stewart  (2)  (Dryad),  besides  seven  bluejackets,  they  disabled  and 
abandoned  their  guns,  and  also  fell  back  as  best  they  could. 

With  the  help  of  the  first  brigade's  fire,  order  was  at  length 
restored.  The  first  brigade  then  checked  the  enemy,  advanced  in 


L884.J  LOSSES  AT   TAMAI.  355 

splendid  order,  and,  aided  by  dismounted  cavalry,  retrieved  the 
situation  ;  whereupon  the  second  brigade  rallied  on  the  Marines, 
and  once  more  presented  an  unbroken  front.  As  soon  as  fresh 
ammunition  had  been  served  out,  it  advanced  again  over  the  lost 
ground ;  and  the  Naval  Brigade  had  the  satisfaction  of  regaining 
possession  of  all  its  lost  guns  except  one  Gatling,  which,  with  its 
limber,  had  been  rolled  into  the  ravine.  Indeed,  even  this  gun  was 
eventually  recovered,  though  the  limber  was  found  to  have  been 
burnt. 

When  the  Khor  had  been  cleared,  the  first  brigade  crossed  it. 
The  Arabs,  by  that  time,  had  had  enough  of  fighting,  and  offered 
but  little  further  resistance.  By  noon  their  camp  and  wells  were 
occupied.  In  this  action  at  Tamai  they  had  lost  2000  killed.  The 
total  British  loss  had  been  109  killed  and  104  wounded.  In  addition 
to  the  three  officers  and  the  seven  men  of  the  Naval  Brigade  who 
were  killed,  Lieutenant  Crawford  James  Markland  Conybeare 
(Hecla)  and  six  seamen  were  wounded.  On  the  14th,  the  force 
returned  to  its  first  zeriba,  and,  on  the  18th,  re-entered  Suakin. 

Among  those  whose  names  were  specially  mentioned  by  Com- 
mander Eolfe  for  gallant  conduct  at  Tamai  were  Midshipmen 
Edward  Carey  Tyndale-Biscoe  and  Edward  Matson  Hewett,  both 
of  the  Euryalus.  At  the  critical  moment,  when  the  three 
Lieutenants  fell,  these  youngsters  took  command  of  the  sub- 
division, and  acted  with  great  coolness  and  bravery.  Lieutenant 
Walter  Hodgson  Bevan  Graham  was  also  praised.  At  Tamai,  how- 
ever, there  were  many  heroes.1 

Bear-Admiral  Hewett  put  a  price  on  Osman  Digna's  head,  but, 
at  the  instance  of  the  British  Government,  withdrew  the  proclama- 
tion. He  also  made  various  efforts  to  bring  in  the  rebellious  tribes, 
and  to  keep  open  the  road  to  Berber,  so  as  to  preserve  a  way  of 
retreat  for  the  garrison  at  Khartum.  In  these,  however,  he  was 
not  very  successful ;  and  at  the  end  of  March  he  went  to  Massowah, 
whence  he  presently  proceeded  on  a  very  interesting  and  useful 
mission  to  King  John  of  Abyssinia.  In  view  of  his  absence,  Captain 
Robert  Henry  More  Molyneux  was  appointed  2  Commodore  in  the 
lied  Sea,  with  his  broad  pennant  in  the  Sphinx.  In  spite  of  the 
station  where  he  served,  he  was  attached  to  the  Mediterranean  fleet. 

1  Times,  Mar.  12,  14,  17,  etc. ;  Roylp,  'Egyptian  Campaigns,'  291,  etc. ;   Burleigh, 
'  Desert  Warfare,'  1 59,  etc. ;  Desps. ;  Genl.  Order  of  Mar.  16. 

2  May  1,  1884. 

2  A  2 


356      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Among  the  honours  and  promotions  granted  for  this  brief  but 
bloody  campaign  were  the  following  :— 

To  be  C.B.,  Capts.  Hilary  Gustavus  Andoe '  and  Ernest  Neville  Rolfe  (May  21, 1884). 
To  be  Capt.,  Com.  E.  N.  Bolfe  (May  20). 

To  be  Com.,  Lieuts.  Henry  Charles  Bigge,2  William   Douglas  Morrisli,3  Walter 
Hodgson  Bevan  Graham,  and  Crawford  James  Markland  Conybeare  (May  20). 
To  be  Lieut.,  Sub.-Lieut.  Percy  Douglas  Melville  Henderson  (May  20). 
To  be  Staff-Corn.,  Nav.-Lieut.  Frederick  Hire*  (May  20). 
To  be  Insp.  of  Mach.,  Chf.  Eng.  George  Thomas  Crook "  (May  20). 
To  be  Staff-Surg.,  Surg.  Horace  Edward  Firmin  Cross  (May  20). 
To  be  Fleet-Surg.,  Staff-Surg.  James  Hamilton  Martin  (May  20). 
To  be  Paym.,  Asst.  Paym.  James  Auten  Bell  (May  20). 

As  part  of  the  garrison  of  Suakin,  a  battalion  of  Eoyal  Marines 
was  left,  first  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Albert  Henry  Ozzard,  and 
afterwards  under  Lieut. -Colonel  Nowell  FitzUpton  Way.  It  did 
long  and  arduous  service  in  and  about  the  wretched  town,  and,  as 
will  be  seen,  fought  again  there,  and  consistently  maintained  the 
ancient  credit  of  the  force.  More  trying,  however,  than  any  enemy 
were  the  climate  and  dismal  surroundings,  against  the  subtle  in- 
fluences of  which,  be  it  said,  the  moral  of  the  Marines  stood  as  firm 
as  against  the  onslaughts  of  the  Arabs.  This  history  records  only 
incidentally  and  briefly  the  gallant  work  of  this  splendid  force,  the 
main  purpose  being  to  chronicle  the  progress  and  services  of  the 
Eoyal  Navy  proper  ;  but  it  would  be  as  unwelcome  to  the  Navy  as 
to  the  author  to  attempt  wholly  to  dissociate  the  exploits  of  the 
sea-soldiers  from  those  of  the  bluejackets  with  whom  they  are  so 
commonly  shipmates  and  comrades  in  arms,  and  who  have  such 
excellent  and  lasting  reasons  for  being  proud  of  the  fellowship. 
Indeed,  an  apology  is  needed  for  the  somewhat  curt  manner  in 
which,  owing  to  considerations  of  space,  the  history  of  the  Eoyal 
Marines  has  necessarily  been  dealt  with  here. 

As  early  as  March,  1884,  it  became  apparent  that  General 
Gordon's  withdrawal  from  Khartum  would  be  difficult,  if  not  im- 
possible, unless  a  helping  hand  were  held  out  to  him,  either  along 
the  Nile  or  by  way  of  Suakin  and  Berber.6  To  reach  Khartum  from 

1  Of  the  Orontes;  transport  offr.  at  Trinkitat  and  Suakin. 

2  Employed  in  condensing  and  storing  water  at  Suakin. 

8  Beachmaster  at  Trinkitat  and  Suakin.  *  Harbour-master  at  Suakin. 

8  Superitnended  condensing  and  distilling  at  Suakin.  In  1882,  this  officer  at  Suez 
gained  distinction  by  wedging  down  the  safety  valve  of  a  dilapidated  crane's  boiler,  in 
order  to  hoist  two  locomotives  which  otherwise  could  not  have  been  lifted  (Hext :  Rep. 
on  Com.  and  Transp.  Serv.  in  Egypt). 

6  Authorities  for  the  history  of  the  Gordon  Relief  Expedition :  Desps. ;  Par). 
Papers,  c.  4280,  4345,  and  4392  (1884-85) ;  Colvile, '  Hist,  of  Sudan  Campaign '  (1887) ; 


1884,]  GORDON  IN  PERIL.  357 

Cairo  involved  a  journey  of  1650  miles  up  a  river  full  of  cataracts, 
and,  except  at  times  of  flood,  unnavigable  by  any  but  small  craft. 
To  reach  Khartum  from  Suakin  entailed  a  desert  march  of  about 
250  miles,  of  which  one  section  of  52  miles  was  waterless,  and  then 
a  voyage  or  further  march  of  210  miles  up  the  Nile  from  Berber. 
The  military  authorities  in  Egypt  strongly  favoured  the  Suakin- 
Berber  route,  and  in  this  view  they  were  supported  by  Vice-Admiral 
Lord  John  Hay,  K.C.B.,  who  had  succeeded  Lord  Alcester  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  who  sent  Captain  Eobert 
Henry  More  Molyneux  up  the  Nile  as  far  as  Wady  Haifa  to  survey 
the  course  of  that  stream.  On  the  other  hand,  General  Sir  Garnet 
Wolseley,  who  was  Adjutant-General  in  London,  and  who  was 
likely  to  command  the  relief  force,  if  one  were  sent,  was  as  strongly 
in  favour  of  the  all-river  route.  His  experiences  during  the  Bed 
Eiver  Expedition  in  Canada,  in  1870,  led  him  to  believe  that  rapid 
and  sure  progress  could  be  made  by  means  of  specially  built  whale- 
boats,  where  steamers  could  not  be  employed.  His  view  was  backed 
up  by  a  rather  lame  report  from  three  other  officers  who  had  served 
with  him  in  Canada.  General  Sir  F.  C.  Stephenson,  who  com- 
manded the  British  army  of  occupation  in  Egypt,  was  still  un- 
convinced ;  but,  after  much  delay  and  hesitation,  the  authorities  in 
England  adopted  the  opinion  of  Wolseley. 

In  the  meantime,  in  May,  half  a  battalion  of  British  troops  was 
moved  up  to  Wady  Haifa,  and  Commander  Tynte  Ford  Hammill 
was  directed  to  make  a  survey  of  the  river  above  that  point,  with  a 
view  to  determining  the  difficulties  of  the  route ;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  some  preliminary  preparations  were  made  for  laying  down  a 
narrow-gauge  railway  westward  from  Suakin.  The  Nile  route, 
however,  was  formally  decided  on  on  August  26th,  and  General 
Stephenson  was  informed  that  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  would  command 
the  expedition.  Wolseley  reached  Cairo  on  September  9th. 

On  August  12th  the  construction  of  the  necessary  800  flat- 
bottomed  "  whale-boats  "  had  been  begun.  The  first  batch  of  boats 
reached  Wady  Haifa  on  October  14th,  and  on  October  26th  the  first 
boats  were  hauled  up  the  second  cataract.  Eight  steam  pinnaces 
and  two  stern-wheel  paddle-boats  were  also  equipped  for  the 
expedition.  To  assist  in  the  upward  navigation,  377  Canadian 


lloyle,  '  Egypt.  Camps.' ;  Corresp.  of  Times  ;  Slatin,  '  Fire  and  Sword  in  the  Sudan ' ; 
H.  Brackenbury,  'The  Kiver  Column';  Sir  C.  W.  Wilson,  'From  Korti  to  Khartum'; 
var.  priv.  journals,  etc. 


858       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 


boatmen  ("  voyageurs  ")  were  engaged.  Although  most  plucky 
and  energetic,  they  did  not  give  unqualified  satisfaction  ;  and  it 
was  afterwards  regretted  that  the  whole  work  of  water  transport 
was  not  entrusted  to  the  "Naval  Brigade.  They  were,  however, 
very  useful  when  it  became  necessary  to  descend  the  stream. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  on  April  19th  a  telegram  had 
been  received  at  Cairo  to  the  effect  that  Gordon,  at  the  date  of  its 


£>errer 

id  Hai€sHix/r6>*Calareici 
ernat  I . 


THE    Kir.E   FKOM    DOXCOI.A    TO   KHAETtJM. 

despatch,  had  provisions  for  five  months,  and  was  already  hemmed 
in.  It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  the  summer  the  most 
optimist  authorities  did  not  believe  that  Gordon,  even  if  Khartum 
were  not  taken  by  force  or  treachery,  could  hold  out  beyond  the 
middle  of  November.  These  facts  indicate  how  late  the  work  of 
relief  was  begun.  Gordon  actually  managed  to  hold  out  until 
January  26th,  1885,  when  his  nearest  friends  were  still  some  miles 
from  him.  The  truth  is  not  only  that  there  was  fatal  delay  in 
starting,  but  also  that  the  difficulties  of  the  upward  passage  of  the 
1  Gubat  should  be  marked  below,  instead  of  above  Metemmeh. 


THE  ADVANCE  FROM  KOtt'l'l.  359 

great  river  were  realised  only  too  late  by  those  who  were  responsible 
for  the  choice  of  the  route. 

The  early  work  of  the  Navy  in  connection  with  this  ill-starred 
but  gallant  adventure  was  confined  to  surveying  and  preparing  the 
channel,  and  helping  the  steamers  and  boats  over  the  cataracts  and 
through  the  numerous  rapids.  Commander  Hammill's  services  at 
that  period  were  invaluable,  and  a  tackle  invented  by  him  for 
hauling  boats  against  a  strong  stream  was  especially  useful.  On 
November  3rd,  Lord  Wolseley  in  person  reached  Dongola ;  and  on 
the  26th,  he  appointed  his  naval  A.D.C.,  Captain  Lord  Charles 
William  Delapoer  Beresford,  to  the  command  of  the  Naval  Brigade 
on  the  Nile.  The  advance  from  Dongola  of  such  part  of  the  ex- 
peditionary force  as  was  then  ready  began  on  December  2nd,  and 
on  December  15th  the  headquarters  of  the  army  were  advanced  to 
Korti,  a  town  lying  at  the  northern  end  of  the  chord  of  a  vast  and 
difficult  bend  which  is  made  by  the  river  in  its  descent  from  Shendi.1 
By  desert,  Korti  and  Shendi  are  less  than  200  miles  apart.  By 
water  the  distance  is  more  than  twice  as  great.  On  the  bend  are 
the  fourth  and  fifth  cataracts,  a  multitude  of  islets  and  rapids,  and 
the  towns  of  Abu-Hamed  and  Berber;  but  in  1884-85  that  particular 
stretch  of  the  Nile  was  practically  unknown. 

The  Naval  Brigade,2  of  which  Lord  Charles  Beresford  took  com- 
mand, was  composed  as  follows  at  the  beginning  of  January,  1885  :— 

FIRST  DIVISION  :  Lieuts.  Alfred  Pigott,  Rudolph  Edward  de  Lisle,  George  William 
Tyler,3  and  Robert  Archibald  James  Montgomerie 3 ;  Sub-Lieut.  Edward 
Lionel  Munro;  Boatswain  James  Webber,  and  51  petty-officers  and  seamen. 
One  Gardner  machine-gun.4 

SECOND  DIVISION  :  Lieuts.  Edmund  Barker  van  Koughnet  and  Richard  Poore ; 
Sub-Lieuts.  Edward  Ernest  Hardy,  and  Colin  Richard  Keppel ;  Chf.  Eng. 
Henry  Ben  bow ;  Eng.  George  Sparkes ;  Surg.  Arthur  William  May,  and  50 
petty  officers  and  seamen.  One  Gardner  machine-gun.4 

NOTE.— Lord  Chas.  Beresford  was  borne  (Sept.  2,  1884,  to  July  13,  1885),  in  the 
Hibernia,6  flagship  at  Malta.  The  other  officers  and  men  were  borne  in 
the  Alexandra,  Helicon,  Inflexible,  Invincible,  Iris,  Monarch,  Superb,  or 
Temeraire,  of  the  Mediterranean  fleet. 


1  Nearly  opposite  which  is  Metermneh,  ou  the  left  bank. 

2  This  was  in  addition  to  various  naval  detachments  employed  lower  down  the 
Nile  under  Capts.  Fredk.  Geo.  Denham  Bedford,  and  Fredk.  Ross  Boardman. 

3  Joined  at  Gubat.  4  Rifle  calibre  (••15-in.'),  with  five  barrels. 

6  This  was  cancelled  in  Sept.,  1885,  and  his  name  was  erased  from  the  books  of  the 
Hibernia  and  transferred  to  those  of  the  Alexandra,  so  as  to  enable  Lord  C.'s  service  to 
•count  as  sea  time,  though  he  was  not  allowed  to  count  it  as  service  in  command  of  a 
ship  of  war.  This  seems  to  have  been  a  hardship,  looking  to  the  work  which  he  did 
in  the  Soudan,  and  to  the  fact  that  the  denial  threatened  at  one  time  to  prevent  his 
further  promotion. 


360      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

It  had  at  length  become  painfully  clear  that,  if  Gordon  was  to 
be  saved  at  all,  he  must  be  saved  quickly.  It  was,  therefore,  decided 
at  Korti  to  split  the  relieving  force  into  two  columns.  One,  the 
desert  column,  under  Colonel  Sir  Herbert  Stewart,  was  to  march 
overland  to  Metemmeh,  a  few  miles  above  Shendi,  and  there  to 
pick  up  the  steamers  which  Gordon  had  promised  to  send  thither 
from  Khartum.  The  other,  the  river  column,  under  Maj. -General 
Earle,  was  to  continue  the  movement  up  the  Nile  valley,  and 
ultimately  to  join  hands  with  Stewart  at  Metemmeh.  Earle  started 
from  Korti  on  December  28th,  accompanied  by  a  small  naval  de- 
tachment. Lord  Charles  Beresford  reached  Korti  on  January  4th 
from  Dal,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  preliminary  work  of 
the  expedition.  On  the  following  day,  Stewart,  who  had  been  into 
the  desert  to  occupy  and  establish  a  depot  at  Jakdul  Wells,1  96  miles 
on  the  road  to  Metemmeh,  returned  to  Korti ;  and,  on  the  8th,  he 
started  again  for  Metemmeh,  accompanied  by  Beresford  and  the 
first  division  of  the  naval  contingent,  the  second  division,  which  was 
following,  not  having  then  arrived. 

Jakdul  was  reached  once  more  on  January  12th;  on  the  13th, 
Colonel  Burnaby  arrived  at  the  wells  with  a  convoy  of  grain  ;  and  on 
the  14th  the  advance  was  resumed.  The  column  then  consisted  of 
part  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  three  7-pr.  screw  guns  manned  by  Eoyal 
Artillerymen,  three  troops  of  the  19th  Hussars,  the  Heavy  Camel 
Regt.,2  the  Guards  Camel  Eegt.,  the  Sussex  Eegt.,  and  some  Mounted 
Infantry  and  Eoyal  Engineers,  making,  with  the  Transport  and 
Medical  Corps,  a  total  of  1581  men,  90  horses,  2880  camels,  340 
drivers,  and  4  guns. 

On  the  evening  of  the  16th,  the  enemy  was  first  discovered, 
scouts  reporting  the  Arabs  to  be  in  large  force  about  four  miles 
ahead,  posted  to  intercept  communication  with  the  wells  of  Abu 
Klea.  A  zeriba  of  thorn  bushes  was  formed,  and  the  column  lay 
within  it  for  the  night,  the  dervishes  sniping  continually  from  low 
hills  on  the  right  flank,  and  increasing  their  fire  at  dawn.  In  the 
morning  it  was  hoped  for  some  time  that  the  Soudanese  would 
attack  the  camp ;  and  for  fully  three  hours  the  whole  force  stood 
ready  to  repel  them  if  they  did.  As  they  did  not,  and  as  the  sniping 
continued,  Stewart  decided  to  fight  his  way  to  the  wells,  leaving, 
meanwhile,  a  guard  over  the  baggage  in  the  zeriba.  He  formed 

1  Where  Col.  Dorward,  R.E.,  with  about  400  men,  was  left  in  charge. 

2  Including  Marines. 


1885.]  ABU  KLEA.  06! 

square  on  a  clear  space  400  yards  in  advance  of  the  zeriba,  placing 
forty  *  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  with  the  Gardner  gun,  in  the  centre  of 
the  rear  force,  but  directing  Beresford,  in  case  of  fighting,  to  put 
the  gun  where  it  would  be  most  useful.  Within  the  square  were 
camels  laden  with  water,  ammunition,  etc. 

Soon  after  9  A.M.  on  January  17th  the  square  moved  off  under 
a  very  annoying  fire  from  the  left  flank,  and  advanced  about  two 
miles.  Presently,  as  a  low  hill  was  cleared,  a  line  of  flags  was 
seen  planted  along  the  edge  of  some  high  grass,  not  much  more 
than  400  yards  from  the  left  flank  of  the  square,  which  was  there- 
upon halted  in  order  that  its  rear  might  close  up.  Almost  instantly 
a  V-shaped  mass  of  dervishes,  estimated  to  number  6000,  sprang 
from  the  grass,  and,  encouraged  by  about  40  horsemen,  charged 
at  a  great  pace  over  the  intervening  ground.  Beresford  promptly 
ran  his  Gardner  from  the  centre  of  the  rear  face  to  a  point  on 
the  flank,  near  the  left  rear  corner  of  the  square,  and  opened  fire ; 
and,  as  the  square  closed  up,  he  and  his  men  were  left  just  outside 
it.  After  firing  about  forty  rounds,  he  perceived  that  the  gun  had 
rather  too  much  elevation,  and  ordered  "cease  fire,"  in  order  that 
the  error  might  be  corrected.  About  thirty  rounds  more  had  been 
fired,  with  excellent  effect,  when  the  gun  jammed,  owing  to  the 
extractor  of  one  of  the  barrels  pulling  off  the  head  of  a  discharged 
cartridge,  and  leaving  the  cylinder  in  the  chamber.  The  Arabs  were 
then  but  '200  yards  from  the  detachment.  Says  Lord  Charles  :— 

"  The  captain  of  the  gun  (Rhodes,  Chief  Boatswain's  Mate)  and  myself  unscrewed 
the  plate  to  clear  the  barrel,  or  take  the  lock  of  the  jammed  barrel  out,  when  the 
enemy  were  upon  us.  Rhodes  was  killed  with  a  spear.  Walter  Miller,  armourer,  I 
also  saw  killed  with  a  spear  at  the  same  moment  on  my  left.  I  was  knocked  down  in 
the  rear  of  the  gun,  but  uninjured,  except  a  small  spear  scratch  on  the  left  hand.  The 
crowd  and  crush  of  the  enemy  was  very  great  at  this  point,  and,  as  it  struggled  up,  I 
was  carried  against  the  face  of  the  square,  which  was  literally  pushed  back  by  sheer 
weight  of  numbers  about  twelve  paces  from  the  position  of  the  gun.  The  crush  was 
so  great  that  at  the  moment  few  on  either  side  were  killed  ;  but,  fortunately,  this  flank 
of  the  square  had  been  forced  up  a  very  steep  little  mound,  which  enabled  the  rear 
rank  to  open  a  tremendous  fire  over  the  heads  of  the  front  rank  men.  This  relieved 
the  pressure,  and  enabled  the  front  rank  to  bayonet  or  shoot  those  of  the  enemy 
nearest  them." 

None  of  the  Arabs  got  into  the  square  at  that  point,  which  was 
held  by  the  Mounted  Infantry  ;  and  very  quickly  the  Gardner  and 
the  survivors  of  its  detachment  were  again  within  the  line. 
Finding,  however,  that  that  particular  point  was  impregnable,  the 

1  The  rest  were  left  in  the  zeriba. 


3(52       milTAllY   JI1STORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

mass  of  dervishes  surged  round  the  left  rear  corner,  passed  along 
the  rear  face  for  a  short  distance,  and  then  burst  in.  It  was  during 
this  brief  irruption,  for  the  onslaught  was  soon  repulsed,  that 
Colonel  Burnaby  was  killed.  .  The  British  fire  was  too  heavy  to 
allow  of  many  getting  in,  and  the  few  who  did  get  in  lived  only 
for  a  few  seconds.  Then  the  gallant  tribesmen  drew  off  slowly, 


COMMANDER    AI.FliKI)    1'IGOTT. 

(From  the  picture  lij  Mrs.  H.  It.  Mttnro.) 

[By  permission  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.] 

until  they  were  screened  by  a  nullah  and  a  hillock  from  the  storm 
of  bullets  and  shells  that  followed  them. 

The  Naval  Brigade,  which  went  into  action  40  strong,  lost  on 
this  desperate  occasion  8  killed  and  7  wounded,  among  the  former 
being  Commander  Alfred  Pigott,1  and  Lieutenant  de  Lisle.  The 
losses  of  the  army,  though  much  less  great  in  proportion,  were  also 

1  This  excellent  officer  had  been  promoted  a  short  time  before  his  death,  but  never 
knew  of  his  advancement. 


1885.]  METKMMEII.  363 

serious.  The  slaughter  of  the  enemy  was  enormous,  probably 
amounting  to  more  than  one-fourth  of  his  strength  in  killed  alone. 

At  2.30  P.M.  the  square  re-formed,  and  moved  on  without  further 
opposition  to  Abu  Klea  wells,  which  were  occupied  soon  after 
5  o'clock.  There  the  force  bivouacked  for  the  night  in  a  defensive 
position,  suffering  terribly  from  cold,  and  from  lack  of  provisions, 
until  the  zeriba  detachment  and  the  baggage-camels  joined  on  the 
following  morning.  A  fort  was  built  meanwhile  for  the  protection 
of  the  wounded,  who  were  to  be  left  at  the  wells  in  charge  of  a 
detachment  of  the  Sussex  Regiment. 

At  2  P.M.  on  January  18th  the  column  again  marched,  and 
pursued  its  tedious  way  all  through  the  afternoon  and  following 
night,  until  6.30  A.M.  on  the  19th,  when  the  Nile  was  sighted  ahead, 
and  Metemmeh  on  the  left  front.  Colonel  Stewart  had  intended 
to  strike  the  river  some  miles  to  the  westward,  but  had  had  reason 
to  suspect  his  guide,  whom  he  had  put  under  arrest,  and,  altering 
his  direction,  had  gone  too  far  to  the  eastward.  Thus,  instead  of 
touching  the  river  at  a  point  where  there  was  no  enemy,  he 
sighted  it  under  the  eyes  of  a  large  dervish  garrison,  which  lost 
no  time  in  opening  fire  on  him.  To  give  the  hungry  and  weary 
men  an  opportunity  of  breakfasting,  he  formed  a  temporary  zeriba. 
Unhappily  the  enemy's  practice  was  very  good,  and  the  column 
suffered  severely,  Stewart  himself  being  among  those  mortally 
hit,  and  Major  William  Hutcheson  Poe,1  E.M.  and  Sub-Lieutenant 
Munro,  E.N.,  among  the  wounded  The  Gardner  was  stationed 
where  it  was  conceived  that  it  would  be  most  useful ;  but  it  could 
effect  little,  the  tribesmen  lying  in  the  grass,  and  showing  them- 
selves hardly  at  all.  Colonel  Sir  Charles  William  Wilson,  K.E., 
took  over  the  command,  and  the  zeriba  was  strengthened,  two 
redoubts  being  ultimately  thrown  up  to  cover  it. 

About  10  A.M.  a  square  was  formed  in  rear  of  the  zeriba ;  and 
presently  it  moved  away  in  order  to  get  touch  with  the  river.  The 
zeriba,  with  about  300  men  in  it,  was  left  under  the  command  of 
Lord  Charles  Beresford,  and  Colonel  Barrow,  who  put  into  the 
larger  redoubt  all  the  sick  and  wounded,  three  of  the  four  7-prs., 
and  the  Gardner  gun,  and  caused  the  camels,  about  2000  in  number, 
to  lie  down  outside  it.  In  the  meantime  the  fire  of  the  dervishes 
never  ceased. 

The  advance  of  the  square  was  covered  to  some  extent  by  the 
1  C.B.  for  tliis  service. 


364      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

fire  of  the  guns  and  the  Gardner,  but,  nevertheless,  it  was  most 
fiercely  opposed  by  more  than  one  V-shaped  column  of  dervishes. 
The  tribesmen,  however,  did  not  succeed  in  getting  within  thirty 
yards  of  the  British  rifles,  and  at  length  broke  and  fled,  most  of 
them  retiring  to  Meternmeh.  After  a  two  and  a  half  mile  inarch 
the  square  reached  the  Nile  ;  and  from  1.20  P.M.  onwards  the  Arabs 
fired  no  more  at  the  zeriba  and  redoubts.1  On  the  20th,  leaving 
a  guard  at  the  river,  the  square  returned,  and  picked  up  the  party 
from  the  zeriba,  including,  of  course,  the  wounded.  The  reunited 
force  marched  forward  again  at  4  P.M.,  and  at  nightfall  occupied  and 
encamped  in  the  village  of  Gubat,  a  few  miles  below  Metemmeh. 
By  that  time  some  of  the  horses  had  had  no  water  for  two,  and 
most  of  the  camels  no  water  for  five  days. 

On  January  21st,  the  greater  part  of  the  force  made  -a  recon- 
naissance of  Metemmeh,  Boatswain  James  Webber  having  charge 
of  the  Gardner  in  consequence  of  all  the  other  naval  officers  who 
were  at  the  front,  Beresford  only  excepted,  having  been  killed  or 
badly  wounded.  While  the  defences  of  the  town  were  being 
engaged,  Gordon's  four  little  steamers,  the  Bordein,  Safieh,  Tew- 
fikieh,  and  Telahawiyeh,  came  down  the  river  from  Khartum. 
They  brought  word  that  a  body  of  devishes  from  Khartum  was 
advancing  towards  Metemmeh  to  meet  the  relief  column.  The 
reconnaissance,  which  otherwise  would  have  ended  in  a  serious 
attack  on  the  town,  was  therefore  abandoned  ;  and  the  column, 
accompanied  by  the  steamers,  returned  to  Gubat,  the  camp  at 
which  place  was  strengthened.  Lord  Charles  Beresford  took  the 
crazy  craft  in  hand  with  characteristic  energy,  and,  by  3  P.M.  on 
January  22nd,  reported  them  as  ready  to  proceed  up  the  river. 
He  was  then  so  ill  as  to  be  unable  to  walk,  so  that,  unhappily, 
he  was  scarcely  in  a  condition  to  assume  charge  of  them  on  a 
service  demanding  to  the  full  extent  every  qualification  that  the 
best  naval  officer  can  possess.  As  for  the  other  naval  officers,  all 
save  Webber,  as  has  been  said,  had  been  put  out  of  action. 
Nevertheless,  Lord  Charles  might,  and  no  doubt  would,  have  taken 
command,  and  pushed  on  at  once,  had  it  been  considered  desirable 
that  he  should  do  so,  and  would  have  carried  out  the  original  plan ; 
which  was  that  he  should  man  two  of  the  steamers  from  the 
Naval  Brigade,  take  on  board  Sir  Charles  Wilson  and  fifty  men 
of  the  Sussex  Regt.,  and  steam  instantly  for  Khartum.  It  was 
1  This  action  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  that  of  Abu  Kru. 


1885.]  SIR    CHARLES    WILSON'S  EXPEDITION.  365 

deemed  impossible  to  persist  with  this  project ;  moreover,  it  was 
deemed  impossible  for  any  of  the  steamers  to  start  southward  at  all 
until  the  24th.  In  spite  of  this,  however,  it  was  deemed  desirable 
that  Lord  Charles,  with  the  Bordein  and  the  Telahawiyeh,  should 
go  a  few  miles  down  the  river  to  Shendy,  into  which  place  he  fired 
a  few  shells ;  but  no  opposition  was  there  met  with. 

On  January  24th,  Sir  Charles  Wilson  himself  started  for 
Khartum  with  the  Bordein  and  Telahawiyeh,  20  British  soldiers 
in  red  coats,  and  about  260  Soudanese.  He  did  not  take  Lord 
Charles  with  him,  nor  did  he  supersede  the  Egyptian  masters  of 
the  steamers  and  substitute  British  officers  or  petty  officers  for 
them.  He  merely  put  an  engine-room  artificer  into  each  vessel. 
Colonel  Boscawen  was  left  in  military  charge  at  Gubat,  where  only 
922  men  remained,  Colonel  the  Hon.  E.  A.  J.  Talbot,  with  about 
400,  having  been  sent  back  to  Jakdul  Wells  to  bring  up  provisions 
and  to  forward  despatches  to  Lord  Wolseley.  The  Egyptian 
soldiers  who  had  come  down  in  the  Bordein,  and  who  were  not 
trusted,  were  ordered  to  garrison  an  island  opposite  the  British 
camp,  and  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  with  a  detachment  of  seamen 
and  the  Gardner  gun,  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  Safieh,  and  held 
himself  ready  to  proceed  at  short  notice  to  any  spot  at  which  his 
services  might  be  needed.  As  for  the  Tewfikieh,  to  which  the 
wounded  Sir  Herbert  Stewart,  then  in  a  hopeless  condition,1  was 
transferred,  she  was  used  as  a  ferry  boat  between  the  camp  and  the 
island.  In  the  meantime,  Lord  Charles,  on  the  24th,  paid  another 
brief  visit  to  Shendy,  where,  this  time,  he  was  received  with  a  hot 
fire  from  the  enemy,  whom  he  dispersed.  Daily  at  6  A.M.,  between 
January  25th  and  30th,  he  weighed,  and,  with  twenty  picked  marks- 
men on  board,  patrolled  the  river  for  some  miles  in  each  direction, 
capturing  cattle,  sheep,  goats,  fuel  and  vegetables,  raiding  villages, 
and,  on  one  occasion,  destroying  a  strong  earthwork.  The  Safieh 
was  invariably  fired  at  in  the  course  of  these  little  expeditions, 
especially  by  parties  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  but  the  bullet- 
proof shields  with  which  she  had  been  fitted  prevented  casualties. 

Sir  Charles  Wilson,  as  might  have  been  expected,  met  with 
delay,  and  finally  with  disaster.  On  the  25th,  the  Bordein 
grounded.  On  the  26th,  she  grounded  again,  and  twenty-four 
hours  were  lost.  At  11  A.M.  on  the  28th,  Khartum  was  at  length 
sighted,  but  it  was  soon  seen  to  be  in  the  hands  of  the  Dervishes. 
1  He  lingered,  however,  for  several  days. 


366      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

It  had,  in  fact,  fallen  on  the  26th.  The  steamers  reconnoitred  a 
little  further  up  the  river,1  and  then,  turning  round,  began  their 
return  voyage  under  a  heavy  fire,  the  Soudanese  on  hoard  evincing 
grave  signs  of  disaffection.  On  the  29th,  the  Telahawiyeh  was 
wrecked,  and  her  crew,  guns  and  ammunition  had  to  be  transferred 
to  a  large  nuggar.  Emissaries  from  the  Mahdi  approached  under  a 
flag  of  truce,  chiefly  in  order  to  persuade  the  Egyptian  Soudanese 
troops  to  surrender.  By  them  a  somewhat  feeble  demand  was 
returned  to  the  effect  that  a  safe  conduct  should  be  sent  to  meet 
the  expedition  vipon  its  arrival  at  Wad-Habeshi,  a  post  some  miles 
lower  down,  which  was  held  by  about  5000  of  the  enemy.  On  the 
31st,  the  Bordein  also  was  wrecked  off  the  island  of  Mernat,  30 
miles  south  of  Gubat,  and  a  short  distance  above  Wad-Habeshi,  and 
everything  in  her  had  to  be  landed. 

With  great  pluck,  Lieutenant  E.  J.  Stuart-Montagu-Wortley, 
King's  Royal  Rifles,  took  a  pulling  boat  and,  starting  by  night, 
reached  Gubat  early  in  the  morning  of  the  following  day.  In  his 
absence  steps  were  taken  to  render  the  island  defensible. 

Part  of  the  second  division  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  under  Lieutenant 
van  Koughnet,  had  by  that  time  joined  Lord  Charles,  who,  taking 
the  Safieh,  and  manning  her  with  small  detachments  from  both 
divisions,  and  with  twenty  marksmen  from  the  Mounted  Infantry, 
departed  up  the  river  to  endeavour  to  rescue  Wilson's  party.  With 
him  went  the  two  Gardners'2  and  two  4-pr.  brass  mountain  guns. 
The  wretched  Safieh  could  steam  against  the  stream  at  the  rate  of 
about  2-5  kts.  only,  so  that,  even  had  there  been  no  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  navigation,  progress  would  have  been  extremely  slow. 

Early  on  February  3rd,  the  Safieh  sighted  the  enemy's  3-gun 
fort  at  Wad-Habeshi.  The  captains  of  the  machine  guns  were 
warned  to  direct  their  fire  solely  and  exclusively  at  the  embrasures, 
with  a  view  to  endeavouring  to  prevent  the  gunners  there  from 
laying  their  pieces  accurately  on  the  steamer.  These  directions 
were  so  well  carried  out  that  although  the  Safieh,  owing  to  her 
draught  of  water,  had  to  pass  within  80  yards  of  the  work,  the  guns 
in  the  fort  could  not  be  fired  at  her  so  long  as  she  was  beam  on.  It 
was  only  when  the  steamer  had  passed  the  fort  about  200  yards,  and 
when  the  machine  guns  could  no  longer  fire  into  the  embrasures, 

1  As  far  as  the  Island  of  Tuti,  at  the  junction  of  the  Blue  Nile  with  the  White. 

2  These  wtre  mounted  en  echelon  on  their  own  cones  on  a  j>latfoim  raised  above  the 
steamer's  bulwarks. 


1885.]  BEliESFOIlD   AT    WAD-1IABESHI. 

that  the  enemy  managed  to  put  a  shot  into  the  crazy  vessel's 
boiler. 

Before  she  lost  way  the  Safieh  was  headed  towards  the  opposite 
bank,  and  then,  when  she  was  about  500  yards  from  the  work,  the 
anchor  was  let  go,  a  platform  being  at  once  extemporised  aft,  and 
one  of  the  Gardners  shifted  to  it.  Kifle  fire,  even  from  the  twenty 
picked  marksmen,  reinforced  by  fourteen  bluejackets,  had  failed 
to  keep  the  enemy's  guns  from  being  used ;  but  from  7  A.M.  to 
8.30  P.M.,  this  Gardner  imposed  silence  upon  the  only  gun  which 
would  then  bear  upon  the  steamer.  Undoubtedly  it  saved  the  craft 
from  destruction.  Nearly  at  the  moment  of  the  mishap,  Lieutenant 
van  Koughnet  was  hit  in  the  thigh,  and  a  petty  officer  was  mortally 
wounded.  Two  seamen  were  badly  scalded  by  the  escaping  steam, 
and,  in  addition,  the  artificers,  and,  indeed,  everyone  in  the  stoke- 
hold, had  been  more  or  less  injured  by  it. 

Beresford  communicated  with  Wilson,  and,  by  strategy,  the 
rescued  party  was  got  past  the  fort  in  the  darkness,  the  sick  and 
wounded  going  down  in  a  nuggar,  which,  though  fired  at,  suffered 
very  little,  and  the  rest  marching  along  the  opposite  bank.  The 
enemy  was  also  led  to  believe  that  both  steamers  were  being 
abandoned,  the  result  being  that,  having  moved  a  gun,  fired  a 
few  rounds  at  the  Safieli,  and  received  no  reply,  he  ceased  firing 
for  the  night. 

The  damaged  boiler  had  cooled  by  11  A.M.  Chief  Engineer 
Henry  Benbow  went  to  work  upon  it  as  soon  as  he  could  touch 
it,  and,  after  ten  hours  of  unremitting  labour,  he  succeeded  in 
repairing  it. 

"Too  much  credit,"  says  Lord  Charles,  "cannot  be  given  to  this  officer,  as  he  had 
to  shape  the  plate,  bore  the  holes  in  plate  and  boiler,  and  run  down  the  screws  and 
nuts,  almost  entirely  with  his  own  hands,  the  artificers  and  everyone  in  the  stoke  hold 
having  been  scalded  severely  by  the  explosion  when  the  shot  entered  the  toilers.  Tho 
plate  was  16  inches  by  14,  so  that  some  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  work  entailed 
upon  him." 

At  5  A.M.  on  February  4th,  the  fires  were  lighted  again,  every 
precaution,  however,  being  taken  to  get  up  steam  as  quietly  and 
unobstrusively  as  possible.  At  5.50,  when  day  was  about  to  break, 
but  when,  happily,  all  was  ready,  the  Dervishes  seem  first  to  have 
perceived  that  the  Safieh  had  not  been  deserted.  They  burst  forth 
into  shouts  of  rage  and  brought  guns  to  bear ;  but,  ere  they  could 
open  fire,  Beresford  weighed  and  proceeded  up  the  river,  as  if 
steaming  for  Khartum.  He  went  only  three-quarters  of  a  mile  or 


368      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

so,  until,  finding  a  place  in  which  he  could  turn  with  safety,  he  put 
about,  steamed  back  past  the  fort  at  his  best  speed,  and  used  his 
Gardners  and  rifles  with  excellent  effect.  Below  the  fort  he  found 
the  nuggar  aground,  with  the  sick  and  wounded  still  in  her.  She 
was  within  range  of  the  tribesmen's  guns ;  and  at  once  he  sent 
Sub-Lieutenant  Keppel  in  a  boat,  with  a  party  of  bluejackets,  to  her 
assistance,  the  Safieh  herself  anchoring  hard  by.  It  took  a  long 
time  to  lighten  and  float  the  craft ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  work, 
young  Keppel  was  wounded.  At  length  both  steamer  and  nuggar 
were  able  to  move  down  to  the  spot  at  which  Sir  Charles  Wilson, 
with  his  party,  was  awaiting  them.  All  were  taken  on  board,  and 
at  5.45  that  afternoon  the  camp  at  Gubat  was  again  reached.  It 
had  not  been  attacked. 

Nor  was  it  attacked ;  though  undoubtedly  it  would  have  been  but 
for  the  effect  produced  by  the  action  at  Wad-Habeshi.  That  action 
saved  not  only  Wilson,  but  also  the  entire  desert  column.  The 
fearful  slaughter  of  his  people  at  Abu  Klea  and  Abu  Kru  had  given 
the  Mahdi  a  wholesome  estimate  of  the  power  of  British  weapons ; 
but  his  success  at  Khartum  had  revived  his  spirits,  and  had  en- 
•couraged  him  to  despatch  an  overwhelming  force  of  at  least  30,000 
men  against  Gubat.  Beresford's  behaviour  caused  the  commander 
of  this  huge  army  to  believe  that  the  British  were  invincible  in  or 
near  the  water.  The  man,  in  consequence,  halted  or  dawdled,  his 
deliberate  intention  being  to  wait  until  the  British  should  quit  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  river.  He  would  then  fall  upon  them  in  the 
desert  and  crush  them.  But  he  did  not  watch  them  closely  enough. 
When  they  did  move,  they  started  suddenly,  and  marched  more 
rapidly  than  he  had  expected,  and  he  was  never  able  to  bring  any 
considerable  portion  of  his  army  into  contact  with  them.  The  full 
value  of  Beresford's  action  did  not  appear  at  the  time.  It  became 
•evident,  however,  when,  years  afterwards,  some  of  the  European 
and  other  prisoners  escaped  from  the  Mahdi 's  grasp  and  regained 
•civilisation.  Then  it  was  shown  that  Beresford,  Benbow,  and  their 
gallant  fellows  had  done  even  better  work  than  had  been  supposed.1 

At  Wad-Habeshi,  5400  rounds  were  fired  from  the  Gardners, 
126  from  the  guns,  and  2150  from  the  rifles.  Lord  Charles,  in  his 
report,  gave  special  praise  to  Lieutenant  van  Koughnet,  Sub- 
Lieutenant  Keppel,  Chief-Engineer  Benbow,  Boatswain  Webber, 

1  Wingate  to  Wolseley,  Mar.  18,  1893,  enclosing  evidence  as  to  effect  of  Beresford's 

action. 


1885.]  WITHDRAWAL   FROM  GUBAT.  369 

and  Surgeon  Arthur  William  May,  and  spoke  in  the  highest  terms 
of  the  behaviour  of  the  whole  of  his  little  command.  Benbow 
would  have  been  recommended  for  the  Victoria  Cross  had  Lord 
Charles  not  been  under  the  impression  that  that  decoration  was  not 
available  as  a  reward  for  such  a  service  as  the  gallant  officer  had 
performed.  Benbow,1  however,  received  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
Inspector  of  Machinery.  Another  special  and  exceptional  promotion 
was  that  of  Boatswain  Webber  to  be  Chief  Boatswain.  In  1887, 
his  services  were  further,  and  again  exceptionally,  recompensed, 
together  with  those  of  Gunner  Cathie,  by  promotion  to  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant. 

In  the  interim,  the  situation  of  the  desert  column  was  quite 
misunderstood  at  Korti,  where,  as  Sir  G.  S.  Clarke  says,  "  im- 
possible plans  were  formed."  Happily,  the  command  of  the  column 
was  given  to  Major-General  Sir  Eedvers  Buller,  who  left  Korti  on 
January  29th,  and  arrived  at  Gubat,  with  six  companies  of  the 
Eoyal  Irish,  on  February  llth.  Pending  his  arrival,  the  steamers 
were  repaired,  and,  on  February  7th,  a  raid  was  made  with  them, 
and  some  cattle  and  goats  were  captured ;  but  the  steamers, 
especially  the  Safieli,  which  had  been  strained  by  the  firing 
on  February  3rd,  leaked  so  badly  that  they  had  to  return  ere  the 
objects  of  the  expedition  had  been  fully  accomplished. 

Buller  decided  upon  withdrawal  to  avert  disaster.  On  February 
13th,  Lord  Charles  Beresford  spiked  the  guns2  of  the  Safieh  and 
Tewfikieh,  and  threw  them  into  the  river,  together  with  their 
ammunition.  He  also  disabled  the  steamers' engines.  That  night 
the  Naval  Brigade  bivouacked  on  shore ;  and  on  the  following 
morning  the  desert  column  left  Gubat  on  foot,  there  being  no  longer 
any  camels  available.  Abu  Klea  was  reached  on  the  15th,  and  the 
Naval  Brigade,  with  its  two  Gardners,  was  ordered  into  the  fort,, 
while  the  rest  of  the  troops  threw  up  earthworks.3  Buller  then  sent, 
forward  for  reinforcements,  camels,  and  additional  ammunition,  and., 
upon  these  reaching  him,  proceeded  on  February  23rd  for  Jakdul 
Wells,  where  he  encamped  on  the  26th.  The  Naval  Brigade  and: 
part  of  the  column  left  Jakdul  two  days  later,  and  at  length  re- 
sighted  Korti  without  further  serious  adventures.  On  the  long 
march  from  Gubat  not  a  single  bluejacket  fell  out,  in  spite  of  the 

1  Benbow  was  also  specially  complimented  by  Lord  Wolseley. 

2  Brass  4-prs.     The  Gardners  were,  of  course,  preserved  and  carried  off. 

3  At  Abu  Klea  the  column  was  sniped  severely  at  night. 

VOL.   VII.  2   B 


370       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

fact  that  many  of  the  men  were  shoeless,  and  that  each  carried  rifle, 
cutlass,  and  seventy  rounds  of  ammunition.  The  Brigade  was 
inspected  on  March  8th  by  Lord  Wolseley,  and  was  then  broken 
up  into  detachments  and  posted  at  intervals  down  the  river 
below  Korti.  Lord  Charles  Beresford  rejoined  Lord  Wolseley 
as  naval  A.D.C.,  and  presently  accompanied  him  to  Suakin  on  a 
brief  visit. 

Major-General  Earle's  river  column,  which,  as  has  been  said, 
left  Korti  on  December  28th,  1884,  encountered  great  difficulties  in 
making  its  way  up  the  Nile.  On  February  10th,  1885,  it  defeated 
about  800  Arabs  at  Kirbekan ;  but  among  the  10  British  officers  and 
men  killed  in  the  action  was  Earle  himself. 

Colonel  Henry  Brackenbury,  who  thereupon  took  command, 
continued  the  advance  until,  on  February  24th,  he  was  about 
twenty-six  miles  below  Abu  Hamed.  There  he  received  orders 
to  retire,  and,  acting  accordingly,  he  got  back  to  Korti  on  March 
8th.  The  naval  contingent,  under  Lieutenant  William  Theobald 
Bourke,  attached  to  this  force,  was  a  very  small  one,  and,  in 
Brackenbury's  book,  "The  River  Column,"  l  is  scarcely  mentioned. 
The  work  of  navigation  was  done  chiefly  by  the  Canadian  voyageurs, 
the  bluejackets  rendering  frequent  help,  but  confining  their  efforts 
chiefly  to  the  management  of  their  own  craft,  and  of  their  single 
Gardner  gun. 

In  addition  to  the  naval  officers  whose  names  have  been  already 
mentioned  in  the  text,  the  following,  among  others,  did  duty  on  the 
Nile  in  connection  with  the  futile  relief  expedition  :  — 

Capt.  Frederick  Ross  Boardman ;  Corns.  Tynte  Ford  Hammill,2  and  Julian 
Alleyne  Baker;  Lieuts.  Charles  Tatton  Turner,2  Charles  Reeve,2  William 
Crawford  Reid,  and  George  John  Taylor ;  Sub-Lieut.  Francis  Hungerford 
Pollen  (Lieut.  4.  2.  85). 

Lord  Charles  Beresford  and  Captain  Boardman  were  made  Com- 
panions of  the  Bath  on  August  24th,  1885. 

So  little  was  the  true  state  of  affairs  in  the  Soudan  understood 
by  Lord  Wolseley,  that  as  late  as  January  8th,  1885,  he  demurred 
to  the  undertaking  of  active  operations  from  Suakin,  and  added, 
•"  I  am  strong  enough  to  relieve  Khartum,  and  believe  in  being 

1  London,  1885. 

2  Promoted,  Aug.  17,  1885.     A  previous  batch  of  promotions,  dated  Feb.  4,  1885, 
had  included  Lieuts.  E.  B.  van  Koughnet,  and  Richard  Poore  ;  and  Sub-Lieut.  Colin 
R.  Keppel,  whose  names  have  appeared  in  the  text. 


1885.]  ACTIONS  AT  HASHEEN  AND  TOFRIK.  371 

able  to  send  a  force,  when  returning  by  way  of  Berber,  to  Suakin, 
to  open  road  and  crush  Osman  Digna."1  Even  on  February  llth, 
when  Buller  was  wisely  deciding  to  retreat  from  Gubat,  Wolseley 
was  suggesting  that  the  river  column  should  attack  Berber.  By  that 
time,  however,  he  was  willing  that  a  railway  should  be  made  west- 
ward from  Suakin,2  and  that  a  subsidiary  expedition  should  enter 
the  desert  from  the  same  direction.  In  a  despatch  of  March  6th,3 
he  took  a  more  pessimistic  view,  admitting  that  further  military 
operations  against  Khartum  would  be  impossible  until  about  the 
end  of  the  summer,  when,  if  he  persisted  in  them,  he  would  require 
very  large  reinforcements. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  War  Office  had  determined  to  make  a 
serious  effort  on  behalf  of  the  restoration  of  British  prestige  in  the 
eastern  Soudan.  Osman  Digna  was  to  be  crushed,  and  the  Berber 
railway  was  to  be  constructed.  To  this  end,  about  13,000  men, 
including  a  Naval  Brigade,  the  battalion  of  Marines,  a  brigade  from 
India,  and  a  field  battery  from  New  South  Wales,*  were  assembled 
at  Suakin  in  March,  under  Lieut. -General  Sir  Gerald  Graham. 

The  Naval  Brigade  was  drawn  from  the  following  vessels  of 
Commodore  Molyneux's  Red  Sea  division  of  the  Mediterranean 
fleet,  viz. : — 

Carysfort,  corvette,  Captain  Walter  Stewart;  Dolphin,  sloop,  Com.  Sydney 
Marrow  Eardley-Wilmot ;  Sphinx,  paddle-vessel  Commod.  R.  H.  More 
Molyneux,  C.B. ;  Condor,  gun-vessel,  Com.  William  Cecil  Henry  Domville ; 
and  Coquette,  gunboat,  Lieut.  Fritz  Hauch  Eden  Crowe. 

The  greater  part  of  the  force  marched  out  of  Suakin,  and 
occupied  Hasheen,  on  March  20th,  when  the  Eoyal  Marines,  under 
Lieut. -Colonel  Albert  Henry  Ozzard,  distinguished  themselves,  in 
conjunction  with  the  Berkshire  Regiment,  by  the  capture  of 
Dehilbat  Hill.  On  the  following  day  four  Gardner  guns  from 
the  ships  were  landed,  and  proceeded  with  the  Naval  Brigade  to  the 
front  on  the  22nd. 

The  Brigade,  with  the  Marines,  formed  part  of  a  division  which 
left  Suakin  for  Tamai,  under  Major-General  Sir  J.  McNeill,  V.C., 
with  orders  to  form  a  half-way  zeriba.  The  column  was  encum- 
bered by  a  huge  transport,  and  its  advance  was  impeded  by  dense 
bush.  At  10.30  A.M.  it  halted  at  Tofrik,  about  six  miles  out.  The 

1  Wolseley  to  Hartington  (teleg.).  2  Idem. 

8  Wolseley  to  Hartington. 

4  Did  not  land  till  Mar.  29,  and  so  had  no  share  in  the  principal  actions. 

2  B  2 


372       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

zeriba  was  to  take  the  shape  of  three  squares  en  echelon,  the 
centre  square  being  the  largest ;  and  at  the  outward  corner  of 
each  of  the  small  squares  was  to  be  a  redoubt  with  two  Gardner 
guns  manned  by  the  Naval  contingent.  The  command  of  the 
north  redoubt  was  given  to  Lieutenant  Montagu  Hamilton  March 
Seymour  (Dolphin) ;  that  of  the  southern  one  to  Lieutenant 
Alfred  Wyndham  Paget  (Carysfort),  Commander  Domville  having 
general  charge.  As  for  the  squares  themselves,  the  northern  one 
was  entrusted  to  the  Berkshire  Eegiment,  and  the  southern  one 
to  the  Marines,  while  the  large  square,  which  was  to  contain  the 
stores,  etc.,  was  entrusted  to  the  Indian  contingent. 

Long  ere  these  somewhat  elaborate  defensive  arrangements 
could  be  completed,  a  large  body  of  Arabs  attacked,  soon  after 
2.30  P.M.  Partly  owing  to  the  rapidity  of  the  onslaught,  partly 
to  the  working  detachments  being  without  their  arms,  and  partly 
to  confusion  occasioned  in  the  ranks  of  the  17th  Bengal  Native 
Infantry  by  retiring  cavalry  riding  through  them,  the  northern 
square  was  rushed,  Lieutenant  Seymour  and  6  of  his  bluejackets 
being  killed  in  the  effort  to  bring  their  Gardners  into  the  redoubt 
assigned  to  them.  The  Arabs  then  burst  into  the  centre  square  ; 
but  the  gallant  Berkshires,  standing  firm  and  fighting  back  to  back, 
cut  off  the  Arabs  in  the  square  from  those  without,  and  broke  the 
force  of  the  attack.  Many  of  the  enemy,  however,  swept  round 
upon  the  transport  animals,  which,  in  preparation  for  their  return 
to  Suakin,  had  been  collected  in  rear  of  the  Marines'  square ;  and 
they  succeeded  in  stampeding  the  whole  train  through  the  zeriba. 
About  half  of  it  was  lost.  In  twenty  minutes,  however,  the  rush 
of  the  tribesmen  was  repulsed,  at  least  a  thousand  of  the  fanatics 
remaining  dead  upon  the  field.  The  total  British  casualties  were 
heavy,  though  a  large  proportion  of  them  occurred  among  camp- 
followers  and  other  non-combatants.  The  Naval  Brigade,  in 
addition  to  the  seven  killed,  had  Surgeon  Matthew  Digan  and  four 
men  wounded.1  Commander  Domville  distinguished  himself  greatly. 
Two  days  later,  as  a  force  from  Tamai  was  proceeding  in  square 
to  meet  a  convoy  from  Suakin,  about  10,000  Arabs  attacked  it. 
They  were  driven  off,  and  lost  about  500  killed,  but  not  until  they 
had  captured  100  camels.  On  that  occasion  the  British  casualties, 
which  were  happily  few  in  number,  included  Lieutenant  Alfred 
Edmund  Marchant,  E.M.,  wounded.  A  somewhat  similar  affair 
1  Times,  Mar.  24  and  25  ;  Royle,  and  desps. 


1885.]  WITHDRAWAL   FROM  SUAKIN.  373 

occurred  on  March  26th.  On  April  2nd,  about  7000  men,  including 
the  Naval  Brigade,  marched  to  Tesela  Hill,  and  thence  next  day 
towards  Tamai.  Having  burnt  a  number  of  huts  in  the  Khor 
Ghob,  they  returned  to  Suakin ;  and  on  April  6th  the  Naval 
Brigade  re-embarked.  A  month  later,  threatenings  of  trouble 
arose  on  the  Afghan  border,  the  consequence  being  that,  on 
May  llth,  Sir  Gerald  Graham's  army  was  ordered  to  withdraw 
from  Suakin,  which  thenceforth  was  left  to  the  protection  of  a 
small  Anglo-Indian  garrison,  and  of  the  men-of-war  in  harbour. 
The  withdrawal,  and  the  simultaneous  abandonment  of  the  whole 
of  the  Sudan,  strengthened  both  the  hands  and  the  prestige  of 
Osman  Digna,  who  compelled  such  native  tribes  as  had  not 
previously  submitted  to  make  terms  with  him.  They  also  enabled 
him  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  reduction  of  the  Egyptian  garrison 
at  Kassala,  the  result  being  that  the  town  capitulated  to  the 
Mahdists  in  August.  Mr.  Gladstone's  government,  which  had 
consented  to  the  evacuation  of  the  Transvaal  after  Majuba,  and 
of  the  Sudan  after  Khartum,  had  quitted  office  in  June  ;  but  the 
abandonment  had  then  gone  too  far  to  be  arrested.  The  work  of 
reconquest  had  to  be  set  about  afresh,  and  under  better  guidance, 
in  later  years. 

In  connection  with  the  organisation  of  this  second  Suakin  ex- 
pedition, most  valuable  services  were  rendered  by  Captain  John 
Fellowes,1  as  principal  transport  officer,  Commander  William 
Llewellyn  Morrison ;  Lieutenants  Thomas  MacGill,2  Alexander 
Milne  Gardiner,2  and  William  Blewett  Fawckner ;  Paymaster 
John  William  Seccombe  ;  Chief -Engineer  Francis  Ford  ;  and 
many  other  naval  officers.  Major  Nowell  FitzUpton  Way,3  E.M., 
who,  as  has  been  said,  commanded  the  Koyal  Marine  battalion 
in  succession  to  Lieut. -Colonel  Ozzard,  from  April  3rd  onward, 
was  rewarded  with  the  C.B. 

Previous  to  the  arrival  of  General  Graham's  expedition,  Com- 
modore Kobert  Henry  More  Molyneux4  had  been  largely  responsible 
for  the  defence  of  Suakin,  which,  for  many  months,  had  been 
practically  besieged  by  Osman  Digna,  and  for  the  security  of 
which  the  garrison  had  been  numerically  inadequate.  Between 
March  26th,  1884,  and  May  14th,  1885,  besides  the  vessels  which 
have  been  mentioned  already  as  having  contributed  to  the  Suakin 

1  C.B.,  Aug.  24,  1885.  3  Lt.  Col.,  May  17,  1885. 

2  Corns.,  Aug.  17,  1885.  4  K.C.B.,  Nov.  7,  1885,  for  these  services. 


374      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Naval  Brigade  of  1885,  the  following l  shared  in  the  arduous  work 
of  keeping  the  Mahdists  at  a  distance  :— 

Albacore,  gunboat,  Lieut.  Palmer  Kingsmill  Sraytliies ; 2  Briton,  corvette,  Capt. 
Rodney  Machine  Lloyd;  Cygnet,  gunboat,  Lieut.  Alexander  Milne  Gardiner;5 
Falcon,  gun-vessel,  (1)  Com.  John  Eliot  Pringle,'  (2)  Com.  John  George 
Jones ;  Helicon,  desp.-vessel,  Lieut.  Alfred  Leigh  Winsloe ; 2  Ilumber,  troop 
and  storeship,  Com.  Arnold  John  Errington  ;  Iris,  desp.-vessel,  Capt.  Ernest 
Rice;  Myrmidon,  surv .-vessel,  Com.  Richard  Frazer  Hoskyn;  Banger,  gun- 
vessel,  Com.  John  Pakenham  Pipon;  St.arliiig,  gunboat,  (1)  Lieut.  Francis 
William  Sanders;4  (2)  Lieut.  James  Browning  Young;  Tyne,  troop  and 
storeship,  (1)  Com.  Basil  Edward  Cochrane;4  (2)  Com.  William  Eveleigh 
Darwall ;  We odlark,  gun-vessel,  Com.  William  Robert  Clutterbuck. 

During  the  period,  there  were  many  affairs  in  which  the  boats 
or  the  guns  were  engaged,  especially  at  night ;  and,  among  the 
officers,  none  distinguished  themselves  more  than  Lieutenants 
Palmer  Kingsmill  Smythies,  Francis  George  Kirby  (Briton),  Hugh 
Talbot  (Cartjsfort),  and  Montagu  Hamilton  March  Seymour,  the 
last  of  whom  afterwards  fell  at  Tofrik. 

While  the  situation  in  Egypt,  and  the  almost  unchecked  ascen- 
dancy in  the  Sudan  of  the  authority  of  the  Mahdi  and  his  lieu- 
tenants, were  still  calling  for  so  much  activity  on  the  part  of  the 
Navy,  one  or  two  interesting,  though  not  very  important  matters 
occupied  the  attention  of  some  of  Her  Majesty's  ships  in  other 
quarters. 

The  hostile  action  of  the  French  Admiral,  Courbet,5  in  China, 
in  1883-84,  was  indirectly  responsible  for  the  death  of  a  promising 
young  British  naval  officer.  On  September  6th,  1884,  the  gunboat 
Zephyr,  Lieutenant  Charles  Kerr  Hope,  was  proceeding  up  the 
Eiver  Min,  with  her  colours  flying,  when,  nevertheless,  she  was 
mistaken  for  a  French  vessel,  and  fired  upon  by  a  Chinese  fort. 
Lieutenant  Godfrey  Hubbard,  who  had  been  promoted  less  than 
three  months  before,  was  mortally  wounded  ere  the  error  was 
discovered,  and  died  on  the  13th.  The  commandant  of  the  fort 
was  promptly  disgraced  ;  and  the  Chinese  government  behaved  so 
well  over  this  unhappy  affair  that  its  good  faith  could  not  be 
impugned.  A  seaman  was  wounded  011  the  same  occasion,  but 
fortunately  recovered.6 

1  To  the  crews  of  which  medals  were  granted. 

2  Promd.  June  30,  1885.  3  Ib.  Aug.  17,  1885.  <  Jb.  Dec.  31,  1884. 

5  On  Aug.  23,  1884,  he  destroyed  a  Chinese  squadron  in  the  River  Min,  and  bom- 
barded Foochow  arsenal. 

6  Desps.  and  Corr. ;  Loir,  '  L'Escadre  de  I'Amiral  Courbet,' 


1885.]  THE  SITUATION  IN  BURMAH.  375 

Elsewhere  the  Kingfisher,  sloop,  Commander  John  Harvey 
Eainier,  and  the  Frolic,  gun-vessel,  Commander  Alfred  Arthur 
Chase  Parr,  were  actively  employed  for  brief  periods,  the  Kingfisher 
at  Zeila,  on  the  Somali  coast,  in  February,  1885,  when  she  had 
occasion  to  land  a  party  to  arrest  some  mutinous  native  police ; 
and  the  Frolic,  on  the  Gold  Coast,  on  January  31st,  1885,  when, 
by  way  of  reprisals  for  attacks  on  British  subjects,  she  landed  a 
party  and  burnt  a  town. 

The  next  work  of  really  important  character  in  which  the  Navy 
participated  was  the  completion  of  the  conquest  of  Burmah. 

After  the  second  Burmese  war  and  the  annexation  of  the 
province  of  Pegu,1  a  revolutionary  movement  in  Upper  Burmah 
placed  upon  the  throne  a  peaceable  prince  2  who  proved  himself  a 
wise  and  moderate  ruler  and  cultivated  friendly  relations  with  the 
British.  In  1854  he  sent  a  mission  to  Calcutta,  and,  in  the 
following  year,  he  received  at  Amarapoora  a  Britis"h  mission  headed 
by  Major  Phayre,  who  took  with  him  as  his  secretary  Captain 
Henry  Yule,  E.E.  This  mission  failed,  however,  to  negotiate  a 
commercial  treaty,  which  was  badly  needed.  A  little  later  the  seat 
of  government  was  shifted  from  Amarapoora  to  Mandalay.  In 
1862,  Phayre,  then  a  Colonel,  headed  another  mission  to  Burmah, 
and  concluded  a  rather  one-sided  commercial  treaty,  arranging  also 
for  a  British  representative  to  reside  at  the  capital. 

The  treaty  did  not  work  well,  Burmah  securing  all  the 
advantages,  and  giving  nothing  in  return.  In  1866  a  third  mission 
was  on  the  point  of  departing  from  India  with  the  object  of 
improving  the  position  of  British  trade,  when  an  insurrection  broke 
out,  and  plunged  the  country  into  confusion.  The  king  had 
favoured  his  brother,  whom  he  had  created  Crown  Prince,  at  the 
expense  of  his  sons ;  and,  in  August,  two  of  the  latter  rose, 
murdered  their  uncle  and  one  of  the  ministers,  and  blockaded 
their  father  the  King  in  his  palace  at  Mandalay.  Captain  (later 
Sir)  Edward  Sladen,  the  British  resident,  being  warned  that  his 
position  was  unsafe,  went  down  to  Eangoon ;  but,  after  a  period 
of  anarchy,  the  old  King  suppressed  the  insurrection,  and,  at  the 
end  of  the  year,  again  received  Colonel  Phayre  at  the  head  of  a 
mission.  In  1867  Colonel  Fytche,  who  had  by  that  time  succeeded 
Colonel  Phayre,  concluded  an  agreement  more  favourable  than  that 

1  See  vol.  vi.,  p.  371,  etc. 

2  Known  as  the  Mendoon  Prince. 


376      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

of  1862 ;  and  thenceforward  for  many  years  relations  between 
Burmah  and  her  most  powerful  neighbour  were  fairly  satisfactory, 
although,  in  1875,  they  were  imperilled  by  the  breaking  out  of 
frontier  disturbances  and  internal  disorders.  In  1878,  however,  the 
old  King  died. 

The  rightful  heir  was  a  personage  known  as  the  Myoungaii 
Prince ;  but  the  intrigues  of  an  old  and  unscrupulous  Princess 
named  Sinbyumaryin,  who  had  married  her  daughter  Soopyah  Lat 
to  Theebaw,  one  of  the  King's  younger  sons,  secured  Theebaw's 
proclamation  as  monarch.  Theebaw  began  his  reign  by  murdering 
eighty-six  of  his  blood  relations.  Mr.  Shaw,  the  British  resident, 
protested,  but  Britain  was  just  then  much  engaged  elsewhere,  and 
failed  to  take  up  a  firm  attitude.  Mr.  Shaw  died  at  his  post,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Colonel  Horace  Browne,  who,  unwilling  to  put 
up  with  the  treatment  accorded  to  him  at  Mandalay,  presently 
quitted  that  capital,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  St.  Barbe.  By  that 
time,  in  consequence  of  British  inaction,  the  Burmese  had  come  to 
believe  that  they  might  do  exactly  as  they  pleased ;  and  eventually 
not  only  the  resident  but  also  nearly  all  the  European  inhabitants 
had  to  quit  the  country.  This  was  in  1880.  Theebaw  seems  to 
have  celebrated  the  event  by  carrying  out  the  massacre  of  five 
hundred  people.  It  is  hardly  astonishing  that  when  later  he  sent 
an  envoy  to  Simla,  asking  for  a  treaty,  his  advances  were  coldly 
received.  Subsequently  he  coquetted  with  France.  Writing  to  the 
Indian  government  in  September,  1885,  Colonel  Sladen  said : — 

"...  we  have  .  .  .  been  compelled  to  withdraw  our  resident  from  the  capital,  and 
stay  further  relations  with  the  court,  because  the  condition  of  things  there  is  so 
barbarous  and  insecure,  and  the  attitude  of  the  government  so  intractable,  that  we 
cannot  consent  on  the  one  hand  to  countenance  massacres  and  misrule,  or  on  the  other 
to  invite  insult  and  risk  the  lives  of  our  political  officers.  .  .  .  After  refusing  the  treaty 
we  offered  King  Theebaw  at  Simla  in  1882,  he  has  thought  proper  to  make  political 
capital  out  of  our  forced  retirement  by  forming  alliances  with  European  states  which 
have  no  interests  in  Burmah,  and  whose  presence  on  the  scene  is  only  intended  to 
encumber  our  action,  and  even  menace  our  possessions  in  British  Burmah.  As  a 
consequence  we  already  find  ourselves  in  the  false  and  anomalous  position  of  having  a 
powerful  ruling  state  on  our  borders  intriguing  against  us.  ... " 

Colonel  Sladen  recommended  as  the  only  satisfactory  remedy  for 
this  condition  of  things  that  the  whole  of  Upper  Burmah  should  be 
annexed.  Early  in  October,  therefore,  an  ultimatum  was  despatched 
to  Theebaw,  offering  him  the  alternative  of  complete  submission  to 
British  direction,  or  of  war ;  and  preparations  were  made  for  the 


LJPPKR    BURMA 


/oce  p.  376. 


1885.]  THE  BURMESE    WAR.  377 

campaign  which,  it  was  then  felt,  was  inevitable.  Major-General 
H.  N.  D.  Prendergast,  V.C.,  C.B.,  was  nominated  to  the  chief 
military  command,  and,  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  country  in 
which  operations  were  to  be  carried  on,  the  co-operation  of  the 
Navy  was  requested,  although  the  point  from  which  the  advance 
was  to  begin  was,  by  water,  more  than  two  hundred  miles  from  the 
sea.  On  November  L3th,  1885,  the  General  received  orders  to  move 
upon  Mandalay. 

The  advance  upon  the  capital  was  naturally  made  up  the  river 
Irrawaddy,  Mandalay  being  upon  that  stream,  which  is  navigable 
for  many  miles  beyond  it,  and  there  being  practically  no  roads  from 
the  British  frontier  to  the  heart  of  Upper  Burmah.  The  town  of 
Thayetmyo,  on  the  Irrawaddy,  a  short  distance  south  of  the  border 
line,  became  the  British  base,  and  was  a  most  convenient  one,  as  it 
is  in  immediate  water  communication  with  Rangoon,  and  is,  more- 
over, only  fifty  or  sixty  miles  north  of  Prome,  which  was  then  the 
rail-head.  The  numerous  steamers  of  the  Irrawaddy  Flotilla 
Company  afforded  ready  means  of  transport  for  the  military  part  of 
the  expedition. 

The  official  conquest  of  Upper  Burmah  was  little  more  than  a 
military  promenade,  Mandalay  being  occupied,  and  Theebaw  a 
prisoner,  a  fortnight  after  the  issue  of  the  order  to  advance,  and 
there  being  no  fighting  of  very  serious  importance  during  that 
period.  Nor  was  there  any  very  extensive  employment  of  naval 
force.  It  was,  however,  to  the  co-operation  of  the  Navy  with  the 
Army  that  the  rapidity  and  comparative  bloodlessness  of  this  official 
conquest  were  mainly  due.  After  the  official  conquest,  and  the  fall 
of  Theebaw,  the  Navy  proved  itself  equally  valuable  in  the  far  more 
arduous  and  wearisome  work  of  repressing  the  guerillas  and  dacoits 
who  sprang  up  in  almost  every  corner  of  the  land,  and  for  many 
months  obstructed  the  general  re-establishment  of  order,  and  the 
effective  completion  of  the  conquest.  If,  therefore,  the  Navy  won 
no  great  glory  in  Burmah,  it  at  least  rendered  very  substantial 
services. 

In  the  middle  of  October,  the  only  British  man-of-war  at 
Eangoon  was  the  gun-vessel  Woodlark,  Commander  William  Eobert 
Clutterbuck.  On  October  21st,  upon  reaching  Trincomalee  from  a 
cruise,  Captain  Eobert  Woodward,  of  the  composite  cruiser 
Turquoise,  received  a  telegraphic  message  from  the  Indian  Govern- 
ment to  the  effect  that  a  second  man-of-war  was  needed ;  and, 


378      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

proceeding  at  once,  he  arrived  at  Eangoon  early  on  the  27th,  and 
conferred  with  the  Chief  Commissioner,  with  whom  it  was  arranged 
that  the  paddle  steamer  Irrawaddy,1  of  the  Indian  Marine,2  and 
the  little  screw  steam-launches  Kathleen  and  Settang,  should  be 
immediately  dispatched  up  the  river  to  the  frontier. 

Commander  Clutterbuck  had  already  prepared  these  craft,  and 
had   armed   and    manned    the   Irrawadd/j   and    Settang   from    the 


CAPTAIN    KOBEUT    WOODWARD,    f.B. 


Woodlark.  Captain  Woodward,  therefore,  placed  Lieutenant 
Frederick  Perceval  Trench,  senior  of  the  Turquoise,  in  command 
of  the  Kathleen,  giving  him  a  suitable  crew,  and  entrusted  the 
three  vessels  to  Commander  Clutterbuck,  who  had  his  pennant  in 

'  Mounting  two  20-pr.  B.  and  two  9-pr.  M.  guns. 

2  Capt.  John  Hext,  E.N.,  Director  of  the  Indian  Marine,  rendered  valuable  service 
throughout  the  campaign.  So  also  did  Commander  Alfred  Carpenter,  R.N.,  of  the 
Indian  Marine  Survey.  The  latter  received  the  D.S.O.  for  his  services.  He  was  much 
assisted  by  Lieut.  Arthur  Channer,  R.N. 


1885.]  .  ADVANCE    UP   THE  1RBAWADDY.  379 

the  Irrawaddy,  with  orders  to  proceed  to  Thayetmyo.  The  flotilla 
departed  on  the  28th,  and  reached  its  destination  some  days  before 
the  order  of  November  13th,  which  authorised  the  advance  into  the 
enemy's  country. 

In  the  meantime,  Bear-Admiral  Sir  Frederick  William  Eichards, 
K.C.B.  the  naval  Commander-in-Chief,  who  was  then  at  Zanzibar 
in  the  Bacchante,  had  instructed  Captain  Woodward  by  telegraph  to 
organise  a  Naval  Brigade,  and  had  informed  him  that  twelve  25-pr. 
guns  would  be  furnished  to  him  by  the  Indian  Government.  As 
these  guns  arrived  in  succession  from  India,  they  were  made  ready  ; 
and  four  of  them  were  sent  on  to  the  front  on  November  llth 
with  the  Turquoise's  contingent  of  the  Brigade,  under  Lieutenant 
Frederick  Fogarty  Fegen.  The  remaining  eight  were  held  back  for 
the  Bacchante's  contingent,  which,  after  the  arrival  of  the  flagship 
on  the  19th  at  Eangoon,  proceeded  to  the  front  on  November  20th, 
under  Commander  Charles  James  Barlow.  Woodward  had  prepared 
two  barges  as  armed  gunboats,  mounting  in  each  of  them  a  64-pdr. 
muzzle-loader  from  the  Turquoise.  These  barges  were  fitted  out 
under  the  superintendence  of  Carpenter  Henry  James  Lilley,  and 
were  supplied  with  protection  consisting  of  cotton  bales  and  rifle- 
proof  plates.  The  guns  were  so  mounted  at  the  bows  as  to  admit 
of  their  being  trained  through  an  arc  of  45  degrees.  Each  barge 
carried  200  rounds  of  ammunition  for  her  gun,  and  two  anchors  and 
cables,  and,  when  ready  for  action,  drew  3  feet  9  inches  of  water. 
The  two  gunboats  thus  improvised  left  with  Lieutenant  Fegen  on 
November  llth.  With  them  went  also  a  survey  party  under 
Commander  Alfred  Carpenter,  E.N.,  who  was  employed  at  that  time 
in  the  Marine  Survey  of  British  India,  and  borne  for  that  purpose  in 
the  Bacchante.  Ca.ptain  Woodward  also  organised  an  explosive 
party,  which,  under  Commander  John  Durnford,  of  the  sloop 
Mariner,  left  Eangoon  by  train  on  the  13th,  and  reached 
Thayetmyo  on  the  day  following.  In  addition,  flats,  steamers, 
and  launches  were  selected,  made  ready,  and  sent  up  the  river  for 
the  use  of  the  contingent.  Leaving  only  the  Bacchante's  contingent 
to  follow  him,  Captain  Woodward  himself  departed  for  the  front,  and 
overtook  the  advance  on  the  17th  at  Minhla,  where  he  assumed 
command  of  the  Brigade. 

The  first  hostile  movement  of  the  campaign  was  made  on 
November  14th  by  Commander  Clutterbuck,  who,  with  the  Irra- 
waddy and  Kathleen,  undertook  a  reconnaissance  up  the  river, 


380      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

and,  about  twenty-eight  miles  above  the  Thayetniyo,  caine  upon  a 
Burmese  steamer,  which  he  engaged  with  his  machine-guns.  She 
made  little  or  no  resistance,  and,  being  captured,  was  towed  down 
to  Thayetrnyo,  where  she  was  received  with  cheers  by  the  troops, 
of  whom  about  10,000  had  been  assembled  for  the  expedition.  In 
addition  to  a  number  of  native  Indian  regiments  and  batteries,  there 
were  with  the  force  the  2nd  battalion  of  the  Liverpool  Regiment, 
the  2nd  battalion  of  the  Hampshire  Regiment,  the  1st  battalion  of 
the  Royal  Welsh  Fusiliers,  and  some  Royal  Artillery ;  but  there  was 
neither  cavalry l  nor  military  transport ;  and  the  omission  to  include 
these  obliged  the  whole  expedition  to  stick  to  the  waterways,  and 
so  encouraged  the  outbreak  elsewhere  of  that  dacoity  which,  after 
the  official  conquest  of  the  country  had  been  completed,  gave 
incalculable  trouble. 

The  general  advance  up  the  river  began  almost  immediately; 
and  the  Burmese  forces  were  encountered  on  the  17th  at  Minhla,  a 
town  on  the  right  bank,  forty-four  miles  north  of  Thayetmyo.  Close 
to  the  town  was  a  fort,  but  on  a  knoll  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream  was  a  far  more  formidable  one,  called  Gwe-Gyomg-Kamyo, 
or  Kolegone,  a  work  constructed  by  European  engineers,  and  armed 
with  numerous  modern  guns.  General  Prendergast  landed  troops 
on  each  side  some  miles  lower  down,  and  caused  them  to  advance 
simultaneously  by  country  paths,  while,  to  divert  the  enemy's 
attention,  the  armed  steamers  engaged  the  forts  in  a  long-range 
artillery  contest.  On  the  left,  or  Kolegone  bank,  the  appearance  of 
the  troops  on  a  rising  ground  on  the  inland  side  of  the  fort  caused 
the  enemy,  who  were  already  demoralised  by  the  fire  of  the  Irra- 
icaddy  and  Kathleen,  to  bolt  in  confusion.  On  the  Minhla  side  the 
advance  was  pluckily  disputed ;  but  at  length  the  fort  was  carried, 
and  the  enemy  driven  out  with  slaughter.  The  Army  in  these 
operations  lost  5  killed  and  31  wounded.  The  Navy  had  no 
casualties. 

Off  Minhla,  on  the  evening  of  the  17th,  Captain  Woodward  joined, 
and  took  command  of  the  Naval  Brigade.  On  the  morning  of  the 
following  day,  he  proceeded  up  the  river  with  the  Brigade  in  the 
Irrawaddy,  Kathleen,  Paloiv?  the  two  gun  barges,  and  the  flat 
Ngawoon3  (having  the  survey  party  on  board),  and  was  informed  by 

1  Except  a  few  volunteers  from  Rangoon. 

2  Steel  paddle-vessel,  154  tons,  belonging  to  the  Irr.  Flot.  Co. 

3  Twin-screw  vessel,  138  tons,  belonging  to  the  Irr.  Flot.  Co. 


1885.]  SURRENDER    OF   THEEBAW.  381 

a  native  that  500  Burmese  and  4  guns  were  occupying  a  fort  at 
Membo.  Steaming  thither,  he  threw  a  few  shell  at  the  supposed 
work,  and,  getting  no  reply,  anchored  to  await  the  arrival  of  the 
main  body  of  the  expedition,  which  moved  from  Minhla  on  the  19th. 
On  the  20th,  the  whole  flotilla  weighed  again,  headed  by  the  Naval 
Brigade.  That  night  it  lay  to  off  Yenan-Gyoung,  and,  on  the  night 
of  the  21st,  a  little  above  Yeo-Wah.  The  Intelligence  Department 
received  news  that  the  enemy  intended  to  make  a  determined  stand 
at  Pagan ;  but  on  the  22nd,  when  the  flotilla  advanced,  that  ruined 
city  was  passed  without  a  shot  being  fired.  Just  above  it,  however, 
the  flotilla  was  stopped,  while  the  Irrawaddy  steamed  ahead  to 
reconnoitre. 

She  soon  returned,  reporting  the  presence  of  two  steamers  higher 
up,  and  of  large  bodies  of  troops  on  the  left  bank ;  whereupon 
Captain  Woodward  was  ordered  to  move  forward  with  his  vessels, 
and  with  the  barge  White  Swan,  having  Eoyal  Artillery  on  board, 
and  engage  the  Burmese,  who  held  a  bluff  on  which  were  batteries. 
The  batteries  were  soon  silenced,  and  the  Brigade  landed  and  took 
and  destroyed  their  eleven  guns.  The  two  steamers,  which  had 
been  sunk,  were  also  taken  possession  of.  The  Settang  was  left  at 
Pagan  at  the  service  of  the  garrison  which  had  been  landed  there ; 
and  at  2.30  P.M.  on  the  23rd  the  advance  was  resumed,  the  flotilla, 
however,  anchoring  again  at  dusk. 

On  the  24th  it  weighed  and  proceeded.  .On  nearing  the  village 
of  Kaoung-Wah,  the  leading  craft  were  fired  at  from  a  stockade, 
which,  however,  was  soon  silenced  by  one  of  the  gun-barges  which 
was  attached  to  the  Ngawoon.  The  Kathleen  was  then  sent  forward 
to  ascertain  whether  the  work  was  still  occupied,  and,  troops  being 
landed,  the  stockade  was  destroyed.  Further  on,  at  4.15  P.M.,  large 
bodies  of  troops  were  observed  on  high  ground  on  Mingyan,  and 
earthworks  were  also  seen  close  to  the  river.  The  naval  craft, 
assisted  by  the  Eoyal  Artillery  in  the  White  Swan,  with  the  launches 
Yunan1  and  Ataran,2  and  one  of  the  gun-barges,  moved  up  and 
engaged,  slowly  advancing  meanwhile.  Several  little  improvised 
batteries  armed  with  small  guns  and  filled  with  riflemen  were 
successively  silenced,  the  Burmese  quitting  them,  and  taking  refuge 
in  the  high  grass  and  standing  corn  in  their  rear.  Near  the  upper 
end  of  the  town  the  enemy  was  found  much  more  strongly  entrenched, 

1  Paddle-vessel,  396  tons,  belonging  to  the  Irr.  Flot.  Co. 

2  Twin-screw,  140  tons,  belonging  to  the  Irr.  Plot.  Co. 


382      MILITARY  HISTOBl'    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

and  supported  by  a  respectable  battery  commanding  the  river  ;  and, 
for  a  time,  he  held  his  ground  with  some  pertinacity ;  nor  was  it 
until  6  P.M.  that  the  fire  slackened.  Indeed,  during  the  whole  of 
the  night  of  the  24th  there  was  intermittent  firing,  and  not  until  the 
following  morning  were  the  Burmese  dislodged  and  routed.  In  this 
affair  the  Brigade  had  two  bluejackets  wounded.  A  force  of  troops 
landed  and  destroyed  the  guns,  but  met  with  no  opposition,  and 
were  re-embarked  at  noon  on  the  25th,  only  small  detachments  being 
left  behind.  In  the  evening  the  flotilla  anchored  off  Yandaboo,  the 
place  of  signature  of  the  treaty  which  ended  the  war  of  1826. 

"At  daylight  on  the  26th,"  says  Captain  Woodward's  report  to  the  General,  "a 
large  flat  was  found  to  be  drifting  down  on  the  fleet.  She  was  quickly  grappled,  towed 
clear,  and  anchored.  At  7.30  the  fleet  started,  and  passed  through  a  line  of  boats 
filled  with  stones  prepared  for  sinking.  These  boats  were  cut  adrift  with  but  little 
delay,  and  the  channel  cleared.  About  -4  P.M.  a  large  Burmese  government  boat  was 
sighted  coining  down  the  river,  flying  a  flag  of  truce." 

A  launch  steamed  up  unceremoniously  to  this  craft,  which  is 
said  to  have  resembled  an  ancient  Greek  war-vessel,  and,  taking  her 
in  tow,  conducted  her  to  the  head-quarter  ship,  the  Thurreah.  It 
was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  The  boat  brought  high  officers  of 
state,  bearing  a  deprecatory  letter  from  the  Burmese  prime  minister. 
The  officers  were  sent  back  with  an  ultimatum  that  no  offers  or 
proposals  could  then  be  accepted,  but  that  if  Theebaw  should  choose 
to  surrender  his  person,  his  army,  and  his  capital,  the  lives  and 
property  of  himself  and  his  family  would  be  respected,  provided 
always  that  the  European  residents  in  Mandalay  should  prove  to 
be  safe.  The  ambassadorial  boat  had  been  escorted  down  the  river 
by  an  armed  Burmese  steamer,  which  was  boarded  from  the 
Kathleen,  and  taken  without  resistance.  That  night  the  flotilla 
anchored  seven  miles  below  Ava. 

On  the  27th,  when  the  vessels  weighed  and  proceeded,  numerous 
troops  were  seen  on  the  ramparts  of  the  town  ;  and  arrangements 
were  made  for  storming  the  defences.  Meanwhile,  however,  another 
flag  of  truce  appeared,  with  a  message  to  the  effect  that  Theebaw 
would  surrender ;  whereupon  the  General  went  on  board  the  Pa  low, 
Captain  Woodward's  craft,  and  steamed  to  the  fort.  The  flotilla 
presently  anchored  abreast  of  the  Ava  fortifications,  and  a  detach- 
ment went  ahead  in  launches  to  find  a  passage  through  a  line  of 
sunken  obstructions  which  barred  the  stream.  A  clear  channel  was 
soon  reported. 


1885.]  OCCUPATION   OF  MANDALAY.  383 

At  that  point  the  steamer  Puhi,1  with  Kear- Admiral  Sir  Frederick 
William  Eichards,  and  the  Bacchante's  contingent,  arrived  and 
anchored,  the  naval  Commander-in-Chief  at  once  going  to  the 
Paloio  to  visit  General  Prendergast.  As  soon  as  it  appeared  that 
the  Burmese  no  longer  purposed  to  resist,  the  troops  were  landed 
to  take  over  the  guns  and  other  arms  which  were  to  be  surrendered, 
a  brigade  being  also  sent  to  Sagain  fort,  on  the  right  bank,  for  the 
same  purpose.  Only  about  2500  stand  of  small-arms  seem  to  have 
been  given  up.  Probably  as  many  more  were  carried  off  by  the 
Burmese.  That  night  the  flotilla  lay  between  Ava  and  Sagain  ;  and 
on  the  28th  it  moved  up  to  Mandalay,  which  was  reached,  after 
three  hours'  steaming,  at  9  A.M. 

At  1  P.M.  the  Naval  Brigade  disembarked,  and  accompanied  the 
troops  to  the  King's  palace,  where  it  took  over  the  custody  of  the 
eastern  entrance  during  Colonel  Sladen's  interview  with'  Theebaw, 
who  agreed  formally  to  surrender  on  the  29th,  when  the  army  made 
its  triumphal  entry,  and  received  the  monarch  and  his  family.  On 
the  30th  the  steamer  Tigris,  manned  by  a  naval  contingent  from 
H.M.  paddle-vessel  Sphinx,  1,  Commander  William  Llewellyn 
Morrison,  arrived. 

At  6.30  P.M.  on  the  30th,  Theebaw,  with  his  suite,  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Thurreah  for  conveyance  to  Eangoon  ;  and  on  the 
following  morning,  escorted  by  the  Ngaivoon,  Lieutenant  Godfrey 
Michell  Courage,  and  one  of  the  Brigade's  armed  gun-barges,  the 
fallen  King  departed  for  Kangoon.  After  the  occupation  of  Manda- 
lay, further  operations  were  delayed  for  a  time  by  the  difficulties  of 
transport,  the  prevalence  of  dacoity  near  the  capital,  and  an  outbreak 
of  cholera  among  the  Madras  and  Punjab  coolies  attached  to  the 
force.  The  disease  appeared  on  board  the  vessels  of  the  flotilla,  and, 
to  save  them  from  the  scourge,  the  troops  had  to  be  again  landed 
and  taken  away  from  the  river.  In  the  interim,  a  party  from  the 
Naval  Brigade  was  employed  at  the  palace  under  the  orders  of  the 
sorting  committee;  the  Irrawaddy,  Tigris,  and  Kathleen  were 
detached  on  various  services ;  launches  patrolled  the  river  for  the 
suppression  of  dacoity,  and  the  Bacchante's  contingent  was  sent  to 
the  Chindwin  river  for  the  same  purpose.2 

In   December   a  river  expedition  departed  from  Mandalay  for 

1  Steel  paddle-vessel,  148  tons,  belonging  to  the  Irr.  Flot.  Co. 

2  Chiefly  from  Woodward's  disps.,  and  Maj.  E.  C.  Browne's  '  Coming  of  the  Great 
Queen '(1888). 


384      MILITARY   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Bhamo,  a  town  at  the  head  of  the  Irrawaddy  navigation,  and  not  far 
from  the  Chinese  frontier.  It  consisted  of  the  Turquoise's  and 
Woodlark's  contingents  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  and  troops  under 
Brigadier-General  Norman,  C.B.,1  the  naval  party  being  in  the 
Pulu  and  two  flats  ;  and  it  left  for  the  north  on  the  18th.  A  search- 
light, which  had  been  fitted  up  on  the  flying-deck  of  the  steamer, 
and  which  was  used  every  night,  had  an  extraordinarily  intimidating 
effect  upon  the  natives,  who  everywhere  professed  friendship.  Great 
difficulties  of  navigation  were  encountered,  owing  to  the  lowness  of 
the  river;  but  Bhamo,  or,  rather,  a  point  within  four  miles  of  it, 
was  reached  on  December  28th.  Further  progress  by  steamer 
was  impossible.  Theebaw's  soldiers  were  disarmed,  and,  it  being 
apparent  that  if  they  were  left  on  the  spot  they  would  turn  to 
dacoity,  about  250  of  them  were  sent  down  to  Mandalay.  The 
Bhamo  expedition  returned  thither  without  having  seen  any  fighting. 
It  had  left  garrisons  at  the  principal  towns. 

So  much  for  the  official  conquest  of  Upper  Burmah.  The  actual 
reduction  of  the  country  to  a  state  of  peace  and  order  required  a 
much  longer  time,  necessitated  the  large  reinforcement  of  the  army 
of  occupation,  and  was  not  completed  until  well  on  in  1887. 

For  their  services  in  the  campaign,  Captain  Eobert  Woodward 
was  made  a  C.B.,2  Commander  Clutterbuck  was  posted,3  and 
Lieutenant  Frederick  Perceval  Trench  was  made  a  Commander.4 
After  the  institution  of  the  Distinguished  Service  Order  in  November, 
1886,  several  of  the  earliest  appointments  to  it  were  made  in  respect 
of  services  in  Burmah  in  1885-86.  On  January  14th,  1887,  Com- 
manders John  Durnford,  Alfred  Carpenter,  and  Charles  James  Barlow, 
and  Major  Walter  Miller  Lambert,  R.M.A.,  and  on  June  18th,  1887, 
Fleet-Surgeon  Thomas  d'Arcy  Bromlow,  and  Engineer  William 
Nicklin,  were  created  Companions. 

In  the  subsequent  operations  against  the  dacoits,  the  Banger,  3, 
Commander  John  Pakenham  Pipon,  did  long  and  arduous  work 
which  is  deserving  of  remembrance.  Three  of  his  officers,  Lieu- 
tenants Charles  Brownlow  Macdonald  and  Henry  Faulconer  Aplin, 
Gunner  Thomas  Holman,  and  Pipon  himself,  patrolled  the  waters 
of  Upper  Burmah  in  steam  launches  for  a  considerable  period,  and 
had  several  skirmishes  with  dacoits.  Holman  won  special  dis- 

1  Though  it  was  accompanied  by  General  Sir  H.  Prendergast  and  the  headquarters 
of  the  army. 

2  May  29,  1886.  3  March  1,  1886.  *  Dec.  31,  1885. 


1886.] 


THE   GREEK  BLOCKADE. 


385 


tinction  by  concealing  himself  and  eight  seamen  in  a  native  boat, 
which  he  allowed  to  drift  past  the  resort  of  a  band  of  river  pirates, 
who  were  thus  tempted  to  fire  upon  him.  Eeturning  the  fire,  he 
killed  five  of  the  enemy,  and  then  landed  and  destroyed  their  village, 
suffering  no  casualties.  For  this  he  was  congratulated  by  General 
Sir  F.  S.  Roberts,  and  thanked  on  the  quarter-deck  by  Bear- Admiral 
Sir  F.  W.  Richards.  Lieutenant  Macdonald  was,  unfortunately, 
killed  in  action  with  dacoits  at  Shemagar  on  January  9th,  1887. 
Lieutenant  Aplin,  having  received  an  injury  to  his  sight  while 
soldering  a  tin  of  gun-cotton,  had  to  be  relieved.  Commander 
Pipon  was  deservedly  promoted  on  January  1st,  1887. 

The  other  naval  operations  of  these  and  the  immediately  fol- 
lowing years  were,  for  the  most  part,  of  but  slight  importance. 

On  April  26th,  1886,  in  consequence  of  the  preparations  which 
were  being  made  by  Greece  with  the  obvious  object  of  entering 
upon  a  war  with  Turkey,  the  representatives  of  Great  Britain, 
Germany,  Austria-Hungary,  Russia,  and  Italy  requested  the  Greek 
government  to  reduce  its  land  and  sea  forces  to  a  peace  establish- 
ment. Greece  refused  ;  whereupon,  on  May  8th,  the  five  powers 
declared  a  blockade  of  the  Greek  ports  from  Cape  Malia,  at  the 
south  of  the  Morea,  to  Cape  Colonna  at  the  termination  of  the 
northern  side  of  the  Gulf  of  .ZEgina.  In  the  meantime,  part  of 
the  British  Mediterranean  fleet  had  been  ordered  to  Suda  Bay, 
the  rendezvous  of  the  squadrons  of  the  allies ;  and  there,  as  early 
as  April  10th,  Vice-Admiral  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh, 
K.G.,  who  was  senior  officer,1  and,  as  such,  took  charge  of  the 
united  contingents,  found  himself  in  command  of  the  following 
force : — 


— 

Ironclad 
Kattleships. 

Dispatch- 
P_ia.                vessels  and 
Crulsers-         miscellaneou. 
craft. 

Ouii-vessels 
and  gunboats. 

Torpedo-boats. 

. 

Great  Britain    . 
Germany 
Austria-  Hungary    . 
Russia    .... 

5 

!          1 
1 
1 

2                    1 
1 

7 
2 

5 

6 

Italy       .... 
Turkey  .... 

3 

1 

1 

7 

6 

Total  .      .      . 

11 

3 

17 

17 

1  Having  local  rank  as  Admiral.    H.R.H.  assumed  command  in  the  Mediterranean 
on  Mar.  5,  1886,  in  succession  to  Admiral  Lord  John  Hay. 

VOL.   VII.  2   C 


386      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   TEE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

On  the  declaration  of  the  blockade,  the  fleet  proceeded  to  the 
Piraeus,  and  orders  were  issued  for  the  detention  of  every  vessel 
under  the  Greek  flag  that  should  attempt  to  enter  or  leave  the 
ports  on  the  blockaded  littoral.  The  enforcement  of  these  direc- 
tions soon  had  its  effect.  Greece  disarmed ;  the  blockade  was 
raised  on  June  7th ;  the  vessels  which  had  been  detained  were 
liberated ;  and  the  allied  fleet  returned  to  Suda  Bay,  where  it 
separated.1 

On  November  23rd,  1886,  the  Niger  Company's  steamer  Kuka, 
with  Consul  Hewett  on  board,  arrived  at  Fernando  Po,  and 
reported  to  the  senior  officer  of  the  station,  Captain  George 
Weightman  Hand,  of  the  corvette  Roijalist,  who  happened  to 
be  lying  there,  that  the  natives  of  Patani,  a  village  far  up  the 
Niger,  had  pillaged  a  factory,  and  that  the  Company  needed  help. 
Hand  sent  the  gunboat  Wrangler,  Lieutenant  Harry  Dampier 
Law,  to  Bonny,  to  telegraph  for  instructions,  and,  with  the 
Royalist,  the  sloop  Bacer,  Commander  Arthur  George  Fullerton, 
and  the  paddle-vessel  Alecto,  Lieutenant  George  Izat,  started  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Niger,  which  he  reached  on  the  25th.  The 
Company  provided  two  small  steamers,  and  these,  with  the  Alecto, 
and  about  80  bluejackets  from  the  Royalist  and  Racer,  formed  the 
expedition  with  which,  on  December  1st,  Hand  proceeded  about 
a  hundred  miles  up  the  stream.  He  returned  on  the  10th,  having 
burnt  Patani  and  four  hamlets  on  the  Wari  branch,  destroyed  a 
number  of  canoes,  and  driven  the  troublesome  natives  into  the  bush. 
He  met  with  little  or  no  opposition,  and  suffered  no  casualties.2 

During  all  these  years  the  slave-trade  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa 
remained  astonishingly  active,  seeing  that  steady  efforts  continued 
to  be  made  for  its  repression.  Much  might  be  written  about  the 
good  work  done  by  her  Majesty's  ships  on  the  station,  and  by  the 
boats  which  were  detached  from  them  to  cruise  for  suspicious  dhows. 
Indeed,  the  subject  deserves  a  book  to  itself.  It  must  suffice  here 
to  mention  a  few  episodes  of  the  long  war  which  was  thus  waged  on 
behalf  of  human  liberty. 

In  June,  1880,  Captain  Charles  James  Brownrigg  had  been 
appointed  to  the  London,  guard-ship  at  Zanzibar.  A  most  active 
officer,  his  activity  cost  him  his  life.  On  December  3rd,  1881, 
having  left  his  ship  in  a  steam  pinnace,  with  ten  men,  to  inspect 

1  Parl.  Papers,  4731,  4732,  4765,  4766  [1886]. 

2  Corr.  of  N.  &  M.  Record,  Jan.  13  and  20,  1887. 


1880-87.]  GALLANT  ACTIONS    WITH  SLAVERS.  387 

such  of  his  boats  as  were  then  cruising  off  Pemba,  he  came  up  with, 
and  ran  alongside  a  dhow  which  was  full  of  slaves.  She  flew  French 
colours,  but  Brownrigg  desired  to  verify  her  nationality.  Perceiving 
that  the  British  were  unprepared,  the  Arab  crew,  about  five  and 
twenty  in  number,  fired  a  volley  into  the  pinnace,  and  then  boarded 
her,  killing  or  wounding  the  people,  or  driving  them  overboard. 
Brownrigg  alone  offered  serious  resistance.  He  seized  a  rifle,  shot 
one  of  his  assailants,  and,  standing  in  the  stern  sheets  with  the 
clubbed  weapon,  held  out  manfully  in  spite  of  twenty  wounds,  two 
at  least  of  which  would  have  been  mortal.  Nor  did  he  desist  until 
he  fell  shot  through  the  heart.  Three  of  his  men  shared  his  fate, 
and  three  others  were  wounded.  The  Arabs  allowed  the  boat  to 
drift ;  and  the  survivors  of  her  crew,  regaining  her,  took  her  back 
to  the  London.  The  dhow,  then  empty,  was  subsequently  captured.1 
Captain  Eodney  Maclaine  Lloyd,  while  in  command  of  the 
corvette  Briton,  between  May,  1884,  and  July,  1887,  captured 
no  fewer  than  ten  slave  dhows  by  means  of  his  boats.  The 
sloop  Reindeer,  Commander  Henry  Briggs  Lang,  also  made  several 
prizes  at  about  the  same  period,  as  did  the  sloop  Kingfisher, 
Commander  John  Harvey  Rainier.  In  1887,  moreover,  the  country 
had  another  sharp  reminder  that  the  scoundrels  who  conducted 
the  abominable  traffic  were  not  always  willing  to  be  suppressed 
without  hard  fighting.  In  May,  Lieutenant  Frederick  Fogarty 
Fegen,  of  the  Turquoise,  Captain  Robert  Woodward,  C.B.,  was 
detached  from  the  corvette  in  her  pinnace  to  cruise  for  slavers 
off  the  island  of  Pemba,  near  Zanzibar.  On  May  30th,  with 
five  bluejackets,  one  Marine,  and  an  interpreter,  he  was  lying 
at  anchor  at  daylight,  when  a  dhow  was  sighted.  He  sent  a 
dinghy,  with  two  men  and  the  interpreter,  to  board  her.  The 
dhow  replied  to  the  interpreter's  hail  with  a  volley  of  musketry, 
the  dinghy,  and  the  pinnace's  9-pr.  returning  the  fire.  Thereupon 
the  dhow  bore  down  boldly  upon  the  pinnace.  Fegen  called  out, 
"Prepare  to  resist  boarders!  Stand  to  them,  my  lads!"  and  the 
Arabs  in  the  dhow,  about  thirteen  in  number,  endeavoured  to  board. 
The  gallant  Lieutenant  shot  two  of  them  with  his  revolver,  and 
ran  a  third  through  with  his  sword.  An  Arab  would  have  speared 
him,  had  not  an  A.B.  named  Pearson  stabbed  the  man  with  his 
cutlass.  Fegen  was  badly  wounded  in  the  right  arm,  but  con- 
tinued to  use  his  revolver  with  his  left.  Three  of  his  men  were 

1  Hansard  (266),  679  :   Times,  6  and  12  Dec.,  1881. 

2   C   2 


388      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

cut  down,  yet  Fegen  and  one  man,  though  both  were  injured, 
maintained  the  fight,  until  the  dhow,  having  lost  nine  of  her 
people,  sheered  off.  The  pinnace  and  dinghy  followed  her  up 
most  pluckily  ;  and,  a  rifle  shot  killing  the  slaver's  helmsman,  the 
vessel  drove  ashore  and  there  capsized.  The  Arabs  on  land  opened 
fire  in  order  to  cover  the  retreat  of  their  friends ;  but  they  were 
driven  off  by  some  shells  from  the  pinnace's  gun,  and  fifty-three 
slaves  were  then  rescued  from  the  dhow,  twelve  others  having 
been  drowned.  One  British  bluejacket  was  mortally  wounded  in 
this  most  creditable  affair,  and  three  others  were  put  temporarily 
out  of  action.  Fegen  himself  had  to  be  invalided  home,  but 
enjoyed  the  satisfaction,  on  his  arrival,  of  finding  that  he  had 
been  specially  promoted1  for  his  bravery.2 

On  the  same  station,  the  gun-vessel  Ranger,  Commander  Samuel 
Arthur  Johnson,  was  requested  in  July,  1887,  by  the  Political 
Agent  at  Muscat,  to  proceed  to  Suweik,  on  the  Batineh  coast,  in 
order  to  protect  British  subjects  and  their  property.  A  rebel 
chief  had  seized  the  local  fort,  but,  upon  the  Banger's  appearance, 
he  assumed  a  peaceable  attitude ;  and  the  threatened  British 
subjects  and  their  goods  were  taken  off  without  resistance.  This- 
was  the  extent  of  Johnson's  original  orders.  Later  it  was  decided 
that  the  rebel  chief  should  be  removed ;  and  the  Hanger,  returning, 
removed  him  on  July  12th,  happily  without  fighting.3 

On  June  24th  and  25th  in  the  same  year  the  gunboat  Zephyr, 
Lieutenant  Charles  Kerr  Hope,  had  occasion  to  punish  some  piratical 
Dyaks  on  the  shores  of  Darvel  Bay,  North  Borneo.  A  landing- 
party  destroyed  the  boats  of  the  freebooters,  and  a  few  shells  from 
the  ship  fired  the  villages  of  Bussan  Melumtah  and  Pantow-Pantow. 
There  was  very  little  opposition,  nor  were  there  any  British  casualties. 
Hope's  action  was  approved  by  the  Admiralty.* 

In  the  little  military  expedition 5  which  was  undertaken  in 
November,  1887,  by  Colonel  Sir  Francis  Walker  de  Winton  to 
punish  the  rebellious  Yonnies,  a  tribe  in  the  hinterland  of  Sierra 
Leone,  the  Navy  bore  a  small  but  creditable  part,  fifteen  men  of 
the  sloop  Acorn,  Commander  William  Edward  Breeks  Atkinson,. 

1  Com.,  Aug.  9, 1887. 

2  Woodward's  deep. ;  Gaz. ;  Par!.  Papers  [5428]  Slave  Trade,  No.  1,  1888. 

3  Corr.  of  N.  &  M.  Record,  Aug.  18,  1887. 

*  Accts.  and  Papers,  LIT.,  1887 ;  N.  &  M.  Record,  June  16,  1887. 
6  Total  force,  naval  and  military,  employed :  17  officers,  and  278  n.  c.  officers  and. 
men,  chiefly  of  the  1st  West  Ind.  Regt. 


1887.]  RENEWED   ACTIVITY  AT  SUAKIN.  389 

accompanying  the  force,  under  Lieutenant  Francis  Alfred  Valen- 
tine, of  that  ship.  The  service  was  extremely  arduous,  owing  to 
the  density  of  the  forest  which  had  to  be  traversed,  and  to  the 
continual  fusillade  which  was  kept  up  by  the  concealed  enemy, 
whose  only  projectiles,  however,  were  small  shot  and  rough  bits 
of  iron.  The  total  British  casualties  were  about  20  wounded,  no 
one  being  killed.  Eobari,  the  Yonnie  stronghold,  was  reached, 
shelled,  set  on  fire  by  rockets,  and  quickly  taken ;  and  the  column, 
after  having  burnt  some  other  towns,  freed  several  captives,  and 
received  the  submission  of  the  rebellious  chiefs,  returned  to  the 
coast,  the  Acorn's  people  re-embarking  on  January  2nd,  1888. 
For  his  behaviour  in  this  brief  campaign,  Lieutenant  Valentine 
received  the  D.S.O.1  His  men  were  later  granted  the  Ashantee 
medal,  with  a  special  clasp.2  A  similar  decoration  was  given  to 
a  few  officers  and  men  from  the  sloop  Icarus,  Commander  William 
Martin  Annesley,  and  the  gun-vessel  Rifleman,  Lieutenant  Charles 
Golding  Prater,  who  at  the  same  time,  and  in  connection  with  the 
same  expedition,  carried  out  some  useful  boat-service  in  the  Eokelle 
Eiver.3  Lieutenant  Dudley  Eawson  de  Chair,  E.N.,  acted  as  A.D.C. 
to  Colonel  de  Winton. 

Osman  Digna  was  still  troublesome  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Suakin.  On  December  17th,  1887,  he  made  an  attack  on  one  of 
the  outlying  forts  ;  and  on  March  3rd,  1888,  a  large  body  of  tribes- 
men established  themselves  in  an  abandoned  post,  known  as  Fort 
Hudson,  and  thence  opened  a  continuous  fire  on  the  place.  On  the 
following  morning,  the  guns  of  the  sloop  Dolphin,  Commander 
George  Neville,  were  turned  against  them,  and  the  Egyptian  troops, 
assisted  by  some  "friendlies,"  attacked  by  land;  but  the  position 
was  very  strong,  and  the  attack  was  confused  by  a  shell  from  the 
sloop  bursting  accidentally  among  the  "  friendlies."  The  force, 
therefore,  was  withdrawn.  In  the  following  night  the  enemy  also 
withdrew.  On  September  17th,  another  attack  was  made  on  the 
town,  the  Arabs  attempting  to  cut  off  the  water  supply.4  In  conse- 
quence of  this,  military  reinforcements  were  ordered  to  Suakin. 
General  Sir  Francis  W.  Grenfell,  Sirdar  of  the  Egyptian  Army, 

1  Mar.  9,  1888. 

2  Gazette,  Apr.  7,  1893. 

3  A.  &  N.  ffaz.,  Feb.  11 ;   N.  &  M.  Record,  Jan.  5,   1888 ;   Accts.   and   Papers, 
LXXV.,  1888. 

4  The  sloop  Gannet  failed  to  shell  them  out  of  some  of  the  positions  which  they 
subsequently  took  up.     Daily  News,  Sept.  27,  1888. 


390      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

himself   arrived   early  in  November,  and  additional  British   troops 
followed  him. 

It  was  determined  to  attack  the  Arabs,  if  possible,  by  surprise, 
on  December  20th.  With  this  object  in  view,  a  preliminary  naval 
demonstration  was  made  off  Mersa  Kuwai,  which  lies  eight  miles  to 
the  northward,  and  was  visible  from  the  Dervish  camp  at  Gemaizeh, 
and  the  enemy's  lines  were  shelled  by  the  guns  in  the  forts  and  in 
the  sloop  Racer,  Commander  Henry  John  May.  At  6  A.M.,  the 
attack  was  delivered  by  the  troops,  assisted  by  a  Naval  Brigade 
under  Commander  May,1  Lieutenant  Alfred  Wyndham  Paget,1  com- 
manding the  gunboat  Starling,  and  Lieutenants  Arthur  Horatio 
Shirley,  and  Ealph  Fearon  Ayscough  Smith.  The  Dervish  rout 
was  complete ;  and  happily  the  Anglo-Egyptian  loss  was  small. 
There  were  no  naval  casualties  ;  but  Lieutenant  Ernest  Frederick 
David,  E.M.,  attached  to  the  Egyptian  Army,  was  among  the  killed.2 

Towards  the  end  of  1888,  partly  in  consequence  of  the  revolt  of 
several  of  the  coast  towns  against  German  authority,  and  partly  in 
the  interests  of  the  suppression  of  slavery,  a  blockade  of  the  Zanzibar 
littoral  was  established,3  under  the  orders  of  Bear-Admiral  the  Hon. 
Edmund  Bobert  Fremantle,  C.B.,  C.M.G.,  Commander-in-Chief  on 
the  East  Indies  Station,  and  in  the  name  of  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar. 
In  this  blockade,  Germany,  France,  Italy  and  Portugal,  as  well  as 
Great  Britain,  participated ;  but,  apart  from  captures  of  slave  dhows 
— captures  which  were  always  to  be  expected  in  those  waters — the 
incidents  of  the  blockade  were  of  an  uninteresting  nature.4  Two  or 
three  captures,  which  were  made  just  before  the  blockade  was  estab- 
lished in  December,  are  worth  recalling. 

On  October  17th,  1888,  the  steam-cutter  of  the  gun-vessel 
Griffon,  Commander  John  Edric  Blaxland,  which  was  cruising 
under  Lieutenant  Myles  Harry  Cooper,  sighted  a  dhow  and  chased 

1  Promoted  for  this  service,  Jan.  16,  1889. 

2  Desps. :  Royle,  p.  462,  etc. 

3  Beginning  on  Dec.  2.     It  extended  from  Kipini  on  the  north  to  the  river  Rovuma 
on  the  south. 

4  The  British   ships  originally  concerned  were  the  hattleship  Agamemnon,  Capt. 
Charles  Searle  Cardale ;  cruiser  Boadicea  (flag),  Capt.  the  Hon.  Assheton  Gore  Curzon- 
Howe ;  cruiser  Garnet,  Capt.  Albert  Baldwin  Jenkings ;  sloop  Osprey,  Com.  Charles 
Edward  Gissing;  sloop  Penguin,  Com.  George  Fowler  King  Hall;  gun-vessel  Algerine, 
Com.  William  Codrington  Carnegie  Forsyth;  and  gun-vessel  Griffon,  Com.  John  Edric 
Blaxland.     Rear-Adm.  Deinhard  commanded  the  German  contingent,  with  his  flag  in 
the  Leipzig.    For  his  services  on  the  occasion,  Fremantle  received  the  Prussian  Order 
of  the  Crown,  of  the  1st  class,  and  Deinhard,  the  K.C.B. 


1888.]  DEATH  OF  MYLES   COOPER.  391 

her,  ordering  her  to  lower  her  sail.  The  dhow  took  no  notice,  and, 
on  the  cutter's  near  approach,  opened  a  sudden  and  heavy  fire  on 
her,  wounding  Cooper  and  two  seamen,  William  Ward  and  Alex- 
ander Petty.  Cooper  directed  John  Bray,  the  ship's  corporal,  to 
take  command  and  do  his  best.  The  five  unwounded  men  in  the 
c  Litter  thereupon  continued  to  fire  into  the  dhow  until  she  drove 
ashore,  the  cutter  also  grounding  within  a  dozen  yards  of  her.  The 
Arabs  jumped  overboard  and  fled. 

As  soon  as  Bray  could  refloat  his  boat,  he  towed  the  dhow  off ; 
and  then,  the  wounded  being  in  a  very  serious  state,  he  put  two  of 
his  men  into  the  prize,  and,  leaving  her,  made  for  the  Griffon  with 
all  speed.  Cooper,  however,  died  ere  the  gun-vessel  was  reached. 
Commander  Blaxland  sent  back  the  steam-cutter  in  charge  of 
Lieutenant  Norman  Craig  Palmer,  and,  upon  daylight  breaking, 
followed.  The  dhow,  which  was  found  to  be  armed  with  a  small 
gun,  was  taken  into  Zanzibar.1 

Another  capture  was  made  off  Pemba  on  November  6th  by 
Lieutenant  Walter  Clifton  Slater  in  the  pinnace  of  the  flagship 
Boadicea,  Captain  the  Hon.  Assheton  Gore  Curzon-Howe,  after  a 
chase  of  six  hours.  The  dhow  offered  resistance,  and  was  not 
brought  to  until  shots  had  been  fired  on  both  sides ;  but  there  were 
no  British  casualties.  She  had  forty-one  slaves  on  board.2  Yet 
other  creditable  captures  off  Pemba,  in  the  same  year,  were  made  by 
Lieutenant  Hugh  Thomas  Hibbert  and  Boatswain  Thomas  Job,  of 
the  sloop  Penguin,  Commander  George  Fowler  King  Hall. 

A  lamentable  event  which  occurred  in  the  Pacific  in  1880  has 
escaped  mention  in  its  chronological  place.  I  have  presently  to 
describe  a  famous  triumph  of  British  seamanship  and  engineering 
which  turned  all  thoughts  to  that  distant  ocean  in  the  spring  of 
1889 ;  and  the  occasion  seems  a  fit  one  for  harking  back,  and 
prefacing  the  account  of  the  great  hurricane  at  Samoa  with 
a  brief  narrative  of  this  other  and  earlier  adventure  in  the 
South  Sea. 

In  the  summer  of  1880,  the  little  sailing  schooner  Sandfly  was 
recommissioned  at  Sydney  by  Lieutenant  James  St.  Clair  Bower, 
her  old  officers  and  crew  going  home  in  the  Raleigh. 

On  October  13th,  1880,  the  schooner  anchored  at  Tezemvoka,  in 
the  Solomon  Islands,  and  Bower,  with  five  seamen,  left  in  the 
whale-boat  to  survey  the  east  coast  of  Anuda  or  Florida  Island. 
1  Accts.  and  Papers,  LXXIL,  1889. 


392      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  boat  was  expected  to  return  on  the  17th,  but  she  did  not  do  so, 
and,  on  the  20th,  the  Sandfly  proceeded  to  the  east  coast  of  Anuda 
to  make  enquiries.  She  there  picked  up  one  of  the  missing  seamen, 
a  man  named  Savage,  who  had  a  terrible  tale  to  tell. 

It  appeared  that  at  Nogu  Island,  where  the  boat  had  put  ashore, 
the  crew  had  obtained  permission  to  bathe,  and  had  scattered  for 
that  purpose.  Soon  afterwards,  crowd  of  natives  had  attacked, 
and  had  massacred,  all  those  who  happened  to  be  near  the  whaler. 
Bower  and  Savage,  being  at  some  little  distance,  had  escaped 
temporarily :  but  on  the  following  morning  the  unfortunate  Lieu- 
tenant had  been  shot  with  one  of  the  rifles  which  had  been  taken 
from  the  boat.  Later  his  body  was  found,  badly  mutilated.  Savage 
had  hidden,  eluded  pursuit,  swum  to  an  uninhabited  islet,  made  a 
raft  for  himself,  and  attempted  to  cross  to  Anuda,  but,  on  the  way, 
had  been  caught  by  natives,  who,  only  after  some  deliberation,  had 
decided  not  to  give  him  up  to  Bower's  murderers. 

The  Sandfly  went  to  Kaita  Bay,  and  sent  ashore  a  boat's  crew 
of  eight  men,  under  Sub-Lieutenant  Edward  Eden  Bradford,  to 
punish  the  offenders,  and  burn  their  canoes.  On  returning,  the 
party  was  fired  at  from  the  bush ;  and  one  seaman  was  killed,  and 
another  wounded.  Young  Bradford,  of  whom  more  was  heard  later, 
could  do  little  at  that  time  save  recover  and  bury  the  bodies  of  his 
countrymen,  and  ascertain  with  minuteness  all  the  circumstances 
of  the  sad  affair.  Next  day  the  schooner  left  for  Sydney. 

Commodore  John  Crawford  Wilson,  commanding  on  the  Aus- 
tralian station,  at  once  despatched  the  corvette  Emerald,  Captain 
William  Henry  Maxwell,  with  Bradford  on  board,  to  teach  the 
natives  a  lesson.  The  Sandfly' s  boat  was  given  up  at  Baranago  ; 
but  it  was  found  impossible  to  capture  the  murderers,  though  their 
villages  were  destroyed.  Some  time  later,  Bishop  Selwyn  persuaded 
the  chief  to  surrender  the  offenders,  the  ringleaders  of  whom  were 
executed.1 

A  list  of  the  material  losses  suffered  by  the  fleet  during  the  period 
under  review  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix.  Two  incidents  which, 
although  they  did  not  lead  to  the  actual  loss  of  any  of  H.M.  ships, 
were  within  an  ace  of  doing  so,  occurred  in  1889,  and  must  be 
noticed  here. 

One  incident  was  of  a  very  dramatic  nature.  The  following 
terrible  telegram  reached  Washington  at  the  end  of  'March  from 
1  Times,  Jan.  14,  1881;  Hansard  [257],  722;  Parl.  Papers,  LX.  [1881]. 


LSH'J.j 


THE  HURRICANE  AT  SAMOA. 


393 


Bear-Admiral  Lewis  A.  Kimberly,  U.S.N.,  commanding  the  American 
squadron  at  Samoa  :— 

"  Hurricane  at  Apia  on  March  15th.  Every  vessel  in  the  harbour  is  ashore,  except 
the  English  ship  Calliope,  which  got  to  sea.  The  American  ships  Trenton  and 
Vandalia  are  total  losses.  The  Nipsic  was  beached,  with  her  rudder  gone,  and  may 
be  saved ;  but  the  chances  are  against  it.  Captain  Schoonmaker,  4  officers,  and  93 
men  of  the  Vandalia  were  lost.  The  Nipsic  lost  7  men.  The  Trenton's  crew  were 
all  saved. 

"  The  German  ships  Adler  and  Eber  are  total  losses.  The  Olga  was  beached,  and 
may  be  saved.  The  German  losses  number  96." 

The  men-of-war  mentioned  in  the  above  telegram  were  :— 


.Ships.                             Class. 

Dlspl.  In 
Tons. 

I.H.P. 

Nominal 
Speed. 
Kts. 

Built. 
Year. 

Screws. 
No. 

Brit.     Calliope1  .           .      cruiser 

2770 

4020 

13-75 

1884 

1 

Amer.  Trenton2  .           .      cruiser 

3900 

3100 

12-8 

1876 

1 

„      Vandalia  3            .     corvette 

2100 

1176 

10-0 

1874 

1 

„      JVipsic3     .            .        sloop 

1375 

1375 

11-0 

1878 

1 

Germ.  Olga*  .      .           .     corvette 

2169 

2397 

14-0 

1880 

1 

"    **»'     •    •    -:{S) 

884 

724 

11-0 

1883 

1 

-    ^'    •    '    •:{& 

570 

700 

12-0 

1887 

1 

Steel,  sheathed. 


Composite. 


3  Wood. 


At  the  same  time  a  German  trading  barque  and  seven  coasting 
vessels  were  driven  ashore  at  Apia. 

The  Calliope  was  then  commanded  by  Captain  Henry  Coey 
Kane ;  and  her  Staff-Engineer  was  Henry  George  Bourke,  who  had 
as  his  assistants  Engineer  William  Milton,  and  Assistant-Engineer 
James  Bobert  Boffey. 

For  several  days  previous  to  the  hurricane  the  weather  had  been 
cloudy  and  the  barometer  falling;  but  no  one  anticipated  the  violence 
of  the  storm  which  began  on  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  March  15th. 
That  night  the  wind  blew  a  gale,  and  the  ships  in  harbour  began 
to  drag  their  anchors  and  to  be  driven  ashore,  colliding  one  with 
another  as  they  went  to  destruction.  The  Vandalia,  for  example, 
drove  on  to  the  Calliope,  carrying  away  the  latter's  jib  boom ;  and  the 
Olga  also  fouled  the  British  cruiser,  taking  her  fore-yard  out  of  her, 
smashing  several  of  her  boats  and  snapping  one  of  her  cables.  At 
about  10  P.M.,  the  Calliope  had  drifted  towards  the  inner  reef,  was 
holding  by  a  single  anchor  only,  and  was  threatened  by  the  Trenton 
and  again  by  the  Olga. 


394      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Kane  took  the  sole  course  which  could  avert  catastrophe.  Calling 
upon  his  Engineers  for  every  possible  pound  of  steam,  he  paid  out 
his  single  cable  so  as  to  enable  his  ship  to  clear  the  Olga's  stern ; 
and,  when  his  own  stern  was  within  twenty  feet  of  the  reef,  he 
ordered  full  speed  ahead,  let  his  cable  slip  from  the  locker,  and 
gradually  forged  his  way  out  in  the  teeth  of  the  hurricane.  He 
cleared  the  Olga,  and  slowly  passed  the  labouring  American  flag-ship 
Trenton.  "  My  anchors  are  gone,  and  I  am  going  to  sea,"  shouted 
Kane.  "  Good  luck  to  you,"  returned  the  gallant  Kimberly,  while 
the  doomed  foreign  ships  raised  a  parting  cheer.  The  Calliope  had 
a  hard  struggle,  for  she  was  able  to  make  but  a  knot  an  hour  against 
the  violence  of  the  wind ;  but  at  length  she  got  to  sea  and  safety. 
Thanks  were  due,  as  Kane  said  in  his  report,  to  the  admirable  order 
in  which  the  cruiser's  engines  and  boilers  had  been  kept.  Had 
anything  gone  wrong  with  them,  the  Calliope  must  have  perished. 
It  was  a  triumph  for  the  Engineers  even  more  than  for  the  Captain 
and  his  executive  officers.  Bourke  *  was  at  once  promoted.2 

The  other  incident  was  common -place  enough. 

On  March  6th,  the  battleship  Sultan,  Captain  Edward  Bice,, 
grounded  on  an  unknown  rock  in  South  Comino  Channel,  Malta, 
and,  on  the  14th,  in  a  heavy  gale,  slipped  off  the  rock  and 
sank.  At  one  time  it  was  feared  that  her  recovery  was  im- 
possible, but  at  length  Messrs.  Baghino  and  Co.  undertook  to 
raise  her  for  £50,000,  and  on  August  27th  she  was  carried  into- 
Malta  Harbour,  where  she  underwent  preliminary  repairs.  In 
December  she  left  for  Portsmouth,  escorted  first  by  the  battleship 
Tdme'raire,  Captain  Gerard  Henry  Uctred  Noel,  and  later  by  the 
troopship  Tyne,  Commander  Walter  Somerville  Goodridge,  and  the 
special  service  vessel  Seahorse,  Staff-Commander  James  Roberts 
Osborn.  She  made  the  passage  under  her  own  steam  at  a  speed 
of  about  seven  knots,  in  charge  of  Commander  Thomas  MacGill, 
and  anchored  at  Spithead  on  December  22nd.  She  was  subse- 
quently refitted  and  restored  to  the  service. 

The  chief  naval  events  of  the  year  following  took  place  within 
the  limits  of  the  East  India  Station. 

In  September,  1890,  nine  German  traders  in  Vitu,  a  small  state 
on  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  about  230  miles  north  of  Zanzibar,  were 

1  Fleet-Eng.  May  28,  1889. 

2  Reports  of  Kimberly  and  Kane ;  speech  of  Goschen,  May  22 ;  teleg.  desp.  from 
Auckland  to  Berlin,  Mar.  SO;  A.  &  N.  Gaz.,  May  11 ;  N.  &  M.  Record,  May  16 ; 
Times,  Apr.  1  and  May  30,  1889. 


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a 

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Q  "a 

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[TJ  O    OT3 


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a 

a 


1890.] 


THE    VITU  EXPEDITION. 


395 


murdered,  by  order,  so  it  was  stated,  of  the  Sultan,  Fuino  Bakari. 
After  communications  had  taken  place  between  Germany  and  Great 
Britain,  it  was  decided  that  the  latter  should  send  a  punitive 
expedition  to  avenge  the  crime ;  and  the  execution  of  the  business 
was  entrusted  to  Vice-Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  Edmund  Eobert 
Fremantle,  who  was  still  Commander-in-Chief  on  the  station,  [and 
who,  on  October  20th,  reached  Lamu,  a  Zanzibari  port  in  Vitu, 


ADMIRAL   THE    HON.    SIR   EDMUND   ROBERT    FREMANTLE,   O.C.B.,    C.M.G. 

(From  a  photo  by  J.  Hawke.) 

with  a  squadron,  and  thence  despatched  an  ultimatum  to  Fumo 
Bakari,  who  returned  an  evasive  answer.  Among  the  places  at 
which  murders  had  been  committed  were  Baltia  and  Mkonumbi, 
both  of  which  were  easily  accessible  by  water  from  Lamu.  On 
October  24th,  therefore,  the  boats  of  the  flagship  Boadicea,  under 
Captain  the  Hon.  Assheton  Gore  Curzon-Howe,  of  that  ship,  were 
sent  to  Mkonumbi,  and  those  of  the  Cossack  and  Brisk,  under 
Commander  John  MacKenzie  McQuhae,  to  Baltia ;  and  the  villages 
were  burnt,  with  but  slight  opposition,  the  boats  returning  at 


396      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

night.  On  the  following  day,  by  noon,  the  ships  named  in  the 
note  below 1  were  assembled  at  Kipini,  a  port  14  miles  from  the 
seat  of  the  Sultan,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ozz.  Native  porters, 
Indian  police  in  the  service  of  the  East  African  Co.,  and  Zanzibar! 
troops,  had  been  previously  engaged  for  transport  duty  ;  and  a  force 
of  700  seamen  and  Royal  Marines  (with  four  7-prs.  and  four  machine 
guns),  besides  100  Indian  police,  was  got  ready  for  a  direct  advance, 
while  Kau,  20  miles  up  the  Ozz  river,  and  on  the  flank  of  the 
capital,  was  occupied  by  Indian  police  and  Zanzibaris,  supported  by 
a  few  boats  under  Commander  Ernest  James  Fleet  (Boadicea). 
That  evening  a  party  under  Commander  Eobert  Archibald  James 
Montgomerie  (Boadicea)  was  pushed  about  three  miles  inland, 
to  make  a  zeriba  and  a  water-depot.  Before  midnight  the  party 
had  to  repel  a  night  attack,  which  cost  it  three  men  wounded. 
Ere  daylight  on  the  26th,  the  main  body  landed,  over  a  difficult  bar, 
and  by  7  A.M.  joined  Montgomerie's  force ;  whereupon  the  general 
advance  began  under  the  Vice-Admiral's  direction.  Progress  was 
slow,  owing  to  the  thick  bush  and  great  heat ;  and  at  2  P.M.,  after 
a  four  hours'  halt,  Commander  Alfred  Leigh  Winsloe  (Brisk), 
with  50  bluejackets,  was  left  behind  to  make  another  zeriba  and 
depot.  At  4.30  P.M.,  when  the  force  had  halted  within  striking 
distance  of  Vitu  in  order  to  make  a  third  zeriba,  it  was  smartly 
attacked,  though  the  natives  were  easily  driven  off.  Nothing  like 
Furno  Bakari's  whole  army,  which  may  have  been  about  3000 
strong,  of  whom  half  had  firearms,  seems  to  have  been  engaged. 
At  daylight  on  the  27th,  Gunner  William  Henry  Newman  (King- 
fisher) was  left  in  charge  of  the  last  zeriba,  and  the  final  advance 
took  place,  the  enemy  soon  being  encountered  in  some  force,  and 
desultory  firing  following.  The  town,  as  seen  from  a  point 
about  1200  yards  distant,  was  found  to  be  surrounded,  to  within 
about  100  yards,  by  bush.  This  bush  was  shelled  and  occupied  ; 
some  Marines,  under  Lieutenant  James  Nicholas  Lalor,  E.M.L.I., 
with  a  7-pr.,  fired  a  couple  of  rounds  at  the  town  gate,  which  was 
then  blown  in  by  a  gun-cotton  party  under  Gunner  George  Alfred 
Jennings  (T.)  of  the  Boadicea  ;  and  the  place  was  entered  with 

1  Boadicea,  V.-Ad.  Hon.  Sir  E.  R.  Fremantle,  K.C.B.,  C.M.G.,  Capt.  Hon. 
A.  G.  Curzon-Howe ;  Turquoise,  Capt.  John  Wm.  Brackenbury,  C.B.,  C.M.G. ; 
Conquest,  Capt.  Wm.  Hannam  Henderson;  Cossack,  Com.  J.  M.  McQuhae;  Brisk, 
Com.  A.  L.  Winsloe ;  Kingfisher,  Com.  Alexander  Milne  Gardiner ;  Redbreast,  Lieut. 
Pras.  Wm.  Keary ;  Pigeon,  Hy.  llobt.  Peel  Floyd  ;  Number,  Lieut.  Jno.  Wm.  Brown ; 
hired  transport  Somali,  Lieut.  Ian  Mackenzie  Fraser ;  and  Brit.  Ind.  Co.'s  ss.  Juba. 


1890.]  THE  "REDBREAST"   IN   THE  ZAMBESI.  397 

hardly  any  resistance,  the  natives  being,  however,  pursued  for 
about  three  miles,  and  many  of  them  killed.  The  town,  and 
Sultan's  house,  with  a  large  quantity  of  weapons  and  ammunition, 
were  burnt ;  the  whole  force  returned  to  Kipini  on  the  28th ;  and 
on  the  30th  the  squadron  sailed  for  Mombasa.  The  total  loss- 
sustained  was  but  12  men  wounded ;  but  there  were  also  several 
cases  of  sunstroke.  Numerous  officers  were  mentioned  in  the  Vice- 
Admiral's  dispatch.1  Among  them  was  Captain  Curzon-Howe,  who- 
was  rewarded  for  his  services  with  a  C.B.  The  whole  expedition, 
though  of  course  of  no  great  importance,  was  a  model  of  good 
management. 

The  nature  of  some  of  the  quieter  work  done  from  time  to  time 
by  the  Royal  Navy  is  well  illustrated  in  the  following  account,  taken 
from  the  Times,2  of  the  first  passage  of  a  British  man-of-war  into 
the  Zambesi.  The  man-of-war  in  question  was  the  steel  twin-screw 
gunboat  Redbreast,  which  then  mounted  six  4-inch  breechloaders r 
besides  two  3-pr.  quick-firers,  a  boat-gun,  and  two  Nordenfelt 
machine-guns.  Previous  to  the  Redbreast's  visit  the  only  British 
naval  craft  which  had  ever  floated  on  the  Zambesi  was  the  little 
unarmed  surveying  steamer  Stork.  Writing  in  October,  1890,  the 
correspondent  of  the  Times  said  : — 

"  Last  year's  exploits  of  Major  Serpa  Pinto  are,  of  course,  fresh  in  your  mind,  and 
no  doubt  you  recollect  also  that,  with  a  view  to  guard  against  the  occurrence  of  similar 
troubles  in  the  future,  the  Government  determined  to  place  on  the  Zambesi  a  couple  of 
light  stern-wheel  gunboats,  and  to  man  them  with  naval  officers  and  crews.  Messrs. 
Yarrow,  of  Poplar,  built  for  the  purpose  the  Mosquito  and  Herald,  vessels  drawing 
less  than  18  in.  of  water ;  and  these,  in  sections  ready  for  fitting  together  on  the  spot, 
were  shipped  out  in  the  ss.  Buccaneer,  while  men  and  stores  for  them  proceeded  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river  in  her  Majesty's  storeship  Hunker,  Lieutenant  John  William 
Brown.  At  that  period  the  Zambesi  was  a  private  Portuguese  waterway,  or  was 
regarded  as  such  by  the  Portuguese ;  and  as  it  was  contemplated  that  forcible  objec- 
tions might  be  raised  against  our  intended  action,  Sir  Edmund  Eobert  Fremantle, 
Commander-in-Chief  on  the  East  India  Station,  collected  at  Zanzibar  a  large  naval 
force,  with  a  view  to  taking  and  occupying,  in  case  of  necessity,  all  the  Portuguese 
settlements  on  the  coast,  and  to  letting  it  be  plainly  seen  that,  whether  the  Portuguese 
liked  it  or  not,  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  fly  the  white  ensign  on  the  river.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  the  Governments  were  involved  in  diplomatic  negotiations  which 
were  wearisomely  protracted  until,  in  August  last,  the  Admiral  learnt  from  home 
that  a  treaty  had  at  length  been  peaceably  signed  and  that  Portugal  had  engaged 
to  allow  us  to  put  our  stern-wheel  gunboats  together  in  the  Chinde  Mouth  of  the 
Zambesi,  and  to  enter  the  river.  On  September  2nd  a  further  telegram  from  home 
ordered  the  expedition  to  act  upon  this  agreement.  It  had,  however,  been  previously 
directed,  doubtless  in  order  to  spare  Portuguese  susceptibilities,  that  Sir  E.  Fremantle 
himself  was  not  to  go,  and  that  the  only  armed  escort  for  the  stern-wheelers  was 


Gazette,  Jan.  6th,  1891.  2  Times,  Dec.  17th,  1890. 


398      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

to  consist  of  one  of  the  first-class  screw  gunboats — Redbreast,  six  guns,  805  tons, 
1200-horse  power,  and  Pigeon,  six  guns,  755  tons,  1200-horse  power.  The  Admiral 
selected  the  Redbreast,  possibly  because  her  commander,  Lieutenant  Francis  William 
Keary,  has  had  the  advantage  of  a-  great  deal  of  surveying  experience;  and  on 
September  3rd  the  expedition  left  Zanzibar,  Lieutenant  Brown,  of  the  Humber, 
being  senior  officer.  In  due  course  it  anchored  off  the  bar  at  the  entrance  to  the 
Cliinde  Mouth,  and  awaited  the  tide.  This  bar  is  the  best  of  all  the  Zambesi  bars, 
but  there  is  only  a  depth  of  7  feet  of  water  on  it  at  low-water  springs,  and  the 
expedition  arrived  at  dead  neaps  and  during  a  nasty  south-east  swell.  Next  morning 
Lieutenant  Keary  examined  the  bar,  and,  although  he  was  very  unfavourably 
impressed,  undertook  to  lead  the  way  over  it.  The  Redbreast  drew  13  feet,  and 
the  Huraber  13  feet  4  inches ;  and  it  was  almost  as  ticklish  a  business  as  going  into 
action,  for,  had  either  the  Humber  or  the  Buccaneer  taken  the  ground,  she  would 
assuredly  have  been  lost.  Happily  the  passage  was  made  without  a  scrape ;  but, 
to  show  its  difficulty,  I  may  mention  that  on  two  subsequent  occasions,  when 
the  Pigeon,  a  smaller  craft  than  the  Redbreast,  went  in  to  communicate,  she  struck. 

"  The  passage  of  the  outer  bar  was,  however,  a  relatively  minor  matter.  Lieutenant 
Keary  had  orders  from  the  Admiral  to  ascertain  whether  the  Redbreast  could  proceed 
through  the  Chinde  Mouth  into  the  Zambesi  proper.  If  so  he  was  to  escort  the 
stern-wheelers  and  their  convoy  of  canoes  laden  with  stores  into  the  great  river, 
and  to  see  them  fairly  started.  The  Chinde  Mouth  is  18  miles  long,  and,  being 
almost  unknown,  had  first  to  be  carefully  surveyed.  Not,  therefore,  till  September  25th 
was  Keary  able  to  report  to  Vice- Admiral  Fremantle  that  the  passage  was  possible ; 
-and  even  then  he  had  to  say  that  further  examination  was  necessary  before  anything 
•could  be  safely  attempted.  A  day  or  two  later,  while  prosecuting  his  survey  as 
usual,  he  was  hailed  by  a  Portuguese  light-draft  gunboat,  and  politely  requested 
to  (o)  desist,  (6)  return,  and  (c)  haul  down  the  British  colours.  Of  course  he  did 
not  obey  the  last  direction  ;  but  he  was  obliged  to  desist,  and  proportionately  bound, 
in  spite  of  the  very  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory  survey  which  he  had  succeeded 
in  making,  to  endeavour  to  carry  out  Sir  Edmund  Fremantle's  wishes,  and  to  take 
the  ship  up.  The  Portuguese  gunboat  had  brought  down  the  Governor  of  Quilimane, 
.a  fire-eating  gentleman,  who  at  once  began  writing  protests,  issuing  orders  for  the 
British  flag  not  to  be  flown,  and  forbidding  the  natives  to  sell  food  to  the  expedition. 
He  was  willing  to  admit  that  the  treaty  had  been  signed  and  that  we  were  acting 
in  accordance  with  it,  but  his  point  was  that  the  waters  had  not  been  officially 
declared  free,  and  that,  until  they  were  so  declared,  they  were  still  closed.  While 
lie  fumed  and  protested,  the  Mosquito1  and  Herald*  were  quietly  completed.  When 
they  were  evidently  ready,  the  Portuguese  gunboat  reappeared,  and  her  captain 
declared  plump  that  his  orders  were  to  oppose  the  advance,  and  that  he  should 
•do  so,  scuttling  his  ship,  if  necessary,  to  block  the  river,  and  then  lining  the  banks 
with  rifles.  On  learning  from  Lieutenant  Brown  that  the  stern-wheelers  and  the 
Redbreast  were  going  up,  no  matter  what  might  happen,  the  Portuguese  returned 
io  the  Governor  in  apparently  dejected  mood.  Of  course  he  was  in  no  condition 
•to  oppose  a  vessel  of  the  Redbreast's  force :  but  it  was  within  his  power  to  lie  in  the 
very  middle  of  the  narrow  channel,  and  to  calmly  say,  '  If  you  wish  to  pass,  take 
the  rest  of  the  river.'  In  that  event  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty  about  his 
capture  or  destruction ;  but  the  case  would  have  been  deplorable. 

"  At  this  juncture  the  Pigeon  arrived  with  despatches  from  the  Vice-Admiral, 
who  was  watching  Mozambique  and  the  men-of-war  there.  What  the  Vice-Admiral's 
•orders  were  cannot  be  told;  but  clearly  they  decided  ihe  business,  for  early  next 
.morning  the  flotilla  started,  the  Redbreast  leading,  followed  in  succession  by  the 


Lieut.  Algernon  Hankey  Lyons.  2  Lieut.  Henry  Joseph  Keaue. 


1890.]  THE  "  REDBREAST"   IN   THE  ZAMBESI.  399 

Herald,  James  Stephenson  (a  stern-wheeler  belonging  to  the  African  Lakes  Company), 
two  large  lighters,  31  canoes,  and  the  Mosquito.  For  what  then  happened  I 
venture  to  think  that  Lieutenant  Keary  deserves  very  great  credit.  The  first  twelve 
miles  of  the  passage  were  got  over  without  accident ;  but  off  Soinbo,  just  as  had  been 
apprehended,  lay  the  Portuguese  gunboat.  Fortunately,  she  was  swung  so  that  the 
flotilla  could  just  scrape  by  her.  The  Redbreast  made  the  dash,  passing  a  few  feet  from 
her  side,  and  then  dropped  a  stern  anchor  and  fiignalled  to  the  Herald  to  anchor 
instantly,  the  result  being  that  the  Portuguese  lay  between  two  fires.  His  game  was 
up,  but  he  fired  a  blank  charge,  and,  as  the  Redbreast  passed,  hailed  her  to  bring  to. 
That  she  did  bring  to  was  owing  to  the  facts  that  the  tide  would  not  then  serve 
her  any  further,  that  the  Mosquito  was  too  far  astern,  and  that  Keary  intended  to 
call  on  the  Governor  ;  but  probably  the  Portuguese  captain  did  not  regard  the  affair  in 
that  light.  He  boarded  the  Redbreast,  accompanied  Lieutenant  Keary  ashore,  and  left 
him  closeted  with  the  Governor,  who  was  ill  in  bed.  The  Governor,  by  all  accounts, 
talked  a  great  deal  about  outrage  and  violation  of  rights,  next  begged  and  implored, 
and  finally  gave  way,  and  sent  orders  to  the  gunboat  to  offer  no  further  opposition,  the 
advancing  force  being  too  powerful.  The  captain,  however,  boarded  the  Redbreast 
again  to  deliver  a  written  protest  of  a  long  and  verbose  character,  and  was  regaled  with 
a  view  of  a  big  gun  trained  upon  his  ship,  and  of  a  deck  covered  with  cartridge-boxes 
all  ready  for  his  entertainment. 

"  The  flotilla  weighed  soon  afterwards,  and  entered  a  most  difficult  and  dangerous 
stretch  of  navigation.  The  river  was  3  feet  lower  than  had  been  reckoned  on,  and  the 
channel  was  narrower.  In  some  places,  where  the  Redbreast  had  to  hug  the  south 
bank,  the  lead  showed  14  feet  and  15  feet  in  the  port  chains,  and  11  feet  to  13  feet  in 
the  starboard.  Three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi  proper,  the  flotilla  anchored 
again.  The  Redbreast  anchored  bow  and  stern,  with  23  feet  of  water  on  the  port  side 
and  only  7  feet  on  the  starboard,  and  sent  on  the  Herald,  Keary  also  going  in  his 
steam  cutter,  to  examine  the  Chinde  Bar.  The  next  reach  showed  14  feet  of  water,  and, 
after  the  ships  had  weighed  anchor,  was  passed  without  much  difficulty.  The  one 
immediately  above  was  even  better.  In  a  third,  the  Redbreast  took  the  ground  in  10 
feet  or  11  feet,  but  was  soon  got  off,  and  passed  on,  close  under  the  south  bank,  with 
11  feet  on  one  side  of  her  and  14  feet  on  the  other.  The  channel  was  a  mere  gutter. 
It  was  navigation  in  a  ditch.  Then  came  the  bar,  with  the  Zambesi  beyond,  but  with 
the  tide  falling,  and  with  the  Herald,  which  had  been  sent  ahead,  out  of  sight.  It  was 
useless  to  wait  for  her  to  return  and  report,  and  on  went  the  Redbreast ;  but  again  she 
grounded,  with  5  feet  of  water  under  her  starboard  forechains,  10  feet  under  her  counter, 
and  13  feet  all  along  the  port  side.  After  all  sorts  of  shifts  and  exertions  she  got  off 
backwards,  and  made  another  attempt,  which  was  more  successful.  In  13  feet  of 
water,  although  she  actually  drew  13  feet  2  inches,  she  crossed  the  bar,  and  at  length 
anchored  safely,  with  all  the  convoy,  in  the  river  Zambesi,  with  24  feet  of  water  under 
her.  For  the  first  time  a  British  man-of-war  lay  on  that  great  stream.  Next  morning 
the  Herald,  Mosquito,  and  flotilla  parted  company,  the  ships  cheering  and  being 
cheered ;  and  the  Redbreast  was  left  to  return  alone  as  best  she  might,  through  a 
howling  gale  and  a  blinding  storm  of  rain.  There  were  the  old  difficulties  and 
several  new  ones,  but  they  were  promptly  overcome,  and  without  mishap  the  vessel 
anchored  once  more  near  the  storeship  Humber,  all  hands  being  happy  and  proud  that 
the  work  was  done.  On  October  17th  both  Humber  and  Redbreast  rejoined  the 
Admiral  at  Zanzibar. 

"  Those  on  the  station  who  are  best  able  to  judge  are  of  opinion  that,  as  a  piece  of 
difficult  navigation  successfully  performed  in  the  face  of  obstacles  of  more  than  one 
kind,  the  Redbreasts  exploit  takes  very  high  rank."  1 

1  For  their  services  Lieuts.  J.  W.  Brown,  on  Deo.  31st,  1890,  and  F.  W.  K«ary,  on 
Jan.  1st,  1891,  were  made  Commanders. 


400      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

More  to  the  northward,  but  on  the  same  station,  a  detachment 
from  the  gun-vessel  Ranger,  Commander  Samuel  Arthur  Johnson, 
had  been  actively  employed  very  early  in  the  year.  The  Esa  tribe 
had  attacked  Bulhar,  in  Somaliland ;  and  an  expedition  consisting  of 
two  companies  of  the  17th  Bombay  Infantry  and  80  native  sappers, 
with  a  small  Naval  Brigade  under  Lieutenant  Henry  James  Langford 
Clarke,  was  sent  up  from  the  coast  to  punish  the  troublesome  natives. 
The  Esas  made  two  plucky  night  attempts  against  the  advancing 
force,  and,  on  the  second  occasion,  broke  into  the  zeriba  and  killed 
or  wounded  20  of  the  troops  and  sappers.  Clarke,  however,  got  his 
guns  to  work  promptly,  and  the  enemy  was  driven  off.  Many 
cattle  were  captured,  and,  in  addition,  a  party  of  the  Banger's 
seamen  and  Marines,  under  Lieutenant  Henry  Faulconer  Aplin, 
destroyed  150  of  the  enemy's  wells,  thus  teaching  a  severe  lesson. 
The  expedition  suffered  great  hardship,  owing  to  the  heat  and  lack 
of  water;  and  the  men  of  the  Naval  Brigade  returned  to  their 
ship  barefooted,  having  literally  worn  their  boots  away.1  For  his 
services  Clarke  was  thanked  by  the  Indian  government  and  by  the 
Admiralty. 

On  the  North  America  and  West  Indies  station  Captain  John 
Harvey  Kainier,  of  the  cruiser  Tourmaline,  was  able  to  afford 
welcome  support  to  the  civil  power  in  the  repression  of  some 
small  disturbances  which  broke  out  at  Tortola,  Virgin  Islands. 

The  shocking  sacrifice  of  life  which  accompanied  the  loss  of  the 
third-class  cruiser  Serpent,2  off  Cape  Trece,  on  the  N.E.  coast  of 
Spain,  on  the  night  of  November  10th,  1890,  was  found  to  be  the 
result  of  an  error  of  judgment  on  the  part  of  those  responsible  for 
the  navigation  of  the  ship,  which  ought  to  have  been  on  a  more 
westerly  course.  The  court-martial,  however,  added  to  its  verdict 
the  gratifying  rider  that  up  to  the  last  both  men  and  officers  obeyed 
orders  and  maintained  good  discipline.3 

After  the  action  at  Gemaizeh,4  the  dervishes  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Suakin  remained  fairly  quiet  for  some  time  ;  but  towards- 
the  end  of  1890,  when  they  were  in  occupation  of  Handoub,  and 
when  Tokar  was  Osman  Digna's  headquarters,  they  showed  signs 
of  reviving  activity ;  whereupon  Colonel  Holled  Smith,  who  was 
then  governor  of  the  Eed  Sea  Littoral,  decided  to  attack  them.  On 


1  Desps. :  A.  &  N.  Gaz.  Feb.  22,  1890.        3  A.  &  N.  Gaz.  1890,  pp.  910,  1014. 

2  See  Appendix  of  Ships  Lost.  4  See  p.  390. 


1891.]  ST.    CLA1B   AT   VALPARAISO.  401 

January  27th,  1891,  he  captured  Handoub,  after  a  short  engagement, 
and  then  sent  his  force  of  about  2000  men  to  Trinkitat  by  sea, 
preparatory  to  an  advance  on  Tokar.  In  this  operation  he  was 
much  assisted  by  the  officers  and  men  of  the  sloop  Dolphin,  Com- 
mander Horatio  Nelson  Dudding,  and  of  the  gunboat  Sandfly, 
Lieutenant  Paul  Warner  Bush ;  and  he  was  subsequently  accom- 
panied on  his  march  inland  by  Lieutenant  Christopher  George 
Francis  Maurice  Cradock,  of  the  Dolphin.  The  column,  having 
occupied  El  Teb,  moved  forward  from  that  place  on  February  19th, 
and  soon  afterwards  was  attacked  at  Afafit,  where  it  inflicted  a 
•decisive  defeat  on  Osman  Digna,  who  lost  700  men,  and  fled  to 
Temrin,  and  ultimately  to  Kassala.1 

In  August,  1891,  the  Congressionalist  party  in  Chile  completed 
a  successful  revolution 2  by  the  decisive  defeat  of  the  Balmacedists 
at  La  Placilla.  On  the  28th,  when  the  victors  occupied  Valparaiso, 
many  excesses  were  perpetrated  in  the  town,  and  it  became  necessary 
for  the  various  foreign  warships  which  lay  in  harbour  to  land  parties 
as  well  to  protect  the  consulates  and  property  of  the  various  nation- 
alities as  to  endeavour  to  exercise  some  general  restraining  influence 
upon  the  desperate  Balmacedists.  Men  were  put  ashore,  therefore, 
under  British,  American,  German  and  French  officers.  A  body  of 
•about  150  British,  from  the  cruiser  Champion,  Captain  Frederick 
St.  Clair,  and  the  sloop  Daphne,  Commander  Charles  Eobert  Wood, 
under  Lieutenant  Eeginald  Blayney  Colmore,  of  the  Champion,  under- 
took the  guard  of  the  Consulate ;  and  another  body,  in  conjunction 
with  a  German  force,  assumed  the  duties  of  police,  and  rendered 
very  valuable  services.  When  Senor  Claudio  Vicuna,  the  Balma- 
«edist  president-Aect,  just  before  he  took  to  flight,  endeavoured  to 
fire  upon  a  crowd  of  civilians  from  two  machine-guns  which  he  had 
planted  in  front  of  the  Intendencia,  he  was  only  prevented  by  the 
personal  intervention  of  the  American  and  French  Bear-Admirals, 
Parrayon  and  McCann,  and  Captain  St.  Clair,  who  placed  themselves 
resolutely  in  front  of  the  muzzles  of  the  pieces.  Two  days  later 
order  was  sufficiently  restored  to  allow  of  the  landing-parties  being 
re-embarked.  A  few  months  earlier,  on  February  19th,  while  trying 
to  arrange  an  armistice  between  the  belligerent  Chileans  at  Iquiqui, 
Captain  the  Hon.  Hedworth  Lambton,  of  the  Warspite,  flagship  of 
liear-Admiral  Charles  Frederick  Hotham,  had  narrowly  escaped 

1  Koyle,  487. 

2  For  an  account  of  this  see  Laird  Clowes :  '  Four  Modern  Naval  Campaigns.' 
VOL.    VII.  2   D 


402       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  EOYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

death,  one  bullet  having  passed  through  the  bottom,  and  another 
through  the  awning,  of  his  gig  as  he  went  ashore  to  conduct  the 
negotiations.1 

During  the  same  fratricidal  war,  the  employment  of  the  British 
sloop  Espifgle,  Captain  Arthur  Calvert  Clarke,  at  the  request  of  the 
British  Minister  to  Chile,  to  carry  Balmacedist  silver  from  Chile  to 
Montevideo,2  was  much  discussed ;  and  Captain  St.  Clair,  at  whose 
order  the  treasure  was  taken  on  board,  incurred  in  consequence  the 
disapprobation  of  the  Admiralty — a  misfortune  which,  it  may  be 
feared,  caused  his  very  considerable  services  to  British  interests 
throughout  the  Chilean  struggle  to  be  overlooked  at  Whitehall. 

In  the  early  part  of  1891,  while  the  Anglo-French  boundary 
commission  was  pursuing  its  labours  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Gambia  River,  the  chief,  Fodeh  Cabbah,  resisted  the  passage  of 
the  commission  through  his  territory,  and  attacked  and  wounded 
several  Europeans.  The  Alecto,  4,  paddle,  Lieutenant  Frederick 
Gordon  M'Kinstry,  was  then  in  the  river,  and  the  sloop  Swallow, 
Commander  Frank  Finnis,  and  the  gunboat  Widgeon,  Lieutenant 
George  Latham  Blacker  Bennett,  lay  below  her,  at  Bathurst.  On 
March  27th,  the  craft  last  named  was  ordered  to  join  the  Alecto,  and, 
late  in  the  afternoon,  anchored  near  her  off  the  village  of  Kansala. 
The  Alecto  had  already  inflicted  some  punishment  upon  the  rebellious 
chief,  who,  however,  was  too  strong  to  be  dealt  with  effectively  by 
her  alone.  A  small  landing-party  was  put  ashore  early  on  the  28th, 
and,  on  the  30th,  the  Sivallow  also  arrived.  On  March  31st,  and 
April  1st,  additional  people,  with  two  7-pr.  guns,  were  disembarked ; 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  Swallow's  Marines  were  landed  on  the  2nd, 
reaching  the  camp  at  Kaling  in  the  course  of  the  evening.  The 
Governor,  and  some  Royal  Engineers,  were  present  with  the  force. 
A  further  advance  was  made  on  the  7th,  and  .another  on  the  llth, 
when,  at  Sangajore,  a  chief  appeared  with  excuses  and  an  apology. 
The  force  was  therefore  withdrawn  and  re-embarked,  after  part  of  it 
had  been  absent  from  the  ships  for  seventeen  days,  during  which 
period  the  men  had  been  unable  to  get  out  of  their  clothes. 

Unfortunately,  Fodeh  Cabbah  continued  to  give  trouble ;  and 
towards  the  end  of  1891,  Lieutenant  Ian  Mackenzie  Fraser,  com- 
manding the  gunboat  Sparrow,  was  instructed  by  Commander  Henry 
Lucius  Fanshawe  Royle,  of  the  sloop  Racer,  senior  officer  on  the  coast, 

1  Private  letters;  Accts.  and  Papers,  xcv.  (1892);  and  A.  &  N.  Gaz.,  Oct.  24,  1891. 

2  Times,  Sept.  4,  1891. 


1892.]  TROUBLES    WITH  FODEH   G ABB  AH.  403 

to  make  inquiries  as  to  the  condition  of  the  country,  and,  if  possible, 
to  find  out  the  whereabouts  of  Fodeh  Cabbah,  with  a  view  to  his 
capture.  Fraser,  therefore,  obtained  the  loan  of  the  colonial  steam- 
launch  Lily,  whose  movements,  as  she  was  often  in  the  river,  would 
be  unlikely  to  excite  suspicion,  and,  taking  with  him  Captain  Thomas 
M.  Hawtayne,1  then  Superintendent  of  Police,  went  ostensibly  on  a 
shooting  expedition.  Visiting  Marige,  he  saw  Fodeh  Cabbah  there. 
He  returned  and  reported ;  and  the  Administrator,  in  consultation 
with  Commander  Boyle,  decided  to  make  a  night  attack  on  Marige 
as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to  ensure  the  chief's  capture.  Men- 
of-war,  with  troops,  arrived  in  the  river  on  January  1st,  1892  ;  and, 
since  it  was  felt  that  the  appearance  of  these  would  be  quickly 
reported  in  the  interior,  an  immediate  movement  was  that  day 
determined  on. 

In  order  to  mislead  Fodeh  Cabbah  as  to  the  point  of  attack, 
Commander  Eoyle  embarked  at  Bathurst  in  the  Sparrow,  with  the 
Naval  Brigade,2  early  on  January  2nd,  and,  arriving  at  Kansala  in 
the  forenoon  of  the  same  day,  put  his  people  into  boats,  to  be  taken 
up  to  Bondali  by  the  Lily.  At  Kansala  the  Sparrow  was  left,  both 
to  serve  as  a  base  and  also  to  induce  the  enemy  to  look  for  an  attack 
from  that  direction,  if  from  any.  For  the  same  reasons,  a  hundred 
men  of  the  2nd  West  India  Eegiment,  under  Major  T.  Claridge, 
were  sent  up  to  Kansala  in  the  gunboats  Thrush  and  Widgeon. 
Lieutenant  Arthur  Jabez  Loane,  commanding  the  Thrush,  who  was 
left  as  senior  officer  at  Kansala,  had  directions  to  march  to  Kaling 
as  soon  as  possible,  destroy  Sangajore,  and  proceed  thence  to 
Katemba,  to  guard  the  frontier,  and  to  cut  off  Fodeh  Cabbah's 
retreat,  should  he  endeavour  to  escape  in  that  direction. 

The  rest  of  the  brigade  arrived  at  Bondali  at  6  P.M.  on  the  2nd ; 
and  Lieutenant  Ian  Mackenzie  Fraser  was  senb  with  a  force  to  the 

1  N.  Staff.  Rest. 

Details  of  the  Naval  Brigade  employed  in  the  operations  in  the  Gambia,  Jan.  1-5, 
1892  :— 

Racer,  Commander  Henry  Lucius  Fanshawe  Royle,  Lieut.  Henry  Arthur  Beverley 

Shrubb,  Gunner  Albert  Selley ;  53  seamen,  11  Marines,  39  Kroomen. 
Thrush,  Lieut.  Arthur  Jabez  Loane,  Lieut.  Herbert  Alexander  Child,  Asst.  Paym. 
Richard  Ernest  Stanley  Sturgess,  Gunner  John  William  Renshaw ;  20  seamen, 
7  Marines,  19  Kroomen. 
Widgeon,  Lieut.  Graham  Samuel  Philpot  Gwynn,  Surg.  John  M'Elwee,  M.D., 

Gunner  George  Parfitt ;  30  seamen,  6  Marines,  19  Kroomen. 
Sparrow,  Lieut.   Ian   Mackenzie   Fraser,  Lieut.   Beauchamp   St.  John   Bellairs, 

Gunner  George  Salmon ;  28  seamen,  7  Marines,  19  Kroomen. 
Total :  13  officers,  140  seamen,  33  Marines,  90  Kroomen. 

2  D   2 


404      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

rear  of  that  village,  whence  he  advanced  to  Marige,  and  surrounded 
it.  As  soon  as  he  had  made  the  necessary  transport  arrangements, 
Commander  Eoyle  also  moved  to  Marige.  Arriving  there  at  11  P.M. 
he  found  that  Fraser  had  thrown  a  cordon  round  the  place,  and  had 
had  an  interview  with  an  emissary  from  Fodeh  Cabbah,  who  was 
inside,  and  who  had  been  informed  that  if  he  remained  quiet  during 
the  night  he  would  be  left  in  peace  till  morning,  but  that  if  he 
endeavoured  to  get  out  he  would  be  fired  upon.  At  1  A.M.  on  the 
3rd,  the  chief  made  a  dash  for  liberty,  and,  although  he  lost  at  least 
30 l  killed,  he  succeeded  in  breaking  away  on  horseback.  In  the 
morning  the  place,  which  by  that  time  had  been  abandoned  entirely, 
was  entered  and  searched,  and  afterwards  destroyed,  together  with 
two  smaller  villages.  Four  stockaded  villages  a  little  further 
removed  were  burnt  later.  It  was  reported  that  Fodeh  Cabbah 
had  fled  to  Medina,  just  across  the  boundary.  In  the  afternoon 
the  force  returned  to  Bondali,  where  half  the  Brigade  was  re- 
embarked,  and  sent  down  to  Kansala.  The  other  half,  under 
Fraser,  was  left  for  the  night,  with  orders  to  burn  Bondali  before 
rejoining  on  the  following  day.  The  first  half  of  the  Brigade 
reached  Kansala  at  9  P.M.  on  January  3rd,  the  second  at  6  P.M.  on 
the  4th. 

On  the  4th  Commander  Eoyle  recalled  Lieutenant  Loane,  who 
had  taken  and  destroyed  Sangajore,  which  was  then  supposed  to  be 
the  last  of  Fodeh  Cabbah's  strongholds  inside  the  British  border. 
On  January  5th  the  whole  force  returned  to  Bathurst.  Only  one 
man  of  the  Brigade  was  wounded.2 

The  retirement  of  the  expedition  having  left  such  natives  as  had 
been  friendly  at  the  mercy  of  Fodeh  Cabbah  and  his  allies,  it  was 
•deemed  advisable  by  the  Administrator  to  despatch  sixty  men  of  the 
2nd  West  India  Eegiment,  and  twenty  of  the  Bathurst  Police,  to 
Kaling,  to  inspire  confidence  among  the  Jolahs  of  that  neighbour- 
hood and  of  the  Kansala  district.  The  force  was  accordingly  carried 
up  to  Kansala  in  the  Widgeon  on  January  14th,  1892 ;  and,  on  the 
same  evening,  it  marched  to  Kaling.  Major  Claridge,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  little  post,  formed  an  entrenched  camp,  and,  on  the 
17th,  undertook  a  small  punitive  expedition.  On  the  19th,  he  was 
attacked  at  Kaling  by  about  three  hundred  of  Fodeh  Cabbah's 

1  So  says  the  Disp.     An  eye-witness  puts  the  number  at  13  only. 

2  Royle  to  Nicholson,   Jan.  8th,  1892 ;   to   Eraser  Llewellyn,  Dec.   24th,  1891 ; 
Llewellyn  to  Royle,  Jan.  1st,  1892  ;  Loane  to  Royle,  Jan.  6th,  1892 ;  Eraser  to  Eoyle, 
Jan.  6th,  1892. 


1892.]  TROUBLES   WITH  FODE1I  C ABB  AH.  405 

followers,  whom  he  repulsed ;  but,  as  he  considered  that  the  place 
was  not  held  in  sufficient  strength,  he  sent  a  request  for  reinforce- 
ments to  the  senior  officer  at  Kansala.  Commander  Eoyle  was  then 
absent  on  duty  with  the  Administrator;  but  Lieutenant  Henry 
Douglas  Wilkin,  who  was  there  in  command  of  the  Widgeon, 
promptly  sent  up  Lieutenant  Gwynn,  with  twenty-five  men  from 
that  ship.  Wilkin  himself  was  ill  with  fever,  his  ship's  company 
was  in  a  bad  state  of  health,  and  even  Gwynn  was  unwell.  Wilkin 
therefore  also  sent  a  steamboat  down  to  the  entrance  of  the  pesti- 
lential Vintang  creek.  Below  it  the  Thrush  was  found ;  and 
Lieutenant  Loane  ordered  up  the  Thrush  to  relieve  the  sickly 
Widgeon,  and  directed  Lieutenant  Fraser,  of  the  Sparrow,  with 
three  officers  and  thirty  men  from  the  Eacer,  to  go  on  to  Kaling, 
where  Fraser  assumed  command. 

On  the  22nd,  Lieutenant  Fraser,  with  part  of  the  garrison, 
marched  out  to  collect  information,  and,  while  absent,  learnt  that 
Fodeh  Cabbah  had  passed  him,  and  was  hurrying,  by  way  of 
Kawali  and  Sangajore,  to  attack  the  camp  at  Kaling.  Fraser  sent 
a  messenger  by  another  route  to  warn  Major  Claridge,  and  himself 
rapidly  followed  the  enemy,  who,  he  soon  found,  had  altered  his 
direction,  and  made  towards  Gibok  or  Kambakalli.  Late  in  the 
afternoon  the  camp  was  reached,  and  found  to  be  safe.  On 
January  24th,  Commander  Eoyle,  who  had  returned  from  his 
expedition  with  the  Administrator,  marched  up,  and  took  over  the 
command ;  and  on  the  25th,  further  reinforcements  of  seamen, 
Marines,  and  West  India  troops  were  summoned ;  so  that  on  the 
27th  the  force  assembled,  and  ready  for  an  advance  on  Medina, 
consisted  of :  Naval  Brigade,  10  officers  and  150  men ;  West  India 
Regiment,  4  officers  and  110  men ;  Kroomen,  80  ;  and  army  carriers, 
112.  These,  however,  were  not  collected  until  after  a  party  of 
Kroomen  and  friendlies  had  been  attacked  on  the  26th,  between 
Kansala  and  the  camp,  by  some  of  Fodeh  Cabbah's  horsemen, 
and  had  suffered  a  loss  of  5  killed  or  mortally  wounded.  Eoyle's 
application  for  permission  to  advance  upon  Medina  was  refused  on 
political  grounds ;  but  Lieutenant  Fraser,  with  part  of  the  Naval 
Brigade,  was  sent  out,  on  February  2nd,  and,  having  burnt 
Kambakalli,  and  repelled  an  attack  upon  his  party,  re-embarked 
at  Bondali,  where,  by  arrangement,  he  met  the  Alecto,  Lieutenant 
Frederick  William  Loane,1  and  the  rest  of  the  force. 

1  Apptd.  Oct.  28,  1891. 


406      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

On  the  following  days,  Commander  Eoyle  captured  a  few  of 
Fodeh  Cabbah's  men,  and  burnt  Jaror  and  Sanding,  two  of  his 
towns,  as  well  as  Jatobar,  a  place  only  then  for  the  first  time 
discovered.  The  expedition  afterwards  returned  to  Bathurst. 

In  addition  to  the  officers  already  mentioned  as  having  been 
concerned  in  the  operations,  Surgeon  Walter  Henry  Skinner 
Stalkartt,  M.D.,  of  the  Racer,  rendered  useful  service,  and,  with 
Lieutenant  Judge  D'Arcy,  Lieutenant  Henry  William  Simms,  and 
Assistant-Paymaster  Arthur  Wilson,  was  noticed  in  the  dispatches.1 

The  expedition  was  an  unsatisfactory  one.  Either  it  went  too 
far,  or  it  did  not  go  far  enough.  The  force  assembled  at  Marige  was 
so  small  that  the  men  stationed  round  the  village  had  to  be  posted 
at  seven  or  eight  paces  apart.  The  cordon,  therefore,  was  far  too 
weak  to  offer  effectual  resistance  to  any  really  determined  attempt 
on  the  part  of  Fodeh  Cabbah  to  escape.  Although,  moreover,  the 
dispatches  do  not  mention  the  fact,  I  have  it  from  eye-witnesses  that 
after  the  sortie,  the  darkness  and  general  uncertainty  of  the  situation 
were  such  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  form  the  force  into  a 
square,  and  so  to  keep  it  standing  to  its  arms  during  the  rest  of  the 
night.  From  this  it  is  evident  that,  had  the  enemy  taken  the 
initiative,  and  attacked  in  force,  the  position  of  the  British  might 
easily  have  become  precarious  in  the  extreme.  The  escape  of 
Fodeh  Cabbah  was  also  unfortunate,  seeing  that  the  French  did 
not  properly  restrain  him  when  he  was  upon  their  side  of  the 
boundary  line.  He  should  have  been  followed  up,  or  his  immediate 
extradition  should  have  been  obtained.  Nevertheless,  the  Navy, 
as  usual,  did  its  work  most  creditably.  The  Admiralty's  appreciation 
of  this  was  expressed  in  a  telegram,  which,  although  apparently  it 
misinterpreted  the  exact  nature  of  the  somewhat  scanty  results 
secured,  did  no  more  than  justice  to  the  individuals  most  actively 
concerned.  It  ran  :  "  Convey  to  officers  and  men  employed  their 
Lordships'  satisfaction  with  the  promptitude,  thoroughness,  and 
success  with  which  the  expedition  against  Fodeh  Cabbah  was 
carried  out." 

In  1891  a  chief  named  Carimoo  had  established  himself  in  a 
stronghold  at  Tambi,  on  the  Scarcies  River,  whence  he  had  raided 
the  natives  who  were  under  British  protection.  He  had  also  fired 
upon  a  party  of  Sierra  Leone  police  in  May,  1891.  In  March, 

1  Eoyle  to  Admiralty,  Feb.  9th,  1892 ;  Claridge  to  Royle,  Jan.  20th ;   Loane  to 
Boyle,  Jan.  24th ;  Wilkin  to  Sen.  Off.,  Jan.  19th  ;  Eraser  to  Royle,  Feb.  8th. 


1892.]  TAMBI  AND    TONIATUBA.  407 

1892,  being  attacked  by  a  small  native  police-force  under  Captain 
Eobinson,  E.E.,  Carimoo  killed  that  officer,  and  repelled  his  little 
command.  It  was  necessary  to  organise  a  more  formidable  expedi- 
tion ;  and,  with  that  object  in  view,  officers  were  sent  out  from 
England,  troops  were  assembled,  and  assistance  was  sought  from 
the  sloop  Racer,  Commander  Henry  Lucius  Fanshawe  Eoyle,  the 
special  service  paddle-vessel,  Alecto,  Lieutenant  Frederick  William 
Loane,  and  the  gunboat  Sparrow,  Lieutenant  Ian  Mackenzie  Fraser, 
all  of  whom  have  been  mentioned  already  in  connection  with  opera- 
tions on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  The  military  force,  under  Colonel 
Ellis,  C.B.,  included  550  men  of  the  West  India  Eegiment,  about 
150  frontier  police,  and  about  400  friendly  natives ;  and  Maxims, 
7-prs.,  and  rockets  accompanied  it. 

Tambi  was  taken  by  assault,  and  destroyed,  on  April  7th,  great 
numbers  of  the  enemy  being  killed  while  endeavouring  to  escape. 
On  the  side  of  the  attack,  only  2  men  were  killed  and  6  wounded. 
After  the  expeditionary  force  had  been  reorganised,  another  dangerous 
native  stronghold,  Toniatuba,  was  attacked.  It  was  well  fortified, 
and  it  offered  a  spirited  resistance ;  but  it  was  captured  and 
destroyed  on  April  28th,  and  its  chief,  Suliman  Santa,  was  killed. 
The  British  lost  Captain  Eoberts,  of  the  West  India  Eegiment, 
killed,  and  5  men  wounded,  one  of  the  wounded  belonging  to  the 
Naval  Brigade.1  Commander  Eoyle,  Lieutenant  Fraser,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Henry  Douglas  Wilkin,  of  the  Bacer  (who  commanded  the 
Naval  Brigade  at  the  storming  of  Toniatuba),  were  awarded  the 
D.S.O.2  for  their  good  work  on  this  occasion. 

In  the  course  of  1893  there  were  numerous  troubles  with  the 
natives  of  East  Africa,  not  only  on  the  Witu  coast,  where  there 
had  been  difficulties,  as  has  been  shown,  in  1890,  ,but  also  within 
the  confines  of  the  territory  of  the  then  existing  Imperial  British 
East  Africa  Company,  and,  inland,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lake 
Nyassa  and  the  Eiver  Shire.  In  every  case  the  services  of  naval 
officers  and  men  were  employed  ere  order  was  restored. 

Fumo  Omari,  successor  of  that  Sultan  of  Witu  who  had  been 
chastised  by  Sir  Edmund  Eobert  Fremantle,  had  grown  restless 
and  dangerous.  When,  in  addition,  he  began  to  commit  outrages, 
it  was  decided  that  his  territory  should  be  again  attacked.  With 

•  Nav.  &  Mil.  Sec.,  Ap.   7,  May  5,  12   and   26,  1891 :    Times,  June  2,  1892  : 
A.  &  N.  Gaz.  1892,  p.  265. 
2  Jan.  10,  1893. 


408      MIL1TAEY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

that  object  in  view,  the  third-class  cruiser  Blanche,  Captain  George 
.Robert  Lindley,  the  sloop  Swalloio,  Commander  Lewis  Dod 
Sampson,  and  the  gunboat  Sparrow,  Lieutenant  Francis  George 
Theodore  Cole,  proceeded  to  the  estuary,  near  the  head  of  which 
lies  the 'town  of  Mkonumbi,  and  landed  a  Naval  Brigade,  which, 
being  joined  by  a  body  of  70  native  soldiers,  marched  into  the 
densely  wooded  country,  led  by  Lindley  in  person.  After  some 
brisk  fighting,  Pumwani  was  taken  on  August  7th,  and  Jongeni  on 
August  13th,  both  places  being  destroyed.  The  British  loss  was 
one  stoker  killed,  and  Lieutenant  Maurice  Swinfen  Fitzmaurice 
(Blanche),  and  Sub-Lieutenant  William  Hampton  Gervis  (Sparrow), 
wounded.  Among  other  officers  who,  in  addition  to  those  already 
named,  were  mentioned  in  the  despatches,  were  Lieutenants 
Edward  Buxton  Kiddle,  John  de  Mestre  Hutchison,  Vincent 
Barkly  Molteno,  and  Thomas  Leslie  Thorpe-Doubble,  Sub-Lieu- 
tenant Murray  MacGregor  Lockhart,  Surgeon  Frederick  John  Lilly, 
Gunner  Charles  Higgins,  and  Boatswain  George  Henry  Kelsey. 
The  expedition,  which  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  James  Eennell 
Rodd,1  who  was  then  in  charge  of  the  Agency  at  Zanzibar,  gained 
the  C.B.  for  Captain  Lindley.  In  the  following  October,  Fumo 
Omari  having  again  become  troublesome,  and  having  re-fortified 
Pumwani  in  defiance  of  his  engagements,  it  became  necessary  to 
make  a  new  expedition  into  the  same  district.  This  was  under- 
taken by  a  Brigade  from  the  third-class  cruiser  Racoon,  Com- 
mander Frank  Hannam  Henderson,  the  Blanche,  and  the  Swallow, 
accompanied  by  some  Zanzibari  troops.  It  is  known  as  the 
Lamu  Forest  Expedition,  Laniu  being  close  to  the  point  whence 
the  Brigade  started  inland.2  Pumwani  was  again  taken,  and 
destroyed. 

Further  north,  and  close. to  the  confines  of  Italian  Sornaliland, 
there  had  been  friction  earlier  in  the  year.  In  February  during  a. 
grand  barazza  or  palaver  at  Kismayu,  between  Mr.  Todd,  the 
British  consular  agent,  and  the  native  chiefs,  the  tribesmen  made 
some  sort  of  an  attack  upon  Mr.  Todd,  who,  however,  kept  them 
off  with  his  revolver.  The  gunboat  Widgeon,  Lieutenant  William 
Jabez  Scullard,  was  on  the  spot,  and  had  landed  a  party  of  blue- 
jackets and  Marines  to  keep  guard  near  the  meeting-place.  Although, 
as  was  stated,  a  body  of  400  Somalis  endeavoured  to  cut  off  this  force 

1  Rodd  to  Bosebery,  Aug.  11  and  29 ;  Bedford  to  Admlty.,  Aug.  13,  1893. 

2  Henderson  to  Bedford,  Oct.  12,  1893. 


1893.]  TROUBLES  AT  KISMAYU.  409 

from  its  boats,  a  few  rounds  fired  from  the  ship  dispersed  the  enemy, 
and  secured  the  evacuation  of  the  town.1  How  far  the  natives  really 
meant  mischief  is  doubtful.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  Scullard's 
action  was  responsible,  to  some  extent,  for  ill-feeling  which  led  to 
further  complications,  although  the  direct  cause  of  the  next  trouble 
seems  to  have  been  the  unwise  stoppage  of  pay  of  certain  Keriboto 
levies  who,  from  having  served  for  a  time  in  India,  had  become 
known,  quite  improperly,  as  "  Hyderabad  men." 

About  60  of  these  "Hyderabad  men,"  out  of  a  total  of  250 
employed  by  the  British  East  Africa  Company,  mutinied  in  the 
summer  of  1893,  sallied  out  from  Kismayu,  attacked  and  killed  one 
of  their  officers,  Hamilton  by  name,  and  seized  Turkey  Hill  Fort, 
which  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Juba  river,  and  some  little  way 
inland  from  its  mouth.  The  garrison,  which  fought  loyally,  and 
suffered  considerable  loss,  retreated  to  Kismayu  and  Fort  Golwen. 
According  to  some  accounts,  the  mutineers  were  assisted  by  dis- 
affected Somalis ;  but  it  seems  probable  that  at  Turkey  Hill  Fort 
the  Somalis  did  merely  jackals'  work  when  the  actual  attack  was 
over.  Certain  it  is,  nevertheless,  that  very  soon  afterwards  almost 
all  the  natives  of  the  district  became  hostile  to  the  British.  Kismayu 
itself,  indeed,  was  eventually  attacked  by  Somalis,  who,  however, 
were  driven  off. 

Not  long  after  the  murder  of  Mr.  Hamilton,  the  third-class 
cruiser  Blanche  arrived  on  the  spot  from  Zanzibar.  Her  Captain, 
Lindley,  had  been  left  behind  sick  as  the  result  of  his  exertions  in 
Wituland,  and  her  first  Lieutenant,  John  de  Mestre  Hutchison,  as 
well  as  two  other  officers,  though  still  on  board,  was  incapacitated 
by  illness,  so  that  the  command  had  devolved  upon  Lieutenant  Price 
Vaughan  Lewes.2  He  landed  on  the  beach  south  of  the  river's 
mouth  with  forty  volunteers  from  the  cruiser,  and,  joined  by  a 
body  of  fifty  loyal  Keribotos,  made  a  night  march  and  retook 
Turkey  Hill  Fort  by  surprise.  He  then  pushed  across  to  the 
River  Juba,  where,  below  Fort  Golwen,  the  British  East  Africa 
Company's  shallow-draught  stern-wheel  steamer  Kenia  was  lying, 
with  two  Englishmen,  who  were  supposed  to  be  in  great  danger,  in 
her.  Her  boiler  was  repaired  under  fire,  largely  by  the  efforts  of 
Engine-room  Artificer  G.  S.  Carey,  and  Leading-Stoker  Alfred 
White ;  and,  on  the  following  morning,  Lewes  steamed  up  the 
river,  shelled  and  destroyed  the  hostile  town  of  Magerada,  landed 

1  A.  &  N.  Oaz.  Mar.  11,  1893.  2  D.S.O.  for  this  service,  Dec.  12,  1893. 


410      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

with   thirty  men   and   captured   Hajualli  after  an  hour's  fighting, 
and,  subsequently  crossing  the  stream,  took  the  village  of  Hajowen. 

The  crew  of  the  Kenia  had  afterwards  to  be  withdrawn  from 
her,  owing  to  the  weakness  of  the  Company's  forces  on  the  spot ; 
but  Commander  Frank  Hannain  Henderson,  of  the  Racoon,  presently 
rescued  about  20,000  rounds  of  ammunition  from  the  stern- wheeler, 
as  well  as  25,000  rupees'  worth  of  goods,  and  some  stores,  and 
conveyed  the  salvage  to  Kismayu.1  He  would  have  done  more, 
had  not  his  further  operations  been  stopped  by  orders  from  his 
superiors,  who  feared,  apparently,  to  be  led  into  hostilities  on  a 
serious  scale. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  first  appearance  of  a  British 
man-of-war  in  the  Zambesi  have  already  been  described ;  and  it 
has  been  told  how  the  stern-wheel  steamers  Mosquito  and  Herald 
were  put  upon  the  upper  waters  of  that  great  river.  In  1891,  a 
slave-trading  chief  named  Makanjira,2  whose  territory  lay  on  the 
south-eastern  coast  of  Lake  Nyassa,  entrapped  and  killed  Captain 
Cecil  Maguire,  the  commander  of  the  troops  in  British  Central 
Africa ;  and  it  became  necessary  to  punish  the  marauder,  and  to 
assert  British  supremacy  in  the  neighbourhood  of  his  district. 
But,  since  it  was  felt  that  nothing  decisive  could  be  achieved 
upon  the  shores  of  an  inland  sea  until  the  control  of  that  sea 
had  first  been  secured ;  since  the  control  of  Nyassa  could  not  be 
secured  without  the  assistance  of  armed  steam-vessels ;  since  no 
craft  of  that  description  were,  or  could  be  constructed,  upon 
the  lake ;  and  since,  moreover,  not  so  much  as  a  boat  could  pass 
from  the  Zambesi,  up  the  Shire,  and  so  into  the  Lake,  owing  to 
the  rapids,  preparations  for  the  chastisement  of  Makanjira  were 
necessarily  slow. 

From  Messrs.  Yarrow,  of  Poplar,  the  builders  of  the  Mosquito 
and  Herald,  the  Admiralty  ordered  three  other  craft,  which,  though 
smaller  than,  and  differing  from,  the  two  first,  resembled  them  in 
the  particular  of  being  capable  of  being  taken  to  pieces,  and  so 
transported  overland.  One  of  them,  the  Dove,  a  paddle-steamer 
of  20  tons'  displacement  and  50  I.H.P.,  was  designed  for  the  service 
of  the  Upper  Shire,  above  the  rapids.  The  other  two,  the  Adven- 
ture and  the  Pioneer,  screw  steamers  of  35  tons'  displacement  and 
80  I.H.P.,  were  designed  to  do  duty  upon  Lake  Nyassa.  After 

1  Desps. :  priv.  letters  :  A.  &  N.  <7az.,.Nov.  25,  1893. 

2  A  titular  name.     Comp.  Cfesar,  Pharaoh,  etc. 


1893.]  OPERATIONS    ON  LAKE  NYASSA.  411 

having  been  built,  put  together,  and  tried  in  the  Thames,  these 
three  little  craft  were  taken  to  pieces  again,  and  shipped  in  numerous 
transverse  sections  to  Chinde,  at  the  Chinde  mouth  of  the  Zambesi, 
where  they  arrived  in  October,  1892.  Thence,  by  an  arrangement 
with  the  German  Anti-Slavery  Society's  expedition,  which  also  was 
proceeding  to  the  Lake,  they  were  placed  in  German  lighters,  and 
towed  up  stream  by  Lieutenant  Charles  Hope  Eobertson,  who  then 
commanded  the  Herald,  and  was  senior  naval  officer  in  the  river. 
By  January  20th,  1893,  all  the  materials  were  at  Ishikwawa,  300 
miles  above  Chinde,  and  immediately  below  the  commencement  of 
the  Shir6  rapids.  Thence,  under  the  management  of  Lieutenant 
C.  A.  Edwards,  of  the  Indian  Staff  Corps,  they  were  carried  in 
waggons  drawn  by  native  porters  to  Mpimbi,  80  miles  further  up. 
Eobertson,  with  six  naval  artificers,  two  of  Messrs.  Yarrow's 
artificers,  and  six  Indian  riveters,  also  went  thither,  and,  on 
May  30th,  1893,  launched  the  Dove,  which  hoisted  the  pennant  a 
few  days  later.  On  June  17th,  with  Eobertson  in  command,  she 
first  showed  the  White  Ensign  on  the  Lake.  The  Adventure  and 
Pioneer  were  then  put  together,  and  commissioned  in  a  similar 
manner. 

Various  circumstances  delayed  the  immediate  punishment  of 
Makanjira.  In  the  meantime,  on  November  8th,  1893,  Lieutenant 
Eobertson,  then  in  charge  of  the  Adventure,  took  part  in  operations 
against  one  of  Makanjira's  allies,  Kiwaura,  who  had  seized  the 
town  of  Kisamba,  three  miles  inland  from  Kota-Kota.  He  also 
assisted,  with  both  the  Pioneer  and  the  Adventure,  in  an  expedition 
against  Makanjira's  mother,  Kaluunda,  a  slave-trading  chieftainess 
who  ruled  on  the  west  coast,  about  Mount  Eifu  and  Leopard's  Bay. 
On  November  14th,  the  Pioneer,  Lieutenant  Edward  Cecil  Villiers, 
covered  the  landing  in  Eifu  Bay,  while  the  Adventure,  steaming 
round  a  point,  took  the  enemy  in  flank,  and  shelled  him  out  of  his 
village  there,  driving  Kaluunda  to  a  mountainous  fastness  on  the 
north  point  of  Leopard  Bay.  To  succour  his  mother,  Makanjira 
that  night  sent  over  a  dhow  which,  eluding  the  Pioneer,  ran  herself 
ashore  close  under  the  enemy's  stronghold.  She  was  intended  to 
take  off  Kaluunda  and  a  number  of  slaves ;  but,  as  soon  as  she  was 
discovered,  Villiers  steamed  in  under  a  brisk  fire,  and  destroyed  her. 
This  led  to  the  chieftainess's  surrender. 

The  expedition  against  Makanjira  himself  made  rendezvous  at 
Monkey  Bay,  a  fiord-like  arm  on  the  western  side  of  the  Lake, 


412      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

where  a  depot  belonging  to  the  Admiralty  had  been  established. 
There  flats  were  borrowed  and  armed ;  and  at  midnight  on 
November  18th,  the  flotilla,  with  these  in  tow,  weighed.  By  dawn 
next  morning  it  lay  off  the  low-lying  shores  of  Makanjira's  territory. 
The  Adventure  and  Pioneer  shelled  the  coast  for  half  an  hour  ;  and 
then  the  troops,  Sikhs  and  native  levies,  were  landed  without 
opposition.  An  entrenched  camp  was  formed  near  the  enemy's 
town,  upon  which  the.  Nordenfelt  machine-guns  of  the  gunboats 
in  the  bay  kept  up  an  occasional  fire.  On  the  20th,  after  hard 
fighting,  the  town,  a  very  large  one,  was  taken  and  burnt  by  the 
troops,  but  not  until  part  of  the  attacking  party  had  been  surrounded 
and  nearly  cut  off.  Indeed,  it  might  have  been  annihilated,  had  not 
Robertson  grasped  the  situation,  and  taken  the  Adventure  in  as 
close  as  possible.  He  worked  his  Nordenfelts  to  such  good  effect 
that  the  enemy  broke  and  fled.  As  soon  as  the  town  was  in  flames, 
the  Pioneer  steamed  off  to  the  northward,  where  she  had  the  good 
fortune  to  find  and  cut  out  the  only  dhow  that  still  remained  in 
the  hands  of  the  slavers  on  the  Lake.  Unhappily,  Makanjira 
effected  his  escape  into  Portuguese  territory1 ;  and  he  remained 
troublesome  until  the  spring  of  1894,  when,  attacking  Fort  Maguire, 
he  was  heavily  defeated,  and  taught  so  plain  a  lesson  that  thereupon 
he  surrendered. 

In  February,  1893,  while  the  Dove,  Adventure,  and  Pioneer  were 
still  in  process  of  transport  up  the  Shire  in  sections,  a  slave-trading 
chief  named  Liwonde  attacked  an  expedition  which  had  entered 
his  district  under  Captain  Johnson,  the  officer  commanding  the 
troops  in  British  Central  Africa.  The  Commissioner,  Mr.  (after- 
wards Sir)  Harry  H.  Johnston,  collected  a  small  force,  and  marched 
against  Liwonde's  principal  village,  Malawi,  which  he  took.  He 
then  moved  to  a  point  on  the  Upper  Shire  where  the  trading- 
steamer  Domira  had  grounded,  while  on  her  way  down  stream. 
There  he  met  with  very  stubborn  resistance,  and  had  to  fortify 
himself,  though  ultimately  the  Domira  was  got  off,  whereupon 
retreat  became  again  possible. 

News  of  the  situation  reached  Blantyre.  Without  delay,  Lieu- 
tenant George  Shadwell  Quartano  Carr,  of  the  Mosquito,  landed 
twenty-eight  of  his  officers 2  and  men,  collected  ten  white  volun- 

1  Author,  in  New  Review,  Ap.  1894 :  desps.  of  Eobertson,  and  Mr.  H.  H.  Johnston  : 
priv.  journs.  of  Lieut.  C.  A.  Edwards,  35th  Sikhs. 

2  Including  Surg.  Alex.  Fleming  Harper,  of  the  Mosquito. 


1893.] 


MACLEOD   AT  BANGKOK. 


413 


teers,  and  a  number  of  natives,  and,  taking  with  him  a  Nordenfelt 
gun,  marched  overland  at  great  speed  to  the  relief  of  the  beleaguered 
Commissioner,  being  presently  followed  by  Lieutenant  Robertson. 
Mr.  Johnston,  thus  timely  reinforced,  was  able  to  rout  the  enemy, 
and  to  make  a  progress  through  Liwonde's  country,  with  the  result 
that  the  chief  was  glad  to  sue  for  peace.1  The  work  done  on 
this  and  other  occasions  in  British  Central  Africa  by  Lieutenants 
Robertson  and  Carr  was  considered  so  creditable  that  each  officer 
was  given  the  C.M.G.  on  January  3rd,  1895 ;  by  which  date  the 
protectorate  had  been  rendered  comparatively  quiet  and  pros- 
perous. In  the  interval,  Robertson  had  been  made  a  Commander 
on  January  1st,  1894. 

At  about  the  same  time,  the  Dove,  Adventure,  and  Pioneer  were 
handed  over  by  the  Admiralty  to  the  administration  of  British 
Central  Africa ;  and  the  Navy  ceased  thenceforth  to  maintain  a 
force  on  Lake  Nyassa. 

A  few  minor  operations  of  the  year  remain  to  be  noticed. 

In  April,  1893,  owing  to  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
authorities  to  collect  arrears  of  taxes,  serious  riots  broke  out  in 
the  island  of  Dominica ;  and  although  a  party  of  bluejackets  and 
Marines  was  landed  from  the  third-class  cruiser  Mohawk,  Com- 
mander Edward  Henry  Bayly,  to  assist  the  police,  order  was  not 
re-established  until  many  injuries  had  been  inflicted  on  both 
sides,  and  four  of  the  rioters  had  been  killed.  Bayly,  who  was 
among  the  hurt,  received  the  thanks  of  the  Colonial  Office  and  of 
the  Admiralty.2 

On  July  24,  in  consequence  of  the  refusal  of  Siam  to  meet  the 
demands  of  France  for  compensation  for  alleged  damage,  a  blockade 
of  Bangkok  was  declared  by  the  French  Rear-Admiral  Humann, 
who  claimed  that  the  measure  applied  as  well  to  British  warships 
as  to  merchant  vessels,  and  thereupon  ordered  the  third-class  cruiser 
Pallas,  Captain  Angus  MacLeod,  and  the  gun-vessel  Stuift,  Com- 
mander Francis  George  Kirby,  to  proceed  outside  the  limits  of  the 
blockade  as  he  defined  them.  This  order  was  complied  with  by 
the  British  vessels ;  but,  nevertheless,  the  attitude  of  some  of  the 
French  officers  was  extremely  aggressive,  and  much  injustice  was 
done  to  British  traders.  On  one  occasion  the  French  gunboat  Lion, 
with  her  crew  at  quarters,  and  her  guns  bearing  on  the  cruiser, 


1  Parl.  Paper  C.  7031  (1893)  :  desp.  of  Mar.  19,  1893. 

2  Hansard,  xiv.,  490. 


414       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

steamed  down  in  a  very  provocative  manner  upon  the  Pallas,  which 
could  have  blown  her  out  of  the  water  ;  and  only  Captain  MacLeod's 
prudence  and  coolness  averted  a  most  regrettable  conflict.  Upon 
the  raising  of  the  blockade,  on  August  24th,  Eear-Admiral  Humann 
obliged  the  officer  commanding  the  Lion  to  apologise  to  the  Captain 
of  the  Pallas.1 

On  July  7th,  at  Samoa,  fighting  began  between  the  partisans 
of  the  ruling  chief,  Malietoa,  and  those  of  his  rival,  Mataafa,  but 
was  stopped  by  the  prompt  intervention  of  the  British  cruiser 
Curaqoa,  Captain  Herbert  William  Sumner  Gibson,  and  the  German 
cruisers  Falke  and  Bussard,  which  shelled  the  rebel  position  while 
Malietoa's  forces  attacked  it  from  the  land  side.  The  result  was 
the  surrender  of  Mataafa,  who  was  conveyed  on  board  the  Curaqoa 
to  Apia,  the  capital,  the  Bussard  remaining  to  disarm  his  fol- 
lowers.2 In  the  course  of  the  previous  year,  1892,  Captain 
Gibson  had  visited  the  Gardner,  .Danger,  and  Nassau  Islands, 
proclaiming  a  British  protectorate  over  each  of  those  Pacific  groups. 
He  had  also  hoisted  the  flag  in  the  Ellice  Islands,  and  in  those 
islands  of  the  Solomon  group  lying  within  the  British  sphere  of 
influence. 

In  the  present  volume  it  has  not  been  found  possible  to  devote 
much  space  to  detailed  accounts  of  such  losses  as  have  been 
occasioned  to  the  fleet  by  wreck,  fire,  and  other  accidents  of  the 
sea.  Brief  particulars  of  all  losses  will  be  found  in  the  various 
appendices  which  are  devoted  to  the  subject ;  but,  had  space  per- 
mitted, it  would  have  been  a  grateful  task  to  add  largely  to  those 
meagre  notes,  and  to  dwell  upon  some  of  the  innumerable  deeds 
of  heroism  which  have  been  performed  by  officers  and  men  of  the 
Navy  when  face  to  face  with  terrors  far  more  appalling  even  than 
those  of  the  most  desperate  fight  with  human  enemies.  The  wreck 
of  the  Birkenhead,  and  the  burning  of  the  Bombay,  to  mention  no 
other  cases,  are  catastrophes  which  have  enabled  British  seamen 
and  Marines  to  display  the  very  highest  qualities  of  discipline, 
devotion,  dignity  and  manhood.  Unfortunately,  the  fighting  work 
of  the  Navy,  which  is  its  chief  work,  puts  forward  still  more 
pressing  claims ;  and,  as  a  rule,  only  when  the  circumstances  of 
an  accident  have  seemed  to  have  some  important  connection  with 
the  efficiency  of  the  fleet  or  with  the  professional  capacity  of  its 

1  Nav.  &  Mil.  Rec.,  Aug.  3  and  10,  1893. 

2  A.  &  N.  Gaz.,  Sept.  1,  1893;  Times,  Oct.  17,  1893;  and  Germ,  disps. 


1893.]  LOSS    OF   THE  "  VICTORIA."  415 

leaders  has  it  been  deemed  permissible  to  devote  more  than  a  few 
words  to  the  story  of  the  misfortune. 

Of  accidents  of  this  kind,  perhaps  the  most  striking  in  the  whole 
long  history  of  the  Eoyal  Navy  was  the  loss  of  the  Victoria. 

On  June  22nd,  1893,  the  Mediterranean  fleet  lay  off  Beyrout. 
The  Commander-in-Chief ,'  Vice-Admiral  Sir  George  Tryon,  K.C.B., 
flew  his  flag  in  the  battleship  Victoria l ;  the  second  in  command, 
Bear-Admiral  Albert  Hastings  Markham,  flew  his  in  the  battleship 
Camperdoum,1  his  proper  flagship,  the  Trafalgar,1  being  under  repair 
at  Malta.  At  10  A.M.  the  fleet  weighed  and  left  for  Tripoli,  another 
Syrian  port. 

Soon  after  2  P.M.  Tryon  sent  for  Staff-Commander  Thomas 
Hawkins  Smith,  who,  when  he  entered  the  Vice-Admiral's  cabin, 
found  Captain  the  Hon.  Maurice  Archibald  Bourke,  of  the  flag-ship, 
already  there.  Tryon  said  that,  in  order  to  bring  the  fleet  into  suit- 
able formation  for  anchoring  as  he  intended,  he  would  form  it  into 
two  divisions  in  line  ahead,  and  that,  when  it  should  be  far  enough 
past  the  line  of  bearings  for  anchoring,  he  would  invert  the  course  of 
the  columns  by  turning  inwards  16  points,  leaders  together,  the  rest 
in  succession.  He  also  said  that  the  distance  between  the  columns 
prior  to  the  inception  of  this  manoeuvre  should  be  six  cables  (1200 
yards).  It  was  remarked  that,  in  such  a  case,  the  minimum 
distance  between  the  columns  should  be  eight  cables  (1600 
yards) ;  whereupon  the  Vice-Admiral  said  :  "  Yes  :  it  shall  be  eight 
cables."  Soon  afterwards,  however,  signals  were  made  in  the  usual 
manner  for  the  fleet  to  form  columns  of  divisions  in  line  ahead,  the 
columns  to  be  disposed  abeam  to  port,  and  to  be  six  cables  apart. 
The  Staff-Commander,  noticing  that  the  distance  was  six  cables, 
went  to  the  Flag-Lieutenant,  Lord  Gillford,  and  asked  him  whether 
there  was  not  a  mistake ;  and,  being  shown  the  order  for  six  cables 
in  Tryon's  handwriting,  he  asked  Lord  Gillford  to  make  sure  before 
'hauling  the  signal  down.  The  Flag-Lieutenant  went  to  the  Vice- 
Admiral,  but  was  told  :  "  Keep  the  six  cables  up." 

At  3.27  P.M.  the  signal  to  invert  the  columns  by  altering  course 
16  points  inwards  was  hoisted.  At  that  time,  it  may  be  explained, 
the  fleet  was  steaming  east  by  north  in  two  columns,  the  starboard 
(1st  division)  or  right  hand  one  of  which  was  led  by  the  Victoria, 
and  the  port  (2nd  division),  or  left  hand  one,  by  the  Camperdown, 

1  For  particulars,  etc.  of  those  ships,  see  pp.  31  and  32,  and  the  plates  facing 
pp.  48  and  56  in  this  volume. 


416       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

those  ships  being  abreast  of  one  another  and  1200  yards  asunder. 
The  speed  was  8'8  knots. 

It  is  curious,  and,  I  think,  significant,  that  Vice-Admiral  Fitz- 
Gerald,  in  his  "  Life  of  Sir  George  Tryon,"  does  not  give  particulars 
of  the  signal  which  was  actually  made;  neither  does  Mr.  Thursfield, 
in  the  account  of  the  disaster  which  he  contributed  to  the  "  Naval 
Annual"  for  1894;  neither  does  the  finding  of  the  Court-Martial. 
It  is  well,  therefore,  to  give  them  here.1  There  were,  in  fact,  two 
separate  signals,  which,  translated  from  the  signal-book,  were 
worded  respectively  as  follows  :— - 

SECOND  DIVISION  FIRST  DIVISION 

16  POINTS  TO  STARBOARD  16  POINTS  TO  PORT 

IN  SUCCESSION  IN  SUCCESSION 

PRESERVING  THE  ORDER  OF  THE  FLEET.  PRESERVING  THE  ORDER  OF  THE  FLKET. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  signals  about  leaders  turning  together. 
The  moment  for  the  leaders  to  begin  the  evolution  in  such  a  case 
is  indicated  by  the  hauling  down  of  the  signals.  But  before  the 
signals  can  be  hauled  down  they  have  to  be  repeated  by  the  other 
ships  and  acknowledged.  Acknowledgment  by  the  leader  of  the 
second  division  (the  Camperdotvn)  was  on  this  occasion  delayed, 
owing,  as  was  stated  subsequently,  to  the  fact  that  Bear-Admiral 
Markham  suspected  that  there  must  be  some  mistake,  and  ordered 
his  Flag-Lieutenant  to  make  an  enquiry  on  the  subject  by 
semaphore.  Ere,  however,  the  semaphore  signal  was  made,  the 
Commander-in-Chief  signalled  to  ask  what  the  Bear-Admiral  was 
waiting  for ;  and  Markham,  then  jumping  to  the  conclusion  that 
something  other  than  what  he  had  at  first  imagined  must  be 
intended,  and  placing,  as  he  said,  implicit  confidence  in  Tryon, 
ordered  the  signal  to  be  acknowledged  in  the  ordinary  way.  That 
acknowledgment,  of  course,  meant  that  the  signal  was  compre- 
hended, and  that  it  could  and  would  be  acted  upon  when  the  proper 
moment  should  arrive.  An  instant  later,  at  3.31  P.M.,  the  Victoria's 
two  signals  were  hauled  down  simultaneously.  This  indicated  that 
the  execution  of  the  two  manoeuvres  was  to  begin  at  once,  and 
simultaneously.  Accordingly,  the  helms  of  the  two  flagships  were 
put  over,  and  the  great  vessels  began  to  turn  inwards,  and  towards 
one  another.  Tryon  stood  on  the  top  of  the  Victoria's  chart-house, 
and  watched. 

1  The  signals  have  been  drawn  for  me,  as  they  were  hoisted,  by  an  officer  who  was 
present.     It  is  deemed  unnecessary  to  reproduce  the  flags,  etc.,  that  were  used. 


1893.] 


LOSS    OF   THE  "  VICTORIA." 


417 


Staff-Commander  Smith,  who  was  by  his  chief's  side  then  and 
until  the  end,  says : — 

"  As  the  two  ships  (  Victoria  and  Camperdown)  neared  one  another,  the  port  engine 
of  the  Victoria  was  reversed,  and,  when  about  10  points  round,  both  engines  were  put 
'  full  speed  astern,'  these  directions  being  given  by  the  Commander-in-Chief.  The  two 
ships  rapidly  neared  one  another,  and  the  Victoria,  being  turned  in  a  smaller  circle 
than  the  Camperdown,  was  slightly  in  advance  of  the  latter,  so  that  the  stem  of  the 


VICE-ADM1KAL    SIR   GEORGE   TRYON,    K.C.B. 

Lost  with  the  Victoria,  June  22nd,  1893. 

(From  a  photo  bij  Maull  <t  .Far.) 

Camperdown  struck  the  Victoria  on  the  starboard  bow,  about  ten  feet  abaft  the  anchor,, 
at  about  3.34  P.M. — the  angle  between  the  lines  of  keel  of  the  two  ships  being  about 
.six  points,  or  68°. 

"  When  the  collision  appeared  to  be  inevitable,  the  order  was  given  to  close  water- 
tight doors  ;  and,  as  the  two  ships  struck,  the  order  was  given,  '  out  collision-mat.' 

"  The  Camperdown  backed  astern  ;  and  exertions  were  made  to  get  the  collision- 
mat  over  the  hole  ;  but  the  ship  settled  so  quickly  by  the  head  that  this  could  not  be 
VOL.  VII.  2  E 


418       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

done.  In  the  meantime  (the  Captain  having  left  the  top  of  the  chart-house  by  order 
of  the  Commander-in-Chief  to  see  about  the  water-tight  doors)  it  was  thought  that 
the  ship,  being  struck  so  far  forward,  would  keep  afloat  for  a  considerable  time ;  and, 
being  then  in  deep  water  (70  to  80  fathoms),  it  was  considered  desirable  to  steer  for 
shallow  water — the  nearest  part  of  the  5-fathom  line  bearing  about  south,  distant 
4i  miles.  The  ship's  head  was  turned  in  that  direction,  by  going  astern  with  the 
port  engine,  and  ahead  with  the  starboard,  so  as  to  clear  the  Nile,1  the  helm  being 
still  hard  a-starboard.  As  soon  as  the  ship's  head  was  pointed  clear  of  the  Nile,  both 
engines  were  put  ahead,2  and  the  revolution  telegraph  put  to  38  revolutions,  or  7  knots." 

The  collision-mat  could  not  be  got  over  the  hole.  Tryon,  there- 
fore, had  to  content  himself  with  ordering  all  the  apertures  on  the 
low-lying  forward  deck  to  be  closed ;  and  men  were  busily  engaged 
upon  that  work  until,  the  water  rising  to  their  waists,  they  had 
to  be  called  in.  In  the  interval  the  Victoria's  bows  sank  steadily 
deeper  and  deeper,  while  the  ship  took  a  list  to  starboard. 

"  At  this  time  (immediately  after  the  engines  had  been  put  '  ahead '),  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  remarked  to  the  Staff-Commander,  '  I  think  she  is  going.'  The  latter 
replied,  '  Yes,  sir ;  I  think  she  is.'  The  Commander-in-Chief  then  ordered  the  signal 
to  be  made  '  send  boats ' ; 3  and,  turning  round  to  give  these  orders  to  the  signalmen, 
who  were  on  the  fore-bridge,  abaft  the  funnels,  he  saw  one  of  the  Midshipmen 
standing  near  the  standard  compass,  and  said  to  him,  'Don't  stop  there,  youngster  : 
go  to  a  boat.'  These  were  probably  his  last  words,  for,  a  few  moments  after  this,  the 
ship  gave  a  heavy  lurch  to  starboard,  and  then  turned  over  almost  instantaneously  .  .  ." 

Staff-Commander  Smith  went  down  with  Tryon,  but  was  sub- 
sequently saved.  His  watch  had  stopped  at  3h.  44m.  30s. ;  so  that, 
in  all  probability,  not  more  than  about  ten  minutes  elapsed  between 
the  moment  of  the  collision  and  that  of  the  Victoria's  disappearance. 
During  that  time,  both  Smith  and  Lord  Gillford  heard  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief say,  "  It  is  entirely  my  fault."  Tryon  met  his  fate 
calmly  and  bravely,  and,  after  the  ship  turned  over,  was  never 
seen  again. 

A  court-martial  to  try  the  surviving  officers  and  men  of  the 
Victoria  assembled  in  the  Hibernia,  at  Malta,  on  July  17th,  and 
sat  until  July  '27th,  Admiral  Sir  Michael  Culme-Seymour  presiding, 
and  Captain  Alfred  Leigh  Winsloe  acting  as  prosecutor.  Owing  to 
the  peculiarities  of  naval  court-martial  procedure,  Bear-Admiral 

1  The  second  ship  of  the  first  division,  commanded  by  Capt.  Gerard  Henry  Uctred 
Noel.     The  second  ship  of  the  second  division  was  the  Edinburgh,  Capt.  John  William 
Brackenbury. 

2  The  wisdom  of  this  is  questionable,  looking  to  the  damaged  state  of  the  ship's 
bows,  unless,  indeed,  the  Victoria  could  not  go  astern. 

8  Several  ships  had  previously  begun  to  get  out  their  boats,  but  Tryon  had 
forbidden  the  immediate  sending  of  them,  probably  fearing  lest  the  sinking  of  the  flag- 
ship, while  boats  were  close  alongside,  would  add  to  the  extent  of  the  disaster. 


1893.]  LOSS   OF   THE  "  VICTORIA."  419 

Markham,  and  his  Flag-Captain,  Charles  Johnstone,  of  the  Camper- 
down,  though  really  on  their  trial  indirectly,  enjoyed  none  of  the 
privileges  which  are  allowed  to  nominal  prisoners.  Markham, 
however,  was  present,  and  was  permitted  to  suggest  questions 
which,  by  consent  of  the  court,  were  then  put  to  witnesses.  The 
essential  part  of  the  finding  was  as  follows  :— 

"...  the  loss  of  her  Majesty's  ship  Victoria,  off  Tripoli,  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  on 
ihe  22nd  day  of  June,  1893,  was  caused  by  a  collision  with  her  Majesty's  ship 
Camperdown  :  and  it  is  with  the  deepest  sorrow  and  regret  that  the  Court  further 
finds  that  this  collision  was  due  to  an  order  given  by  the  then  Commander-in-Chief, 
the  late  Vice-Admiral  Sir  George  Tryon,  to  the  two  divisions  in  which  the  fleet  was 
formed  to  turn  sixteen  points  inwards,  leaders  first,  the  others  in  succession,  the 
columns  at  that  time  being  only  six  cables  apart. 

"  Secondly  :  that  after  the  collision  had  occurred,  everything  that  was  possible  was 
done  on  board  her  Majesty's  ship  Victoria,  and  in  the  squadron  generally,  both  to  save 
life  and  to  save  the  Victoria ;  and  the  Court  is  of  opinion  that  the  order  given  by  the 
late  Yice-Admiral  Sir  George  Tryon  to  'annul  sending  boats,  but  to  hold  them  in 
readiness,'  was,  under  the  circumstances,  a  wise  one. 

"  Thirdly :  the  Court  finds  that  no  blame  is  attributable  to  Captain  the  Hon. 
Maurice  Archibald  Bourke,  or  to  any  other  of  the  surviving  officers  and  ship's 
company  of  her  Majesty's  ship  Victoria,  for  the  loss  of  that  ship,  and  doth  therefoie 
acquit  them  accordingly.  The  Court  desires  to  record  its  opinion  that  the  discipline 
and  order  maintained  on  board  the  Victoria  to  the  last  by  everyone  was  in  the 
highest  degree  creditable  to  all  concerned. 

"  Fourthly :  the  Court  feels  strongly  that  although  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that 
Rear-Admiral  Albert  Hastings  Markham  did  not  carry  out  his  first  intention  of 
semaphoring  to  the  Commander-in-Chief  his  doubt  as  to  the  signal,  it  would  be  fatal 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  service  to  say  he  was  to  blame  for  carrying  out  the  directions 
of  his  Commander-in-Chief  present  in  person." 

Some  time  afterwards,  viz.,  on  October  28th,  the  Admiralty 
adopted  the  rather  unusual  course  of  reviewing  the  proceedings  and 
finding  in  a  Minute,  which  contained  the  following  paragraph  :— 

"  Their  Lordships  concur  in  the  feeling  expressed  by  the  Court  that  it  is  much  to 

•be  regretted  that  Rear-Admiral  A.  H.  Markham  did  not  carry  out  his  first  intention 

•of  semaphoring  to  the  Commander-in-Chief  his  doubts  as  to  the  signal ;  but  they  deem 

it  necessary  to  point  out  that  the  Rear- Admiral's  belief  that  the  Commander-in-Chief 

would  circle  round  him  was  not  justified  by  the  proper  interpretation  of  the  signal. 

The  evidence  shows  that  it  was  owing  to  this  misconception  that  the  precautions, 

which  mistrust  of  the  order  given  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  should  have  prompted, 

were  not  at  once  taken  by  the  Rear-Admiral,  and   that  he  did   not  order   Captain 

..Johnstone  to  reverse  the  starboard  screw,  and  to  close  the  watertight  doors,  until  after 

the  ships  had  turned  eight  points  inwards  and  were  end  on." ' 

Before  the  making  of  any  comments  on  this  most  terrible 
disaster,  the  rendering  of  a  tribute  to  the  magnificent  behaviour 
of  the  Victoria's  people  in  their  time  of  peril  must  be  attended  to ; 

1  Parl.  Paper  (1893),  including  Procs.  of  C.M.,  Admlty.  Min.,  and  Report  of  Dir. 
..of  Nav.  Const  r. 

2   E   2 


420      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

for  those  who  survived  and  those  who  died  behaved  equally  gloriously. 
Captain  Bourke,  in  his  evidence,  said  : — 

"  There  was  absolutely  no  panic,  no  shouting,  no  rushing  aimlessly  about.  The 
officers  went  quietly  to  their  stations,  and  everything  was  prepared,  and  the  men  were 
all  in  their  positions,  for  hoisting  out  boats  or  performing  any  duty  that  may  have 
been  ordered.  .  .  .  The  men  on  the  forecastle  worked  with  a  will  until  the  water  was 
up  to  their  waists ;  and  it  was  only  when  they  were  ordered  aft  that  they  left  their 
work  to  fall  in  on  the  upper  deck.  ...  In  the  case  of  the  men  working  below,  I 
was  a  witness  to  their  coolness.  When  the  order  was  passed  down  for  everyone  to  go 
on  deck,  there  was  no  haste  or  hurry  to  desert  the  flat.  I  can  further  testify  to  the 
men  below  in  the  engine-room.  In  the  starboard  one,  all  were  in  their  stations :  the 
engineer  officer  was  there,  the  artificer,  and  the  stokers.  I  am  sure  that  those  in 
the  port  engine-room  and  the  boiler-rooms  were  equally  true  to  themselves.  ...  In 
all  the  details  of'this  terrible  accident  one  spot  especially  stands  out,  and  that  is  the 
heroic  conduct  of  those  who,  to  the  end,  remained  below,  stolidly  yet  boldly,  at  their 
place  of  duty.  All  honour  to  them  especially.  The  men  fallen  in  on  the  upper  deck 
also  showed  the  same  spirit.  .  .  .  When  the  men  were  turned  about  to  face  the  ship's 
side,  it  must  have  passed  through  the  minds  of  many  that  to  '  look  out  for  one's  self ' 
would  be  the  best  thing  to  do.  ...  This  order  to  turn  about  was  given  apparently 
about  a  minute  before  the  end ;  and  I  can  hear  of  not  one  single  instance  of  any  man 
rushing  to  the  side.  .  .  .  Not  one  was  found  who  had  not  that  control  over  himself 
which  characterises  true  discipline  and  order.  It  has  been  shown  in  evidence  that  no 
one  jumped  from  the  ship  until  just  as  she  gave  the  lurch  which  ended  in  her 
capsizing." 

It  was  all  magnificent.  Only  typical  of  the  general  spirit  was 
the  attitude  of  the  Victoria's  much-lamented  chaplain,  the  Eev. 
Samuel  Sheppard  Oakley  Morris,  who  stood  with  the  ship's 
company,  and,  at  the  last  fearful  moment,  said  coolly  and  bravely, 
"  Steady,  men,  steady  !  " 

The  Camperdoion,  it  should  be  added,  was  herself  badly  damaged, 
and  was  at  one  time  thought  to  be  sinking.  Happily,  she  reached 
port  without  serious  difficulty.1 

"  The  court-martial,"  says  FitzGerald,  "  did  not  clear  up  the 
point  which  from  the  first  presented  itself  as  an  enigma  to  the  minds 
of  all  those  who  knew  Sir  George  Tryon."  Vice-Admiral  Fitz- 
Gerald defines  that  point  as  being  the  question,  by  what  mental 
powers  did  Sir  George  arrive  "  at  the  conclusion  that  six  cables 
apart  was  a  safe  distance  at  which  two  columns  of  battleships  could 
be  turned  inwards,  or  towards  one  another?  "  I  had  the  honour  of 
knowing  Sir  George  Tryon,  and  I  must  admit  that  the  point,  or 
rather  the  points,  on  which  light  seems  to  be  desirable  do  not  occur 
to  me  in  that  shape  at  all.  I  cannot  believe  that,  if  Tryon  intended 
to  order  the  manoeuvre  which  the  court-martial  supposed  him  to 

1  FitzGerald:  'Life  of  V.-Adm.  Sir  Geo.  Tryon':  Naval  Annual,  1894:  Desps. ; 
and  Parl.  Paper. 


1893.]  LOSS   OF  THE  "  VICTORIA?  421 

have  ordered,  he  ever  did  "  arrive  at  the  conclusion  "  that  he  could 
attempt  it  safely  with  only  six  cables'  distance  between  the  columns. 
And  since  he  did  undoubtedly  order  and  countenance  the  attempting 
of  some  manoeuvre  when  only  six  cables  intervened  between  the 
columns,  I  am  inclined  to  suspect  that  the  manoeuvre,  as  attempted 
to  be  carried  out,  was  not  the  manoeuvre  which  Tryon  intended  to 
be  performed. 

Vice-Admiral  FitzGerald  himself  admits  that  it  cannot  be 
assumed  that  Tryon  purposed  to  run  a  risk.  Everything  that  is 
known  of  Sir  George  contradicts  that  assumption  in  the  most 
uncompromising  manner.  Nor  can  it  be  supposed  that  Sir  George 
suddenly  went  mad.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  on  record,  not  only 
that  Tryon  delighted  in  ordering  unexpected  and  novel  manoeuvres, 
which  occasionally  seemed  dangerous  until  they  were  actually  put 
into  execution,  but  also  that  those  of  his  Captains  who  knew  his 
methods  well  were  accustomed,  when  there  were  two  or  more  ways 
of  accomplishing  a  thing,  to  anticipate  that  the  Commander-in-Chief 
would  not  choose  the  most  obvious  or  prosaic  way.  They  were 
prepared  for  originality  and  brilliancy,  but  they  could  not  admit  the 
possibility  that  Tryon  would  expose  his  ships  to  needless  danger.1 

Now,  what  was  Tryon's  object  in  inverting  his  columns  ?  It 
was  to  bring  the  fleet  into  position  for  anchoring  off  Tripoli,  where 
the  ships  were  to  take  up  their  billets  in  columns  of  divisions,  with 
a  distance  of  two  cables  between  the  ships  in  column,  and  a  similar 
distance  between  the  columns  themselves.  Intimation  of  this  had 
been  made  by  signal  earlier  in  the  afternoon. 

Tryon,  Markham,  and  every  Captain  in  the  fleet  knew  perfectly 
well  that  the  average  tactical  diameter  of  the  ships  concerned  was 
nearly  four  cables,  or  800  yards 2 ;  in  other  words,  that  the  basic 
diameter  of  the  parabola  made  by  any  one  of  the  turning  ships  must 
be  estimated,  for  practical  purposes,  at  800  yards.  This  being  so, 
the  heads  of  the  two  columns,  being  but  1200  yards  apart,  could  not 
turn  simultaneously  16  points  inwards — could  not  countermarch 
inwards — without  cutting  one  another's  courses  at  some  point. 
If  the  two  ships  turned  at  exactly  the  same  moment,  at  equal 
speeds,  and  on  similar  parabolas,  they  would  collide.  But,  even  if 

1  FitzGerald ;  368,  387-390. 

2  The  tactical  diameter  of  the   Victoria  herself  was  only  600  yards;  but  that  of 
some  ships  was  much  more.     The  accepted  tactical  diameter  for   the  squadron  was 
800  yards  (4  cables)  (FitzGerald,  392). 


422       MILITARY  HISTOHY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

the  distance  between  the  columns  had  been,  as  it  was  suggested 
it  should  be,  eight  cables,  or  1600  yards,  instead  of  1200  yards 
there  would  still  have  been  risk  of  ultimate  collision,  had  the 
manoeuvre  been  carried  out  on  the  lines  on  which  it  was  attempted ; 
for  the  ships,  upon  completing  the  turn,  would  have  been,  if  not 
actually  on  board  of  one  another,  at  least  so  close  alongside  one 
another  as  to  be  in  dangerous  proximity.  We  know  that  Tryon, 
after  having  originally  suggested  six  cables,  assented  to  the  distance 
between  the  columns  being  eight  cables,  and  that  finally,  neverthe- 
less, he  ordered  the  distance  to  be  six  cables,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
his  attention  was  called  pointedly  to  the  discrepancy.  We  know, 
moreover,  that  eight  cables  was  almost  as  dangerous  a  distance  as 
six  cables,  if  the  columns  were  to  countermarch  according  to  the 
supposed  plan.  We  know,  too,  that  Tryon  intended  the  columns 
to  come  up  to  the  assigned  anchorage  at  a  distance  of  two  cables 
asunder ;  so  that  the  most  suitable  distance  apart  of  the  columns 
previous  to  the  fatal  manoeuvre  (assuming  what  was  attempted  to 
have  been  what  was  intended  by  the  Vice-Admiral)  would  have  been 
not  even  eight  cables,  but  ten  (2000  yards). 

There  is,  I  think,  but  one  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  all  this ; 
namely,  that  Tryon  knew  that,  for  the  purposes  of  the  manoeuvre 
which  he  had  in  his  mind — not  necessarily  the  manoeuvre  which 
was  attempted — it  did  not  greatly  matter  whether  the  initial  distance 
between  the  columns  was  six  cables  or  eight  cables.  If  it  had 
greatly  mattered,  Tryon  was  the  last  man  in  the  world  to  have 
been  careless  on  the  subject,  or  to  have  run  things  too  fine.1 

This  conclusion  seems  to  clear  the  way  somewhat ;  but  before 
I  go  on  to  point  out  what  it  appears  to  me  to  clear  the  way  to, 
I  desire  to  dwell  upon  another  admitted  fact,  a  fact,  however,  which 
has  been  strangely  lost  sight  of. 

The  terms  of  the  flag-signal  to  each  division  terminated  with  the 
direction,  "preserving  the  order  of  the  fleet."  Either  that  direction 
meant  literally  and  plainly  that  the  order  of  the  fleet  in  every 
respect  was  to  be  preserved,  or  it  was  a  direction  which,  in  the 
circumstances,  demanded  further  elucidation.  Tryon  did  not  further 
elucidate  it ;  wherefore  it  may  be  inferred  that  it  was  to  be  accepted 
literally. 

1  The  arguments  about  to  be  put  forth  were  first  advanced  by  the  Author  iu  a  letter 
to  the  Times  soon  after  the  catastrophe.  He  is  not  aware  that  they  have  ever  been 
adequately  discussed,  though  they  were  cited  long  afterwards  by  the  Saturday  Review. 


1893.]  LOSS   OF   THE  "  VICTORIA."  423 

What,  then,  was  the  order  of  the  fleet?  It  was  a  disposition  in 
columns  of  divisions  in  line  ahead,  the  columns  disposed  abeam  to 
port,  with  a  distance  of  six  cables  between  the  columns.  At  the 
head  of  the  first  or  starboard  divisional  column  was  the  Victoria, 
followed  by  the  Nile,  etc. :  at  the  head  of  the  port  or  second 
divisional  column  was  the  Camperdown,  followed  by  the  Edinbiirgh, 
etc.  The  direction  "  preserving  the  order  of  the  fleet "  may — I 
believe,  must — have  been  intended  by  Tryon  to  mean  that,  after  the 
completion  of  the  manoeuvre,  the  Victoria  was  still  to  head  the 
starboard,  and  the  Camperdown  still  to  head  the  port  column,  and 
that  the  ships  following  each  of  the  leaders  were  to  follow  in  the 
same  sequence  and  manner  as  before  the  inception  of  the  manoeuvre. 
It  is  difficult  to  perceive  what  other  meaning  can  be  attached  to  it, 
in  view  of  the  nature  of  the  signals  of  which  it  formed  part. 

If  Vice- Admiral  Tryon  had  intended  the  manoeuvre  to  be  carried 
out  as  it  was  unhappily  attempted  to  be  performed,  surely  he  would 
have   annulled,   added  to,  or  elucidated   this   significant   direction. 
Surely,  too,  as  I  have  said  before,  he  would  have  opened  out  the 
columns,  not  to  eight,  but  to  ten  cables  at  least.     It  does  not  follow, 
because  others  paid  no  special  attention  to  the  direction,  that  Tryon 
himself  regarded  it  as  of  small  significance,  or  was  blind  to  the  one 
principle  on  which  alone  it  could  be  literally  obeyed.     It  does  not 
follow,  because  Markham  and  some  more  on  the  spot  had  a  glim- 
mering but  distorted  dream  of  what  might  be  signified,  and  then 
abandoned  it,  that  they  were  not  at  first  very  nearly  on  the  right 
track.     It  does  not  even  follow,  because  the  Admiralty  saw  fit   to 
tell  Markham  that  his  dream  had  been  entirely  erroneous,  that  their 
Lordships  knew  what  had  been  in  Tryon's  mind.     It  is  certainly 
strange  that  the  Admiralty  did  not  attempt  to  explain  what  was 
meant  by  "preserving  the  order  of  the  fleet,"  but  apparently  ignored 
that  direction  altogether.     I  cannot  ignore  it ;  for  it  seems  to  me, 
if  it  be  taken  in  connection  with  other  factors  in  the  situation,  to 
afford  a  clue  to  the  whole  enigma ;  though  I  am  quite  aware  that 
to  the  ordinary  naval  mind  the  direction  implies  no  more  than  that 
the  body  of  ships  (in  this  case,  a  division)  to  which  the  signal  is 
made  is   to  preserve  its  own  order.     What  I  feel  is  that  such  a 
direction  should  have  been  interpreted  by  the  light  of  the  conditions 
existing  at  the  moment,  and  that  Tryon  probably  anticipated  that 
the  peculiar   conditions  would   lead   his   subordinates  to  attach  to 
the  direction  the  importance  which,  I  suspect,  he  did. 


424      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  two  diagrams  which  follow  show  with  sufficient  accuracy 
(A)  the  manoeuvre  which,  according  to  the  view  of  the  court-martial 
and  of  the  Admiralty,  Tryon  intended  that  his  fleet  should  perform  ; 
and  (B)  the  result  of  the  attempt  to  perform  that  impossible 
manoeuvre : — 


/ 

"^ 

> 

pvictena 

1 

[ 

: 

1 

'        X  /          X 

'     I      /    V\          •     . 

•  I  • 

»  I  I 

I  A  I  I  B  I 

Be  it  observed  that,  had  it  been  possible  to  complete  the 
manoeuvre  as  shown  in  diagram  A,  the  signals  which  were  made 
by  Tryon  would,  according  to  my  contention,  have  been  imperfectly 
carried  out,  inasmuch  as  the  starboard,  or  Victoria's,  column  would, 
have  become  the  port  column,  and  the  port,  or  Camperdown's, 
column  would  have  become  the  starboard  one.  Consequently,  "  the 
order  of  the  fleet"  (which  was  one  of  columns  of  divisions  in 
line  ahead,  columns  disposed  abeam  to  port)  would  not  have  been 
"  preserved."  On  the  contrary,  the  re-arranged  columns  would  have 
been  disposed  abeam  to  starboard,  or,  in  other  words,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief's  ship,  instead  of  leading  the  starboard  column, 
would  have  led  the  port  one. 

It  was  possible,  however,  both  implicitly  to  obey  the  first  part  of 
the  signals  and  to  preserve  the  order  of  the  fleet.  How  this  might 
have  been  done  is  shown  in  diagram  C. 


/  / 

{'          BVictorij 

i 


In  this  diagram,  the  circle  described  by  the  Victoria  is  shown  as  of 
larger  radius  than  it  need  have   been,  seeing  that  the   Victoria's 


1893.]  LOSS   Of  THE  "  VICTORIA:'  425 

tactical  diameter  was  600  yards  only.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
circle  described  by  the  Camperdown  is  shown  as  of  smaller  radius 
than  it  might  have  been,  had  it  been  desirable  to  take  more  sea- 
room.  In  fact,  here  we  have  a  manoeuvre  which  might  have  been 
performed  without  the  remotest  danger  to  any  ship  concerned ; 
which  would  have  accomplished  Tryon's  known  and  admitted  main 
object ; l  and  which,  last  but  not  least,  would  have  fulfilled  the  final 
demands  of  the  signals,  in  that  it  would  have  preserved  the  order  of 
the  fleet ;  for  in  this  case,  be  it  noted,  the  starboard  column  remains 
the  starboard  one,  and  the  port  one  remains  the  port.  Another 
significant  circumstance,  to  my  mind,  is  that,  supposing  this 
manoeuvre  to  have  been  contemplated  by  Try  on,  it  really  did  not 
matter  in  the  least  whether,  when  they  began  it,  the  columns  were 
six  cables  or  eight  cables  asunder.  At  either  distance  the  manoeuvre 
was  perfectly  safe  and  simple. 

It  is  necessary  next  to  enquire  whether,  so  far  as  is  known,  the 
Commander-in-Chief  did  anything  which  was  incompatible  with  this 
interpretation  of  his  intentions.  I  believe  that  he  did  nothing  of  the 
kind.  The  Victoria's  helm,  from  the  first,  was  put  as  hard  over  as 
possible,2  so  as  to  make  her  turning  circle  as  small  as  it  could  be 
made  without  reversing  the  port  engine.  Only  when  collision  was 
imminent  was  the  Victoria's  port  screw  reversed,  with  the  object 
of  allowing  the  Camperdown  to  pass  astern  of  the  flagship,  or  of 
diminishing  the  angle  of  incidence.  Still  later,  both  engines  were 
ordered  to  go  at  full  speed  astern.  The  Commander-in-Chief 's  ex- 
clamation, "  It  is  entirely  my  fault,"  determines  nothing.  Tryon 
may  have  meant  merely,  "  I  am  to  blame  for  having  trusted  too 
much  to  the  reasoning  powers  of  my  subordinates,"  or  "I  am  to 
blame  for  not  having  specifically  directed  the  second  division  to  take 
the  outside  circle,"  I  fail  to  perceive  that  he  must  have  meant,  "  I 
ordered  an  impossible  manoeuvre."  For  there  is  a  well -recognised 
naval  custom  which  dictates  that  a  subordinate  shall  give  precedence 
to  a  Commander-in-Chief,  and  shall  not  cross  his  bows  without  per- 
mission, but  shall  go  under  his  stern.  Bear-Admiral  Markham,  as 
appeared  by  the  evidence  at  the  court-martial,  thought,  when  he 
began  the  manoeuvre,  that  it  might  be  Tryon's  intention  to  circle 
outside  the  second  division.  Captain  Brackenbury,  strange  to  say, 

1  Viz.,  the  inversion  of  the  columns. 

2  It  is  in  evidence  that  the  Camperdown'' s  helm,  at  least  at  first,  was  not  put  com- 
pletely over ;  yet  those  in  her  who  believed  that  the  manoeuvre  in  diag.  A  was  to  be 
attempted  must  have  known  that,  to  attain  the  object,  all  possible  helm  was  necessarv. 


426      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

was  struck  by  the  same  idea.  This  is  what  I  cannnot  understand  ; 
and  it  explains  why  I  have  ventured  to  suggest  that  Markham  and 
others  on  the  spot  seem  to  have  had  a  glimmering  but  distorted 
dream  of  what  might  be  signified.  It  greatly  astonishes  me  that, 
so  far  as  is  known,  it  never  occurred  to  the  leader  of  the  second 
division  that  by  circling  outside  the  first  division  he  might  avoid  all 
risk.  It  astonishes  me  also  that,  if  Bear-Admiral  Markham  and 
Captain  Johnstone  realised  the  risk  of  attempting  a  countermarch, 
and  expected  the  Commander-in-Chief  to  pass  outside  them,  they 
did  not  instantly  give  the  Camperdcnvn  extreme  (35  degrees),  instead 
of  only  28  degrees  of  helm,  and  so  make  their  own  ship  turn  in  her 
smallest  circle. 

Enough  has,  I  hope,  been  said  to  show  that,  after  all,  it  is  not 
obligatory  upon  us  to  believe  that  Sir  George  Tryon,  had  he 
survived,  could  not  have  defended  himself.  He  was  condemned 
unheard.  He  may  have  been  guilty  of  criminal  negligence  ;  he 
may  even  have  been  smitten  with  sudden  madness ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  is  at  least  room  for  the  supposition  that  the 
manoauvre  which  he  had  in  his  brain  was  a  perfectly  safe  one,  and 
that  his  signal  might  have  been  reasonably  interpreted,  and  accu- 
rately carried  out,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  obviate  all  risk  of  disaster. 
In  any  case,  the  sad  episode  not  only  illustrates  the  extreme  un- 
wisdom of  attempting  to  carry  out  an  order  which  confessedly  is 
not  fully  understood,  but  also  teaches  that,  when  time  permits,  a 
subordinate's  duty  is  to  take  all  such  measures  as  may  be  possible 
to  enable  him  to  know  his  chief's  mind. 

The  whole  terrible  business  is  so  painful  a  subject  to  deal  with 
that  one  passes  with  a  sense  of  relief  to  other  topics. 

Early  in  1894  there  were  new  troubles  in  the  Gambia  Biver,  and 
it  became  necessary  to  undertake  punitive  measures  against  the 
chief,  Fodeh  Sillah.  Accordingly,  Bear- Admiral  Frederick  George 
Denham  Bedford,  C.B.,  assembled  the  following  vessels  of  his 
command,  viz.,  the  cruisers  Raleigh  (flag),  Captain  Edward  Harpur 
Gamble,  and  Satellite,  Commander  Albert  Clinton  Allen ;  the 
gunboats  Magpie,  Lieutenant  Herbert  Goodenough  King  Hall,  and 
Widgeon,  Lieutenant  Hubert  Grant-Dalton,  and  the  paddle  vessel 
Alecto,  Lieutenant  Edward  Lewis  Lang;  and  it  was  decided  that 
two  columns  should  advance  against  the  enemy,  one  landing  at 
Medina  Creek,  the  other  moving  from  British  Combo,  and  both 
uniting  at  Birkama. 


1894.]  OPERATIONS  IN   THE   GAMBIA.  42T 

On  February  22nd,  in  pursuance  of  this  plan,  the  smaller  column, 
consisting  of  50  Marines  from  the  squadron,  50  men  of  the  1st  West 
India  liegiment,  and  a  field-gun,  the  whole  under  Lieut. --Colonel 
Arthur  Domville  Corbet,  E.M.,  of  the  Raleigh,  proceeded  as 
far  as  Sukutta  and  destroyed  the  stockades  there,  suffering  only 
insignificant  loss.  On  the  same  day  the  larger  column,  under 
Captain  Gamble,  who  was  accompanied  by  the  Hear- Admiral  and 
the  Administrator,  and  who  disposed  of  200  officers  and  men,  and 
one  field-gun  from  the  ships,  disembarked  at  Medina,  and  marched 
in  the  direction  of  Birkama.  It  was  found  impossible  to  reach  that 
town ;  but  the  force  destroyed  two  stockaded  villages  on  the  way 
thither.  On  the  23rd  it  returned  to  the  landing-place ;  and,  while 
waiting  for  the  tide  to  rise  sufficiently  to  enable  its  boats  to  approach 
the  shore,  it  was  attacked  by  the  enemy,  who,  protected  by  thick 
cover,  succeeded  in  inflicting  very  severe  loss  upon  it.  Lieutenant 
William  Henry  Arnold  (Raleigh),  Lieutenant  (E.M.)  Francis 
William  Archibald  Hervey,  Sub-Lieutenant  Francis  Waldemar 
Theodore  Meister  (Magpie),  and  ten  men  were  killed  ;  and  Captain 
Gamble,  Lieutenants  the  Hon.  Robert  Francis  Boyle,  and  Herbert 
John  Savill,  Fleet-Surgeon  William  Rogerson  White,  Midship- 
man Arthur  Sydney  Chambers,  Gunner  Thomas  Berridge,  and 
forty  men  were  wounded,  one-fourth  of  the  force  being  thus  put 
out  of  action. 

The  other  column,  having  destroyed  Busamballa,  entrenched 
itself,  and,  though  attacked  for  two  hours,  beat  off  the  enemy. 
Corbet  was  reinforced  as  quickly  as  possible  ;  and  preparations  were 
begun  for  dealing  with  Fodeh  Sillah  in  another  way.  Commander 
Charles  John  Graves  Sawle,  of  the  Raleigh,  took  Captain  Gamble's 
place,  and,  with  the  squadron,  proceeded  to  Gunjur,  which  was 
bombarded  on  March  6th.  A  strong  body  of  natives,  assembled  to- 
resist  a  disembarkation,  was  dispersed ;  a  landing  was  effected  on 
the  same  day,  and,  upon  the  Naval  Brigade  and  troops  advancing  to 
the  attack,  Fodeh  Sillah  fled.1 

For  their  services,  Lieutenant  Edward  Lewis  Lang  was  pro- 
moted ;  Lieut. -Colonel  Corbet,  B.M.,  and  Fleet-Surgeon  White 
were  given  the  C.B.  ;  and  Lieutenant  King  Hall  and  Surgeon 
Walter  Bowden  (Raleigh)  were  awarded  the  D.S.O.2 

The  summer  of  the  same  year  witnessed  yet  further  operations 
on  the  west  coast  of  Africa. 

1  Desps.,  and  A.  &  N.  Cfaz.,  1894,  p.  175.  -  Ail  dated  May  26,  1894. 


428      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

On  August  19th,  1894,  the  acting  Consul-General  for  the  Niger 
Coast  Protectorate  telegraphed  for  assistance  to  St.  Paul  de 
Loanda,  where  the  cruiser  Phcebe,  Captain  Francis  Powell,  was 
lying.  She  left  immediately,  and,  on  the  26th,  arrived  at  the 
entrance  of  Brohemie  Creek,  on  the  Benin  Kiver.  She  there  found 
the  paddle  special  service  vessel,  Alecto,  Lieutenant  John  George 
Heugh,  and  learnt  that  that  craft's  steam-cutter  had  met  with  a 
serious  reverse.  There  had  already  been  some  trouble,  and  Heugh, 
with  two  Niger  Coast  Protectorate  officers,  had  been  proceeding  up 
Brohemie  Creek  in  the  boat,  and,  encountering  an  obstruction,  had 
been  in  the  act  of  turning  round  when  he  had  been  fired  at  at  close 
quarters  by  a  gun  in  a  masked  battery  on  the  bank.  The  two 
Protectorate  officers  had  been  disabled,  the  coxswain  had  been 
mortally  wounded,  a  leading  stoker,  Joseph  Perkins,1  had  had  his 
foot  smashed,  and  a  seaman  had  been  badly  hit.  Chief-Gunner's 
Mate  Kobert  H.  Crouch  *  had  fired  a  rocket  into  the  battery,  and 
then  the  cutter,  steered  by  Heugh,2  and  driven  by  the  injured  stoker, 
had  steamed  back  to  the  Alecto  in  a  sinking  condition,  with  her  gun 
dismounted  and  its  shield  pierced. 

Upon  the  Phoebe's  arrival  she  and  the  Alecto  bombarded  Nanna's 
town,  near  which  the  outrage  had  been  perpetrated,  and  began 
preparations  for  capturing  the  masked  battery  and  ultimately  for 
taking  the  town  itself.  To  this  end  a  force  of  natives,  guarded  by 
seamen,  was  set  to  work  to  make  a  rough  road  which  should  be 
practicable  for  guns. 

On  August  29th  a  force  of  144  officers  and  men  from  the  Phoebe, 
and  35  from  the  Alecto,3  with  157  men  of  the  Protectorate  troops, 
preceded  by  80  native  wood-cutters,  advanced  in  open  square 
formation,  accompanied  by  the  Alecto' s  rocket  apparatus,  a  7-pr.  and 
a  Maxim  from  the  Phcebe,  and  a  7-pr.  and  a  Maxim  belonging  to  the 
Protectorate.  From  a  point  near  the  rear  of  the  battery  a  few 
shells  were  fired  into  the  work,  and  then  the  stockade  was  rushed. 
Its  garrison  had  fled  ;  but  its  contents— 23  guns  of  3-in.  and  4-in. 
calibre,  all  loaded  and  primed — were  taken,  dismounted,  and  spiked. 
The  advance  was  continued  over  very  heavy  ground,  covered  in 
places  with  soft,  stinking  mud,  and  across  a  deep  creek,  which  had 

1  Conepic.  Gall.  Med.  1894. 

2  D.S.O.  for  this  service,  Dec.  21,  1894,  and  Cora,  on  the  same  day.    Lieut.  Godfrey 
•Gore-Brown,  of  the  Philomel,  received  the  D.S.O.  for  his  conduct  in  the  final  attack. 

3  Under  Capt.  Powell,  and  Lieuts    Heugh,  Murray  Thomas  Parks,  John  Dennirf 
Hickley,  and  John  Perceval  Shipton. 


1894.]  TI1K   BROJIEMIE   CREEK  EXPEDITION. 

to  be  partially  filled  in  with  branches  ere  it  could  be  traversed. 
Beyond  the  creek  was  an  open  stretch  of  grass,  where  the  force 
became  exposed  to  a  troublesome  fire,  and  where  a  bluejacket  was 
hit.  Again,  beyond,  was  another  creek  ;  and  as  it  was  growing  late, 
it  was  decided  to  return  to  the  ships.  The  retirement  was  covered 
by  the  Phoebe's  men.  Unfortunately  the  rise  of  the  tide  had 
submerged  the  branches  which  had  been  thrown  into  the  first  creek, 
and  it  was  found  impossible  to  get  the  Phoebe's  7-pr.  across.  It 
was,  therefore,  spiked  and  thrown  into  the  water.  The  ships  were 
reached  at  about  8  P.M. 

It  was  clear  that  more  force  was  needed,  and  word  to  that  effect 
was  sent  to  Bear- Admiral  Bedford,  C.B.,1  who  arrived  upon  the 
scene  on  September  18th  in  the  cruiser  Philomel,  Captain  Charles 
Campbell.  The  gunboat  Widgeon,  Lieutenant  Hubert  Grant- 
Dalton,  followed  on  the  20th. 

On  September  25th  an  attack  on  Nanna's  town'2  was  made 
simultaneously  by  two  detachments.  One,  under  Captain  Powell,3 
who  was  accompanied  by  the  Bear-Admiral,  consisted  of  136  officers 
and  men  from  the  Phoebe,  35  from  the  Alecto,  and  50  Eoyal 
Marines,  with  a  Maxim,  rocket-tubes  and  a  gun-cotton  party, 
besides  about  100  of  the  Protectorate  troops.  To  this  detachment 
the  Widgeon's  people  acted  as  a  reserve.  The  other,  under  Captain 
Campbell,4  consisted  of  the  Philomel's  people  in  their  boats. 
Powell's  detachment  landed  at  the  stockade.  Campbell's  advanced 
up  the  creek  and  covered  the  other. 

Having  landed,  Powell  made  a  detour  to  the  right  of  the  pre- 
vious line  of  advance,  occupied  Broheniie  without  opposition,  and 
was  met  by  Campbell.  The  expedition  destroyed  106  guns,  and  cap- 
tured a  quantity  of  stores,  many  war  canoes,  and  Nanna's  personal 
treasure,  amounting  to  £324  in  British  money ;  but  Nanna  himself 
escaped  through  the  swamps.  On  October  1st  the  Phoebe's  7-pr. 
was  recovered ;  and  on  the  same  day,  after  having  destroyed  the 
town,  the  naval  portion  of  the  expedition  re-embarked.4 

The  other  active  naval  operations  of  the  year  were  of  small 
importance. 

Great  Britain  had  long  exercised  a  nominal  protectorate,  and, 

1  K.C.B.  for  this  service,  Dec.  21,  1894. 

-  It  had  been  already  shelled  on  the  10th,  etc.  , 

3  C.B.  for  this  service,  Dec.  21,  1894. 

4  Desps. :  Accts.  and  Papers,  LXXI.  (18!)5) ;  and  journ.  of  B.  U.  S.  Inst.,  Feb.  1895. 


430      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1000. 

since  1860,  a  benevolent  though  informal  guardianship,  over  the 
strip  of  coast  land  which  had  been  assigned  as  a  reservation  to  the 
Mosquito  Indians  in  the  republic  of  Nicaragua.  On  February  12th, 
1894,  the  republic  saw  fit  to  land  troops  in  the  Reserve,  to  occupy 
Bluefields,  the  capital,  to  hoist  the  Nicaraguan  flag,  and  to  arrest 
the  British  Vice-Consul,  Mr.  Hatch,  and  some  of  the  leading  in- 
habitants. Early  on  February  25th  the  cruiser  Cleopatra,  Captain 
the  Hon.  Assheton  Gore  Curzon-Howe,  reached  the  spot  from 
Greytown,  with  the  British  Consul,  Mr.  H.  F.  Bingham,  on  board. 
On  the  26th  the  representative  of  the  Nicaraguan  government  was 
informed  that  the  Mosquito  flag  must  be  rehoisted,  alone,  or  side  by 
side  with  that  of  Nicaragua,  and  that  a  written  guarantee  must  be 
given  for  the  lives  of  the  chief  and  the  other  people  who  had  been 
arrested.  In  the  meantime  the  cruiser  landed  a  detachment  of  blue- 
jackets and  Marines  under  Lieutenants  Reginald  Blayney  Colmore, 
and  Sholto  Grant  Douglas,  and  Lieutenant  William  Albert  Harris, 
R.M.  The  most  pressing  of  the  British  conditions  were  eventually 
complied  with.1  The  Indians  appeared  at  the  time  to  be  in  great 
terror  of  their  neighbours ;  but  on  November  20th,  1894,  ostensibly 
at  the  desire  of  those  same  Indians,  the  Reserve  was  formally 
handed  over  to  Nicaragua,  and  became  part  of  the  province  of 
Zelaya.  So  terminated  the  last  remnant  of  a  connection  with 
Great  Britain  which  had  lasted  since  1655.2 

A  somewhat  similar  affair  occurred  in  July,  1894,  on  the  China 
Station.  Previous  to  the  outbreak  of  her  war  with  China,  Japan 
landed  troops  and  surrounded  Seoul,  the  capital  of  Korea.  The 
British  Consul-General,  happening  to  go  for  a  walk  with  his  wife 
and  children,  and  entering  the  Japanese  lines,  was  rudely  sent  back 
by  the  officer  in  local  charge.  Although  a  formal  apology  was 
quickly  made,  Commander  Reginald  William  Scott  Rogers,  of  the 
cruiser  Archer,  deemed  it  wise  to  land  an  armed  party  of  thirty  men, 
under  Lieutenant  Spencer  Victor  Yorke  de  Horsey,  to  protect  the 
Consul-General  from  further  insult.  This  party  was  afterwards 
relieved  by  a  detachment  of  Marines  from  the  cruiser  Severn, 
Captain  Reginald  Friend  Hannam  Henderson,  C.B.,  under  Lieu- 

1  Times,  Mar.  27  and  29,  1804,  and  desps. 

2  Great  Britain  resigned  all  claim  to  the  coast  by  the  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty,  of 
1850,  and  formally  ceded  the  protectorate  to  Nicaragua  by  the  Treaty  of  Managua,  of 
1860;  but,  till  1894,  the  Indians  continued  to  he  ruled  by  their  own  chief,  under 
Nicaraguan  suzerainty. 


1895.]  BEDFORD   IN   THE  BRASS  RIVER.  431 

tenant  Walter  William  Frankis,   E.M.     There  was,    however,    no 
more  trouble.1 

A  factory  at  Akassa,  belonging  to  the  Royal  Niger  Company, 
having  been  looted  and  destroyed  by  natives  of  the  Brass  River 
district,    Rear-Admiral    Sir    Frederick    George    Denham    Bedford 
conducted  a  punitive  expedition  up  that  stream  on  February  20th, 
1895.     His  force  consisted  of   a  landing  party  of   150  bluejackets 
and  Marines  from  the  cruisers  St.  George  (flag),  Captain  William 
Carnegie    Codrington    Forsyth,    and    Barrosa,    Commander    John 
Locke    Marx,    and    the    gunboats    Widgeon,    Lieutenant    Hubert 
Grant-Dalton,  and  Thrush,  Lieutenant  Henry  Loftus  Tottenham, 
reinforced   by  150  of  the  Protectorate  troops.     The   Widgeon  and 
Thrush  began  operations  by  shelling  the  scrub  on  the  river  bank 
below  Nimbi,  the  capital  of  the  chief,  Koko,  who  had  been  respon- 
sible for  the  outrage ;  and  the  pinnaces  and  launches  of  the  squadron, 
each  with  a  machine-gun  on  board,  then  forced  their  way  through 
Tua  Creek  to  Nimbi  Creek,  and  landed  their  people  on   Sacrifice 
Point.      The  enemy  attacked  in  war  canoes ;    but,  upon  three  of 
these  craft  being  sunk  by  machine-gun  fire,  the  rest  drew  off.     On 
the  21st,  the  stockades  near  the  shore  were  blown  up.      On   the 
22nd,  the  two  gunboats  moved  further  along  the  creek,  and  began 
to  shell  Nimbi  itself,  while  the  boats  advanced  on  the  town.     As 
they  approached   it,  a  very  heavy  fire  was  suddenly  opened  upon 
them  from  a  concealed  battery,  and  several  of  them  were  hulled. 
Lieutenant  George  John  Taylor,  of  the  flagship,  who  was  in  the 
leading  boat,  and  two  seamen  were  killed,  and  five  bluejackets,  two 
native  soldiers,  and  two  Kroomen  were  wounded ;    but  the  attack 
was  pressed  home  at  once,  a  landing  was  effected,  the  stockades 
were  rushed,  and,  with  little  further  resistance,  Nimbi  fell.     It  was 
burnt.     On  the  24th,  the  Barrosa  and  Widgeon  bombarded  Fish- 
town ;  and,  on  the  succeeding  day,  that  place  was  destroyed  by  a 
party  from  the  Widgeon,  no  opposition  being  offered.     Some  of  the 
chiefs  who  had  been  concerned  in  the  attack  on  the  Akassa  factory 
fled,  but  the  majority  came  in,  and  made  submission.2     Commander 
Marx   and    Lieutenant   Tottenham   were   promoted  on  June  30th 
following. 

A  few  months   later,  Rear-Admiral   Bedford  was  succeeded  in 
command  of  the  Cape  and  West  Africa  Station  by  Rear-Admiral 

1  Times,  July  24 :  Nav.  &  Mil.  Sec.,  Oct.  4,  1894. 

"  Times,  Feb.  4,  1895 ;  A.  <fc  N.  Cku>.,  Mar.  2,  1895 :  Parl.  Pap.  7977  (1896). 


432       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Harry  Holdsworth  Eawson,  C.B.,  who  quickly  found  work  awaiting 
him  near  the  furthest  limit  of  his  command.  The  various  operations 
already  described  as  having  been  undertaken  in  British  East  Africa 
had  failed  to  teach  all  the  local  chiefs  the  lesson  of  obedience  to  the 
dominant  power ;  and.,  an  ultimatum  to  M'buruk  bin  Eashid,  chief 
of  M'wele,  not  having  been  complied  with,  it  was  determined  to 
deal  severely  with  him. 

An  expeditionary  force,  consisting  of  400  men  from  the  cruisers 
St.  George  (flag),  Captain  George  Le  Clerc  Egerton,  Phcebe,  Captain 
Thomas  MacGill,  Racoon,  Commander  Powell  Cecil  Underwood, 
Barrosa,  Captain  John  Locke  Marx,  and  Blonde,  Commander  Henry 
Marwood  Colson  Festing,  with  two  Maxims,  a  7-pr.  gun,  and  a 
rocket  tube,  and  accompanied  by  a  body  of  60  Soudanese  and  50 
Askari  troops,  and  by  800  porters,  started  inland  from  Mombasa 
on  August  12th,  1895.  With  it  went  Bear-Admiral  Eawson 
himself,  and  staff,  General  Sir  Lloyd  William  Mathews  (E.N. 
retd.),  commanding  the  Zanzibari  army,  and  Mr.  A.  »H.  Har- 
dinge,  Consul-General  at  Zanzibar.  After  repulsing  an  attack  at 
Nololo,  on  August  16th,  the  expedition  arrived  before  M'wele  on 
August  17th. 

When  the  7-pr.,  under  Lieutenant  Murray  Thomas  Parks 
(Phoebe),  had  thrown  a  few  well-directed  shells  into  the  strongly 
stockaded  place,  part  of  the  force,  under  Captain  MacGill  and 
Commander  Underwood,  with  the  two  Maxims,  made  a  flanking 
movement  to  the  left,  while  the  remainder,  under  the  Eear-Admiral, 
Captain  Egerton,  and  Lieutenant  Arthur  Henry  Christian  (St.  George), 
moved  directly  forward  to  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  works. 
A  company  of  the  Racoon's  people,  under  Lieutenant  Cecil  Irby 
Prowse,  drew  the  enemy's  fire,  and  then  two  companies  of  the 
St.  George's  men,  under  Lieutenants  Charles  Douglas  Carpendale, 
and  William  John  Frazer,  the  latter  of  the  Eoyal  Naval  Eeserve, 
rushed  the  stockade  in  front. 

In  the  meantime,  the  force  under  MacGill  had  come  upon 
another  stockade,  which  was  captured  by  a  company  from  the 
Phoebe,  under  Lieutenant  Francis  William  Kennedy,  and  another 
from  the  Barrosa,  under  Lieutenant  Marcus  Eowley  Hill.  M'buruk 
escaped,  but  two  of  his  sons  were  killed,  and  two  of  his  standards 
were  taken,  one  by  Lieutenant  Frazer,  and  the  other  by  Lieutenant 
Walter  Henry  Cowan,  of  the  Barrosa.  The  British  loss  was  three 
killed  and  eleven  wounded,  among  the  latter  being  General  Mathews, 


1895-90.]  OPERATIONS  AGAINST  M'BURUK.  433 

Lieutenant  Kennedy,  and  Midshipman  Edward  Harry  John  Grogan, 
of  the  St.  George.1 

Previous  to  the  setting  out  of  this  expedition,  a  force  of  seamen 
and  Marines,  from  the  Racoon  and  Phoebe,  under  Commander 
Underwood,  with  150  Soudanese  regulars,  had  landed  on  July  14th 
in  the  Kilifi  estuary,  and  had  made  a  preliminary  reconnaissance  in 
search  of  the  enemy.  The  detachment  had  been  sniped  at  night, 
but  had  not  succeeded  in  getting  into  close  touch  with  the  foe.'2 
Still  earlier,  from  June  16th  to  June  23rd,  a  force  from  the  gunboat 
Magpie,  Lieutenant  Henry  Venn  Wood  Elliott,  had  been  landed  for 
the  defence  of  Melindi,  when  threatened  by  M'buruk.  The  sloop 
Swallow,  Commander  George  Lindsay  Malcolm  Leckie,  was  also 
employed  on  the  coast. 

Some  months  later,  Aziz,  a  chief  who  acted  in  collusion  with 
M'buruk,  attacked  and  burnt  Melindi,  the  garrison  of  which  had 
been  prematurely  withdrawn ;  whereupon  a  new  expedition  was. 
launched  against  the  turbulent  natives.  This  one  started  inland 
from  Wanga,  on  the  mainland  nearly  opposite  the  north  end  of 
Pemba  Island,  having  been  conveyed  there  early  in  February,  1896, 
by  the  gunboat  Widgeon,  Lieutenant  Edward  Duke  Hunt.  It 
consisted  of  Indian  troops,  under  Major  G.  P.  Hatch,  and  a  little 
Naval  Brigade,  forty  strong,  from  the  gunboats  Widgeon  and 
Thrush,  Lieutenant  Archibald  Peile  Stoddart,  accompanied  by  two 
Maxims  and  two  rocket-tubes.  On  February  6th,  a  detachment 
under  Lieutenant  Cecil  Francis  Lacon  Watson,  of  the  Thrush, 
attacked  and  destroyed  Bormuz ;  and,  on  February  10th,  another 
detachment  proceeded  to  Sega,  which,  with  several  neighbouring 
villages,  was  similarly  dealt  with.  On  February  16th,  an  advance 
was  made  against  Moreni,  which,  when  reached  and  subjected  to 
rocket-fire,  was  found  to  have  been  abandoned.  The  expedition  next 
went  to  M'wele,  which  was  captured  and  occupied  on  the  20th, 
the  enemy  offering  but  little  opposition  when  a  Maxim  opened  on 
them.  The  objects  in  view  having  been  thus  accomplished,  the 
force  returned  to  Wanga,  and  re-embarked  on  February  23rd. 

In  addition  to  Lieutenants  Hunt  and  Watson,  Lieutenant  Guy 
Montagu  Marston,  and  Surgeon  Charles  Samuel  Facey,  both  of  the 
Widgeon,  were  with  the  Naval  Brigade.3 

1  Gazette,  Jan.  22,  1897 :  A.  &  N.  Gaz.  (1895),  pp.  676,  695,  800. 

2  A.  <fc  N.  Gaz.  (1895),  676. 

3  Africa,  No.  6  (C.  8274),  p.  74 :   Times,  Feb.  22,  1896. 

VOL.    VII.  2   F 


434      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

In  1895-96  there  was  still  friction  with  the  republic  of 
Nicaragua,  where  General  Zelaya  had  raised  himself  to  power. 
An  indemnity  which  had  been  demanded  by  Great  Britain  for  the 
insult  to  her  representative,  Mr.  Hatch,  was  not  forthcoming ; 
and  the  unsatisfied  claim  led  in  May  to  the  occupation  of  the 
port  of  Corinto,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  by  detachments  from  part 
of  the  Pacific  squadron,  which  was  then  commanded  by  Eear- 
Admiral  Henry  Frederick  Stephenson,  C.B.,  who  flew  his  flag  in 
the  first-class  cruiser  Eoyal  Arthur,  Captain  Frederick  Perceval 
Trench.  The  incident  terminated  upon  the  payment  by  the  republic 
of  an  indemnity  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  In  the  spring  of  1896, 
when  President  Zelaya  was  contending  with  a  rebellion  under 
General  Ortiz,  a  body  of  Honduran  troops — Honduras  being  in 
alliance  with  Nicaragua — was  ordered  into  Corinto  to  occupy  the 
place,  and,  it  was  alleged,  to  demand  a  forced  loan  from  a  British 
banker.  The  governor  represented  to  the  British  consul  that  rioting 
would  probably  result,  that  British  property  would  be  endangered, 
and  that  he  could  not  hold  himself  responsible;  whereupon  a 
detachment  of  bluejackets  was  landed  from  the  cruiser  Comus, 
Captain  Henry  Hart  Dyke,  under  Lieutenants  John  Scott  Luard, 
and  Gerald  Thomas  Fleetwood  Pike.  A  landing-party  was  also  put 
ashore  from  the  U.S.  cruiser  Alert,  the  officers  and  men  of  which, 
as,  happily,  is  usually  the  case  on  such  occasions,  co-operated  in  the 
most  friendly  manner  with  the  British.  The  consulates  and  custom- 
house were  occupied,  but,  upon  President  Zelaya  promising  to  send 
Nicaraguan  instead  of  Honduran  troops  to  the  town,  and  to  respect 
foreign  property  and  interests,  the  detachments  were  withdrawn  on 
May  4th,  after  having  been  three  days  on  shore.1 

The  Ashantee  war  of  1895-96,  which  resulted  in  the  dethrone- 
ment and  capture  of  King  Prempeh,  was  purely  a  military  under- 
taking ;  and  it  was  decided  from  the  beginning  that  no  bluejackets 
were  to  be  employed  in  it,  although  Eear-Admiral  Rawson  held 
himself  prepared  to  land  Marines  from  his  squadron  if  required. 
The  vessels  on  the  coast  at  the  time  were  the  cruisers  Bacoon, 
Commander  Powell  Cecil  Underwood,  and  Blonde,  Commander 
Peyton  Hoskyns,  and  the  gunboats  Sparrow,  Lieutenant  Francis 
George  Theodore  Cole,  and  Magpie,  Lieutenant  Henry  Venn  Wood 
Elliott.  After  Sir  Francis  Scott's  expedition  had  attained  its 

1  Times,  June  2  :  Nov.  &  Mil.  Sec.  July  30,  1896. 


1896.]  TEE  PARTICULAR    SERVICE  SQUADRON.  435 

objects,  in  January,  1896,  Prempeh  and  the  other  most  important 
prisoners  embarked  at  Cape  Coast  Castle  in  the  Racoon,  and  were 
•conveyed  by  her  to  Elmina.  Commander  William  Stokes  Eees, 
of  the  flagship  St.  George,  acted  as  naval  transport  officer  on  the 
occasion  of  the  disembarkation  of  the  expeditionary  force,  and 
received,  in  consequence,  the  thanks  of  the  War  Office.1 

The  defeat  of  the  raid  which  was  undertaken  against  the  South 
African  Eepublic  by  Dr.  L.  S.  Jameson  in  the  last  days  of  1895 
was  the  occasion  of  a  congratulatory  telegram  from  the  German 
Emperor  to  President  Paul  Kruger.  The  raid  was  indefensible, 
and  the  telegram  had  no  political  significance;  yet  so  sensitive  was 
British  public  opinion  to  foreign  criticism  that  the  Government  of 
the  day  was  induced  to  order  the  instant  mobilisation  of  a  small 
Particular  Service  Squadron.  The  vessels  specially  commissioned 
for  the  purpose  were  the  battleships  Revenge,  Captain  the  Hon. 
Assheton  Gore  Curzon-Howe  (flag  of  Bear-Admiral  Alfred  Taylor 
Dale),  and  Royal  Oak,  Captain  Surges  Watson,  the  first-class 
•cruisers  Gibraltar,  Captain  Harry  Francis  Hughes-Hallett,  and 
Theseus,  Captain  Charles  Campbell  (2),  the  second-class  cruisers 
Charybdis,  Captain  John  Mackenzie  McQuhae,  and  Hermione, 
•Captain  Charles  Eamsay  Arbuthnot,  and  a  flotilla  of  six  torpedo- 
boat  destroyers.2  The  squadron,  weakened  in  the  autumn  by  the 
detachment  from  it  of  several  ships  to  other  commands,  remained 
in  commission  from  January  14th  to  October  21st,  1896,  when  it 
was  abolished. 

During  the  rebellion  in  Rhodesia,  it  was  considered  desirable  to 
send  some  British  troops  to  the  spot  by  way  of  Beira ;  and  arrange- 
ments were  made  accordingly  with  the  Portuguese  authorities  at 
that  port.  The  chartered  transport  Arab  arrived  with  the  troops 
•off  Beira  on  July  3rd,  1896 ;  but  the  landing  of  the  expedition  would 
have  been  almost  impossible  had  not  Rear-Admiral  Rawson  given 
the  co-operation  of  the  naval  forces  on  the  spot.  Several  Maxim 
machine-guns  and  some  stores  were  also  lent  from  the  ships  for  the 
purposes  of  General  Sir  F.  Carrington's  operations.3 

The  punitive  measures  against  M'buruk  in  1895-96  had  been 
undertaken  in  conjunction  with  the  Askari  troops  of  the  Sultan  of 
.Zanzibar.  Within  the  following  twelve  months,  however,  British 

1  A.  &  N.  Gaz.  (1895),  pp.  958,  1036  ;  (1896),  p.  120. 

2  A.  &  N.  Gaz.,  Jan.  18,  1896. 

3  A.&N.  Oaz.,  1896,  p.  647 :  Deep,  of  Carrington :  Times,  July  13,  1896. 

2  F  2 


436      MILITARY   HISTOET   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

ships  of  war  were  obliged  to  take  steps  for  the  repression  of  rebellion 
in  Zanzibar  itself. 

The  sultanate  of  Zanzibar  had  become  independent  in  1856,  under 
the  rale  of  Sayyid  Majid,  a  son  of  Sayyid  Said,  Sultan  of  Muscat 
and  Zanzibar.  The  territory  originally  extended  along  the  African 
mainland,  southward  to  Tunghi  Bay,  and  northward  to  Warsheikh. 
Sayyid  Majid  had  been  succeeded  in  1870  by  his  younger  brother, 
Bargash  bin  Said,  under  whom  the  possessions  of  the  sultanate  had 
suffered  considerable  diminution,  Germany,  in  1885,  enforcing  the 
cession  to  itself  of  control  over  Dar-es-Salam  and  certain  districts 
inland  of  it,  and  securing  further  advantages  in  August,  1888,  in 
March  of  which  year  Sultan  Bargash  had  been  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Sayyid  Khalif.  In  1890  fresh  arrangements  had  been  made,  Germany 
obtaining  possession  of  the  continental  coastline  from  Ruvuma  to- 
Wanga,  and  of  the  island  of  Mafia,  and  the  sultanate  becoming  a. 
British  protectorate,  and  retaining  only  the  islands  of  Zanzibar  and 
Pemba,  a  narrow  strip  of  mainland  coastline  between  Wanga  and 
Kipini,  the  islands  of  Lamu,  Manda  and  Patta,  and  the  ports, 
and  immediate  environs  of  Kismayu,  Barawa,  Merka,  Magdisho,  and 
Warsheikh.  Benadir  had  been  leased  to  Italy.  This  fresh  arrange- 
ment was  the  indirect  result  of  a  revolt  of  some  of  the  coast  towns- 
against  German  rule,  and  of  the  international  blockade  which  was- 
instituted  for  the  suppression  of  slavery  along  the  coast,  and  in 
which  Great  Britain,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Portugal  took  part. 
The  blockade,  as  has  been  seen,  was  enforced  for  several  months, 
in  1888-89,  under  the  direction  of  the  senior  British  officer,  Bear- 
Admiral  the  Hon.  Edmund  Robert  Fremantle.1 

Sultan  Sayyid  Hamed  bin  Thwain  succeeded  his  uncle  in  March, 
1893,  and  died  suddenly  on  August  25th,  1896.  As  soon  as  the 
event  was  known,  Mr.  Basil  S.  Cave,  the  British  acting  diplomatic 
agent,  and  General  Sir  Lloyd  William  Mathews/  K.C.M.G.,  the 
late  Sultan's  prime  minister,  hastened  to  the  palace,  and  ordered 
it  to  be  closed ;  but  Sayyid  Khalid  bin  Bargash,  a  prince  of  the 
royal  house,  who  had  caused  trouble  at  the  accession  of  Sayyid 
Hamed  bin  Thwain,  broke  into  the  building  with  a  force  of  armed 
men,  and  assumed  so  threatening  an  attitude  that  Cave  and 
Mathews  withdrew.  The  pretender  also  forestalled  Brigadier- 
General  A.  E.  H.  Eaikes,  the  commander  of  the  regular  Zanzibar! 

1  See  p.  390,  antea. 

2  Sir  L.  Mathews  was  a  Lieut.  R.N.  of  Mar.  31, 1874,  who  had  retd.  June  15, 1881. 


1896.] 


BOMBARDMENT   OF  ZANZIBAR. 


4J17 


troops.  In  a  short  time  there  were  about  five  or  six  hundred  men, 
with  guns,  in  the  palace ;  while  seven  hundred  regulars,  who  had 
deserted,  with  nine  guns,  held  the  square.  The  insurgents  were 
presently  joined  by  about  2000  Persians,  Arabs,  Comoro  people, 
Suaheli  slaves,  and  loafers,  to  whom  arms  were  dealt  out. 

The  British  naval  force  then  at  Zanzibar  consisted  of  the  third- 
class  cruiser  Philomel,  and  the  gun-vessel  Thrush.  These  craft 
manned  and  armed  their  boats,  and  sent  ashore  a  Brigade  of  blue- 
jackets and  Marines  to  hold  the  English  club,  which  was  quite 
close  to  the  palace  prison,  and  other  points  of  vantage,  including 
the  British  Agency.  The  Thrush  then  shifted  her  anchorage,  and 
steamed  to  a  position  abreast  of  the  palace,  where  she  moored, 
near  her  sister  ship  the  Sparrow,  which  had  come  in  that  morning 
from  the  northward.  In  the  course  of  the  forenoon  the  Zanzibari 
•"man-of-war"  Glasgoiv,  which,  with  all  the  other  government  craft, 
had  been  seized  by,  or  had  willingly  joined  the  insurgents,  fired  a 
salute  in  honour  of  Sayyid  Khalid,  who  sent  round  to  the  various 
•consulates  to  ask  for  recognition,  but  was  informed  that  his  claims 
<;ould  not  be  admitted  until  they  should  be  acknowledged  by  the 
British  authorities.  At  sunset,  nevertheless,  another  salute  was  fired. 

On  the  26th  the  deadlock  continued.  The  third-class  cruiser 
Racoon  arrived  from  the  southward,  and  was  moored  abreast  of  the 
Custom  House.  A  few  hours  later,  also  from  the  southward,  came 
the  first-class  cruiser  St.  George,  flag-ship  of  the  Cape  command  ; 
for  it  should  be  explained  that  since  the  days  of  the  blockade  of 
1888-89,  Zanzibar  had  ceased  to  be  within  the  limits  of  the  East 
India,  and  had  been  attached  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  station. 
Eventually  the  Eacoon  was  moored  beyond  the  Sparrow,  the 
Philomel  beyond  the  Racoon,  and  the  St.  George  at  one  extreme 
end  of  the  line,  the  Thrush  being  at  the  other ;  thus, — 


Ships. 

Displ.  in 
Tons. 

I.H.P.       Guus. 

Commanders. 

St.  George 

7,700 

12,000 

12 

iltear-Adm.      Harry      Holdsworth 
llawson,  C.B. 
Capt.  George  Le  Clerc  Egerton. 

Philomel  .... 

2,575 

7,500 

8 

Capt.  Michael  Pelham  O'Callaghau. 

Racoon     .... 

1,770 

2,500 

6 

Com.  Powell  Cecil  Underwood. 

Sparrow  .... 

805 

1,200 

0 

Lieut.  Francis  Geo.  Theodore  Cole. 

Thrush     .... 

805 

1,200 

6 

Lieut.  Archibald  Peile  Stoddart. 

438      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Rear-Admiral  Rawson  was  quickly  on  shore,  whither  also  re- 
inforcements of  bluejackets  and  Marines l  were  sent.  Messages 
were  despatched  to  the  usurper,  and  at  7  A.M.  on  the  27th,  he  was- 
informed  that  unless  his  flag  was  down  by  9  A.M.,  hostilities  would 
be  begun  against  him.  In  the  meantime  all  the  British  ladies 
and  children,  and  such  of  the  men  as  desired  to  be  taken  off  were 
received  on  board  the  men-of-war,  which  went  to  quarters ;  while 
the  foreign  ships  in  harbour,  including  the  German  man-of-war 
Seeadler,  and  the  Italian  man-of-war  Volturno,  shifted  into  safe 
billets,  many  steaming  round  to  the  southward  of  Shangani  Point. 
The  Zanzibari  war-ship  Glasgoic*  however,  cleared  for  action,  and 
numerous  Zanzibari  launches  and  small  craft  were  seen  to  have 
guns  mounted  in  their  bows,  and  to  be  full  of  armed  men. 

Two  bells  sounded  on  board  the  St.  George,  but  no  reply  to  the 
ultimatum  had  been  received.  Rear-Admiral  Rawson  waited,  never- 
theless, for  the  palace  clock  to  strike  nine  ere  he  signalled  to  open 
fire.  The  Thrush  discharged  the  first  gun,  and  was  closely  followed 
by  the  Racoon  and  Sparrow.  The  guns  on  shore  answered  instantly, 
and  soon  the  Glasgow,  which  lay  across  the  stern  of  the  flagship, 
also  joined  in,  whereupon  she  received  several  shells  as  well  from 
the  St.  George  as  from  the  Philomel  and  Bacoon.  The  action 
had  not  long  continued  when  a  flotilla  of  dhows  was  seen  to  weigh 
and  make  sail  to  the  northward.  It  was  believed  that  some  of 
the  leaders  of  the  insurrection  effected  their  escape  in  these  craft. 

The  Glasgow  ceased  firing  after  a  few  minutes.  When  she 
began  to  fire  again,  a  6-in.  shell  from  the  St.  George  silenced  her 
quickly.  A  Zanzibari  launch,  the  Chwaka,  had  the  temerity  to 
approach  the  Racoon,  and  was  sunk  by  her.  Ere  twenty  minutes 
had  elapsed,  the  Glasgow  was  seen  to  be  on  fire.  Nevertheless, 
after  a  second  period  of  silence,  she  fired  once  more  at  the  St.  George  f 
which,  retaliating  with  two  6-in.  shells,  stove  in  her  side  near  the 
water  line,  and  put  her  finally  out  of  action.  On  shore,  the  palace 
was  knocked  to  pieces,  and  the  old  custom  house  was  in  flames. 

1  Under  Maj.  Thomas  Horatio  de   Montraorency  Roche,  and   Lieut.  FitzStephen 
John  Featherston  French,  E.M.A. 

2  The    Glasgow  was   built  by  Messrs.  Denny,  of  Dumbarton,  and  navigated  to 
Zanzibar  in  1878  by  Capt.  Hy.  Hand,  R.N.     On  her  way  she  called  at  Portsmouth 
to  take  on  board  her  armament  of  seven  guns,  a  present  from  the  British  Government 
in  acknowledgment  of  the  sacrifices  made  \>y  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  for  the  suppression 
of  the  slave  trade.     She  was  a  single  screw  composite  craft  of  180  H.P.N.,  and  fully 
rigged,  measuring  195  ft.  long,  30  ft.  in  beam,  and  18  ft.  in  depth  of  hold. 


1896.]  RECONQUEST  OF  THE  SOUDAN.  439 

At  last  the  pretender's  flag  was  lowered;  and  at  9 '37  the  "cease 
fire"  sounded.  The  Glasgow  had  previously  struck,  and  had 
hoisted  a  British  flag  at  the  main.  She  was  well  on  fire ;  and 
assistance  was  then  sent  to  her  from  the  Philomel.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, could  be  done  for  her,  and  she  sank  slowly,  her  decks  bursting 
as  she  went  down. 

There  was  still  some  firing  on  shore ;  but  presently  that  also 
died  away ;  and,  an  hour  or  two  later,  the  rightful  Sultan,  Sayyid 
Hanioud  bin  Mohamed  bin  Said,  was  proclaimed,  and  saluted  with 
twenty-one  guns  from  all  the  war-ships.  The  pretender  had 
escaped.  In  the  height  of  the  bombardment  he  had  passed 
through  a  force  of  British  Marines  by  whom  he  and  his  followers 
had  been  disarmed  but  not  recognised.  He  reached  the  German 
consulate,1  whence  he  was  afterwards  deported  to  German  East 
Africa. 

On  the  Zanzibari  side  the  casualties  were  very  heavy,  about  500 
people  being  killed  or  wounded.  One  shot  from  the  Thrush 
smashed  a  gun,  and  killed  the  whole  of  its  crew.  On  the  British 
side  the  sole  casualty  was  one  man,  a  seaman  of  the  Thrush, 
wounded.  It  is  astonishing  that  there  was  not  more  loss,  for  the 
Thrush  was  hit  more  than  a  hundred  times,  and  the  Racoon  and 
Sparrow  were  repeatedly  struck,  the  St.  George  also  receiving  a 
few  shot.2 

During  the  initial,  as  well  as  in  the  later  stages  of  the  operations 
for  the  reconquest  of  the  Soudan  by  Sir  Herbert  Kitchener,  the 
Navy  rendered  valuable  services.  In  the  summer  and  autumn  of 
1896,  when  Dongola  was  recovered  from  the  Mahdi,  four  Egyptian 
stern-wheel  gunboats,  under  the  orders  of  Commanders  the  Hon. 
Stanley  Cecil  James  Colville,  and  Charles  Hope  Robertson,  C.M.G., 
and  Lieutenant  David  Beatty,  with  a  few  non-commissioned  officers 
and  men  of  the  Koyal  Marine  Artillery,  under  Captain  Humphrey 
Oldfield,  E.M.A.,  assisted  the  advance  up  the  Nile,  especially  in  the 
action  at  Hafir,  on  September  19th,  and  subsequently.  The  dervish 
works  at  Hafir  were  shelled  very  effectively,  and  a  hostile  steamer 

1  There  were  present  during  the  bombardment  the  German  warship  Seeadler,  and 
the  Italian  warship  Volturno.     Seamen  from  the  Seeadler  were  landed  to  guard  the 
German  consulate.     The  action  of  the  Germans  throughout  tended,  it  must  be  feared, 
to  obstruct  British  policy  and  a  peaceable  settlement. 

2  Desps. ;  and  Supp.  to  Zanzibar  Gazette  of  Sept.  2,  1896.     Letter  of  Eeuter's  Corr. 
of  Sept.  2,  in  the  Times.     Oorr.  in  Daily  Graphic,  Oct.  3. 


440       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

was  sunk,  by  the  gunboats  Tamai,  Abu  Klea,  and  Metemmeh,1  which 
suffered  somewhat,  and  lost  two  men  killed,  and  Commander 
Colville  and  twelve  men  wounded.  A  dervish  shell  actually  entered 
the  magazine  of  the  Abu  Klea,  but,  happily,  failed  to  explode. 
After  the  action,  the  three  boats  pushed  up  to  the  neighbourhood 
of  Dongola,  where,  on  the  22nd,  they  were  joined  by  a  fifth  gunboat, 
the  Zafir,  under  Commander  Robertson,  who,  in  the  gunboat 
El  Teb,  which  also  joined,  had  grounded,  and  had  been  detained  in 
consequence. 

Early  on  the  23rd,  Dongola  was  attacked  by  land  as  well  as  by 
water,  and,  after  the  gunboats  had  bombarded  it,  was  captured  by 
the  army.  Upon  the  defeat  and  retirement  of  the  dervishes, 
Colville  and  Eobertson  took  part  in  the  pursuit  as  far  as  Merawe.2 
Colville,  who  had  previously  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
gunboats  which  had  proved  so  useful,  was  posted,3  and  made  a 
C.B.4;  Beatty,  who  had  taken  command  of  the  flotilla  immediately 
after  Colville  had  been  wounded,  was  rewarded  with  a  D.S.O.5 

In  January,  1897,  a  peaceful  mission  of  officers  in  the  service  of 
the  Niger  Coast  Protectorate,  headed  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Phillips,  then 
acting  Consul-General,  was  attacked  in  the  bush  by  the  organised 
forces  of  the  King  of  Benin,  about  twelve  miles  from  that  city,  and 
all  persons  except  two  were  massacred.  Immediate  reprisals  were 
necessary,  both  to  avenge  the  massacre,  and  also  to  prevent  the 
news  of  an  unpunished  aggression  spreading  to  the  surrounding 
country,  and  causing  revolts  and  other  violent  actions  in  the 
adjacent  districts. 

Rear-Admiral  Eawson  was  instructed  to  undertake  the  reduction 
of  Benin  City,  and,  if  possible,  to  capture  the  King,  his  generals, 
and  Juju  priests.  He  received  the  order  on  January  15th.  By 
February  3rd,  the  St.  George,  Philomel,  Phoebe,  Widgeon,  Magpie, 
Alecto,  and  Barrosa,  belonging  to  the  Cape  station,  and  the  Theseus 
and  Forte,  from  the  Mediterranean,  had  assembled  off  the  Brass  and 
Benin  rivers.  All  stores  were  landed  as  soon  as  possible,  and  all 
available  Houssas  collected  at  Warrigi,  on  the  Benin  river,  the  main 
base  of  the  expedition.  So  as  to  expose  the  sailors  and  Marines  for 
as  short  a  time  as  possible  to  the  deadly  climate  of  the  swamps  and 

1  Tamai,  Com.  Colville,  and  Lieut.  C.  H.  de  Eougemout,  R.A. ;  Abu  Klea,  Lieut. 
Beatty ;  Metemmeh,  Capt.  Oldfield,  R.M.A. 

2  Desps.  of  Kitchener :  Royle,  515 :  A.  &  N.  Oaz.,  Nov.  7,  1896. 

8  Oct.  31,  1896.  4  Nov.  17,  1896.  6  Nov.  18,  1896. 


1897.]  THE  BENIN  EXPEDITION.  441 

bush  of  the  Benin  country,  the  men  were  not  disembarked  from 
their  ships  till  the  carriers  had  been  collected  and  organised,  and 
everything  made  ready  for  the  forward  march.  The  general  plan  of 
the  expedition  was  to  advance  the  main  column,  under  the  personal 
command  of  Admiral  Kawson,  with  Captain  Egerton,  chief  of  the 
staff,  and  Colonel  Hamilton  in  command  of  the  native  troops,  by 
the  little  used  Ologbo-Benin  route,  while  a  small  force,  under 
Captain  O'Callaghan,  from  the  Philomel,  Barrosa,  and  Widgeon, 

Ships.  I     Compt.  Commanders. 


St.  George 

520 

/Kear-Adm.  Harry  Holdsworth  Rawson,  C.B. 
\Capt.  George  Le  Clerc  Egerton. 

Theseus    .... 

544 

Capt.  Charles  Campbell  (2)  C.B. 

Forte  .      . 

320 

Capt.  Randolph  Frank  Ollive  Foote. 

Philomel  .... 

190 

Capt.  Michael  Pelham  O'Callaghan. 

Phoebe       .... 

190 

Capt.  Thomas  MacGill. 

Widyeon  .... 

74 

Lieut.  Edward  Duke  Hunt. 

Alecto      .      .      '      . 

68 

Lieut.  Charles  Edward  Pritchard. 

Barrosa,   .... 

159 

Com.  James  Startin. 

Magpie    .... 

74 

i  Lieut.  Henry  Venn  Wood  Elliott. 

was  sent  to  Guato,  a  village  on  Guato  Creek,  from  which  starts  the 
main  road  to  Benin,  to  deceive  the  Beni,  who  would  naturally 
expect  the  chief  attack  to  come  from  that  direction.  A  third  force, 
under  Captain  MacGill,  was  sent  to  Sapobar,  on  the  Jamieson  river, 
with  men  from  the  Phoebe,  Alecto,  and  Widgeon,  to  keep  that  part 
of  the  country  employed,  and  prevent  the  natives  from  swelling  the 
main  body,  and  also  to  attempt  to  cut  off  fugitives  to  the  adjoin- 
ing territory.  On  February  9th,  the  hospital  ship  Malacca  having 
arrived  with  details,  the  disembarkation  of  the  men  began  from 
their  ships,  into  small  local  steamers,  which  transported  them  from 
the  Brass  to  the  Benin  river,  arriving  at  Warrigi  on  the  10th. 

On  the  llth  the  main  column  marched  to  Ceri,  on  the  banks  of 
Ologbo  Creek,  two  miles  below  Ologbo.  There  a  reconnaissance 
showed  that  both  the  banks  were  too  rotten  and  swampy  for  the 
men  to  land  anywhere  but  at  Ceri  and  Ologbo  village.  Bridging  the 
creek  was  therefore  abandoned,  and  the  whole  force  had  to  be  taken 
in  detachments  two  miles  up  the  creek,  in  a  steamboat  and  two  surf- 
boats,  and  landed  at  Ologbo.  This  was  done  on  the  12th,  when 


442      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Colonel  Hamilton,  with  a  company  of  Houssas  and  half  a  company 
of  bluejackets,  effected  the  first  landing.  After  three  hours'  firing 
the  enemy  retired.  News  was  there  received  that  the  attack  on 
Guato  had  been  successful,  after  two  hours'  fighting,  but  that 
Captain  O'Callaghan  was  waiting  for  reinforcements  before  pro- 
ceeding to  destroy  Egbene  and  Ikoro,  two  towns  to  the  northward 
and  west  of  Guato.  It  was  also  reported  that  the  force  under 
Captain  MacGill  had  met  with  resistance,  but  had  erected  and  wa& 
holding  a  stockade,  about  four  miles  inland  of  Sapobar.  Bear- 
Admiral  Eawson  decided  to  reinforce  the  Guato  column  with  a 
view  to  holding  Guato  during  the  march  of  the  main  column,  and 
so  necessitate  a  division  of  the  Beni  army,  and  to  leave  the  existing 
force  at  Sapobar  to  hold  the  stockade.  Those  two  places  were 
successfully  held,  with  constant  fighting,  till  the  end  of  the  expedi- 
tion, after  the  fall  of  Benin  City.  On  the  14th  the  advance  of  the 
main  column  began ;  and,  after  a  running  fight  for  two  days,  a 
village  called  Agagi  was  reached.  There  the  wells,  which  had 
been  relied  on  to  provide  cooking  water  for  the  natives,  were 
found  to  be  dry.  The  Admiral,  therefore,  immediately  revised 
the  column,  the  second  division  being  left  at  Ologbo,  and  all 
its  carriers  being  employed  to  carry  water  for  the  first  division. 
By  such  means  sufficient  carriers  were  available  to  carry  three 
days'  water  supply,  at  an  allowance  of  two  quarts  for  each 
white  man  and  Houssa,  and  one  quart  for  each  carrier,  cooking 
included. 

On  the  17th  the  march  was  resumed ;  and  on  the  18th,  after  a> 
running  bush  fight  for  five  hours,  Benin  was  reached  and  taken. 
The  town  was  found  to  be  in  the  most  terrible  state  from  the  human 
sacrifices  offered  to  delay  the  advance.  Seven  pits,  forty  to  fifty  feet 
deep,  were  discovered,  with  twelve  to  fifteen  bodies  in  each,  the  dead 
and  the  dying  being  intermingled.  The  destruction  of  houses  for 
the  purpose  of  fortifying  the  palaver  and  the  King's  houses  was  im- 
mediately begun,  and  preparations  were  made  for  withdrawing  the 
sailors  and  Marines,  and  leaving  the  town  to  the  native  troops.  On 
Sunday,  21st,  however,  a  roof  caught  fire,  through  the  carelessness 
of  a  native  carrier,  and  in  ten  minutes  the  whole  town  was  in  a  blaze. 
The  ammunition  and  arms  were  saved,  but  all  the  provisions  and 
kits  lost.  Happily  a  fresh  supply  was  received  from  Agagi  the  same 
evening.  On  the  22nd  the  sailors  commenced  the  return  journey, 
arriving  at  Warrigi  after  a  trying  march  for  the  sick  and  wounded, 


1897.]  TERRIBLE  EFFECTS    OF   THE   CLIMATE.  443 

who  were  carried  through  the  narrow  bush  paths  in  hammocks. 
The  whole  force  was  re-embarked  by  the  evening  of  the  27th, 
exactly  eighteen  days  after  leaving  the  ships.  The  naval  casualties 
during  the  expedition  were :  Killed  in  action,  3  officers,  Lieutenant 
Charles  Edward  Pritchard  (Alecto),  Surgeon  Charles  James  Fyfe 
(St.  George),  and  Captain  Gervis  Taylor  Byrne,  E. M.L.I.,  and  8 
men;  wounded  in  action,  3  officers,  Captain  O'Callaghan  (Philomel), 
Lieutenant  Edward  Duke  Hunt,  and  Gunner  (T.)  "William  Johnston 
(Philomel),  and  44  men  ;  deaths  from  climate,  up  to  27th  February, 
1  officer,  Staff-Surgeon  Eichard  Henry  Way  (Malacca),  and  4  men. 
Two  officers  of  the  Niger  Coast  Protectorate  Forces  were  also 
wounded.1 

The  effects  of  this  short  campaign,  however,  were  soon  felt  more 
severely  by  those  who  had  taken  part  in  it.  No  fewer  than  2290 
fever  cases  were  attributable  to  the  expedition,  and  these  were 
practically  sustained  by  the  1200  men  landed.  The  St.  George  landed 
338  men,  of  whom  238,  or  71  per  cent.,  were  attacked  by  fever,  and 
who  among  them  endured  443  attacks.  The  89  men  of  the  Phoebe 
sustained  337  attacks.  The  Forte,  complement  320,  had,  during  the 
year,  904  cases  on  her  sick  list,  compared  with  an  average  of  230  in 
ships  of  her  class  on  the  Mediterranean  station.  The  expedition 
may,  nevertheless,  be  considered  as  one  of  the  most  successful  of 
small  punitive  undertakings.  The  organisation,  on  which  the 
whole  success  depended,  was,  thanks  to  Eear-Adrmral  Eawson, 
without  a  flaw.  A  force  of  1200  men,  the  majority  coming  from 
3000  to  4000  miles  from  the  Benin  country,  was  collected, 
equipped,  and  landed  in  29  days,  90  miles  from  the  sea  base.  It 
was  marched  through  an  unknown  country,  and  on  the  fifth 
day,  after  constant  fighting,  Benin  was  taken.  In  another  twelve 
days  the  entire  force  was  re-embarked,  and  the  ships  were  coaled, 
and  ready  for  further  service.  The  effect  of  the  expedition 
was,  it  is  needless  to  aay,  most  salutary  on  the  whole  surrounding 
country. 

Among  the  honours  granted  by  way  of  reward  for  the  success 
which  had  been  attained  were  a  K.C.B.  to  Eear-Admiral  Eawson; 
C.B.'s  to  Captains  O'Callaghan,  MacGill,  and  Egerton;  C.M.G.'s 

1  Bacon :  "  Benin,  the  City  of  Blood  " :  Rawson's  Despatches,  especially  of  Feb.  12th 
and  22nd. :  Corr.  of  various  journals :  and  accounts  of  participants.  I  am  much 
indebted  to  Capt.  R.  H.  S.  Bacon,  who  served  as  Intelligence  Officer,  and  who  has 
given  me  the  most  interesting  statistics  concerning  the  subsequent  sickness. 


444      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

to  Captain  Foote,  and  Fleet-Surgeon  Michael  FitzGerald ;  and 
D.S.O.'s  to  Captain  Campbell,  Commander  Eeginald  Hugh  Spencer 
Bacon,  and  Staff-Surgeons  James  McCardie  Martin,  and  Edgar 
Ralph  Dimsey ;  with  promotion  to  Commanders  James  Startin,  and 
William  Stokes  Eees,  and  Lieutenants  Edward  Duke  Hunt, 
Henry  Venn  Wood  Elliott,  Stuart  Nicholson,  Edmund  Eadcliffe 
Pears,  and  Seymour  Elphinstone  Erskine,  all  dated  May  25th, 
1897. 

In  the  year  1896  the  Sultan  had  been  induced  by  the  Powers 
to  promise  to  make  certain  reforms  in  the  administration  of  the 
island  of  Crete.  Soon,  however,  it  became  evident  that  the  promise 
was  to  be  productive  of  little  actual  good  to  the  large  Christian 
population,  which,  in  concert  with  sympathisers  in  Greece,  broke 
into  revolt  in  January,  1897.  In  the  large  towns,  and  a  few  isolated 
garrisons,  the  Turks,  as  a  rule,  held  their  own ;  but  beyond  the 
range  of  the  Turkish  guns  most  of  the  country  was  speedily  overrun 
by  armed  and  organised  Christians,  strengthened  by  detachments  of 
Greek  regulars,  and  supported  by  Greek  men-of-war  cruising  round 
the  coast.  Such  was  the  military  situation.  The  diplomatic 
situation  was  equally  threatening ;  for  the  Powers,  anxious  to  help 
forward  the  promised  reforms,  had  refused  to  allow  the  Sultan  to 
add  to  the  number  of  his  troops  in  the  island,  and  to  employ 
them  in  offensive  operations  against  the  insurgents.  The  Powers, 
in  fact,  had  made  themselves  responsible,  to  some  extent,  for 
the  safety  of  the  Turkish  garrisons,  while  they  had  also  taken 
under  their  protection  the  cause  of  reform.  The  position,  besides 
being  delicate,  was  dangerous,  seeing  that  the  attitude  of  Greece 
was  most  provocative  to  Turkey ;  that  Turkey  was  well  able  to 
crush  Greece  without  difficulty ;  and  that  any  formal  conflict 
between  Turkey  and  Greece  might  imperil  the  general  peace  of 
Europe. 

With  a  view  to  bringing  the  local  troubles  to  an  amicable  and 
satisfactory  termination,  the  six  Powers,  Great  Britain,  France, 
Germany,  Eussia,  Italy,  and  Austria,  sent  squadrons  to  the  spot  in 
February,  1897  ;  and  for  nearly  two  years  subsequent  to  that  time, 
the  affairs  of  Crete  were  practically  managed  by  the  naval  officers  of 
the  allies,  acting  at  first  under  the  presidency  of  'Vice-Admiral  Count 
Canevaro  (Italy),  and  later  under  that  of  Eear-Admiral  Edouard 
Pottier  (France),  these  being  the  senior  flag-officers  in  Cretan  waters. 
The  senior  British  representative  was,  first,  Eear-Admiral  Eobert 


1897.]  AFFAIRS  IN   CRETE.  445 

Hastings    Harris,1   and,    afterwards,    his    successor,    Bear-Admiral 
Gerard  Henry  Uctred  Noel.2 

Almost  immediately  after  the  allied  officers  had  anchored  in 
Canea  Eoads,  a  Greek  squadron,  under  the  command  of  Prince 
George  of  Greece,  arrived  with  orders  to  assist  the  Christians  and 
to  harass  the  Turks.  It  was  warned  off  at  once,  and  did  not 
reappear.  Less  decision  was  displayed  in  dealing  with  a  Greek 
military  expedition  which  arrived  a  little  later,  under  Colonel 
Vassos.  It  was  unwisely  permitted  to  disembark,  although  certain 
storeships  which  were  sent  after  it  were  captured.  When  Vassos 
attempted  to  move  upon  Canea,  his  further  progress  was  forbidden  ; 
and  at  length,  on  May  23rd,  finding  that  he  was  allowed  to  do 
nothing,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  by  that  time  war  had  broken  out 
between  Greece  and  Turkey,  he  was  glad  to  return  to  Greece.  His 
men  were  embarked  in  Platania  Bay  by  the  cruiser  Hawke,  Captain 
Sir  Eichard  Poore,  Bart. 

In  the  interval,  to  check  the  advance  of  an  insurgent  force  from 
the  Akrotiri  side,  the  foreign  admirals  had  landed  about  500  men  at 
Canea,  above  which  they  hoisted  the  flags  of  the  six  Powers.  This 
took  place  as  early  as  the  middle  of  February ;  but,  as  the  landing 
did  not  produce  the  desired  effect,  the  insurgent  position  was 
bombarded  for  about  five  minutes  on  February  21st.  No  one 
appears  to  have  been  injured  ;  yet  the  "  bombardment  of  Akrotiri  " 
raised  an  outcry  from  certain  sentimentalists  throughout  Europe, 
the  result  being  that  although  the  Christian  insurgents  eastward  of 
Canea  were  kept  quiet,  their  compatriots  elsewhere  in  the  island 
grew  more  aggressive  than  ever.  This  was  most  prejudicial  to  the 
settlement  of  the  problem,  seeing  that  the  Powers  were  implicitly 
pledged  to  see  to  the  safety  of  the  Turkish  garrison.  The  reply  of 
the  admirals  was  the  institution  of  a  strict  blockade  of  the  Cretan 
coasts,  and  of  some  of  the  Greek  ports,  so  as  effectually  to  prevent 
the  insurgents  from  receiving  any  further  succour  from  their 
sympathisers  on  the  mainland. 

More  active  steps  had  soon  to  be  taken.  The  Turkish  garrison 
of  Candanos,  a  town  about  four  miles  inland,  was  hard  pressed  by 
the  insurgents  ;  and  on  March  7th,  an  international  force  of  about 
500  seamen,  under  Captain  John  Harvey  Eainier,  of  the  Rodney, 
marched  to  its  relief,  and  brought  it  away,  together  with  a  great 

1  In  the  Revenge,  Capt.  Reginald  Charles  Prothero. 

2  From  Jan.  12,  1898. 


446      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

number  of  Mussulman  inhabitants.  On  its  return  along  a  valley  to 
the  coast,  the  force  was  hustled  by  the  Christians,  and  some  shots 
were  fired  on  both  sides ;  but  the  difficult  retirement  was  performed 
with  no  loss  on  the  side  of  the  allies,  and  with  but  slight  casualties 
among  the  insurgents.  On  March  25th  an  Italian  cruiser  shelled 
the  insurgents  out  of  a  blockhouse  which  they  had  captured  a  few 
moments  earlier  on  the  heights  of  Melaxa,  above  Suda  Bay ;  and 
somewhat  later  the  Camperdown,  Captain  Robert  William  Craigie, 
at  a  range  of  5000  yards,  using  her  13'5-in.  guns,  dislodged  a 
detachment  which  was  besieging  Fort  Izzedin,  a  fine  modern  work 
near  the  entrance  to  the  same  bay.  To  prevent  further  opera- 
tions against  that  fort,  Major  James  Henry  Bor,  E.M.A.,  with 
some  Marines  from  the  Eevenge,  was  landed  to  take  command 
of  it.  These  various  measures  had  the  desired  effect  of  inducing 
the  insurgents  to  cease  from  making  organised  attacks  upon  the 
Turks.  The  Christians  still  sniped  their  opponents  as  occasion 
offered ;  but  the  action  of  the  admirals  put  a  stop  to  regular 
hostilities. 

The  next  effort  of  the  representatives  of  the  Powers  was  to 
arrange  a  modus  vivendi  between  the  factions  while  the  Turkish 
garrisons  continued  in  the  island.  That,  however,  was  found  to 
be  impossible,  the  more  so  when,  early  in  1898,  Germany  and 
Austria  withdrew  from  the  concert,  leaving  four  Powers  only  to 
do  the  work. 

The  district  of  Candia,  with  the  towns  of  Canea  and  Candia,  was 
the  sphere  which,  by  agreement,  had  been  allotted  to  the  special 
management  of  Great  Britain.  The  British  senior  officer,  whoever 
he  happened  to  be  at  the  moment,  did  what  he  could  in  union  with 
the  International  Council,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  assisted 
in  the  keeping  of  some  kind  of  order  on  shore  ;  but  as  the  Moslems 
in  the  towns  were  the  only  people  from  whom  taxes  could  be 
collected,  and  as  most  of  the  insurgents  remained  aloof,  the  situation 
was  an  impossible  one.  It  continued,  however,  throughout  the 
summer,  and  might  have  continued  much  longer  but  for  a  lament- 
able event  which  happened  in  September — an  event  which,  though 
it  involved  the  loss  of  gallant  British  lives,  gave  freedom  at  length 
to  Crete. 

The  council  of  naval  officers  had  decided  to  collect  a  certain 
proportion  of  export  duties,  and  to  expend  the  proceeds  not  for  the 
good  of  the  Turks  only,  but  for  the  general  benefit  of  the  island ; 


1898.]  THE  "HAZARD"    AT  CANDIA.  447 

and,  with  that  object  in  view,  they  directed  that  on  September  6th 
the  Custom  House  at  Candia  should  be  given  up  to  the  British 
authorities.  The  moment  selected  was  unfortunate  ;  for  there  were 
but  about  130  British  troops l  in  the  town,  the  British  Commissioner, 
Sir  Herbert  Chennside,  who  had  great  influence  over  the  Moslem 
population,  was  away  in  England,  the  Turkish  governor,  Edhem 
Pasha,  was  a  fanatic,  and  the  sole  British  man-of-war  on  the 
immediate  scene  of  action  was  the  little  torpedo  gunboat  Hazard, 
Lieutenant  Price  Vaughan  Lewes.  Writing  a  few  months  after- 
wards, a  distinguished  naval  officer  said : — 

"  What  occurred  will  be  fresh  in  everyone's  memory — a  desperate  attack  on  a  small 
force  of  British  soldiers  and  sailors  by  a  fanatical  and  well-armed  mob ;  simultaneous 
attacks,  obviously  preconcerted,  on  the  British  camp  and  hospital  at  the  other  end 
of  the  town ;  an  heroic  defence  obstinately  maintained  ;  a  passive  and  almost  hostile 
attitude  on  the  part  of  the  Turkish  troops  and  their  officers  ;  followed  by  the  surging 
of  the  mob  on  to  an  easier  prey,  the  undefended  Christian  residents  and  their 
unfortunate  women  and  children.  Incidentally,  a  naval  officer  may  be  permitted  to 
dwell  with  pride  on  the  gallant  conduct  of  Lieut.-Commander  Vaughan  Lewes,  and  his 
officers  and  men,  which  has  met  with  well-deserved  recognition  from  Her  Majesty,  in 
the  promotion  of  Commander  Vaughan  Lewes,2  and  the  awards  of  the  Victoria  Cross 
to  Doctor  Maillard,3  and  the  Distinguished  Service  Order  to  Lieutenant  Nicholson."* 

Seventeen  British  lives  were  sacrificed  that  day,  including  those 
of  two  leading  and  two  ordinary  seamen,6  a  monument  to  whom 
has  since  been  placed  in  the  Upper  Barracca,  at  Malta ;  and  nearly 
a  thousand  Christians  are  supposed  to  have  been  massacred.  The 
horrible  affair  was,  however,  the  death-blow  to  Turkish  authority  in 
the  island. 

On  September  12th,  the  Revenge,  which  had  been  absent  for 
a  time  from  Cretan  waters,  returned,  and  was  presently  followed 
by  the  battleship  Illustrious,  and  the  second-class  cruiser  Venus. 
Bear-Admiral  Noel  landed  at  once  at  Candia,  inspected  the  scene  of 
the  attack,  and  ordered  Edhem  Pasha  to  wait  upon  him  on  board 
the  flagship  on  the  following  morning.  Upon  complying,  the 
Pasha  was  told  that  he  must  demolish  all  houses  from  which  fire 
had  been  opened  on  the  British  camp  and  hospital,  that  he  must 
give  up  to  British  occupation  certain  forts  and  positions,  that  he 
must  instantly  surrender  the  chief  persons  who  had  been  responsible 

1  Highland  Light  Infantry. 

2  Com.  Sept.  6,  1898. 

3  Surg.  AVm.  Job  Maillard,  E.N.  (V.C.  Dec.  2,  1898). 

4  Sub-Lieut.  Edward  Hugh  Meredith  Nicholson  (Lieut.  Sept.  30,  D.S.O.  Dec.  2, 1898). 
6  Wm.  Berry,  Alb.  Champion,  Alf.  B.  Stroud,  and  Hy.  Andrews. 


448      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF   TEE  ROYAL    NAVY,   1857-1900. 

for  the  rioting  and  fighting,  and  that  the  Moslem  population  would 
be  disarmed.  After  much  display  of  unwillingness,  which  was 
corrected  by  a  demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  Revenge  and 
Camperdoivn,  the  demands  were  all  carried  out,  and  a  number  of 
offenders  were  hanged  on  a  conspicuous  scaffold. 

Soon  afterwards  a  joint  note  from  the  Powers  summoned  the 
Porte  to  evacuate  Crete  within  a  month.  The  evacuation,  accord- 
ingly, began,  and  was  completed  on  December  5th,  1898,  though 
not  until  something  little  short  of  actual  force  had  been  employed 
to  secure  it.  The  last  Turkish  forces  were  embarked  under  the 
superintendence  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Bevenge  and  Empress 
of  India,  and  were  conveyed  to  Salonica  by  the  torpedo  gunboat 
Hussar. 

On  December  19th,  the  four  flag-ships  of  the  allied  fleets,  the 
French  Bugeaud  (Vice- Admiral  Pettier),  the  Eussian  Gerzog  Edin- 
burgsJci  (Eear- Admiral  Skrydloff),  the  Italian  Francesco  Morosini, 
and  the  British  Revenge,  proceeded  to  Milo,  where,  on  the  20th, 
Prince  George  of  Greece,  who  had  been  appointed  High  Commis- 
sioner under  the  Sultan's  suzerainty,  left  his  yacht  for  the  Bugeaud, 


EEAK-ADM.   SIR    GERARD    HENRY    UCTRED   NOEL,    K.C.M.G. 

which  conveyed  him  to  Suda.  So  ended  the  direct  rule  of  Turkey, 
which  had  held  the  island  of  Crete  since  1669,  in  face  of  almost 
continuous  revolts. 

In  addition  to  the  officers  already  mentioned  as  having  been 
specially  rewarded  for  their  services,  Bear-Admiral  Noel  was  made 
a  K.C.M.G.,  and  Captains  Eeginald  Custance,1  Harry  Tremen- 
heere  Grenfell,2  and  Major  James  Henry  Bor,  E.M.A.,  were  given 
the  C.M.G.  in  recognition  of  the  part  which  they  took  in  the 
pacification  of  the  long-suffering  island.3 

1  Of  the  Barflew.  2  Of  the  Trafalgar. 

3  Desps. :   Times :  A.  &  N.  Oaz. :  Nav.  &  Mil.  Bee.,  1897-98  passim :  and  espe- 
cially Unit.  Serv.  Mag.,  Feb.  1899,  pp.  497-510. 


1897.]  CAPTURE   OF   OMDURMAN.  449 

The  advance  southwards  for  the  recovery  of  the  Sudan  was 
renewed  in  1897  ;  and,  as  before,  the  Navy  bore  some  part  in  it, 
naval  officers  commanding  the  Egyptian  stern-wheel  gunboats  which 
were  employed  that  year  on  the  Nile  in  co-operation  with  the  army. 
These  boats,  the  Zafir,  Commander  Colin  Eichard  Keppel,  the  Nasr, 
Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Horace  Lambert  Alexander  Hood,  and  the 
Fatek,  Lieutenant  David  Beatty,  D.S.O.,  surmounted  the  Fourth 
Cataract  by  the  end  of  August,  and  reached  Abu  Hamed,  which  had 
already  been  captured  by  General  A.  Hunter.  Thence  they  moved 
to  Berber,  which  was  found  to  be  deserted,  and  which  was  occupied 
by  the  troops  on  September  5th. 

On  October  15th  the  gunboats  proceeded  to  reconnoitre  the 
enemy's  position  at  Metemmeh.  At  Shendy  they  opened  fire  from 
their  quick-firers,  howitzers,  and  Maxims  upon  the  forts,  which 
made  a  warm  reply.  The  same  works  were  again  bombarded 
on  the  16th ;  and  on  November  1st,  the  reconnaissance  was 
pushed  as  far  as  the  Sixth  Cataract,  and  valuable  information  was 
obtained. 

The  Nile  was  falling,  and  General  Sir  H.  Kitchener  decided  to 
keep  the  gunboats  above  the  impassible  rapids  at  Um  Tuir,  four 
miles  north  of  the  confluence  of  the  Atbara  with  the  Nile.  There 
they  remained  during  the  winter.  Towards  the  end  of  February, 
1898,  the  Dervishes  at  Metemmeh  crossed  the  river  to  Shendy, 
with  the  object  of  uniting  with  Osman  Digna ;  and  Keppel,  who 
by  that  time  had  additional  gunboats  with  him,  was  able  to  inflict 
heavy  loss  upon  them  during  the  transit.  The  united  Dervish  forces 
entrenched  themselves  at  Nakheila,  on  the  Atbara,  and  the  Anglo- 
Egyptian  forces  took  up  a  position  at  Has  el  Hudi,  on  the  same 
stream.  Meanwhile,  the  enemy  had  weakened  his  garrison  at 
Shendy :  and  on  March  26th,  some  of  the  gunboats,  with  troops 
on  board,  attacked  that  place,  and  captured  it,  taking  also  a  large 
quantity  of  grain.  On  April  8th,  when  Kitchener  attacked  and 
defeated  Mahmud,  the  Khalifa's  general,  on  the  Atbara,  a  rocket 
detachment,  which  had  been  landed  for  service,  under  Lieutenant 
Beatty,  set  the  enemy's  zeriba  on  fire  in  several  places,  and  did 
excellent  work. 

The  final  advance  of  the  Anglo-Egyptian  army  began  in  the 
last  week  of  August  along  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile,  a  force 
of  friendlies  marching  at  the  same  time  along  the  east  bank,  and 
the  gunboats  moving  up  the  river  itself.  Commander  Keppel's 

VOL.    VII.  2   G 


450       MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 


flotilla  at  that  period  consisted  of  the  following,  besides  five  trans- 
port steamers : — 


Gunboats. 

Description. 

Gmis.                                   Commanders. 

Zafir    .      .      Stern-wheeler,  128  tons^ 

t 

Com.  C.  K.  Keppel,  R.N. 

Fateh    .      . 

»»                          »» 

1  12-pr.,  2  6-prs., 
1  howitzer, 

(senr.  off.) 
Lt.   Dav.   Beatty,  D.S.O., 
R.N. 

Nasr     . 

»»                          »i 

4  Maxims. 

Lt.  Hon.  H.  L.  A.  Hood, 

R.N. 

Sheik    .      . 

Single-screw,    140  tons 

Lt.   John  Barnes  Sparks, 

1  12-pr., 

R.N. 

Sultan  . 

»»                    » 

1  howitzer, 

Lt.  Walter  Henry  Cowan, 

4  Maxims. 

R.N. 

Melik   .      . 

»                    » 

Capt.  W.  S.  Gordon,  R.E. 

Tamdi  . 

Stern-wheeler 

/'Lt.  Hy.  FitzRoy  Geo.  Tal  - 

i     hot,  R.N. 

El  Tel.      . 

j, 

1  9-pr.,  2  q.-f. 

jLt.  Cecil  Minet  Staveley, 
)     R.N. 

Mete.mm.eli  . 

»i 

( 

Abu  Klea  . 

»» 

1  22-pr.,  2  q.-f. 

Lt.  A.  G.  Stevenson,  R.E. 

Temporarily  attached  for  duty  with  the  above  were  Capt.  Fredk.  Manoli  Baltazzi 
Hobbs,  R.M.,  and  Lt.  E.  0.  A.  Newcombe,  R.E. 

The  naval  detachment  included  Engineer  Edm.  Edw.  Bond,  3  engine-room 
artificers,  3  leading  stokers,  and  9  non-commissioned  officers,  R.M.A.  (gunnery- 
instructors). 

On  August  28th,  misfortune  overtook  the  Zafir,  which  sank 
suddenly  near  Shendy,  only  two  of  her  Maxims  being  saved,  though, 
happily,  there  was  no  loss  of  life.  On  September  1st,  after  the 
gunboats  had  cleared  the  east  bank,  the  howitzers  were  landed,  and 
a  bombardment  of  Omdurman  was  begun.  The  forts  at  Khartum 
and  Tuti  island  were  also  shelled  from  the  river.  On  the  day 
following,  the  Dervishes  attacked  Sir  H.  Kitchener  in  great  force, 
and  were  repulsed  with  heavy  slaughter,  whereupon  the  army  moved 
out  towards  Omdurman,  and,  though  twice  attacked  most  fiercely  on 
the  way,  entered  it,  released  the  Khalifa's  prisoners,  and  practically 
extinguished  the  power  of  Mahdism  in  the  Sudan. 

Almost  immediately  afterwards,  on  September  7th,  the  arrival 
of  news  that  a  French  force  under  Captain  Marchand,  coming  from 
the  west  and  north,  had  occupied  Fashoda,  600  miles  above 
Khartum,  obliged  Sir  H.  Kitchener  to  proceed  thither.  He  went 
in  the  post-boat  Dal,  escorted  by  the  Fateh,  Sultan,  Nasr,  and 
A  bu  Klea,  starting  on  the  10th,  dispersing  a  small  body  of  Dervishes 
on  the  15th,  and  reaching  Fashoda  four  days  later.  By  the  exercise 


1897.]  DE  HORSEY  IN  BRITISH  NORTH  BORNEO.  451 

•Of  great  tact,  he  persuaded  Marchand  to  leave  the  settlement  of  the 
questions  at  issue  to  the  machinery  of  diplomatism,  and  contented 
himself  with  hoisting  the  British  and  Egyptian  flags  to  the  south 
of  the  French  tricolour,  with  stationing  a  Sudanese  battalion  and 
a  gunboat  to  guard  them,  and  with  establishing  posts  at  Sobat  and 
Meshra-er-Eek,  on  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal.  Ultimately  it  was  decided 
that  Marchand  had  trespassed  into  a  sphere  where  France  had  no 
rights,  and  on  December  llth  the  gallant  captain  withdrew  by  way 
-of  Sobat,  Abyssinia,  and  Djibuti.1 

For  their  participation  in  these  arduous  operations,  Commander 
Keppel  was  given  the  C.B.,2  and  Lieutenant  Cowan,  and  Engineer 
Bond  were  awarded  the  D.S.O.2 

In  the  operations  of  the  following  year,  having  for  their  object 
the  capture  or  destruction  of  the .  Khalifa,  and  ending  with  the 
bloody  victory  at  Om  Dubreikat  on  November  25th,  1899,  Lieu- 
tenant Walter  Henry  Cowan,  D.S.O.,  commanded  the  gunboat 
flotilla,  and  also  accompanied  the  army  as  Sir  E.  Wingate's  staff- 
officer.  Among  those  who  served  under  him  on  the  river  were 
Lieutenants  Herbert  Lefroy  Hunter  Fell,  Harold  Escombe,  and 
William  Byron  Drury. 

Several  earlier  operations  in  various  parts  of  the  world  have  yet 
to  be  noticed. 

In  November,  1897,  a  rebellious  chief  named  Mat  Salleh  attacked 
Ambong,  in  the  territory  of  the  British  North  Borneo  Company, 
and  succeeded  in  burning  the  Eesident's  house.  In  December,  an 
expedition  went  inland  against  him,  and,  on  the  13th  of  the  month, 
shelled  his  stronghold,  but,  attempting  afterwards  to  rush  it,  was 
repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  This  man's  temporary  success  encouraged 
one  of  his  sympathisers,  an  ex-convict  named  Si  Talleh,  to  attack 
the  Government  station  at  Limbawang.  Being  driven  off,  he  fled 
to  a  stronghold  on  the  Membakut  river,  in  the  territory  of  the 
Sultan  of  Brunei.  Operations  against  him  were  undertaken  in 
January,  1898,  and  resulted  in  the  capture  of  his  stockade  and  the 
killing  or  wounding  of  about  forty  of  his  followers,  though  Si  Talleh 
himself  managed  for  the  moment  to  escape.  The  co-operation  of 
the  gunboats  Plover  and  Swift,  under  the  orders  of  Lieutenant 
Spencer  Victor  Yorke  de  Horsey,  contributed  greatly  to  the  success 
of  the  expedition,  and  to  the  ultimate  seizure  of  the  offender.3 

1  Desps.  :  Alford  and  Sword  ;  '  The  Egyptian  Sudan  '  (1898) :   Times. 
-  All  dated  Nov.  15,  1898.  8  Times,  Jan.  31,  1898. 

2  G  2 


452      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

During  the  war  between  Japan  and  China  in  1894-95,  the  former 
Power  captured,  among  other  places,  Port  Arthur  on  the  north  and 
Wei-hai-Wei  on  the  south  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Pechili. 
At  the  settlement  of  affairs,  after  the  victory  of  Japan,  the  attitude 
of  some  of  the  European  Powers  deterred  the  conqueror  from 
profiting  to  the  full  by  his  successes,  and  from  retaining  any  of  his 
conquests  on  the  mainland.  The  intervening  Powers  were  France, 
Germany,  and  Eussia.  Each  one  ultimately  secured  from  China 
territorial  compensation,  France  getting  part  of  Kiang  Hung ; 
Germany,  Kiao  Chao ;  and  Eussia,  Port  Arthur.  Eussia's  acqui- 
sition, though  nominally  it  consisted  only  of  a  lease  of  the  place, 
put  her  in  so  favourable  a  position  for  coercing  China,  and  for 
increasing  her  own  naval  power  in  the  Far  East,  that  Great  Britain, 
by  way  of  counterpoise,  demanded  and  obtained  from  China  a  lease 
of  Wei-hai-Wei  for  as  many  years  as  the  Eussian  occupation  of  Port 
Arthur  should  endure.  Upon  the  evacuation  of  the  port  and  the 
neighbouring  island  of  Liu  Kun  by  the  Japanese,  the  British  flag 
was  accordingly  hoisted  on  May  24th,  1898,  by  Captain  George 
Fowler  King  Hall,  of  the  belted'  cruiser  Narcissus ;  and  bluejackets 
and  Marines  were  landed  from  the  British  China  squadron  to  occupy 
the  forts,  until  regular  provision  could  be  made  for  the  garrisoning 
of  them.1 

On  August  31st,  1896,  a  British  protectorate  had  been  proclaimed 
over  part  of  the  hinterland  of  Sierra  Leone,  being  the  territory 
between  7°  and  10°  N.,  and  11°  and  13°  W. ;  and  subsequently  a  tax 
of  5s.  per  hut  per  annum  had  been  imposed  to  meet  the  costs  of 
administration.  The  imposition  of  the  tax  caused  great  discontent 
among  the  ignorant  natives ;  and  in  February,  1898,  it  became 
necessary  to  send  a  military  force,  consisting  of  a  company  of  the 
1st  West  India  Begirnent,  under  Major  E.  J.  Norris,  to  collect  it. 
The  force  proceeded  by  way  of  the  Scarcies  Eiver  to  Eokon,  and 
thence  overland  to  Port  Lokko,  on  the  Sierra  Leone  river,  and  made 
that  place  its  base  of  operations.  There  was,  however,  so  much 
opposition  that  a  second  company  was  ordered  up,  and  a  request 
was  made  by  the  Governor,  Sir  Frederick  Cardew,  that  a  naval 
force  might  convoy  it,  the  intervening  district  being  in  a  state  of 
great  unrest. 

The  naval  force  then  at  Sierra  Leone  consisted  of  the  second- 
class  cruiser  Fox,  Captain  Frank  Hannam  Henderson,  and  the 
'  Desps. :  and  Times,  May  19,  and  June  1,  1898.1 


1898.]  FIGHTING   IN   SIERRA   LEONE.  453 

paddle-vessel  Alecto,  Lieutenant  Arthur  Fosberry  Holmes,  which 
were  presently  joined  by  the  third-class  cruiser  Blonde,  Commander 
Peyton  Hoskyns. 

The  expedition  started  on  March  5th,  the  troops  being  in  the 
Protectorate  vessel  Countess  of  Derby,  and  the  escort  comprising 
the  Alecto,  and  one  steam-boat  and  two  pulling  boats  from  the 
squadron,  the  Alecto  towing  the  boats  up  Port  Lokko  Creek  as  far 
as  Moferri,  where  the  towing  was  taken  over  by  the  Fox's  steam- 
cutter,  under  Lieutenant  Frederick  Kenrick  Colquhoun  Gibbons, 
who  was  in  command.  Major  Norris  and  his  company  were  found 
in  laager,  sorely  pressed ;  but,  after  Gibbons  had  shelled  the  native 
position,  the  enemy  drew  off.  Provisions  for  the  troops  were  then 
brought  up  from  the  Countess  of  Derby,  and  the  boats  returned. 

The  rebellion,  however,  spread  ;  and,  on  March  29th,  two  further 
companies  of  the  West  India  Eegiment  and  a  company  of  Sierra 
Leone  Artillery  were  sent  into  the  interior,  escorted  by  the  Alecto 
and  some  Marines.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  Blonde,  Captain 
Henderson,  who  was  senior  naval  officer,  despatched  that  vessel  to 
the  Sherbro  river  to  keep  in  check  the  rebels  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Bonthe,  and  of  Imperri,  further  up  the  stream.  Commander 
Hoskyns,  who  received  assistance  from  the  Alecto  whenever  it  could 
be  rendered,  did  most  valuable  service,  and  saved  the  district  of 
Sherbro  from  being  overwhelmed  by  the  Mendi  natives.  Boat 
expeditions,  organised  by  him,  destroyed  Gambia,  on  the  Bum 
Kittam,  and,  on  May  4th,  pushed  up  the  Jong  Eiver  as  far  as  Bogo, 
where  dreadful  massacres  had  been  committed.  Hoskyns  also 
helped  Lieut. -Colonel  Cunningham's  force  in  its  advance  up  the 
Jong  Eiver  on  May  13th ;  and  the  boats  at  times  were  under  a 
heavy  fire  from  the  banks.  Holmes,  with  people  from  the  Alecto, 
made  a  reconnaissance  to  Bendu  on  May  19th,  and  on  June  llth 
and  12th  rescued  a  number  of  Sierra  Leone  women  from  the  hands 
of  the  insurgents  on  the  Bum  Kittam. 

Another  expedition,  composed  entirely  of  people  from  the  Fox, 
went  up  the  Bumpe  Eiver  on  May  llth  to  14th,  and  co-operated 
with  the  advance  of  a  column  under  Colonel  E.  E.  P.  Woodgate  for 
the  relief  of  Kwalu.  The  Fox  herself  had  gone  on  May  2nd  to 
Sulima  and  Mano  Salijah,  where  she  had  rescued  some  officials  and 
traders,  and  had  shelled  and  driven  off  bodies  of  rebels.  On  that 
occasion,  the  state  of  the  sea  had  prevented  all  the  fugitives  from 
being  taken  off.  Those,  therefore,  who  could  not  be  embarked  had 


454      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

been  marched  over  the  border  to  Robert  Port,  in  Liberia,  protected 
on  their  way  by  the  Fox's  people.  Henderson,  on  his  return  to 
Sierra  Leone,  found  that  the  alarm  there  had  increased  during  his 
absence,  and  that  Colonel  Woodgate  had  asked  for  more  ships. 
The  result  was  the  appearance  of  the  first-class  cruiser  Blake, 
Captain  Alfred  Leigh  Winsloe  (on  May  14th,  when  Winsloe  became 
senior  officer),  and  of  the  third-class  cruisers  Phoebe,  Captain  Robert 
Sidney  Eolleston,  and  Tartar,  Commander  John  Thirkill  White. 
On  July  5th  and  6th,  Captain  Bolleston,  with  his  ship,  the  Tartar, 
and  the  Alecto,  assisted  in  the  landing  of  two  military  expeditions 
which  were  destined  for  Shengah  and  Bumpe  respectively ;  and  he 
was  able  to  lend  valuable  help  on  other  occasions.1 

The  rising  was  crushed  later  in  the  year  by  six  separate  columns- 
of  troops  under  the  general  direction  of  Colonel  Woodgate.  In  the 
final  operations  the  Navy  had  little  share ;  but,  had  it  not  been 
ready  at  hand  and  extremely  active  at  the  beginning  of  the  disorders, 
terrible  atrocities  must  have  resulted,  and  the  British  colony  itself 
might  have  been  entirely  overrun  by  the  rebels.2 

For  their  services,  Captain  Henderson  and  Commander  Hoskyns 
received  the  C.M.G.  Hoskyns,  moreover,  was  posted  on  Decem- 
ber 31st,  1898,  when,  also,  Lieutenant  Holmes  was  made  a 
commander.  In  addition  to  officers  who  have  been  already  named, 
the  following  were  among  those  mentioned  in  the  despatches : 
Lieutenants  William  Francis  Ben  well  (Fox),  Edward  Oliver  Glad- 
stone (Alecto},  and  Gerald  Hubbard  Welch  (Blonde} ;  Sub-Lieutenant 
Ernest  William  Denison  (Blonde} ;  and  Engineer  William  Wesley 
Hardwick  (Blonde). 

Before  proceeding  to  give  any  account  of  the  very  important 
events  which  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Navy,  and,  indeed,  of  the 
whole  Empire,  in  1899  and  1900,  it  will  be  well  to  glance  at  a  few 
minor  occurrences  which,  during  those  years,  necessitated  the  inter- 
vention of  commanders  of  Her  Majesty's  ships. 

Early  in  1899  there  was  a  rebellion  in  Nicaragua,  in  the  repres- 
sion of  which  Nicaragua  was  assisted  by  the  neighbouring  republic 
of  Honduras.  On  February  13th,  the  second-class  cruiser  Intrepid, 
Captain  John  Leslie  Burr,  C.M.G. ,  anchored  off  Bluefields  to  protect 
British  interests,  the  American  warship  Marietta,  Lieutenant- 

1  Desps.  of  Cardew  and   Woodgate:    Gazette,  Dec.  29,  1899:  letters  and   papers 
of  Henderson  :   Times,  Mar.  31,  Apr.  9,  May  6,  etc.,  1898. 

2  Times,  Nov.  15,  1898. 


1899.]  BURR   AT  BLUEFIELDS.  455 

Commander  F.  M.  Symonds,  arriving  on  the  17th  in  order  to  look 
after  the  still  larger  interests  of  the  United  States. 

At  Bluefields  lay  the  insurgent  steamer  San  Jacinto,  a  little  craft 
of  150  tons,  carrying  one  6-pr.  Hotchkiss  gun.  At  San  Juan  de 
Nicaragua,  otherwise  known  as  Greytown,  some  miles  to  the  south- 
ward, lay  the  Honduran  steamer  Tatumbla,  a  craft  of  400  tons, 
mounting  four  guns.  Bluefields  was  in  the  hands  of  the  insurgents ; 
Greytown  in  those  of  the  recognised  authorities.  On  February  18th 
the  San  Jacinto  set  out  with  the  intention  of  disembarking  a  force 
for  an  attack  on  Greytown.  She  appears  to  have  carried  out  part 
of  her  plan ;  but  on  the  23rd,  after  a  brief  action,  she  was  captured 
by  the  Tatumbla.  It  being  then  obvious  that  the  insurgent  cause 
was  hopeless,  and  that  further  rebel  activity  could  lead  only  to 
useless  bloodshed,  the  British  and  American  commanders  decided 
to  assume  control  at  Bluefields.  Accordingly,  on  the  24th,  thirty- 
two  men  from  the  Intrepid,  under  Lieutenants  Edward  William 
Elphinstone  Wemyss,  and  Sholto  Grant  Douglas,  and  seventeen 
from  the  Marietta,  under  Lieutenant  F.  B.  Bassett,  U.S.N.,  were 
landed  to  patrol  the  streets  and  maintain  order.  On  the  following 
morning  the  Tatumbla,  full  of  troops  flushed  with  victory,  and 
accompanied  by  her  prize,  appeared  off  the  town,  and  demanded  its 
unconditional  surrender,  under  pain  of  immediate  bombardment. 
Burr  pointed  out  that  anything  of  the  sort  would  be  temerarious ; 
and  presently  the  government  leader,  General  Buhling,  saw  fit  to 
withdraw  his  ultimatum.  Not  until  Burr  and  Symonds — who 
worked  in  excellent  harmony — had  disarmed  the  rebels,  and  pro- 
cured for  them  a  guarantee  of  free  pardon,  did  they  hand  over  the 
place.  This  they  were  able  to  do  on  the  26th ;  and  on  March  4th, 
the  rebellion  having  quite  flickered  out,  the  Intrepid  departed  for 
Jamaica.1 

This  was  a  bloodless  triumph  for  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States.  Elsewhere,  in  the  same  year,  when  bluejackets  of  the  two 
English-speaking  Powers  fought  side  by  side,  there  was,  unhappily, 
serious  loss  of  life. 

On  August  22nd,  1898,  Malietoa  Laupepa,  King  of  Samoa,  had 
died.  By  the  final  Act  of  the  Conference  011  the  affairs  of  Samoa, 
which  had  been  signed  at  Berlin  on  June  14th  by  Great  Britain, 
Germany,  and  the  United  States,  the  Samoans  had  been  given  the 
right  to  elect  a  successor  "  according  to  the  laws  and  customs  of 
1  Nav.  &  Mil.  Bee.,  Apr.  6,  1899,  and  priv.  letters. 


456      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Samoa,"  but  in  the  event  of  their  not  being  able  to  agree,  the  Chief 
Justice  appointed  by  the  three  Powers  had  been  directed  to  decide. 

After  heated  discussion  and  the  assemblage  of  armed  parties,  the 
candidates  had  been  reduced  to  two,  Malietoa  Tanu  and  Mataafa. 
Bach  had  a  large  number  of  followers  who  were  collected  at 
Mulinuu,  the  seat  of  government,  and  in  the  municipality  of  Apia. 


CAPTAIN    FREDERICK    CHARLES   DOVETON    STUKDEE,    C.M.O. 
(From  a  plinto  by  Symonds  &  Co.) 

At  the  latter  end  of  November,  the  natives  not  having  been  able  to 
arrive  at  a  decision,  the  question  had  been  referred  to  the  Chief 
Justice.  The  latter  had  held  a  trial  of  some  duration,  and  on 
December  31st  announced  that  Malietoa  Tanu  had  been  duly  elected. 


1899.]  STDBDEE  AT  SAMOA.  457 

As  soon  as  the  decision  was  known  there  was  great  excitement 
among  the  followers  of  Mataafa  who  were  assembled  in  Mulinuu. 
They  put  on  their  war  turbans,  painted  their  faces,  and  advanced  on 
Apia,  taking  up  positions  to  attack  the  Malietoa  faction.  A  party  of 
seamen  was  landed  from  the  third-class  cruiser  Porpoise,  Commander 
Frederick  Charles  Doveton  Sturdee,  to  protect  the  Chief  Justice's 
house  in  the  country ;  but,  when  the  Chief  Justice  came  into  the 
town  on  the  following  day,  this  party  was  withdrawn  to  the  Mission 
house,  where  the  European  women  and  children  were  collected 
for  safety.  Another  party  was  sent  to  the  British  Consulate. 

Endeavours  were  made  to  prevent  the  natives  from  fighting,  but 
on  the  afternoon  of  January  1st,  1899,  hostilities  commenced.  They 
ended  in  the  Malietoan  side  being  thoroughly  defeated,  with  some  loss. 
The  King  was  rescued  and  sent  on  board  the  Porpoise  for  safety ;  and 
his  followers  swam  or  fled  in  canoes  to  that  ship  during  the  night. 

On  January  2nd  a  meeting  of  the  consular  and  naval  Repre- 
sentatives was  held,  and  in  view  of  the  situation  it  was  resolved  to 
form  a  provisional  government,  consisting  of  Mataafa  and  thirteen 
principal  chiefs,  to  maintain  order  until  instructions  should  be 
received  from  the  three  Powers.  The  proceedings  of  the  provisional 
government  gave  rise,  however,  to  various  difficulties.  At  the  end 
•of  February  the  excitement  amongst  the  natives  revived,  and  the 
followers  of  Mataafa,  to  the  number  of  4,000,  surrounded  Apia.  At 
that  moment  the  United  States'  flag-ship  Philadelphia,  flying  the 
flag  of  Bear- Admiral  Albert  Kautz,  arrived.  Kautz  consulted  the 
different  officials,  and  held  a  meeting ;  but  united  action  to  meet 
the  new  danger  was  not  agreed  upon.  The  Bear- Admiral  there- 
upon issued  a  proclamation  calling  on  the  Mataafaus  to  leave  the 
neighbourhood  of  Apia,  and  to  disperse  peacefully  to  their  villages, 
there  to  await  the  decision  of  the  Powers.  Instead  of  obeying,  they 
left  Mulinuu  (where  they  were  under  the  guns  of  the  ships),  and 
went  into  the  bush  at  the  back  of  the  town,  where  they  turned 
Europeans  out  of  their  houses,  thus  obliging  them  to  take  refuge 
in  the  houses  on  the  beach  under  the  protection  of  the  ships. 
Eemonstrances  were  sent  to  Mataafa,  calling  on  him  to  retire ;  but 
these  had  no  effect.  Malietoa  and  many  women  and  children  fled 
to  the  British  Consulate  for  protection. 

Parties  from  the  United  States'  ship  Philadelphia,  and  from  her 
Majesty's  ships  Porpoise  and  Royalist,  12,  Commander  Arthur  Ward 
Torlesse  (which  had  arrived  in  February)  were  landed  for  the 


458      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

protection  of  the  town ;  and  the  British  and  American  Consulates, 
with  the  native  refugees,  were  transferred  to  Mulinuu',  whither  the 
Malietoan  prisoners  who  had  managed  to  escape  from  their  opponents 
also  came. 

The  military  situation  had  become  critical.  The  town  is  built 
round  the  bay,  with  a  few  roads  and  straggling  houses  at  the  rear, 
and  the  vegetation  is  very  dense.  The  Consulates  were  situated 
round  the  point  with  thick  bush  at  the  back.  They  were  very 
isolated,  and  could  be  protected  from  seaward  only  by  the  ships' 
firing  into  the  bush  as  close  as  possible  to  the  backs  of  the  houses 
without  striking  the  latter  with  fragments  of  shell.  The  line  to  be 
defended  extended  for  4,500  yards ;  the  available  landing-parties 
amounted  only  to  260  men.  The  Mataafa  party  had  upwards  of 
4,000  men,  armed  with  about  2,500  rifles  of  various  patterns,  many 
of  them  modern ;  and  they  could  have  rushed  the  position  at  any 
time,  save  that  they  were  deterred  by  fear  of  the  ships'  guns.  It 
was  considered  necessary  to  re-arm  some  of  the  Malietoan  natives, 
but  there  was  little  suitable  ammunition  for  them  until  a  supply 
was  received  a  month  later. 

On  March  14th  Bear-Admiral  Kautz  addressed  a  further  letter 
to  Mataafa,  to  which  no  answer  was  returned.  On  the  contrary, 
the  Mataafans  advanced  closer. 

On  the  following  day  Kautz  sent  two  of  his  officers  to  Mataafa 
with  an  ultimatum,  demanding  an  answer  by  noon.  The  letter  was 
received  by  the  chief  in  charge  of  the  Mataafan  outposts,  but  the 
officers  were  turned  back.  At  12.30  a  determined  rush  was  made 
on  the  British  and  American  Consulates.  Lieutenant  Guy  Reginald 
Archer  Gaunt,  of  the  Porpoise,  and  Captain  Con.  M.  Perkins, 
United  States'  Marines,  who  were  respectively  in  command,  at  once 
stood  to  arms,  but  reserved  their  fire.  The  Mataafans,  finding  the 
garrisons  on  the  alert,  retired.  A  few  minutes  before  1  P.M.  some 
Mataafan  boats  were  observed  manning  at  Vaiusu,  apparently  with 
the  intention  of  attacking  Mulinuu,  and  at  about  the  same  time  the 
rush  on  the  Consulates  was  reported  to  the  Hear- Admiral.  He 
therefore  considered  it  necessary  to  fire  on  the  approaching  boats, 
and  on  the  Mataafan  lines  to  the  rear  of  the  Consulates ;  and  he 
was  accordingly  supported  by  the  fire  of  her  Majesty's  ships  Porpoise 
and  Royalist.  The  bombardment  continued  until  5  P.M.  The 
Porpoise  also  got  under  weigh  and  shelled  Vaiusu  and  Vaimoso, 
destroying  the  Mataafan  villages  and  several  boats. 


1899.]  BRITISH  AND   AMERICAN   CO-OPERATION.  459- 

During  the  night  of  March  loth  a  determined  attack  was  made 
on  the  centre  of  the  town  by  the  Mataafans,  who  temporarily 
captured  a  7-pr.  field-piece.  This  was  gallantly  rescued  by  Lieu- 
tenant George  Ellis  Cave  (Porpoise),  and  the  assailants  were  driven 
off.  Three  bluejackets  of  her  Majesty's  ship  Eoyalist  were  killed  or 
mortally  injured,  and  one  was  wounded,  on  that  occasion. 

Repeated  attempts  were  made  at  night  on  the  Consulates,  and 
in  one  case  the  attack  was  driven  well  home  to  the  entrenchments, 
which  had  been  thrown  up  round  them ;  but  the  assailants  were 
driven  off  by  the  guards,  assisted  by  the  fire  from  the  ships.  There 
was  also  at  first  continual  sniping  from  the  bush,  both  at  the 
Consulates  and  the  ships,  during  each  night.  It  was  necessary  to 
relieve  the  situation  by  organising  expeditions  to  drive  the  enemy 
out  of  the  municipality,  and  attacking  them  wherever  possible. 
They  formed  their  main  camp  at  Vailima  round  Eobert  Louis 
Stevenson's  house,  and  formed  camps  further  back  in  the  bush  to 
retire  to,  if  necessary,  besides  organising  parties  to  follow  up  the 
movements  of  the  ships  whenever  they  went  to  attack  any  villages 
on  the  sea  coast.  They  had  an  excellent  system  of  look-outs ;  and 
their  forts  were  extremely  well-built  and  hidden  in  the  bush,  with 
about  30  yards  cleared  in  front  to  allow  of  the  development  of  rifle- 
fire.  The  road  and  bridges,  moreover,  were  broken  down  in  order 
to  interfere  with  the  movements  of  guns. 

On  March  24th  H.M.S.  Tauranga,  Captain  Leslie  Creery  Stuart, 
arrived  in  Samoan  waters  with  a  further  supply  of  200  rifles  and 
suitable  ammunition,  she  having  been  summoned  from  Fiji  to 
reinforce  the  British  and  American  ships.  Stuart  became  thence- 
forward senior  British  naval  officer. 

The  military  operations  after  that  date  consisted  of  isolated 
operations  both  by  land  and  by  sea,  conducted  for  the  most  part 
by  Commander  Sturdee.  Expeditions  were  sent  out  from  the  lines 
at  Apia  in  any  direction  in  which  the  Mataafans  were  reported  to  be 
in  force ;  and  gradually  the  outposts  at  the  back  of  the  town  were 
extended  in  order  to  guard  against  sudden  attack,  and  to  secure 
as  large  an  area  as  possible  from  which  to  draw  food  for  the  friendly 
natives.  A  contingent  of  the  latter  was  regularly  organised  by 
Lieutenant  Gaunt,  and  usually  formed  the  attacking  column,  being 
supported,  however,  by  an  Anglo-American  force  of  bluejackets  and 
Marines.  The  principal  of  the  land  expeditions  were  as  follows  :— 

On  April  1st  a  combined  British  and  American  force  numbering 


460      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

109  men  and  150  friendlies,  all  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
Angel  Hope  Freeman  (Tauranga),  moved  out  of  Apia  with  a  Colt 
automatic  gun,  in  order  to  reconnoitre  towards  Fogalii.  It  burnt 
that  village,  as  well  as  Vailele  and  Letogo.  On  its  return  the  force 
was  suddenly  attacked  in  the  rear  and  immediately  afterwards  on 
the  left  and  in  front.  The  Colt  gun  jammed  and  became  useless, 
and  the  friendlies  bolted.  The  party  being  almost  entirely  sur- 
rounded, Lieutenant  Freeman  ordered  a  retreat,  and  the  whole 
force  retired  to  the  beach,  under  cover  of  fire  from  the  Royalist,  and 
then  returned  to  Apia  with  considerable  loss,  Lieutenant  Freeman, 
with  Lieutenant  Philip  Vanhorne  Lansdale,  and  Ensign  John  E. 
Monaghan,  of  the  Philadelphia,  and  four  men,  being  killed.  The 
gun  had  to  be  abandoned,  but  had  been  disabled  previously  by 
its  crew. 

On  April  13th  the  native  outposts  were  attacked  by  the 
Mataafans,  and  Lieutenant  Gaunt  advanced  with  his  native  force 
to  assist  in  repelling  the  attack.  Part  of  the  British  landing-party 
went  out  under  Commander  Sturdee  to  cover  Gaunt's  force,  and, 
after  a  fight  of  more  than  an  hour,  the  Mataafan  party  was  driven 
back,  leaving  four  dead  on  the  field. 

On  April  17th  an  advance  was  made  on  the  main  position  at 
Vailima  by  a  force  consisting  of  friendlies,  Gaunt's  brigade,  and  a 
party  of  bluejackets  and  Marines.  Two  positions  were  stormed  by 
Lieutenant  Gaunt,  and  a  third,  consisting  of  a  large  stone  work,  was 
attacked ;  but,  as  it  was  too  formidable  to  be  stormed  without  severe 
loss,  and,  if  captured,  could  not  then  have  been  occupied  permanently, 
the  force  was  withdrawn,  and  a  bombardment  undertaken  by  the 
ships  at  4,800  yards'  range.  This  was  very  effective,  and  obliged 
the  position  to  be  evacuated  permanently.  Gaunt's  force  lost  four 
killed  and  seventeen  wounded.  The  enemy's  loss  was  believed  to 
be  heavy. 

The  operations  by  sea  included  boat  expeditions,  covered  as  a 
rule  by  shell  fire  from  an  accompanying  ship,  with  the  object  of 
destroying  Mataafan  villages  and  boats  along  the  coasts.  Gaunt's 
force  had  several  severe  fights  with  the  natives  defending  the 
different  villages. 

Meanwhile  H.M.S.  Royalist  had  been  employed  in  conveying 
from  various  parts  of  the  islands  to  Apia  natives  of  the  Malietoan 
party,  and  by  April  22nd  the  British  and  American  officers  had  at 
their  disposal  a  force  of  about  2,800  men,  of  whom  2,000  were 


1899.]  END    OF   TEE  SAMOA    OPERATIONS.  461 

armed  with  rifles  ;  while  Gaunt's  force,  which  had  been  increased  to 
700  men,  had  been  regularly  organised  with  five  British  naval 
officers.  The  allies  were  then  in  a  position  to  crush  the  Mataafan 
party ;  but  on  May  21st  intelligence  had  been  received  of  the  appoint- 
ment by  the  three  Powers  concerned  of  a  Joint  Commission  with 
power  to  settle  the  disputed  questions  which  had  arisen  in  Samoa ;. 
and  an  arrangement  was  consequently  made  in  accordance  with 
which  certain  limits  round  the  town  of  Apia  were  laid  down,  and 
notice  was  given  to  the  Mataafans  that  if  they  remained  outside 
those  limits  and  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  Commission  in  peace,  no 
further  action  of  a  hostile  nature  would  be  taken  against  them. 
Endeavours  had  been  made  during  the  progress  of  hostilities  to 
induce  Mataafa  to  retire  from  Apia  and  await  the  decision  of  the 
Powers,  but  with  no  success. 

In  addition  to  the  officers  whose  names  have  been  mentioned, 
five  men  of  the  Royalist  and  three  of  the  Philadelphia  lost  their 
lives  during  these  operations ;  and  a  number  of  British  and 
Americans  were  wounded. 

Among  the  rewards  conferred  for  the  work  thus  done  in  Samoa 
were  the  following : — 

Captain  Leslie  Creery  Stuart,  C.M.G-.,  January  -1st,  1900. 
Commander.Frederick  Charles  Doveton  Sturdee,  posted  June  30th,  1899 ;  C.M.G., 

January  let,  1900. 
Lieuts.  George  Ellis  Cave,  and  Guy  Reginald  Archer  Gaunt  made  Commanders,. 

June  30th,  1901. 

In  addition,  Lieutenants  Victor  Gellafent  Gurner,  Eichard  Harry 
Parker,  and  Arthur  Welland  Lowis,  and  Staff-Surgeons  Henry  Bullen 
Beatty,  John  Andrews,  M.D.,  and  Robert  Forbes  Bowie  did  excellent 
work. 

The  expenditure  of  British  blood  did  not,  unfortunately,  purchase 
any  expansion  of  the  Empire ;  for,  by  an  international  agreement  of 
November  14th,  1899,  Britain,  which  for  many  years  had  had  para- 
mount interests  in  the  Samoan  archipelago,  abandoned  her  right  to 
interfere  further  in  the  internal  affairs  of  the  islands ;  of  which 
Upolu  and  Savaii  were  handed  over  to  Germany,  while  Tutuila 
and  the  islets  east  of  171°  E.  were  recognised  as  belonging  to  the 
United  States.  Moreover,  as  the  result  of  subsequent  arbitration 
by  H.M.  the  King  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  it  was  decided  that  the 
action  of  the  British  and  Americans  was  without  justification,  and 
that  Germany,  which  had  supported  the  claim  of  Mataafa,  was  in 


462       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  HOYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

the  right.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  satisfactory  to  record  that, 
throughout  the  operations,  the  British  and  American  officers  and 
men  engaged  worked  together  with  most  cordial  good  feeling,1  the 
Americans  repeatedly  serving  under  the  orders  of  British  officers, 
and  the  American  flag-lieutenant  being  specially  told  off  to  assist 
Commander  Sturdee. 

In  the  Persian  Gulf  there  were  small  disturbances  on  at  least 
two  occasions.  On  March  3rd,  1899,  the  paddle-vessel  Sphinx, 
Commander  Henry  Arthur  Phillipps,  had  to  land  an  armed  party 
at  Linga  to  protect  British  property  and  interests  pending  the 
repression  by  the  Persian  authorities  of  a  local  revolt ;  and,  at  the 
beginning  of  August,  owing  to  the  enforcement  of  measures  against 
the  spread  of  plague,  there  was  rioting  at  Bushire,  whither,  in  con- 
sequence, a  naval  force  was  dispatched.  The  withdrawal  of  the 
objectionable  measures,  however,  led  to  the  restoration  of  order,  and 
obviated  the  necessity  for  intervention.2 

In  the  summer  of  1900,  during  a  rebellion  at  Panama,  a  bloody 
conflict  took  place  between  the  opposing  forces  in  the  environs  of 
that  town.  After  the  action,  the  foreign  consuls  arranged  an 
armistice  in  order  to  allow  of  the  numerous  wounded  being  attended 
to ;  and  the  cruiser  Leander,  Captain  Frederick  Fogarty  Fegen, 
which  lay  off  the  port,  landed  an  ambulance  party  on  July  21st,  and 
so  rendered  valuable  service.  She  also  disembarked  a  detachment 
of  90  men  to  protect  the  foreign  consuls  in  case  of  need,  but,  happily, 
assistance  of  that  kind  was  not  required.3 

Later  in  the  year,  news  reached  the  Foreign  Office  to  the  effect 
that  Mr.  A.  C.  W.  Jenner,  sub-commissioner  of  the  province  of 
Jubaland,  in  British  East  Africa,  had  been  treacherously  murdered 
by  Ogaden  Somalis  on  November  13th,  while  at  some  distance  from 
the  coast.  Protectorate  troops  proceeded  at  once  to  Kismayu,  where 
a  punitive  expedition  was  organised ;  and  the  third-class  cruiser 
Magicienne,  Captain  William  Blake  Fisher,  C.B.,  was  also  sent 
thither  from  Mombasa  on  the  20th.  The  Somalis  having  raided  in 
the  neighbourhood,  Fisher  was  requested  to  assist  in  the  defence  of 
the  town  ;  and  on  December  13th,  accordingly,  he  landed  80  officers 
and  men  and  some  guns,  and  put  Staff-Surgeon  George  Albert 

1  A  tablet  "  In  Memory  of  the  brave  American  and  British  Sailors  who  Fought 
and  Fell  together  at  the  Samoan  Islands  in  March  and  April,  1899,"  has  since  been 
erected  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  Mare  Island,  California.     It  bears  the  names  of  all  who 
were  killed. 

2  Times,  Aug.  4  and  7,  1899.  s  Times,  July  27,  1900. 


1899.]  OUTBREAK   OF    WAR    WITH   THE  BOERS.  463 

Dreaper  in  charge  of  the  hospital.  The  cruiser's  searchlights,  which 
were  employed  at  night,  had  a  powerful  effect  upon  the  native  mind, 
and  apparently  prevented  the  Somalis  from  attacking.1 

The  part  borne  by  the  Navy  in  the  most  considerable  war  of  the 
long  and  eventful  reign  of  Queen  Victoria  is  now  to  be  narrated. 
The  extent  to  which  seamen  and  Marines  were  employed  in  this 
conflict,  not  a  single  action  of  which  was  fought  within  many  miles 
of  navigable  water,  affords  a  remarkable  illustration  of  the  adapt- 
ability of  the  naval  service,  and  of  its  extreme  value  to  the  Empire 
in  hours  of  great  stress. 

It  is  unnecessary  here  to  go  into  the  well-known  history  of  the 
causes  which,  in  the  autumn  of  1899,  induced  the  South  African 
Eepublic  and  the  Orange  Free  State  to  plunge  into  a  war  with  the 
British  Empire.  The  costly  struggle  which  followed  will  ever  be 
remarkable  for  the  chivalrous  unanimity  with  which  all  parts  of 
that  Empire  ranged  themselves  by  the  side  of  the  mother-land,  and 
identified  her  cause  and  her  glory  with  their  own.  It  will  also 
be  remarkable  for  the  numerous  lessons  which  it  taught  to  students 
in  the  art  of  war.  One  of  the  most  pregnant  of  these  lessons 
was  that  it  was  not  only  desirable,  but  also  practically  possible, 
to  employ  in  land  operations,  and  not  merely  in  sieges,  much  heavier 
long-range  guns  than  had  been  employed  previously  by  any  armies 
in  the  field.  In  a  word,  it  was  demonstrated  that  heavy  guns  could 
be  rendered  mobile,  even  in  a  difficult  country  like  South  Africa — so 
mobile,  indeed,  as  to  be  enabled  to  take  part  in  most  of  the  work  of 
armies. 

In  spite  of  its  immense  military  significance,  this  important 
development  of  the  functions  of  artillery  would  not  call  for  mention 
in  these  pages  if  it  had  originated  with  the  army.  It  originated, 
however,  with  the  Navy ;  and,  moreover,  it  had  so  great  an  in- 
fluence upon  the  fortunes  of  the  war,  in  which  also  Naval  Brigades 
bore  very  distinguished  parts,  that  it  deserves  to  be  dealt  with  at 
•some  length. 

Having  despatched  an  ultimatum  which  destroyed  the  last  chances 
for  the  preservation  of  peace,  the  two  Eepublics,  on  October  12th, 
•crossed  the  British  frontiers  at  several  points.  In  Natal,  the 
Imperial  troops,  under  Lieut. -General  Sir  George  S.  White,  V.C., 
were  in  great  numerical  inferiority,  and  were  confined  strategically 
4o  the  defensive.  On  October  14th,  when  the  first-class  cruiser 

1  Parl.  Paper  (591),  1901. 


464      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Terrible,  Captain  Percy  Scott,  on  her  way  to  China,  arrived  at  the 
Cape,  Ladysmith  was  already  indirectly  threatened,  and  Mafeking 
and  Kimberley,  on  the  western  edge  of  the  enemy's  country,  were 
still  more  evidently  imperilled.  The  Boers  possessed  siege  guns,  and 
were  in  a  position  to  push  them  to  the  front  from  their  bases,  which 
were  comparatively  near  at  hand ;  while  the  British  had  only  field 
guns  close  to  the  frontier,  and  had  their  base  6000  miles  from,  the 
scene  of  operations.  Captain  Scott  at  once  realised  that  such. 


CAPTAIN    PERCY    SCOTT,   C.B. 
(.From  a  photo  by  Sijnwnds  &  Co.) 

weapons  as  even  the  Terrible' s  12-pr.  12-cwt.  guns  would  be  of 
value  at  the  menaced  points,  if  only  they  could  be  transported 
thither  on  mountings  which  would  give  them  mobility ;  for  they 
had  better  range  than  the  field  guns  of  the  army.  By  the  21st,. 
he  had  made  and  tried  a  mounting,  which  was  found  to  be  fairly 
satisfactory.  It  consisted  of  a  log  of  wood  about  14  feet  long  and 
10  or  12  inches  square,  which  had  been  originally  obtained  for  the 
construction  of  a  towing  target.  This,  which  formed  a  trail,  was- 


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1899.] 


SCOTT'S    GUN-CARRIAGES. 


465 


12-PR.    12  CWT.   Q.-F.   OUN,    ON   SCOTT'S   MOUNTING. 
Sunlit  Africa,  1899 :  China,  1900. 


4  '  7  IN.    Q.-F.    GUN,    FROM   THE    "  TERRIBLE,"   ON   SCOTT's    PLATFORM    MOUNTING,    AT 

LADYSMITH. 

VOL.     VII.  2    H 


466      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

mounted  on  an  axle-tree  with  a  pair  of  ordinary  Cape-wagon  wheels, 
and  upon  it  was  placed  the  ship  carriage,  bolted  down  and  secured, 
but  in  such  a  manner  as  to  admit  of  its  being  taken  off  again  and 
returned  to  the  Terrible,  if  required.1  Captain  Scott's  instinct  was 
prophetic.  On  October  25th,  General  White  telegraphed  from 
Ladysmith  to  Rear-Admiral  Robert  Hastings  Harris,  Commander- 
in-Chief  at  the  Cape,  to  know  if  the  Navy  could  send  him  some 
4'7-in.  guns,  wherewith  to  keep  the  Boer  artillery  in  check.  The 
Rear-Admiral  asked  Captain  Scott  if  he  could  design  the  necessary 
mounting  for  such  heavy  weapons,  and  get  two  of  the  guns  ready  by 
the  following  afternoon.  These  were  platform  guns,  the  mounting 
consisting  of  four  pieces  of  timber,  14  feet  long  by  12  inches  square, 
arranged  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  In  the  centre  of  the  cross  was 
placed  the  ordinary  ship's  mounting,  bolted  through  to  a  plate 
underneath.  Over  this  the  gun-carriage  was  dropped  on  to  the 
spindle,  and  secured  by  its  clip-plate.  By  great  exertions  the 
Terrible 's  people,  under  their  ingenious  Captain's  superintendence, 
got  the  two  guns  ready  by  5  P.M.  on  the  26th.  They  were  at 
once  put  on  board  the  Powerful,  Captain  the  Hon.  Hedworth 
Lambton,  which,  taking  also  some  12-prs.,  sailed  immediately  with 
them  for  Durban. 

Upon  arriving  there  Lambton  lost  no  time  in  conveying  the 
guns  to  Ladysmith,  into  which  he  entered  with  them  only  just 
before  the  investment  of  the  town  was  completed.  Forty-eight 
hours  later,  communications  were  cut ;  and,  for  the  following 
119  days,  the  garrison,  and  the  Naval  Brigade  with  it,  remained 
beleaguered.  Captain  Lambton's  work  will  be  described  later.  In 
the  meantime  it  will  be  well  to  follow  Captain  Scott's  further 
proceedings. 

After  Ladysmith  had  been  invested,  SirWalterHely-Hutchinson, 
Governor  of  Natal,  became  naturally  anxious  concerning  the  de- 
fenceless condition  of  Durban,  and  asked  the  Navy  to  undertake 
to  hold  it.  The  Rear-Admiral  therefore  sent  the  Terrible  thither ; 
and  she  arrived  on  November  6th.  The  positions  were  surveyed 
on  the  7th,2  and  on  the  8th  the  town  was  put  into  a  state  of 

1  Guns  thus  mounted,  though  mobile,  were  top-heavy,  and  frequently  capsized  on 
broken  ground.     The  heavier   guns,   mounted  a   little  later,  were,  on  the  contrary, 
wonderfully  steady. 

2  Captain  Scott,  on  the  7th,  assumed  the  official  commandantship  of  Durban,  which 
was  placed  under  martial  law;  and  undertook  the  suppression  of  espionage,  the  super- 
vision of  traffic  up  and  down  the  coast,  the  censorship  of  private  and  press  corres- 


1899.] 


SCOTT'S    GUN-GAER1AOES. 


467 


4' 7  IN.   Q.-F.   GUN,    ON   SCOTT'S   IRON    MOUNTING. 
Showing  (iun  at  extreme  elevation,  South  Africa,  1900. 


4' 7  IN.   Q.-F.    GDN,   ON   SCOTT'S   IMPROVED    MOUNTING. 

South  Africa,  1800. 


2  H  2 


468       MILITARY   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

security  by  means  of  defences  covering  all  the  approaches,  and 
protecting  the  waterworks,  etc.  In  these  defences',  thanks  to  the 
assistance  of  the  townspeople,  the  local  rifle  associations,  and  a 
corps  of  mounted  gentlemen,  every  one  being  loyal  and  ready  with 
help,  there  were  mounted  thirty  guns,  viz.,  two  4'7-in. ;  sixteen 
1'2-prs.  of  12  cwt. ;  two  12-prs.  of  8  cwt. ;  one  9-pr. ;  two  3-prs.  ; 
two  Nordenfelts,  and  four  Maxim  machine  guns.  The  4'7-in.  guns 
thus  used,  and  afterwards  sent  to  the  front,  were  on  mountings 
different  from  those  so  hurriedly  made  for  Ladysmith.  They  had 
double  trails,  so  as  to  allow  of  great  elevation  being  given ;  and 
they  had  iron  wheels.  Each  wheel  consisted  of  a  plate  with  a 
bush  for  the  axle-tree  in  the  centre,  with  angle-irons  in  the  posi- 
tion of  spokes,  with  an  angle-iron  flush  with  the  perimeter  on  each 
side,  and  with  a  tyre  shrunk  on  over  all.  The  trail  was  secured 
to  a  heavy  axle-tree,  and  the  carriage  bolted  on  to  it.  Telescope 
sights  were  also  fitted.1  When  the  Terrible,  some  months  later, 
left  South  Africa  for  China,  six  of  these  guns  were  in  use,  two 
with  Lord  Roberts,  two  with  General  Buller,  and  two  with  General 
Gatacre.  They  were  easily  hauled  by  a  span  of  oxen,  and  were 
sufficiently  mobile  to  accompany  any  column  on  the  march.  In 
November,  the  Ladysmith  relief  column  began  to  advance,  and 
two  4'7-in.,  and  eighteen  naval  long  12-prs.  accompanied  it,  with 
a  Naval  Brigade  under  Captain  Edward  Pitcairn  Jones,  of  the 
Forte,  and  Commander  Arthur  Henry  Limpus,  of  the  Terrible. 

In  those  dark  days,  the  Ladysmith  garrison  could  send  out  news 
by  mea.ns  of  carrier-pigeons,  but  was  able  to  receive  no  regular 
messages  from  the  outer  world,  until  the  Navy  again  went  to  the 
assistance  of  the  army.  A  ship's  search-light,  with  a  flashing 
arrangement,  was  mounted  by  Captain  Scott  on  a  railway  truck, 
with  a  locomotive  boiler  and  a  dynamo  attached ;  and  this,  being 
sent  up  to  Erere,  about  twenty-three  miles  from  the  besieged 
town,  was  the  means  whereby  news  was  thenceforward  com- 
municated to  Sir  George  White.  When,  while  the  army  was 

t 

pondence  and  telegrams,  the  detention  of  goods  intended  for  the  enemy,  the  maintenance 
of  order,  the  reception  of  recruits  for  the  Natal  forces,  and  much  more.  In  addition, 
as  senior  naval  officer,  he  anchored  the  Terrible,  Forte,  and  Thttis  in  a  position 
to  command  the  Umgeni  Valley,  and  kept  the  Philomel  and  Tartar  ready  to  move 
and  check  any  effort  of  the  enemy  on  the  Bluff  side.  Rep.  to  Hely-Hutchinson, 
March  14,  1900. 

1  These  mountings  proved  excellent  in  every  respect,  and  on  them  the  guns  were 
dragged  into  positions  to  which,  probahly,  no  Boer  artillery  could  have  been  taken. 


1899.] 


SCOTT'S   GUN-CARRIAGES. 


469 


4'7  IN.   Q.-F.   GUN,    MOUNTED    BY   CAPTAIN   SCOTT   ON    A    RAILWAY   TRUCK. 
South  Africa,  1899-1900. 


6  IN.   Q.-F.    GUN,    ON   SCOTT'S    MOUNTING. 
Trial  round,  Durban,  1899. 


470      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,   1857-1900. 

operating  in  the  direction  of  Spion  Kop,  General  Barton,  then 
at  Chieveley,  wanted  a  4'7-in.  gun  on  a  railway  truck,  Captain 
Scott  put  one  of  his  platform  mountings,  similar  to  those  in  Lady- 
smith,  on  a  low  iron  trolley,  fastened  it  down  with  chains,  and 
cut  off  the  ends  of  the  traverse  baulks,  so  as  to  allow  the  whole 
to  pass  through  the -tunnels.  This  mounting  was  so  arranged 
that  the  gun  could  be  removed  from  the  truck,  and  used  as  a 
platform  gun,  if  required.  It  worked  exceedingly  well,  and,  when 
on  the  truck,  could  be  fired  at  right  angles  with  the  direction  of  the 
railway  line,  without  damage  to  the  permanent  way,  or  to  the 
trolley.  Three  other  guns  of  this  description  were  sent  up  later, 
and  were  employed  at  the  final  attack  on  Pieter's  Hill.  For  this 
final  attack,  General  Buller  wanted  still  heavier  artillery,  and,  on 
February  8th,  telegraphed  to  Captain  Scott : — 

"  Have  you  any  6-in.  guns,  on  carriage  that  I  could  move  a  mile  or  so  across  the 
flat,  available  in  Durban.  If  you  have,  telegraph  in  my  name  to  Admiral,  and  ask  if 
I  may  have  them  for  a  few  days.  Utmost  importance.  If  possible  I  want  them 
Monday  the  12th  inst.,  and  you  to  work  them." 

A  6-in.  gun  was  taken  out  of  the  Terrible,  and,  by  the  morning  of 
the  llth,  was  mounted,  and  on  its  way  to  the  front.  The  nature 
of  this  mounting,  which  was  as  efficacious  as  it  was  simple,  can  be 
seen  in  the  illustration. 

Yet  again,  after  the  occupation  of  Ladysmith,  General  Buller 
appealed  to  Captain  Scott,  this  time  for  a  lighter  and  more  mobile 
mounting  for  4'7-in.  guns.1  Four  mountings  of  an  improved  type 
were  made  in  consequence.  In  them,  the  heavy  ship's  carriage  was 
removed,  and  the  gun  and  cradle  were  placed  directly  on  the  trail 
and  axle ;  steel  was  used  instead  of  wood,  and  a  single  wheel  was 
fitted  in  the  rear,  between  the  trails,  to  facilitate  transport.  When 
extreme  elevation,  37°,  was  required,  the  rear  wheel  could  be  un 
shipped.  These  four  guns  were  ultimately  turned  over  to  the  Koyal 
Artillery.2 

'  The  names  given  to  some  of  these  are  of  interest.  The  4' "-in.  guns  in  Ladysmith 
were  "  Lady  Anne  "  and  "  Lady  Victoria  "  (the  latter  being  also  nick-named  "  Bloody 
Mary");  the  railway  truck  gun  was  "Lady  Randolph  Churchill";  two  of  the  plat- 
form 4'7-in.  guns  in  Natal  were  ''Joseph"  and  "Josephine";  one  of  the  4 -"-in.  guns 
used  on  the  Modder  River  was  "Joe  Chamberlain";  two  of  the  4'7-in.  guns  which 
accompanied  Lord  Roberts's  advance  were  "  Little  Bobs  "  and  "  Sloper " ;  the  first  of 
the  4 '  7-in.  guns  on  improved  iron  mounting,  with  rear  wheel,  was  "  Princess  Louis  " 
(after  the  wife  of  Capt.  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg,  H.N.) ;  and  the  6-in.  wheeled  gun 
was  "  Roma." 

2  Chiefly  from  Procs.  of  Odd  Vols.  Society,  of  Hong  Kong,  June  13,  1900;  Scott 
to  Hely-Hutchinson,  Mar.  14,  1900;  and  priv,  corresp. 


1899.]  THE  INVESTMENT   OF  KIMBERLEY.  471 

There  can  be  no  question  that  the  resourcefulness  thus  ex- 
hibited by  the  Navy  was  of  vital  assistance  to  the  army  in  the  great 
operations  of  the  war ;  and  that,  without  the  Navy's  help,  the 
campaign  must  have  been  even  more  laborious  and  costly  than 
it  actually  was.  It  is  well,  therefore,  to  put  on  record  that  the 
entire  credit  for  designing  all  these  mountings  rests  with  Captain 
Percy  Scott.  In  carrying  out  his  ideas,  he  was  chiefly  assisted 
by  Commander  Arthur  Henry  Limpus,  Lieutenant  Frederick  Charles 
Ashley  Ogilvy,  Engineer  Francis  John  Roskruge,  and  Carpenter 
James  Johns,  who  were  well  supported  by  the  carpenters,  armourers, 
engine-room  artificers,  and  blacksmiths  of  the  Terrible,  and  later, 
by  the  Foreman  of  Simon's  Bay  Dockyard,  Mr.  Clements,  and  his 
staff,  and  still  later  by  the  officials  of  the  locomotive  works  of  the 
Natal  Government  Railways.  One  officer,  who  was  freely  men- 
tioned in  the  press  at  the  time  as  having  assisted  in  making  the 
designs  for  the  mountings,  knew  nothing  of  the  plans  when  they 
were  being  carried  out,  and  was  merely  employed  afterwards  to 
take  drawings  of  some  of  them,  in  order  that  further  mountings 
might  be  built  if  needed.  For  this  work,  Captain  Scott  was, 
perhaps  inadequately,  rewarded  with  a  C.B.1  He  also  received 
grateful  acknowledgments  from  the  Colonial  Office,  and  from 
General  Buller,  and,  in  common  with  the  other  naval  officers  em- 
ployed, the  thanks  of  the  Admiralty. 

Very  early  in  the  campaign,  Kimberley,  on  the  western  border  of 
the  Orange  Free  State,  was  invested  by  the  Boers  ;  and  a  division, 
under  Lieut. -General  Lord  Methuen,  was  moved  up  for  its  relief 
along  the  line  of  the  Buluwayo  Railway.  A  Naval  Brigade,2  under 
Captain  Reginald  Charles  Prothero,  from  the  Doris,  Monarch,  and 
Powerful,  at  Simon's  Bay,  joined  Methuen  on  November  22nd,  with 

1  March  13,  1900. 

2  A  Naval  Brigade,  composed  as  follows,  had  been  landed  on  Oct.  20th  at  Simon's 
Bay  from  the  Doris,  Monarch,  Terrible,  and  Powerful,  but  had  been  recalled  again 
without  seeing  any  fighting :  Com.  Alfred  Peel  Ethelston,  Maj.  John  Hulke  Plumbe,  R.M., 
9  naval  officers,  7  Marine  officers,  53  bluejackets,  290  Royal  Marines,  and  two  12-pr. 
8  cwt.  guns  on  ordinary  field  mountings.     This  Brigade  reached  Stormberg  Junction 
on  Oct.  23,  but,  in  consequence  of  the  Boer  advance,  was  withdrawn  to  Queenstown 
on  Nov.  2.     There  it  handed  over  its  two  guns  to  the  Royal  Artillery,  previous  to 
its  departure  for  East  London,  where  the  Terrible's  contingent  embarked  to  rejoin  its 
ship,  and  the  rest  of  the  Brigade  took  passage  in  the  Boslyn  Castle  for  Simon's  Bay. 
The  men  rejoined  their  ships  there  on  Nov.  19  (Jeans,  '  Naval  Brigades  in  the  South 
African  War,'  pp.  1-15).    The  above  Brigade,  reinforced,  landed  again  on  Nov.  19, 
and  constituted  the  naval  contingent  the  fortunes  of  which  are  followed  in  the  text. 
The  strength  of  the  new  Brigade  was  about  400  all  told,  half  being  Marines. 


472      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

four  guns,1  near  Belmont.  On  the  following  day  the  guns  assisted 
in  supporting  the  advance  of  the  Guards'  Brigade,  during  the  action 
at  Belmont,  cleared  the  height  known  as  Mont  Blanc,  and  made 
themselves  generally  useful.  On  the  following  day  the  division 
advanced ;  and  on  the  25th  was  fought  the  battle  of  Graspan,  an 
action  in  which  the  Naval  Brigade,  although  it  may  have  been 
improperly  used  and  somewhat  rashly  led,  covered  itself  with  glory. 
The  naval  guns  and  ammunition  had  been  entrained,  under  the 


THE    W/?/Oi/S 

ROYAL    NAVAL    BRIGADES 
o££>    rof?  SEftv/ce:     //*/ 

SOUTH  AFRICA  . 
1899-  I9OO. 


orders  of  Lieutenant  Frederic  William  Dean,2  the  gun  mules  being 
handed  over  to  the  army.  Dean  acted,  during  the  battle,  in  con- 
junction with  an  armoured  train  full  of  infantry,  on  the  left  of  the 
British  advance,  but  he  was  able  to  detrain  and  employ  only 
two  of  his  four  pieces,  since  he  had  with  him  but  four  half  guns' 
crews. 

Lord  Methuen's  plan  was  to  cover  the  kopjes  in  his  front  with 
shrapnel,  and  then  to  assault  them  with  the  9th  brigade,  under 
Lieut.-Colonel  C.  G.  C.  Money,  C.B.  To  this  force  the  Naval 

1  Four  12-pr.  12-cwt.  guns  on  Scott's  mountings. 

2  Promd.  Com. 


1899.]  THE  NAVAL   BRIGADE  AT   GRASPAN.  473 

Brigade *  was  attached ;  and  Captain  Prothero  had  been  informed 
over  night  that  he  and  his  men  were  to  have  the  honour  of  leading 
the  attack.  The  Naval  Brigade,  accordingly,  paraded  at  3  A.M.  on 
the  25th,  and,  marching  at  the  head  of  the  column,2  reached  a 
point  near  the  left  of  the  Boer  position  at  daylight. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  dispatches  to  indicate  that  Prothero 
had  asked  to  be  allowed  to  lead.  He  merely  says  that  he  had  been 
ordered  to  do  so  by  Lord  Methuen ;  and  it  is  tolerably  apparent 
that  the  Lieut. -General,  on  his  own  initiative,  stationed  the  seamen 
and  Marines  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle,  and  deliberately  en- 
trusted them  with  the  hard  work  of  the  day.  Whether  he  did  so 
as  a  compliment  to  the  Navy,  or  from  a  desire  to  spare  the  army, 
seems  to  be  immaterial ;  nor  is  there  any  doubt  whatsoever  that 
the  seamen  and  Marines  were  delighted  to  find  themselves  in  the 
post  of  honour.  Nevertheless,  the  disposition  was  an  unjustifiable 
one ;  and  attention  must  here  be  called  to  its  unwisdom,  lest  it 
should  form  a  precedent  when  a  Naval  Brigade  is  again  acting 
with  a  British  army  in  the  field.  First  of  all,  the  Navy  was  ashore 
in  South  Africa  primarily  to  do  work  which  the  army,  for  various 
reasons,  could  not  do.  It  was  there  to  compensate  for  lack  of 
troops,  and  to  provide  and  work  guns  more  efficient  than  the  army 
had  at  its  disposal.  But  it  was  certainly  not  there  to  do  work 
which  could  be  more  fitly  done  by  the  army,  when  the  army  hap- 
pened to  be  locally  in  quite  sufficient  strength  to  carry  on  its 
legitimate  business.  Secondly,  the  Navy  has  its  own  duties,  from 
which  it  should  never  be  drawn,  save  at  the  most  urgent  need  ;  and, 
that  being  so,  it  follows  that  it  is  a  serious  matter  deliberately  and 
unnecessarily  to  expose  a  large  body  of  seamen  and  Marines  to 
severe  loss,  seeing  that  seamen  and  Marines,  unlike  ordinary 
soldiers,  are  long-service  men,  many  with  scientific  training,  who 
are  very  expensive  products,  and  who  cannot  be  produced  at  all 
except  after  long  preparation.  If  Lord  Methuen  had  desired  certain 
work  to  be  done,  and  had  found  that  he  had  no  troops  which  were 
capable  of  doing  it,  his  employment  of  the  Navy  to  form  a  storming 
party  would  clearly  have  been  defensible.  But  it  happens  that  at 
Graspan  a  large  force  of  troops  which  might  have  been  sent  to 
attack  the  kopjes  was  so  little  employed  that  its  commanding 
officer  was  able  to  report  at  night:  "There  were  no  casualties  in 

1  Except  about  50  men  who  were  with  Dean  and  the  guns  on  the  railway. 

2  Behind  were  the  Yorkshire  Light  Infantry,  and  the  Loyal  North  Lancashires. 


474      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,   1857-1900. 

my  brigade  to-day."  '  And,  even  in  Money's  command,  there  were 
troops,  such  as  the  Northumberland  Fusiliers  and  the  Northamptons, 
which,  while  the  Navy  was  employed  to  bear  the  brunt  of  a  great 
action,  "  did  not  advance  until  near  the  conclusion  of  the  engage- 
ment." It  is  bad  policy,  and  poor  economy,  to  use  an  expensive 
tool  for  work  for  which  it  is  not  made,  while  a  comparatively  cheap 
tool,  which  has  been  made  for  the  very  purpose,  is  at  hand.  Yet 


COMMANDER    ALFRED   PEEL    ETHELSTON. 
(From  a  photo  by  Wext .) 

the  Navy  was  pleased  enough,  and,  as  will  be  seen,  did  the  work 
with  enthusiasm. 

When  it  was  supposed  that  the  kopjes  had  been  sufficiently 
shelled,  the  seamen  and  Marines  deployed  into  a  single  line  on 
the  right  of  the  attack,  with  intervals  of  four  paces  between 
the  men,  and  advanced  on  the  enemy's  position,  led,  in  the 
centre,  by  Captain  Prothero,  on  the  left  by  Major  John  Hulke 

1  Colvile's  desp.  2  Desp.  of  Nov.  26th. 


1899.] 


GALLANTRY   OF   THE  ROYAL   MARINES. 


475 


Plumbe,  B.M.L,!.,  and  on  the  right  by  Commander  Alfred  Peel 
Ethelston.1  Methuen  and  Money  said  afterwards  that  the  Brigade 
was  in  too  close  formation.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  people  certainly 
suffered  terribly.  The  enemy  first  opened  a  heavy  front  fire  at  a 
range  of  about  600  yards,  and  soon  supplemented  that  with  a  still 
heavier  cross  fire  from  some  broken  ground  on  the  left  flank  of 
the  advance.  In  the  meantime  the  kopje  to  be  stormed  looked 


• 


MAJOR  JOHN   HULKE   PLUMBE,    R.M.L.I. 
(From  a  photograph  by  Heath  and  Bullinghtini.} 

almost  inaccessible,  and,  besides  being  held  in  force,  it  had  large 
guns  on  it.  Nevertheless,  the  Brigade  advanced  steadily  by  rushes.2 
Ethelston  was  killed ;  but  Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Edward  Spencer 

1  On  the  extreme  left  of  the  firing  line  was  one  company  of  the  Yorkshire  Light 
Infantry,  85  strong.     The  rest  of  the  firing  line  was  composed  of  55  bluejackets  and 
190R.M.A.and  R.M.L.I.    As  supports  there  were  seven  companies  of  the  Y.L.I.,  which 
later  reinforced  the  right  of  the  firing  line,  and,  in  reserve,  the  half  battalion  of  Loyal 
North  Lancashires  (Jones,  in  Jeans's  '  Nav.  Brigades '). 

2  The  steadiness  was  extraordinary.     Says  Jones :    "  It  is   an  extraordinary  fact 
that,  though  under  fire  for  the  first  time,  many  men,  in  order  to  make  their  aim  more 


476      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Harry  Boyle  took  his  place,  and  continued  to  lead  the  right. 
Prothero1  was  wounded,  and  had  to  be  carried  unwillingly  to 
the  rear;  Plumbe  fell  dead;  and  the  command  of  the  decimated 
party  devolved  upon  Captain  Alfred  Edmund  Marchant,2  R.M.L.I. 
Prothero  tells  how  the  fire  was  so  hot  that  several  times  he  saw 
a  man  hit  three  times  before  he  reached  the  ground.  Yet  there 
was  no  hesitation  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  Midshipman 
Cymbeline  Alonso  Edric  Huddart,  twice  wounded,  continued  to 
press  cheerfully  on  until  he  was  mortally  hit.  Lieutenant  Walter 
Thomas  Cresswell  Jones,3  R.M.L.I.,  though  hit  in  the  hip,  charged 
to  the  top  of  the  hill  ere  he  stopped  to  have  his  wound  dressed. 
Captain  Guy  Senior,  R.M.A.,  fell  dead  before  he  gained  it.  Mid- 
shipman William  Wood  Sillem4  was  stunned  when  hah*  way  up, 
but  recovered  himself  in  time  to  lead  some  men  to  the  summit. 
Others  who  distinguished  themselves  were  Lieutenant  Frederick 
John  Saunders,  R.M.L.I.,  Gunner  Ernest  Edward  Lowe,  and  Mid- 
shipman Thomas  Frederick  John  Livesey  Wardle,5  with  Fleet 
Surgeon  James  Porter,  M.D.6  And  so,  at  length,  the  top  of  the 
deadly  kopje  was  gained,  and  Marchant,  collecting  as  many  men  as 
possible,  advanced  with  them  to  the  furthest  position,  driving  the 
Boers  thence  in  full  retreat.' 

During  the  advance,  Dean,  with  his  two  guns,  co-operated  with 
a  battery  of  Royal  Artillery  in  shelling  the  enemy's  positions  from 
the  British  left,  first  at  5000  yards,  and  later  at  4000  and  2800; 
until,  at  8  A.M.,  he  received  verbal  orders  to  retire.  He  was  then 
under  a  hot  shrapnel  fire,  which  cost  him  6  men  wounded  ;  and, 
deeming  that  if  he  obeyed  he  would  either  lose  heavily  or  have 
to  abandon  his  pieces,  he  stuck  to  his  post  for  an  hour  and  a  hah' 
longer,  until  the  Boers  were  in  retreat.  With  his  detachment 

accurate,  actually  lowered  their  sights  frequently  as  they  advanced,  disregarding  the 
rule  laid  down  of  fixed  sights  below  500  yards."  And  again:  "Drill  books  have 
taught  that  men  should  not  lie  down  during  the  last  500  yards  of  the  attack,  because 
of  the  supposed  impossibility,  once  they  have  lain  down,  of  making  them  rise  and  face 
a  short-range  magazine  fire.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  the  whole  attack  would  have 
been  swept  away  if  they  had  remained  on  their  feet  continually;  and  there  was  no 
difficulty  whatever  in  making  them  rise  up  again.  They  wanted  no  leading;  they 
were  only  too  anxious  to  close  with  the  enemy,  and  get  it  over  .  .  .  ."  (Jeans  p.  30) 

1  C.B.,  Oct.  21,  1900.  *  C.B.,  Oct.  21,  1900. 

D.S.O.,  Oct.  21, 1900.  «  Noted  for  promotion. 

""  Xoted  for  promotion.  s  Dep.  Insp.,  Oct.  21, 1900. 

7  For  an  admirable  account  of  the  action,  see  The  Globe  and  Laurd,  Mar.,  1900. 
It  is  by  Lieut.  W.  T.  C.  Jones,  R.M.LJ. 


1899.]  A    MARINE  IN  COMMAXD.  477 

Lieutenant  George  William  McOran  Campbell,  Sub-Lieutenant 
Richard  Foster  White,  Midshipman  Thomas  Charles  Armstrong, 
and  Surgeon  Charles  Marsh  Beadnell,  though  the  last  was  formally 
invalided,  did  good  work ;  and  first-class  petty  officers  T.  W.  Ashley 
(Doris),  and  Fuller  (Monarch),  gained  favourable  notice  for  the 
coolness  and  accuracy  with  which  they  laid  their  guns.  The  whole 
loss  of  the  little  Naval  Brigade  that  day  in  the  assault  was  15  killed 
and  79  wounded.1  It  did  the  best  part  of  the  business,  and  suffered 
more  than  two-thirds  of  the  casualties.  Lord  Methuen  afterwards 
paid  it  a  special  visit,  and  complimented  it  upon  its  splendid 
behaviour.  Her  Majesty,  besides  expressing  to  the  boy's  fainily 
her  "admiration  and  pride"  at  young  Huddart's  "noble  conduct," 
graciously  telegraphed  her  congratulations  to  the  Brigade  on  its 
gallantry,  and  expressed  her  regret  at  its  heavy  losses.2 

After  the  battle  of  Graspan,  Rear- Admiral  Harris  telegraphed  to 
promote  Captain  Marchant,  who  was  the  senior  un wounded  officer 
of  the  Brigade,  to  the  rank  of  Major,3  pending  the  decision  of  the 
Admiralty,  and  to  appoint  him  to  the  command  until  a  senior  officer 
should  reach  the  spot.  For  the  first  time,  consequently,  for  many 
years,  a  Marine  officer  commanded  in  the  field  a  Naval  Brigade 
composed  of  bluejackets  as  well  as  of  Royal  Marines.  The  Brigade 
halted  for  one  day  at  Enslin,  and,  on  November  27th  moved  on  by 
train  to  Klokfontein,  whence  it  moved  again  early  on  the  28th  to 
take  up  a  position  4800  yards  from  the  banks  of  the  Modder  River. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  battle  of  that  day  the  naval  guns 
engaged,  and  temporarily  silenced,  two  out  of  several  well-concealed 
guns  of  the  enemy,  and  then  advanced  in  order  to  find  a  position 
whence  they  could  render  more  effectual  assistance  to  Lord 
Methuen's  attack,  but  soon  had  to  retire  under  a  hot  fire  from  the 
Boer  Mausers  and  Maxims.  On  the  29th  both  banks  of  the  river 
were  occupied  by  the  British.  During  the  long  halt  which  ensued, 
Major  Marchant  was  relieved  in  the  command  of  the  Brigade  by 

1  Of  5  officers  and  190  men  engaged  the  Marines  had  2  officers  and  9  men  killed, 
and  1  officer  and  72  men  wounded ;  a  total  loss  of  44  per  cent.  The  bluejackets  had 
2  officers  and  2  men  killed,  and  1  officer  and  5  men  wounded  {see  Jeans,  p.  34).  The 
Desps.  gave  the  total  loss  of  the  Brigade  as  14  killed  and  91  wounded,  this  including, 
apparently,  Dean's  6  wounded.  The  3  dead  officers  were  buried  at  Enslin,  east  of  the 
siding  there.  The  dead  men  were  buried  at  the  foot  of  the  captured  kopje.  The 
Australian  Light  Horse  fenced  in  the  grave. 

1  Desps.  in  Gazette  of  Jan.  26,  1900,  and  March  30,  1900;  R.-Adtn.  Harris's 
telegram  of  Nov.  26,  1899. 

*  Confirmed  Dec.  6, 1899. 


478      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Commander  Spencer  Victor  Yorke  de  Horsey,  of  the  Monarch,  who 
himself  was  superseded  a  few  days  later  by  Captain  John  Edward 
Bearcroft,  of  the  Philomel,  Major  Archibald  George  Brabazon 
Urmstoii,  R.M.,  of  the  Powerful,  taking  over  the  command  of  the 
Marine  detachment  at  about  the  same  time. 

Another  welcome  arrival,  while  the  army  lay  on  the  Modder 
River,  was  a  naval  4'7-in.  gun  on  a  Scott's  mounting,  which  had 
been  prepared  at  Simon's  Town,  and  which  promptly  began  a  daily 
bombardment  of  the  entrenchments  which  the  Boers  under  Cronje 
had  thrown  up  on  the  Magersfontein  Hills.  It  used  now  common 
shell  and  now  lyddite.  On  December  9th,  when  Lord  Methuen 
made  a  reconnaissance  in  force,  this  gun  advanced  and  shelled  the 
enemy's  works,  though  without  much  apparent  success ;  and  on 
December  llth,  when  the  bloody  battle  of  Magersfontein  was 
fought,  the  same  weapon  rendered  what  service  it  was  capable  of. 
It  could  not,  however,  do  the  work  of  the  considerable  park  of  heavy 
artillery  which  was  needed  that  day,  and  it  failed  to  keep  down  the 
fire  of  the  Boer  guns.  During  the  action,  and  throughout  the 
following  night,  the  four  naval  12-prs.  and  their  escort  of  Marines 
were  south  of  the  river  for  the  protection  of  the  stores  there,  and  of 
a  new  deviation  bridge  which  had  been  constructed.  Had  the 
enemy  been  enterprising,  these  guns  might  have  been  cut  off  with 
comparative  ease.  When,  on  the  morrow,  the  exhausted  army  fell 
back  upon  them,  the  enemy's  opportunity  vanished.1 

On  the  14th  all  the  naval  guns  were  placed  in  positions  north  of 
the  Modder,  whence  they  again  daily  bombarded  the  Boer  entrench- 
ments. A  second  4'7-in.,  which  arrived  from  Simon's  Town  a  little 
later,  was  mounted,  however,  on  the  south  bank,  to  cover  the  right 
rear  of  the  army.  A  naval  searchlight,  also  sent  from  Simon's 
Town,  and  worked  by  bluejackets  in  charge  of  Midshipman  James 
Menzies,2  enabled  communications  by  means  of  flashing  signals  to 
be  maintained  with  the  beleaguered  garrison  of  Kimberley,  where  a 
searchlight  was  already  in  use. 

In  December,  1899,  and  January,  1900,  enteric  and  other  fevers 
worked  havoc  with  the  force  on  the  Modder,  and  the  number  of 
available  bluejackets  was  so  reduced  by  sickness  that  one  of  the 
4'7-in.  guns  had  to  be  handed  over  to  the  Eoyal  Marine  Artillery. 
Early  in  February,  two  additional  4'7's  under  Commander  William 

1  Methuen  to  Roberts,  Feb.  15,  1900. 

2  Died  of  enteric  at  Bloemfontein. 


1900.]  TEE  NAVAL   BRIGADE  AT  PAARDEBEBQ.  479 

Lowther  Grant,  of  the  Doris,1  appeared  upon  the  scene,  and  were 
presently  sent  to  Enslin,  and  thence  elsewhere;  and  on  February  7th 
Field-Marshal  Lord  Eoberts 2  reached  the  camp,  and  it  became 
evident  that  the  long  and  dreary  period  of  inaction  was  drawing  to 
an  end.  It  is  remarkable  that  throughout  the  war  the  various 
Naval  Brigades  were  never  so  healthy  as  when  they  were  doing 
work  of  exceptional  hardship. 

Commander  Grant,  with  his  two  4'7's,  5  officers  and  59  men 
from  the  Doris  and  Barrosa,  besides  native  drivers  and  colonial 
conductors,  entered  the  Orange  Free  State  on  February  13th.3 
Lieutenant  Dean,  with  two  12-prs.,  was  also  with  the  head  of  the 
invading  army.4  Kimberley  was  relieved  on  February  16th  ;  Cronje 
had  evacuated  the  Magersfontein  lines  on  the  15th  ;  and,  as  soon  as 
these  facts  were  known  to  Lord  Methuen  at  the  Modder,  he  also 
advanced,  the  remaining  two  4'7's  and  two  12-prs.  accompanying 
him,  and  then  marching  on  Jacobsdal,  where,  on  the  18th,  the 
Brigade  picked  up  Grant  again.  Dean,  meanwhile,  was  with  the 
force  which  was  pursuing  Cronje. 

At  9.30  P.M.  on  the  18th  the  Brigade,  complete  again  except  so 
far  as  Dean  and  his  two  12-prs.  were  concerned,  went  forward  once 
more  and  pushed  on  as  rapidly  as  possible,  being  incited  to  make  all 
possible  exertions  by  Lord  Eoberts 's  words  when  he  cantered  up  to 
it  on  the  following  morning.  "  I  have  Cronje  surrounded,"  he  said, 
"  and  want  to  give  you  a  show."  5  Yet  though  the  men,  the  weary 
oxen  and  the  heavy  guns,  on  the  18th  and  19th  covered  twenty- 
seven  miles  in  twenty-two  hours,  of  which  fifteen  were  actually 
spent  in  marching,  they  did  not  sight  Cronje's  laager  at  Paardeberg 
until  about  11  A.M.  on  the  20th. 

Three  of  the  4  -7's,  including  both  of  Grant's,  together  with  a 
12-pr.,  were  at  once  ordered  to  the  north  side  of  the  Modder, 
whence,  at  4.30  P.M.,  they  opened  on  the  Boer  camp  at  less  than 
3000  yards.  That  afternoon  the  4'7's  fired  thirty-seven  rounds  of 
lyddite  and  common  shell,  but  did  not  then,  nor  during  the  following 
seven  days,  provoke  any  reply.  The  remaining  4 '7,  and  the  three 
12-prs.  were  posted  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  only  1300  yards 

1  Landed  at  Port  Elizabeth,  Jan.  31 ;  joined  at  the  Modder,  Feb.  3;  sent  to  Enslin 
Feb.  8. 

2  To  whom  Com.  the  Hon.  Seymour  John  Fortescue,  M.V.O.,  was  attached  as 
naval  A.D.C. 

With  the  9th  Division.  *  With  the  6th  Division.  "  Jeans,  65. 


480      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

from  the  nearest  of  the  enemy's  trenches.1  The  Boers  "  sniped  " 
these  continually  during  the  week,  but  only  succeeded  in  killing  one 
bluejacket  and  wounding  another.  On  the  22nd  the  naval  guns  on 
the  north  were  advanced  to  2200  yards  from  the  works.  Every 
night  the  Marines  were  on  trench  duty  in  rear  of  the  guns,  to 
protect  them  from  any  interference  on  the  part  of  a  Boer  commando 
which  was  hovering  in  the  neighbourhood ;  and  they  had  very 
arduous  and  disagreeable  work,  which,  however,  they  did  with  their 
usual  cheerfulness.  The  bluejackets  had  less  to  do,  and  spent  most 
of  their  nights  in  comparative  comfort. 

On  the  night  when  the  final  British  advance  was  made  along  the 
river's  bed,  and  when  the  gallant  Canadians  sapped  close  up  to  the 
Boer  trenches,  and  decided  Cronje  to  surrender,  Surgeon  Charles 
Marsh  Beadnell,  B.N.,  of  the  Powerful,  was  with  the  Colonials,  and, 
in  the  morning  of  the  27th,  was  the  first  doctor  to  enter  the  laager 
and  to  succour  the  wounded  there.  After  the  surrender  the  Naval 
Brigade,  in  common  with  the  rest  of  the  army,  "  spliced  the  main 
brace,"  and  the  four  guns  from  the  north  were,  with  much  difficulty, 
taken  back  across  the  river.  Dean's  two  12-prs.,  the  carriages  of 
which  had  been  damaged  during  the  pursuit  of  Cronje,  had  mean- 
time been  ordered  away,  under  Lieutenant  William  Jarvie  Colquhoun, 
a  volunteer  from  the  Victorian  Navy,  to  be  repaired.  Colquhoun 
was  directed  to  take  them  to  Simon's  Town,  but,  on  his  own 
responsibility,  he  took  them  instead  to  Kimberley,  where  he  got 
them  quickly  made  good  ;  and,  having  thus  saved  ten  days  or  more, 
was  able  to  rejoin  the  Brigade  before  it  moved  from  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Paardeberg.  This,  and  other  smart  work,  gained  him  the 
D.S.O.  at  a  later  date." 

Two  days,  unfortunately,  were  spent  by  the  bluejackets  and 
Marines  close  to  the  filthy  laager,  the  stench  from. which  was 
appalling.  On  March  1st  the  whole  army  moved  to  Osfontein,  a 
spot  about  five  miles  to  the  eastward,  in  order  to  get  away  from  the 
decomposing  bodies  of  animals,  and  to  obtain  a  better  water  supply. 
But  in  the  interval  the  mischief  had  been  done,  and  the  entire  force 
became  saturated  with  the  germs  of  that  enteric  fever  which 
subsequently  cost  the  lives  of  so  many  brave  men. 

On  March  5th,  when  a  further  advance  to  the  eastward  was 
imminent,  three  12-prs.  were  sent  to  join  the  Highland  Brigade  on 

1   Gazette,  Feb.  8,  1901.  2  Oct.  21,  1900. 


1900.]  THE  NAVAL   BRIGADE  AT  BLOEMFONTEIN.  481 

the  north  side  of  the  Modder.  The  fourth— for  Colquhoun  and  his 
two  had  not  then  rejoined — had  broken  down,  and  had  been  returned 
to  be  repaired  at  Simon's  Town.  On  the  6th  the  four  4'7's  were 
moved  to  a  kopje  about  7000  yards  from  the  centre  of  the  Boer 
position  near  Poplar  Grove,  two l  being  placed  on  the  summit,  and 
two  on  the  right  shoulder.  The  getting  up  of  these  guns  was  a 
most  laborious  business,  and  the  men  were  much  disappointed  on 
the  7th,  when  it  was  evident  that  the  Boers  were  already  retreating. 
Some  of  the  4  •  7's,  however,  fired  a  shot  or  two  at  the  retiring  enemy ; 
and  the  three  12-prs.  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  were  warmly 
engaged  for  a  time  with  two  Boer  guns  which  were  covering  the 
withdrawal.  Their  crews,  however,  suffered  no  loss.  The  Brigade 
then  marched  twelve  miles  to  Poplar  Grove,  and,  owing  to  the 
difficulties  of  the  ground  and  the  intense  heat,  was  eight  hours  on 
the  road.  When  at  length  the  tired  men  bivouacked  they  had  been 
fighting  or  marching  for  nearly  eighteen  hours ;  and  glad  were  they 
of  the  two  days'  halt  which  followed. 

The  advance  to  Bloemfontein  was  resumed  on  March  10th,  and 
in  the  first  twenty-six  hours  the  Brigade  covered  thirty-four  miles. 
It  saw  no  more  fighting  ere  it  reached  the  capital  of  the  Free  State,2 
and,  as  it  moved  in  rear  of  the  bulk  of  the  Army,  its  arrival  was  not 
reported  in  time  to  procure  it  a  place  in  the  ceremonious  entry  of 
the  city  on  March  13th.  It  entered,  however,  on  the  15th,  when  a 
bluejacket  swarmed  up  the  flagstaff  above  Government  House  and 
reeved  halyards  by  means  of  which  the  British  flag  was  hoisted  to 
its  place  there.  Lord  Eoberts  inspected  the  Brigade  on  the  21st, 
and  on  the  22nd  the  contingent  from  the  Powerful  left  for  England. 

For  about  seven  weeks  the  remainder  of  the  Brigade  lay  in 
or  near  Bloemfontein,  suffering  severely  from  enteric  fever  and 
dysentery.  No  fewer  than  89  officers  and  men  were  taken  ill, 
49  of  that  number  during  the  last  thirteen  days  of  the  halt.  But 
the  Brigade  was  not  inactive  during  the  whole  of  that  time.  After 
the  Sanna's  Post  affair  the  12-prs.  were  ordered  to  the  north  of  the 
town,  and  two  days  later  the  four  4'7's  were  placed  on  a  kopje  there, 
known  in  consequence  as  Naval  Hill.  At  Naval  Hill  the  men  were 
put  into  khaki  serge  and  soft  felt  hats,  so  that,  except  for  the 
distinguishing  badges  on  the  turned-lip  hat  brims — a  foul  anchor 
for  the  bluejackets  and  a  bugle  for  the  Marines — they  were  thence- 

1  Grant's. 

2  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  Mar.  17,  1900,  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 
VOL.   VII.  2   I 


482      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

forth  dressed  much  like  the  rest  of  the  invading  force.  On  April  18th, 
the  naval  guns  on  the  Hill  were  relieved  by  four  5-in.  naval  guns  on 
old  Army  carriages,  manned  by  the  Eoyal  Garrison  Artillery ;  and 
the  Naval  Brigade  was  re-organised  -in  preparation  for  the  further 
advance.  The  seamen,  decimated  by  sickness,  were  only  numerous 
enough  to  man  the  12-prs.  and  three  of  the  4'7's.  The  fourth  4'7 
was  handed  over  to  the  Marine  Artillerymen,  who  previously  had 
acted  merely  as  escort. 

On  the  21st  two  of  the  12-prs.  went  away,  under  Commander  de 
Horsey,  with  a  column  on  a  bootless  chase  of  some  Boers  in  the 
direction  of  Wepener ;  and  ^before  their  return  *  the  Brigade  was  split 
'up  as  follows  :— 

1.  Remaining  at  Bloemfontein,  2  12-prs. 

2.  Marching  east  with  Com.  W.  L.  Grant,  2  4'7's. 

3.  Marching  north  with  Lord  Roberts,  2  4  •  7's  and  4  12-prs. 

The  detachment  which  remained  at  Bloemfontein  consisted  of 
the  two  guns'  crews  and  half  a  company  of  Marines,2  and  had  no 
experiences  worth  recording. 

The  fortunes  of  Commander  Grant's  detachment  will  be  followed 
later.  It  made  some  noteworthy  marches. 

The  work  done  by  the  main  body  of  the  Brigade  has  now  to  be 
described. 

Lieutenant  Eric  Percy  Coventry  Back,  with  two  of  the  12-prs., 
marched  from  camp  on  May  1st  to  join  the  northward  movement; 
and  Captain  Bearcroft,  with  the  other  two  12-prs.,  the  two  4'7's, 
and  the  bulk  of  the  Brigade,  followed  on  the  2nd,  reached  Karree 
Siding  at  5  P.M.  on  the  3rd,  and  picked  up  Back  outside  Brandfort 
at  3  P.M.  on  the  4th.  Brandfort  had  been  occupied  on  the  previous 
day  by  Lord  Eoberts,  after  a  brief  fight.  At  Brandfort  the  Brigade 
was  attached  to  the  llth  Division  (Lieut. -General  Pole-Carew).  On 
May  5th  the  advance  was  resumed.  In  the  afternoon  the  guns 
came  into  action  against  some  Boer  artillery  posted  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Vet  river ;  but,  as  the  enemy  presently  retired,  there  was 
no  general  engagement.  On  the  6th  the  Vet  river  was  crossed,  and 
on  the  7th  and  8th  the  force  halted  at  Srnaldeel.3 

On  the  10th  the  enemy  made  as  if  he  would  dispute  the  passage 
of  the  Zand  river;  but,  after  the  4'7's  had  fired  a  few  rounds,  the 

1  On  Ap.  29.    These  guns  were  in  action  on  the  24th.    De  Horsey  in  Gazette,  Ap.  29. 

2  Under  Major  A.  E.  Marchant,  R.M.,  and  Lieut.  Colquhoun,  R.V.X. 

3  Gazette,  Mar.  12,  1901 :  Bearcroft  to  Harris. 


1900.]  OCCUPATION   OF  PRETORIA.  483 

Boers  withdrew,  fearing  to  be  outflanked.  The  12-prs.  followed  in 
pursuit,  but  were  unable  to  get  close  enough  to  make  themselves 
useful.  On  the  12th  the  army  arrived  outside  Kroonstad,  and  at 
3  P.M.  the  town  was  entered  by  the  Brigade,  which  marched  through, 
and  encamped  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  north,1  lying  there 
until  the  morning  of  May  22nd.  The  army  then  moved  forward 
again,  and  at  10  A.M.  on  the  27th  the  Brigade  crossed  the  Vaal  river 
at  Viljoen's  Drift,  and  entered  the  Transvaal,  camping  that  night 
beyond  Vereeniging. 

On  May  29th,  at  the  passage  of  the  Klip  river,  the  bluejackets' 
4'7-in.  gun  crossed  by  the  crazy  bridge  in  safety,  and,  hearing 
heavy  firing  ahead,  pushed  on  with  all  haste.  The  Marines'  4-7 
stuck,  one  wheel  breaking  through  the  roadway  and  timbers,  and 
delayed  the  crossing  of  the  7th  and  llth  Divisions  from  7  till 
11.30  A.M.  The  whole  bridge  had  to  be  cut  away,  and  a  drift  made 
of  its  remains ;  but  at  last,  with  the  aid  of  64  oxen  and  several 
hundred  men,  the  gun  was  extricated  and  the  way  cleared.  The 
bluejackets'  gun,  however,  did  not  succeed  in  getting  into  action, 
and,  sinking  in  soft  ground  during  the  pursuit,  had  to  remain  where 
it  was  until  daylight.  As  for  the  12-prs.,  which  had  also  pushed  on, 
they  narrowly  escaped  capture,  passing  as  they  did  through  the 
suburbs  of  Johannesburg  while  that  town  was  still  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  but  safely  rejoining  the  main  force  in  the  evening.  On 
the  30th  Johannesburg  surrendered ;  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
31st  the  Brigade  entered  the  place  and  passed  before  Lord  Roberts.2 

The  further  advance  was  begun  on  June  3rd,  and  at  noon  on  the 
4th  Six-Mile  Spruit,  south-west  of  Pretoria,  was  reached.  Heavy 
firing  was  then  in  progress  ahead.  Two  miles  further,  the  naval 
guns  mounted  a  hill,  and  the  two  4'7's  were  ordered  into  action, 
being  at  once  greeted  with  fire  from  the  enemy's  pom-poms.  Here 
Commander  de  Horsey,  who  was  mounted,  was  wounded  in  the 
foot.  On  the  left  front  were  low  hills,  on  which  were  several  Boer 
guns  :  on  the  right  front  were  two  of  the  Pretoria  forts  ;  and  about 
700  yards  ahead  was  a  body  of  Johannesburg  police,  firing  from 
behind  a  stone  wall.  There  were,  however,  no  further  casualities  in 
the  Brigade,  except  among  the  12-pr.  gun  mules.  One  of  the  forts 
was  hit  several  times,  but  it  was  found  afterwards  that  the  work 
had  been  already  evacuated.  When  the  police  had  been  driven  from 

1  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  May  16. 

s  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  June  9,  1900. 

2   I  2 


484      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

the  stone  wall,  the  12-prs.  moved  forward  and  took  cover  behind  it. 
At  10  P.M.  Pretoria  surrendered.1 

On  June  5th  the  triumphant  entry  took  place. 

"  It  was,"  writes  a  participant,2  "  a  dirty,  dusty  crew  which  represented  the  Navy 
at  the  entry  into  the  capital  of  the  Transvaal.  None  of  us  had  had  the  chance  of  a 
wash  for  some  time,  and  among  us  all  there  was  not  a  single  suit  of  clothes  that  even 
a  tramp  would  have  condescended  to  accept  as  a  gift.  Our  number  was  very  small. 
We  had  lost  very  many  officers  and  men  since  the  start  from  Orange  River,  in  action 
and  from  sickness,  and  all  that  remained  at  this  time  at  the  front  were,  roughly,  a 
hundred  bluejackets  and  seventy  Marines,  with  ten  E.N.  and  four  Marine  officers." 

The  Brigade  first  encamped  two  miles  outside,  to  the  west,  but, 
three  days  afterwards,  moved  to  Silverton,  eight  miles  to  the  east  of 
Pretoria.3  The  Boers  made  repeated  endeavours  to  reach  the  spot 
with  shells  from  their  heavy  guns ;  and,  in  consequence,  on  June  llth, 
with  the  object  of  surrounding  or  driving  off  the  troublesome  foe,  the 
battle  of  Diamond  Hill  was  fought. 

The  naval  guns  moved  from  camp  at  2.30  A.M.,  and  proceeded 
slowly  to  their  assigned  position,  which  they  took  up  at  5.30  A.M., 
it  being  very  dark.  At  daylight  it  was  discovered  that  the  ridge  on 
which  they  were  was  nearly  11,000  yards  from  the  Boer  guns,  or 
1500  yards  more  than  the  extreme  range  of  the  pieces  as  mounted 
on  field-carriages.  The  guns,  therefore,  'did  little  on  the  first  day  of 
the  fight,  but,  being  advanced  about  3000  yards  on  the  second  day, 
were  able  to  shell  the  enemy's  sangars  above  the  railway  line,  and  to 
prevent  a  big  weapon  which  the  Boers  had  placed  upon  a  railway 
truck  from  becoming  troublesome.  That  day  the  two  4'7's  fired 
56  rounds.  On  the  15th  the  Brigade  was  ordered  back  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  Koodoospoort,4  where,  and  at  or  near  Marks's 
Farm,  it  remained  until  July  22,  the  guns  occasionally  firing  at  the 
Boer  kopjes  to  the  eastward. 

During  part  of  that  time  Lieutenant  Back,  with  two  12-prs., 
had  been  detached  to  the  north-east  of  Pretoria ;  but  though  he  was 
away  for  a  month,  and  did  not  rejoin  the  Brigade  until  July  26th, 
he  had  but  few  opportunities  of  shelling  the  enemy,  who  was  always 
at  long  range  and  probably  suffered  very  little.5 

1  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  June  9,  1900. 

2  Account  of  Lieut.  Leslie  Orme  Wilson,  R.M.,  in  Jeans,  129. 

3  Maj.  Marchant,  R.M.L.I.,  brought  up  reserve  ammunition  from   Kroonstad  on 
June  7th.     On  the  same  day  four  bluejackets  of  the  Tartar,  who  had  been  made 
prisoners  in  Natal  on  Nov.  15,  1899,  reported  themselves  as  having  escaped. 

4  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  June  17,  1900.     Back  to  Bearcroft,  June  ]  6,  1900. 
6  Back  to  Bearcroft,  July  28,  1900. 


1900.]  THE  BATTLE   OF  BELFAST.  485 

The  advance,  when  resumed,  was  by  way  of  Donkershoek  and 
Bronker's  Spruit  to  Bergspruit,  where  the  Brigade  lay  from  July  27th 
to  August  3rd.1  It  subsequently  followed  the  retiring  Boers  along 
the  line  of  the  Delagoa  Bay  railway  to  Middelburg,2  whence,  on 
August  22nd,  it  moved  to  Eietpan,  Wonderfontein,  and  Belfast. 
The  last-named  place  was  held  by  the  Boers  in  force,  their  chief 
position  being  at  Dalmanutha.  Before  Belfast,  General  Buller, 
coming  from  Natal,  joined  hands  with  Lord  Eoherts ;  and,  as  a 
result  of  the  conference  which  was  then  held,  the  battle  of  Belfast 
was  begun  on  August  26th. 

The  4'7's  were  posted  on  Monument  Hill,  one  facing  due  north, 
and  the  other  (the  Marines')  facing  due  east  and  commanding  the 
railway.  By  noon  they  were  heavily  engaged  with  the  Boer  guns 
and  pom-poms.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  the  Marines'  gun 
was  shifted,  and  then  ordered  back  again.  Towards  evening, 
Lieutenant  Leslie  Orrne  Wilson,  E.M.,  who  was  in  charge  of  it, 
was  severely  wounded.  At  night  both  guns  returned  to  camp  ;  and 
on  the  following  morning  the  bluejackets'  4' 7  was  sent  to  a  point 
1200  yards  south  of  the  railway  station,  and  subsequently  assisted 
Buller's  guns  in  shelling  Bergendal  Farm  until  the  British  infantry 
advanced  on  that  post.  This  gun  was  opposed  by  one  of  the  Boer 
"  long-toms,"  another  of  which  kept  up  a  duel  with  the  Marines'  4 '7. 
At  about  2  P.M.  the  enemy  gave  way,  whereupon  a  concentrated  fire 
from  all  the  available  artillery  was  poured  into  him  as  long  as  he 
was  within  range.3 

On  the  first  day  of  the  action  Lieutenant  Back,  with  his  two 
12-prs.,  had  been  detached  to  advance  with  General  Pole-Carew. 
His  experiences  shall  be  narrated  presently. 

After  the  occupation  of  Belfast,  the  bluejackets'  4- 7  was  ordered 
on  September  5th  to  trek  southward  to  Carolina,  while  the  Marines' 
gun  was  placed  in  an  entrenched  position  on  Monument  Hill, 
where,  in  fact,  it  remained  until  it  was  turned  over  to  the  army 
in  October. 

The  bluejackets'  gun,  otherwise  known  as  4 '7  No.  1,  with  which 
went  Captain  Bearcroft,  accompanied  General  French  eastward  from 
Carolina  to  Barberton.  The  column  witnessed  some  fighting  on 
September  10th  and  12th,  but  the  naval  detachment  had  very  little 

1  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  Aug.  2,  1900,  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 
3  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  Aug.  18,  1900. 
3  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  Aug.  30,  1900. 


486      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

part  in  it.  If  Bearcroft  had  been  able  to  get  his  gun  up  a  certain 
hill  close  to  Barberton,  he  could  probably  have  compelled  the 
surrender  of  about  one  thousand  Boers,  who  were  upon  a  neigh- 
bouring height,  but  who  could  not  be  reached  by  the  guns  of  the 
army.  The  country  near  Barberton  was,  indeed,  terribly  difficult, 
and  ere  the  town  was  entered  one  of  the  gun  wheels  broke  down  so 
completely  that  a  spare  wagon  wheel  had  to  be  substituted  for  it 
until  the  old  wheel  could  be  repaired  by  the  Armourer,  Samuel  K. 
Colevill,  who  displayed  great  energy  and  resource.1  On  October  1st 
this  gun  and  its  ammunition  were  turned  over  at  Barberton  to  the 
Eoyal  Artillery ;  and  on  the  2nd  the  Brigade  set  6ut  by  train  to 
return  to  its  ships.  It  met  with  several  adventures  ere  it  reached 
Pretoria,  the  engine  breaking  down  once,. the  line  being  twice  blown 
up  under  it,  and  a  Boer  attack  having  to  be  repulsed.  At  Pretoria, 
Major  Urmston,  with  the  crew  of  the  Marines'  gun,  otherwise 
known  as  4*7  No.  2,  joined  from  Belfast,  and  Lieutenant  Back, 
with  his  12-pr.  detachment,  joined  from  Komati  Poort.  Lord 
Eoberts  inspected  the  reunited  Brigade,2  which  then  proceeded 
on  its  way  to  Simon's  Town,  and  reached  its  destination  on 
October  12th.3 

It  has  been  seen  that  Lieutenant  Back,  with  two  of  the 
Monarch's  long  12-prs.,  parted  from  Captain  Bearcroft  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Belfast  on  August  26th.  Back,  who  had  with 
him  Lieutenant  Colquhoun,  of  the  Victorian  Navy,  Midshipman 
Andrew  Browne  Cunningham,  and  thirty-six  men,  accompanied  the 
llth  Division4  which  was  sent  to  drive  the  Boers  eastward  either 
into  the  mountains  or  across  the  Portuguese  frontier.  On  the  after- 
noon of  the  start,  when  the  column  was  heading  north-east,  the 
enemy  assailed  it  with  a  heavy  rifle  and  pom-pom  fire,  and  the 
12-prs.  got  into  action.  On  the  27th  they  were  again  engaged  near 
Machadodorp  and  assisted  in  silencing  a  Boer  6'2-in.  gun,  but  they 
had  to  fire  forty-one  rounds  at  extreme  elevation,  and  so  strained 
their  carriages  considerably.  Helvetia  was  reached  on  the  following 
day  and  a  junction  effected  with  the  army  of  General  Buller.  The 
guns,  in  spite  of  the  difficulties  of  the  route,  managed  to  keep  up 
with  the  head  of  the  column,  and,  on  one  occasion  when  a  Boer 

1  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  Sept.  24,  1900,  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 

2  Com.  Grant's  detachment  had  returned  a  few  days  earlier. 

3  Bearcroft  to  Harris,  Oct.  13,  1900. 

4  Guards'  and  18th  Brigades,  under  Genl.  Pole-Carew. 


1900.]  THE  BOEBS   CHASED   ACROSS    TEE  FRONTIER.  487 

pom-pom  opened  suddenly  on  French's  cavalry,  were  able  to 
silence  it  promptly,  and  to  drive  the  enemy's  rearguard  towards 
Lydenburg. 

On  the  29th  the  Division  turned  southward  again  to  the  railway 
at  Waterval  Onder,  and  shared  in  the  movement  which  caused  the 
release  of  a  large  body  of  British  prisoners  at  Nooigedacht.  During 
an  eight  days'  halt  of  the  two  12-prs.  at  Waterval  Onder,  the 
strained  carriage  of  one  of  the  guns  was  replaced  by  a  new  mounting 
sent  from  Belfast.  Armourer's  Mate  Albert  Smithfield,  who  was 
with  the  detachment,  made  himself  invaluable  during  the  whole  of 
his  service  on  shore,  and,  on  one  occasion,  went  even  so  far  as  to 
re-forge  a  gun  axle.  The  continued  efficiency  of  the  guns  was 
largely  due  to  him.1  In  the  meantime  General  Buller  turned  the 
enemy  on  the  north,  and  French  harried  him  on  the  south,  thus 
securing  the  flanks  of  Pole-Carew's  advance,  which  was  resumed 
along  the  railway  on  September  llth.  Godroan's  Eiver  was  reached 
on  the  13th,  and  on  the  14th  the  column  swerved  in  a  south-easterly 
direction  to  Kaapsche  Hoek,  where  it  left  the  18th  Brigade  behind 
it,  the  Guards  being  the  only  infantry  remaining  with  General  Pole- 
Carew.  Thence,  by  way  of  North  Kaap  Station  and  Avoca,  where 
many  locomotives  and  much  rolling  stock  were  captured,  the  column 
regained  the  main  line  of  the  Delagoa  Bay  railway  at  Kaapmuiden 
Junction.  In  nine  days  the  naval  12-prs.  had  covered  ninety  miles. 
After  a  single  night's  halt  they  moved  on  along  the  Crocodile  Valley 
towards  Komati  Poort,  and  bivouacked  at  Hector  Spruit  on 
September  22nd.  The  whole  fifty-four  miles  between  Kaapmuiden 
and  the  Portuguese  frontier  were  covered  in  four  days — a  wonderful 
record  considering  the  arduous  nature  of  the  country  and  the 
badness  of  the  climate.  The  guns  did  not  come  into  action  again, 
for  the  Boers  had  retired  across  the  border,  abandoning  among 
other  things  the  6'2-in.  gun  which  had  been  so  troublesome  on 
August  27th. 

Back  and  his  guns  entrained  on  October  1st  to  return  to  the  sea. 
Sometimes  getting  out  and  pushing  the  crazy  train  and  its  worn-out 
engine,  the  party  reached  Hector  Spruit,  where  it  narrowly  escaped 
extinction  in  a  collision  with  another  train.  Not  until  October  5th 
did  it  steam  into  Pretoria,2  where,  as  has  been  shown,  it  rejoined 
Captain  Bearcroft. 

1  Back  to  Beat-croft,  Sept.  6,  1900,  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 

2  Back  to  Bearcroft,  Oct.  7,  1900. 


488      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

The  only  other  naval  detachment  of  Bearcroft's  Brigade  the 
fortunes  of  which  have  to  be  followed  is  the  detachment  which 
parted  company  at  Bloemfontein,  and  joined  the  eastward  wing  of 
the  northward  advance  thence.  This  was  Commander  William 
Lowther  Grant's  detachment,  with  its  two  4'7-in.  guns,  "Little 
Bobs "  and  "  Sloper."  Its  other  officers  were  Lieutenant  James 
Andrew  Fergusson  (Barrosa),  Midshipman  George  Holhrow  Lang 
(Doris),  and  Surgeon  Thomas  Tendron  Jeans,1  and  Gunner  James 
Cannon  (Mona rch). 

Grant  left  the  neighbourhood  of  Bloemfontein  on  April  23rd  and 
marched  due  east  with  his  two  guns  in  the  wake  of  the  Highland 
Brigade,  taking  up  a  position  two  days  later  on  Mamena  Kop, 
where  he  remained  until  the  30th,  when  the  guns  were  lowered 
down  again  and  moved  ten  miles  to  Waterval  Drift  along  a  bad  and 
narrow  road  that  topped  a  razor-backed  ridge.  On  May  2nd  he 
joined  the  9th  Division,  under  Major-General  Sir  Henry  Colvile,  and 
marched  thirteen  miles  to  Fairfield,  proceeding  thence  on  the  3rd  to 
Papjei's  Vlei.  Early  on  the  4th  the  enemy  was  found  in  position  on 
a  steep  hill  called  Baboon  Kop  on  the  right  front  of  the  advance. 
The  Highland  Brigade  attacked  under  cover  of  a  very  effective  fire 
from  the  naval  guns,  and  carried  the  place  with  but  slight  loss. 
Winberg  was  reached  on  the  6th  without  further  fighting,2  and  the 
,  detachment  halted  there  until  May  22nd,  when  it  resumed  the 
north-eastward  march  in  company  with  two  battalions  and  the 
divisional  troops  of  Colvile's  command,  the  rest  of  the  Division 3 
being  ahead.  The  strength  of  the  detachment  on  that  day  was : 
officers,  3;  seamen  and  stokers,  50;  guns,  2;  ammunition,  570 
rounds ;  horses,  7 ;  trek  oxen,  290 ;  conductors,  3 ;  natives,  42 ; 
wagons,  13 ;  and  carts,  3. 

On  each  day  from  the  22nd  to  the  25th  inclusive  some  opposition 
was  encountered,  but  the  4'7's  did  not  get  into  action.  On  the 
26th,  however,  the  guns  opened  on  a  Boer  position  at  3700  yards' 
range,  and  assisted  in  forcing  the  enemy  to  evacuate  it.  That  night 
the  detachment  bivouacked  north  of  Lindley.  On  the  27th  the  rear- 
guard was  engaged  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day's  march ;  and 
on  the  28th  the  naval  guns  got  into  action  on  the  left  of  the  advance, 
shelling  some  Boers  out  of  a  position  on  a  high  ridge,  and  then 

1  Recalled  on  Apr.  29  to  Simon's  Town. 

2  Grant  to  Bearcroft,  May  9,  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 

3  It  was  overtaken  at  Roode  Kraal  on  May  23. 


1900.]  GRANT'S   GUNS.  489 

following  on  to  the  ridge  and  again  opening  on  two  hostile  guns  in 
the  valley  beyond  it.  That  day  the  9th  Division  was  engaged  on 
nearly  all  sides.  The  4'7's  were  in  action  from  10.30  A.M.  until 
4.30  P.M.,  but  had  to  husband  their  ammunition.1  At  night  the 
force  was  practically  surrounded,  the  men  were  on  one-third  rations, 
and  the  oxen  were  showing  signs  of  giving  out,  while  Heilbron,  the 
immediate  objective,  was  eighteen  miles  away. 

On  the  29th,  when  the  Division  again  advanced,  the  two  4'7's 
were  moved  alternately,  one  remaining  in  position  in  the  rear  until 
the  other  had  proceeded  about  three  miles,  and  had  found  a  suitable 
spot  from  which  to  cover  the  forward  movement  of  the  other.  Both 
guns  were  several  times  in  action,  and  at  10  A.M.  both  were 
simultaneously  engaged  with  three  Boer  guns  on  the  right  flank. 
At  7  P.M.  the  weary  force  bivouacked  at  Heilbron,  after  having 
marched  128  miles  in  eight  days,  and  fought  three  general  actions.2 

At  Heilbron  the  Eoyal  Engineers  dug  pits  for  the  two  naval 
guns,  and  the  bluejackets  dug  magazines  for  them.  The  town  was 
soon  surrounded  by  the  entrenchments  of  the  Boers,  who,  however, 
did  not  bombard  for  fear  of  damaging  the  place.  On  June  20th  one 
of  the  guns  moved  out  with  a  force  intended  to  cover  the  entrance 
of  a  convoy  under  the  escort  of  Lord  Methuen.  It  opened  on  a 
body  of  the  enemy  9000  yards  away  and  scattered  it,  but,  being  too 
distant  to  use  shrapnel,  did  not  perhaps  cause  much  loss.  The 
convoy  got  in  without  opposition,  bringing  supplies  which  were 
greatly  needed.3 

On  July  27th  the  force  entrained  and  evacuated  Heilbron,  which 
was  instantly  occupied  by  the  Boers.  In  each  train  was  a  Boer  of 
note,  whose  presence  deterred  his  friends  from  firing  at  it.  Krugers- 
dorp,  therefore,  was  reached  without  accident.  Grant  remained 
there  until  July  31st,  when  he  was  ordered  to  re-entrain,  without 
his  trek  oxen,  and  to  proceed  southward  to  Kopjes  Station,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  following  morning.  A  very  poor  lot  of  fresh  oxen 
was  there  given  to  him ;  and  on  August  2nd  he  went  off  to  the 
north-west  with  a  column  which  was  despatched  under  General 
Hart  in  the  direction  of  the  Vaal  Eiver  to  turn  General  De  Wet  out 
of  a  position  which  he  held  between  Ehebok  Kop  and  Vredefort. 
On  August  3rd  the  Boers  were  found  and  engaged,  one  of  the  4'7's 

1  Number  of  rounds  fired,  43. 

2  Grant  to  Bearcroft,  June  ],  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 

3  Grant  to  Harris,  July  1.  1901. 


490      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

bursting  a  shrapnel  shell  right  on  top  of  a  hostile  15-pr.,  and  putting- 
it  out  of  action.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  De  Wet  made  off  along 
the  Zeerust  road,  and  was  at  once  pursued. 

Then  began  one  of  the  most  trying  experiences  of  Grant's 
detachment.  A  wheel  of  one  of  the  guns  showed  signs  of  weakness 
almost  immediately,  but  was  patched  up  by  means  of  tools  borrowed 
from  the  Royal  Artillery.  A  day  or  two  later  the  wheel  required 
further  patching.  The  ground  was  difficult,  the  dust  and  wind  were 
often  terrible,  the  grass,  fired  by  the  enemy,  was  a  source  of 
continual  peril,  and  the  marches  were  long.  But  for  Armourer's- 
Mate  Joseph  Tuck,  who  spent  his  nights,  and  indeed  almost  every 
minute  of  every  halt,  in  strengthening  the  much-tried  gun  mountings, 
the4'7's  could  not  have  gone  forward.  In  spite  of  his  exertions, 
one  gun  had  at  last  to  be  sent,  in  charge  of  the  gunner  and  seven 
men,  to  be  overhauled  thoroughly  at  Pretoria.  It  was  absent  from 
the  column  from  August  12th  to  August  28th.  During  its  absence 
the  other  gun  gave  the  Armourer's-Mate  more  than  enough  to  do, 
and  at  length  it  had  to  be  placed  in  a  wagon,  the  General,  however, 
consenting  to  allow  this  to  be  done  only  on  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  the  heavy  piece  should  be  remounted  and  ready 
for  action  within  an  hour  if  its  services  should  be  needed.  By 
August  22nd,  when  the  column,  after  many  wanderings,  entered 
Krugersdorp,  it  had  marched  265  miles  in  seventeen  days,  though  it 
had  not  succeeded  in  trapping  General  De  Wet.  At  Krugersdorp 
the  mounting  of  the  second  gun  was  properly  repaired  by  a  local 
firm.  In  this  remarkable  chase  the  naval  detachment  lost  61  of  its 
oxen  ;  but  the  exertions  did  110  harm  to  either  officers  or  men,  all  of 
whom  enjoyed  excellent  health.1 

The  march  was  taken  up  again  on  August  29th,  when,  however,, 
the  second  gun,  not  being  then  repaired,  had  to  be  left  behind  with 
Lieutenant  Fergusson,  13  men,  4  wagons,  280  rounds  of  ammunition, 
and  the  necessary  natives  and  oxen.  On  September  3rd  the  gun 
was  mounted  on  the  repaired  carriage  and  made  ready  for  firing  in 
seventeen  minutes  by  the  unaided  exertions  of  the  naval  detachment. 
It  was  then  placed  in  position  on  some  heights  to  the  north  of 
Krugersdorp,  and  was  thenceforward  attached  for  a  time  to  General 
Barton's  command,  though  during  that  period  it  had  no  experiences 
of  general  interest. 

1  Grant  to  Bearcroft,  Aug.  28,  1900 ;  Fergusson  to  Grant,  Aug.  29,  1900. 


1900.]  GRANTS   GUNS.  491 

The  other  gun,  "  Little  Bobs,"  with  300  rounds  of  ammuni- 
tion, once  more  accompanied  General  Hart,  in  the  direction  of 
Potchefstroom,  and,  on  August  31st,  fired  a  couple  of  rounds  at 
short  range  at  some  Boers  near  the  Johannesburg  waterworks, 
which  they  had  that  day  attacked.  Near  Leeuwpoort,  on 
September  4th,  some  yeomanry,  who  were  pressed  by  the  enemy, 
•were  relieved,  the  4'7  that  day  firing  twenty-four  rounds  with 
excellent  effect.  On  the  5th  the  gun  was  again  in  action,  and  fired 
fifteen  rounds.  Commandant  Theron  was  among  the  dead  Boers 
who  were  subsequently  discovered.  On  the  9th,  after  a  further 
advance,  the  column  was  split  into  two  sections  with  a  view  to  the 
surprise  of  Potchefstroom,  the  naval  gun  and  its  crew  being  attached 
to  one  of  them,  and  marching  thirty-seven  miles  in  the  course  of 
the  following  night.  The  town  was  taken  without  resistance,  after 
the  4*7  had  been  placed  in  position  to  command  it. 

Thence  the  column  moved  on  the  night  of  September  llth  along 
the  Ventersdorp  road.  Boers  were  sighted  ahead  early  on  the 
following  morning,  and  "Little  Bobs"  fired  eleven  rounds  at  them 
as  they  fled.  At  Frederickstad  the  force  halted  for  a  week,  getting 
up  supplies  from  Welverdiend,  and  50  rounds  of  4*7  ammunition 
from  Krugersdorp.  While  at  Frederickstad  the  naval  gun  was 
twice  in  action,  firing  three  rounds  on  the  14th,  and  thirty-five  on 
the  17th.  On  the  latter  occasion  the  enemy  brought  up  a  gun 
within  4000  yards,  and  shelled  the  British  transport  for  some  time 
until  Grant,  firing  at  the  flash,  got  the  range,  and  dropped  a  lyddite 
shell  into  the  midst  of  the  Boers,  who  thereupon  made  off. 

On  the  night  of  the  19th  the  column  marched  twelve  miles  to 
Witpootje,  and,  before  getting  into  camp  in  the  morning,  was 
engaged.  The  gun  expended  seventeen  rounds,  and,  after  breakfast, 
moved  to  the  assistance  of  some  yeomanry,  who  were  pressed,  while, 
later  in  the  day,  it  helped  to  turn  the  Boers  out  of  a  comparatively 
formidable  position,  and  caused  them  heavy  loss.  In  these  services 
it  fired  seventy-one  rounds.  On  the  21st  the  advance  was  resumed, 
and  "  Little  Bobs  "  would  have  been  again  warmly  employed  against 
a  large  body  of  Boers  in  the  open,  had  not  a  shell  jammed  in  the 
gun  after  the  second  round,  and  so  put  the  weapon  out  of  action 
until  the  enemy  was  beyond  reach.  On  the  22nd  the  column  was 
once  more  in  action,  one,  out  of  the  five  shots  fired  by  the  4  •  7,  kill- 
ing or  wounding  twelve  of  the  foe.  In  twenty-five  hours  the  force 
marched  thirty-seven  miles.  On  the  25th  General  Hart  returned  to 


492      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Potchefstroorn,  which,  during  his  absence,  had  been  re-occupied  by 
the  Boers,  but  which  was  abandoned  as  he  drew  near.  Four  more 
marches  brought  the  column  back  to  Krugersdorp  on  September  30th. 
In  twenty  marching  days  it  had  covered  310  miles  ;  and  during  that 
time  "Little  Bobs"  had  fired  187  rounds  (22  common  shell, 
64  shrapnel,  and  101  lyddite).  Not  one  man  of  the  naval  detach- 
ment had  fallen  out  or  gone  sick  while  with  the  Potchefstroom 
column,  in  spite  of  the  hardships  of  the  month's  work.1 

On  October  2nd  both  the  4  •  7  guns  were  handed  over  to  the 
Eoyal  Garrison  Artillery,  and  Grant  and  his  people  entrained  for 
Simon's  Town,  where  they  arrived  without  adventure  on  October 
7th.2  It  may  be  said  without  fear  of  contradiction  that  no  force, 
having  with  it  so  heavy  a  gun  as  a  4' 7,  had  ever  before  done  such 
splendid  marching  as  Grant's  detachment  did.  From  the  time  of 
its  departure  from  Bloemfontein  it  covered  797£  miles  in  fifty-three 
marching  days,  during  the  whole  of  which  it  averaged  15  miles  a 
day.  Its  most  brilliant  performance  was  37  miles  in  thirteen  hours. 
The  men  were  always  cheerful ;  and  crime,  slackness,  and  neglect  of 
duty  were  unknown  among  them.  General  Hart  wrote  to  Com- 
mander Grant : — 

"Well  assisted  by  your  subordinates,  you  have  overcome  serious  campaigning 
difficulties  with  a  ponderous  gun  which  has  deservedly  become  the  terror  of  the 
enemy."  s 

In  his  concluding  despatch  Captain  Bearcroft  made  special 
mention  of  :— 

Commander  S.  V.  Y.  de  Horsey ;  Fleet-Surgeon  James  Porter ;  Majors  Schofield 
Patten  Peile,  and  A.  E.  Marchant,  E.M. ;  Lieutenants  Back,  Hon.  Edwavd  Spencer 
Harry  Boyle,  and  Edward  John  Kendall  Newman,  R.N.,  and  W.  J.  Colquhoun,  R.V.N. ; 
Lieutenant  L.  0.  Wilson,  B.M. ;  Gunners  Harry  Ball,  and  Ernest  Edward  Lowe;  and 
Midshipmen  Thos.  Fredk.  Jno.  Livesey  Wardle,  and  Bertram  Noel  Denison. 

The  fortunes  of  the  Naval  Brigade  which  went  northward  from- 
Cape  Colony,4  and  of  the  various  fragments  which  from  time  to  time 
were  detached  from  it,  have  now  been  followed  from  the  day  of  the 
first  landing  at  Simon's  Bay  on  October  20th,  1899,  down  to  the 
return  of  the  last  of  the  officers  and  men  to  their  ships  on  October 
12th,  1900. 


1  Grant's  desp.  of  Sept.  30,  1900,  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 

2  Grant's  desp.  of  Oct.  7,  1900.  s  Oct.  1,  1900. 

4  During  the  whole  of  Lord  Eoherts's  tenure  of  command  in  S.  Africa,  Com.  the 
Hon.  Seymour  John  Fortescue,  M.V.O.,  served  as  the  Field-Marshal's  Naval  A.  d.  C. 


1809.1  TEE  NAVAL   BRIGADE  FOB   LADYSMITH.  493 

On  the  Natal  side  of  the  theatre  of  war  Naval  Brigades  were 
employed  ashore  for  an  equally  lengthy  period.  The  history  of  their 
exploits  has  next  to  be  told. 

It  has  been  mentioned  already  that  Captain  Percy  Scott,  of  the 
Terrible,  managed  to  prepare  two  4'7-in.  guns  on  his  platform 
mountings  on  October  25th  and  26th,  1899,  and,  on  the  latter  day, 
to  put  them  on  board  the  Powerful  at  Simon's  Town  for  conveyance 
to  Durban,  and  so  to  General  Sir  George  White  at  Ladysmith. 

The  Powerful,  Captain  the  Hon.  Hedworth  Lambton,  was  home- 
ward bound  vid  the  Cape  from  the  China  Station.  Calling  at 
Mauritius,  she  took  on  board  there  half  a  battalion  of  the  King's 
Own  Yorkshire  Light  Infantry,  and  disembarked  it  in  Table  Bay  on 
October  13th.  On  the  20th  she  landed  a  detachment  which  accom- 
panied Commander  Ethelstone's  Brigade  to  Stormberg  and  Queens- 
town  and  which  afterwards  returned  to  the  sea  at  East  London,1  the 
Powerful's  detachment  thence  rejoining  the  ship. 

In  the  interval  Sir  George  White's  appeal  for  heavy  guns  for 
Ladysmith  had  reached  Rear-Admiral  Harris  at  the  Cape,  and  the 
Powerful,  having  been  filled  up  with  coal,  had  been  despatched  with 
the  two  badly  needed  4'7's.  She  reached  Durban  on  October  29th. 
On  her  passage  thither  her  people  constructed  wooden  field-carriages 
for  three  long  12-prs. ;  crews  were  told  off  for  all  the  guns  which 
were  to  be  landed ;  and  two  small-arm  parties,  each  of  fifty  men, 
were  also  paraded  in  khaki  ready  for  disembarkation.  The 
Powerful's  Brigade  2  landed  on  the  evening  of  its  arrival,  and  en- 
trained and  started  for  Ladysmith  without  an  instant's  unnecessary 

1  See  note  on  p.  471,  antea. 

2  STRENGTH  OF  THE  LADYSMITH  NAVAL  BRIGADE. 

Two  4-7-in.  Q.  guns  on  Scott's  platform  mountings.  Three  long  12-prs.  on 
improvised  field  mountings.  One  12-pr.  8-cwt.  field-gun.  Four  rifle-calibre  Maxim 
guns.  Officers,  17 :  bluejackets,  stokers,  engine-room  artificers,  armourers,  cooks, 
marine  servants  (3),  carpenters,  blacksmith,  steward's  boy,  ship's  corporal,  and  sick- 
berth  attendant,  267.  The  officers  were :  Capt.  the  Hon.  Hedworth  Lambton  (C.B., 
Mar.  13,  1900) ;  Lieuts.  Frederick  Greville  Egerton  (mortally  wounded  and  promtd. 
Nov.  2,  1899),  Algernon  Walker  Heneage  (Com.,  May  2,  1900),  Lionel  Halsey,  and 
Michael  Henry  Hodges ;  Fleet-Paymaster  William  Hobart  Fendall  Kay  (died  of 
enteric);  Surgeon  James  Grant  Fowler;  Engineers  Edgar  Harrold  Ellis  (Chf.  Eng., 
May  2,  1900),  and  Charles  Cape  Sheen  (Chf.  Eng.,  May  2,  1900) ;  Gunner  William 
Sims  (Lieut.,  May  2,  1900);  and  Midshipmen  John  Richards  Middleton,  Henry 
Tresilian  Hayes,  Robert  Cecil  Hamilton,  Hon.  Ian  Ludovic  Andrew  Carnegie,  Alick 
Stokes,  and  (from  the  Terrible)  Edward  George  Chichester,  and  Charles  Reynolds 
Sharp.  In  addition  to  the  above,  Lieut.  Edward  Carey  Tyndale-Biscoe  (R.N.  retd.) 
and  Lieut.  Edward  Stabb,  R.N.R.  (died  of  enteric),  joined  the  Brigade  at  Ladysmith. 


494       MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

delay,  reaching  Pietermaritzburg  on  October  30th  at  1  A.M.,  Estcourt 
at  dawn,  and  Colenso  at  8.30  A.M.  The  line  was  clear  ahead ;  but 
twenty  miles  away,  around  Ladysmith,  fighting  was  in  progress  ; 
and,  as  the  two  trains  pressed  onwards,  the  sound  of  the  guns  grew 
ever  louder.  The  battle  of  Lombard's  Kop  was  being  fought. 

As  the  trains  steamed  into  Ladysmith  Station  fighting  still 
continued  to  the  eastward,  where  the  British  cavalry  was  at  work ; 
and  the  6-in.  Boer  gun  on  Pepworth  Hill,  to  the  northward,  was 
lazily  shelling  the  town.  Within  a  few  minutes  the  three  12-prs. 
were  unloaded,  and  sent  three  miles  along  the  Newcastle  road,1 
where  they  unlimbered  on  the  west  side  of  Limit  Hill ;  but  ere  they 
had  time  to  open  against  the  gun  on  Pepworth  Hill  they  were 
ordered  to  retire.  This  they  did  under  a  very  troublesome  shell  fire 
from  the  Boers.  The  ammunition  wagons  were  sent  ahead,  and 
Lieutenant  Hodges,  with  a  company  of  bluejackets,  covered  the 
withdrawal.  Unfortunately  the  foremost  gun  was  knocked  off  its 
carriage  by  a  bursting  projectile,  and  three  of  its  crew  were  wounded. 
A  certain  amount  of  panic  undoubtedly  ensued.  The  striker  was 
taken  out  of  the  gun's  breech-block ;  attempts  were  hurriedly 
made  to  damage  the  screw-threads  inside  the  breech  aperture  by 
hammering  them  with  stones ;  in  short,  for  a  few  moments,  the 
piece  was  on  the  point  of  being  abandoned.  Cooler  counsels,  how- 
ever, quickly  prevailed.  The  covering  company  assisted  in  righting 
the  gun  ;  a  wheel  which  had  been  knocked  off  the  carriage  was 
replaced ;  a  fresh  team  of  oxen  was  brought  up  in  lieu  of  the  one 
which  had  bolted  ;  and  presently  the  12-pr.  rejoined  its  two  fellows, 
which  by  that  time  had  unlimbered  and  got  into  action  on  Gordon 
Hill. 

The  two  guns,  at  a  range  of  6000  and  7000  yards,  plied  the 
Pepworth  gun  with  common  shell,  and,  -excellently  sighted  by 
Gunner  Sims,  quickly  put  it  out  of  action  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 
Sir  George  White  was  delighted  at  the  practice  made,  and  declared 
that  the  Brigade's  arrival  had  saved  the  situation.  No  doubt  the 
sudden  appearance  of  long  range  guns  did  cause  the  enemy  to  desist 

All  the  above  officers  were  mentioned  in  despatches,  together  with  the  following  petty 
officers  and  leading  seamen  who  served  as  captains  of  guns:  Henry  W.  C.  Lee,  Philip 
T.  Sisk,  Archibald  C.  Pratt,  Albert  G.  Withers,  and  Samuel  E.  Hemmings,  Lee  being 
also  specially  noted  for  gallantry.  Lambton  to  Harris,  Mar.  12,  1900,  enclosing  desps. 
of  Jan.  8,  Jan.  11,  and  Feb.  28,  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 

1  Each  gun,  with  its  wooden  trail  lashed  to  the  back  of  a  wagon,  which  served  as 
a  limber,  was  drawn  by  16  oxen. 


1899.] 


THE  DEFENCE   OF  LADYSMITH. 


495 


from   attempting   a   raid   upon   the  town.     In   the   meantime,  the 
8-cwt.  12-pr.,  which  had  been  taken  out  beyond  Junction  Hill  by 


DEFENCE  OF  LADYSMITH.  1899-1900. 

O  IOOO         fOOO 


Lieutenant  Lionel  Halsey,  had  also  retired.     Owing  to  its  limited 
range  it  was  that  day  useless.     As  for  the  4'7-in.  guns,  arrange- 


496      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

ments  were  made  for  mounting  one  of  them  on  Cove  Eedoubt,1 
which  had  hitherto  been  occupied  by  the  Natal  Naval  Volunteers 2 
with  an  old  9-pr.,  and  for  placing  the  other  on  Junction  Hill.3  One 
of  the  12-prs.,  it  may  be  noted,  was  retained  on  Gordon  Hill  until 
the  siege  was  raised.  The  other  three  were  shifted  from  place  to 
place  as  necessity  dictated,  the  8-cwt.  field-gun  being,  however, 
generally  on  Junction  Hill.  Only  one  of  the  four  Maxims  was  used 
at  all.  Under  Midshipman  Stokes  it  did  useful  service  on  Junction 
Hill  against  snipers  posted  in  Brooks's  Farm,  about  2000  yards  to 
the  north.  After  the  relief  the  8-cwt.  field-gun  and  the  Maxims 
were  returned  to  the  Powerful,  and  the  other  naval  pieces  were 
handed  over  to  the  Royal  Garrison  Artillery. 

The  Brigade  went  under  canvas  011  camping  ground  which  was 
assigned  to  it  to  the  rear  of  the  position  on  Gordon  Hill.4  It  had 
brought  no  tents  with  it,  and  the  tents  given  to  it  by  the  military 
authorities,  though  doubtless  the  best  available,  were  in  many  cases 
so  old  as  to  afford  little  protection  against  either  rain  or  sun.  The 
men,  however,  soon  made  themselves  happy.  Aided  by  a  party  of 
Sappers,  they  began  mounting  one  of  the  4'7-in.  platform  guns  on 
Junction  Hill  on  the  night  of  October  31st  and  finished  the  task  by 
daylight  on  November  2nd.  The  work  was  done  in  full  view  of  the 
enemy  on  Pepworth  Hill,  6200  yards  to  the  northward,  but  was  not 
interfered  with.  Only  when,  on  November  2nd,  the  4' 7  opened 
against  the  Boer  position,  did  the  6-in.  gun  and  the  15-pr.  there 
make  themselves  heard.  The  other  4' 7  was  mounted  on  Cove 
Redoubt  behind  a  substantial  parapet,  and  was  ready  for  action  on 
the  morning  of  November  3rd.  In  the  early  part  of  the  siege  both 

1  This  gun,  "  Princess  Victoria,"  retained  its  position  during  the  entire  siege. 

2  The  detachment  of  Natal  Naval  Volunteers  besieged  in  Ladysrnith  consisted  of 
72  officers  and  men  under  Com.  G.  E.  Tatum  and  Lieuts.  N.  Barrett,  and  F.  Hoare, 
with  one  old  9-pr.  and  two  3-pr.  Hotchkiss  Q.  guns.     It  entered  Ladysmith  on  Oct.  2, 
1899.     During  the  siege  it  lost  7  men  by  sickness.     After  the  siege,  part  of  it  joined 
the  Naval  Brigade  at  Elandslaagte,  and  the  rest  was  dismissed.     Another  detachment, 
as   will   be   seen,  accompanied  the  relieving  force.     The   Rt.  Hon.  Harry  Escombe, 
ex-Premier  of  Natal,  who  had  founded  and  commanded  the  corps,  returned  to  the 
active  list  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  and  was  under  fire  at  Talana  on  Oct.  20,  1899 
(Naval  Volunteer  Record,  Durban,  1900). 

3  This  gun  was  transferred  to  Wagon  Hill,  south  of  the  town,  just  before  each  of 
Buller's  three  unsuccessful  attempts  at  relief,  and  was  finally  posted  at  the  eastern  end 
of  Csesar's  Camp.     It  was  called  "  Lady  Anne." 

*  The  camp  was  first  pitched  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  but  had  to  be  moved 
to  the  rear  on  Nov.  19th  in  consequence  of  the  fire  from  the  Boer  howitzer  on 
Surprise  Hill. 


1899.] 


USEFULNESS    OF   THE  NAVAL    OFFICEBS. 


497 


guns  fired  nearly  every  day  ;  but  soon  the  necessity  for  economising 
ammunition  made  itself  felt ;  and  thereafterwards  a  week  sometimes 
passed  without  either  gun  being  fired  at  all.  The  total  supply  of 
ammunition  brought  into  Ladysmith  by  the  Brigade  was  only  the 
following : — 

For  4'7-in.  guns: 

Common  shell  .  •  . 
Lyddite  .... 
Shrapnel .... 

For  12-prs. 

Common  shell 


200  rounds. 
200  rounds. 
200  rounds. 


Shrapnel . 
Case  shot 


738  rounds. 

396  rounds. 

24  rounds. 


Small-arm  cartridges : 

For  Lee-Metford  rifles  39,000  rounds. 
For  Maxim  guns  .  64,000  rounds. 
For  revolvers.  .  .  5,400  rounds. 
Besides  150  rounds  of  Lee-Metford 
ammunition  carried  on  each  man. 


The  naval  gun  positions  were  strengthened  continually ;  very 
elaborate  systems  of  wire  entanglements  were  placed  in  front  of 
them,  and  carefully  protected  magazines  were  dug  out  hard  by.  At 
first  the  bluejackets  did  picket  duty  at  night,  but,  as  their  numbers 
were  reduced  by  disease,  they  were  employed  almost  exclusively  in 
holding  the  entrenchments  and  manning  the  guns.  Engineer 
Charles  Cape  Sheen  rendered  the  most  valuable  service  to  the 
garrison  by  supplying  it  with  pure  water.  He  extemporised 
distillers  out  of  corrugated  iron  tanks  and  ordinary  water-piping, 
feeding  them  with  steam  from  the  boiler  at  the  railway  repairing 
shop,  and  from  two  locomotive  engines ;  and  thus  he  provided 
condensed  water  for  the  entire  force  in  Ladysmith  from  December 
llth  to  January  25th,  when  no  more  coal  could  be  given  to  him. 
Seeing  that  the  ordinary  water  supply  had  been  cut  off  by  the 
enemy,  and  that  the  only  natural  water  to  be  had  was  the  muddy 
fluid  from  the  Klip  Eiver,  Mr.  Sheen's  ingenuity  must  have  been 
instrumental  in  limiting  the  ravages  of  enteric  and  dysentery, 
although  those  terrible  scourges  played  havoc  with  the  enfeebled 
and  depressed  defenders  ere  the  siege  was  raised.  What  would 
have  been  the  result  had  there  been  no  distillers  at  all  is  frightful  to 
contemplate. 

Another  officer  who  rendered  exceptional  service  was  Fleet- 
Paymaster  Kay,  a  man  of  great  powers  of  organisation,  foresight, 
and  resource.  Towards  the  end  of  the  siege  he  acted  as  Field- 
Paymaster  to  the  army.  Contracting  enteric,  he,  unhappily,  died  on 
the  voyage  home,  and  was  buried  at  Ascension.  But  for  his 
exertions  as  commissariat  officer  the  Brigade  would  have  fared 
badly  indeed. 

VOL.    VII.  2   K 


498      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

It  is  not  necessary  here  to  follow  all  the  details  of  the  long  and 
gallant  defence  of  the  town.  It  will  suffice  to  describe  only  such 
events  as  mainly  concerned  the  Naval  Brigade. 

It  has  been  noted  that  on  November  2nd,  the  day,  by  the  way, 
on  which  the  communications  l  of  the  garrison  with  the  outside 
world  were  cut  off  by  the  enemy,  the  4'7-in.  gun  on  Junction  Hill 
first  opened  fire  on  the  Boer  positions  in  front  of  it.  Its  target  was 


COMMANDER    FREDERICK    GREVIM.E   EOERTON. 

(From  a  photo  &//  Windutr  &  Grove.) 

the  "Xiong  Tom  "  on  Pepworth  Hill.  Immediately  after  the 
opening  round  of  a  duel  which  subsequently  lasted  for  two  hours, 
"Long  Tom"  replied.  Its  smoke  being  seen,  the  people  on  Junction 
Hill  were  ordered  under  cover,  only  Lieutenant  Egerton  and  the 
gun's  crew  remaining  by  the  British  gun.  The  Boer  6-in.  shell 
came  through  the  embrasure,  just  touched  the  upper  row  of  sand- 
bags, and  struck  Egerton  in  the  legs.  "  This  will  put  a  stop  to  my 
1  Except  by  signalling  and  l>y  occasional  runners. 


1899-1900.]         THE  NAVAL   BRIGADE  AT   WAGON  HILL.  499 

cricket,  I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  as  they  picked  him  up  and  laid  him  in 
a  dhoolie.  On  the  way  down  to  the  hospital  he  stopped  his  bearers 
in  order  to  obtain  a  light  for  his  cigarette.  That  evening  he  died, 
conscious  almost  to  the  last.  In  the  interim  he  had  been  promoted. 

The  first  considerable  action  of  the  siege  was  on  November  9th, 
the  Prince  of  Wales'  birthday,  when  the  Boers  began  a  vigorous 
artillery  fire  at  dawn,  and  then  attacked  both  Caesar's  Camp  on  the 
south,  and  Observation  Hill  on  the  north.  The  two  4'7's  did 
something  towards  limiting  the  activity  of  the  enemy's  guns  ;  and 
at  noon,  when  the  attack  had  practically  ceased,  all  the  naval 
weapons  joined  in  firing  a  shotted  royal  salute  of  twenty-one  rounds 
into  the  hostile  lines.  His  Koyal  Highness's  health  was  drunk  in 
champagne  in  the  mess  tent,  and  a  carrier  pigeon,  which  reached 
Durban  safely,  was  let  loose,  bearing  the  congratulations  of  the 
garrison  for  transmission  to  the  Prince,  who  duly  acknowledged 
them.  The  only  casualty  of  the  day  on  the  side  of  the  Brigade  was 
a  wounded  sucking-pig. 

On  Christmas  Day  Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  by  way  of  the 
heliograph  from  Weenen,  signalled,  "  Wishing  a  happy  Christmas  to 
her  brave  soldiers  and  sailors."  The  Boers,  less  considerate,  did  not 
pretermit  their  usual  daily  bombardment ;  but  they  did  fill  a  6-in. 
shell  with  plum-pudding,  paint  "  A  Merry  Xmas  "  on  it,  and  fire  it 
into  Lady  smith.  Such  were  the  humours  of  the  siege.  In  the 
meantime  the  daily  rations  per  man  diminished,  until,  when  things 
looked  blackest,  they  consisted  of  a  biscuit  and  a  half,  and  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  horseflesh. 

The  great  action  of  the  investment  was  fought  on  January  6th, 
1900.  It  took  the  form  of  a  desperate  Boer  attack  on,  and  a  still 
more  desperate  British  defence  of,  Wagon  Hill  and  Caesar's  Camp, 
the  southernmost  of  the  British  works.  Chief  Engineer  Sheen 1 
says :— 

"  The  part  played  by  the  Naval  Brigade  in  repelling  this  fierce  attack  consisted 
principally  in  keeping  down  the  fire  of  the  opposing  siege-guns ;  but  a  small  party  of 
bluejackets  happened  to  be  in  the  brunt  of  the  fighting,  and  took  a  not  inglorious  part 
in  the  successful  defence. 

"The  presence  of  this  small  party  was  due  to  the  fact  that,  on  the  night  of 
January  4th,  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  shift  a  4'7-in.  gun  from  Junction  Hill  to 
Wagon  Hill  ...  to  cover  the  advance  of  a  column  intended  to  effect  a  junction  with 
Buller's  forces  in  his  second  attempt  to  relieve  the  town.  A  heavy  thunderstorm, 
however,  had  made  the  ground  so  soft  that  the  transport  of  the  heavy  gun  had  to  be 


1  Jeans,  '  Naval  Brigades  in  S.  A.,'  218. 

2   K  2 


500      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

deferred  till  next  night,  when  it  was  successfully  accomplished  under  the  occasional 
glare  of  a  searchlight  from  Bulwana  Hill.  The  working  party  consisted,  as  usual,  of  a 
detachment  of  infantry,  larger  this  time  than  before,  for  short  rations  were  beginning 
to  tell  on  the  men's  strength,  and  their  lifting  power  was  considerably  diminished 
The  string  of  wagous,  with  an  escort  of  Gordon  Highlanders,  arrived  at  the  foot  of  this 
hill '  about  1  A.M. 

"  Two  wagons,  ono  with  the  great  platform  beams,  the  other  with  tools,  etc.,  were 
handed  up  the  steep,  slippery  sides  to  the  rear  of  the  old  a  gun  emplacement ;  and  the 
bluejackets  and  Highlanders  started  work  with  a  will,  under  the  persuasive  and  by  this 
time  well-known  eloquence  of  the  Gunner,3  and,  in  a  few  minutes  had  got  the  platform 
half  way  off  the  wagon,  when  the  harmony  of  the  proceedings  was  rudely  disturbed  by 
a  sudden  and  unexpected  splashing  and  pinging  of  bullets  on  the  rocks  and  boulders 
forming  the  crest  of  the  hill.  .  .  . '' 

The  Boers,  in  short,  were  attacking.  On  the  hill  were  13  blue- 
jackets, 70  of  the  Gordons,  and  30  Eoyal  Engineers,  who  seized 
their  arms,  extended  along  the  summit,  and  began  to  fire  downward 
into  the  darkness.  The  oxen  of  the  wagons  were  cut  loose  and 
hurried  inward  ;  the  pickets  (Imperial  Light  Horse)  were  driven 
back;  and  twenty  or  thirty  Boers,  all  picked  marksmen,  quickly 
gained  a  position  on  the  crest  itself,  and  for  many  hours  defied  every 
attempt  to  dislodge  them. 

Gunner  Sims  took  command  in  an  empty  gun  emplacement  on 
the  right  of  the  hill,  and  made  his  men  fire  volleys  by  half  sections, 
though  probably  with  but  little  result.  He  was  accompanied  and 
aided  by  Engineer  Sheen.  Meanwhile  the  attack  developed  on  the 
left  of  the  defence ;  and  soon  Caesar's  Camp,  and,  indeed,  the  whole 
of  the  ridge,  was  involved.  At  dawn  some  Boer  15-prs.,  which  were 
then  on  Middle  Hill  and  to  the  east  of  it,  opened  on  the  British 
position,  the  naval  12-pr.  "  Lady  Ellen  "  at  Caesar's  Camp  returning 
the  fire  at  a  range  of  about  4000  yards.  It  was  excellently  worked  by 
Midshipman  Carnegie,  with  a  crew  of  three  bluejackets  and  three 
stokers.  As  the  enemy  advanced  in  greater  and  greater  numbers 
even  the  distant  naval  guns — the  4' 7  in  Cove  Redoubt,  under 
Lieutenant  Lionel  Halsey,  the  12-pr.  on  Gordon  Hill,  and  another 
12-pr.  which  was  then  at  Leicester  Post — were  drawn  into  partici- 
pating in  the  action  which  raged  along  the  whole  southern  face,  from 
Bulwana  Hill  on  the  east  to  Eifleman's  Eidge  on  the  west. 

At  length  the  attack  seemed  to  be  about  to  die  away,  when,  soon 
after  1  P.M.,  it  was  renewed  with  great  suddenness  and  fury  against 
the  south-west  point  of  Wagon  Hill.  The  little  naval  detachment 

1  Wagon  Hill.    The  gun,  taken  from  its  platform,  was  placed  on  one  of  the  wagons. 

2  The  gun  had  been  temporarily  posted  there  on  a  previous  occasion. 

3  Mr.  William  Sims. 


1900.]  THE  NAVAL   BRIGADE  AT   WAGON  HILL.  501 

there  had  been  relieved  at  noon  by  some  of  the  Gordons,  and  had 
been  having  dinner  somewhat  to  the  rear  of  the  crest  of  the  hill. 
Gunner  Sims  heard  a  great  increase  in  the  firing  and  a  loud 
shouting ;  and  then  he  saw  some  of  the  defenders  from  above 
rushing  down  on  him  in  a  confused  mass.  He  did  not  lose  his 
head,  but  extended  his  thirteen  men  in  skirmishing  order,  made 
them  fix  bayonets,  and  led  them  up  to  the  emplacement.  There  he 
found  Colonel  Ian  Hamilton  at  bay  with  a  Boer,  and  crying  out  to 
his  men  to  go  back.  Back  they  .went  very  quickly.  The  panic  had 
been  only  momentary.  Although  several  Boers  had  gained  the 
parapet,  not  one  had  got  further,  all  who  reached  it  having  been 
shot  dead.1 

In  this  affair  the  Brigade  had  a  stoker  killed  and  a  bluejacket 
badly  wounded.  Soon  afterwards  Engineer  Sheen  was  slightly  hit 
in  the  face  by  a  fragment  of  shell,  and  Gunner  Sims  had  his  rifle 
blown  out  of  his  hands. 

An  hour  or  so  later,  under  cover  of  a  storm  of  rain,  the  Boers 
made  yet  another  attack,  and  were  again  repulsed  ;  and  so  the  day's 
fighting  ended.  It  cost  the  defence  149  killed  and  275  wounded. 
What  it  cost  the  enemy  is  unknown,  but  79  of  their  dead  were 
found  within  the  British  lines. 

Thenceforward,  for  nearly  two  months,  there  was  almost  daily 
bombardment  of  the  town,  and  ever  less  and  less  reply  to  it.  At 
1.30  P.M.  on  February  28th  General  Hunter  rode  into  the  naval 
camp  and  told  some  of  the  officers  that  General  Buller  had  just 
heliographed :  "  Gave  the  Boers  a  thorough  beating  yesterday,  and 
am  sending  my  cavalry  on  to  ascertain  in  what  direction  they  are 
going,  as  I  believe  them  to  be  in  full  retreat." 

It  was  even  as  Buller  had  suspected.  At  6  P.M.  some  cavalry 
under  Lord  Dundonald  entered  Ladysmith,  and  the  long-beleaguered 
town  was  at  length  relieved.  That  afternoon,  when  the  Boers  were 
seen  to  be  removing  their  6-in.  gun  from  Bulwana  Hill,  the  seamen 
gunners,  conscious  that  they  need  no  longer  husband  their  ammuni- 
tion, did  their  best  to  interfere  with  the  operation  ;  but  in  the  night 
following  the  gun  was  taken  away.  A  week  later  the  remains  of  the 
Ladysmith  Naval  Brigade  left  for  Durban,  and  thence  for  Simon's 
Town  and  home.  Within  six  weeks  of  their  relief  the  officers  and 
men  were  publicly  welcomed  in  London,  and  were  inspected  by 

1  Gazette,  Mar.  12,  1901.     Jeans,  220-225. 


502      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

Queen  Victoria  at  Windsor.  The  Brigade's  loss  by  wounds  and 
disease  was  2  officers  and  25  men l  up  to  the  day  of  the  relief.  The 
total  loss  was  1  officer  and  5  men  killed  ;  2  officers  and  25  men  died 
of  disease ;  and  1  officer  and  4  men  wounded.  Total,  6  killed  ; 

27  died  of  disease  ;  and  5  wounded.2 

*  *  *  *  * 

It  has  been  mentioned   that  a  Naval   Brigade,3  under  Captain 
Edward    Pitcairn   Jones,    of    the   Forte,   and    Commander   Arthur 


'  * 


CAPT.    EDWARD   PITCAIRN   JONES,    C.D.,  R.N. 

Henry  Limpus,  of  the  Terrible,  joined  General  Sir  Eedvers  Buller4 
in  Natal,  previous  to  his  first  advance  for  the  relief  of  Ladysmith. 

1  Lambton's  desp.  of  Feb.  28. 

2  A  memorial  to  those  of  the  Brigade  who  lost  their  lives  in  S.  Aft.  has  since  been 
erected  in  Victoria  Park,  Portsmouth. 

3  Of  39  officers  and  403  men  from  Terrible,  Forte,   Tartar,  and  Philomel.     The 
officers,  other  than  those  of  the  Natal  Naval  Volunteers  (for  whom  see  note  on  p.  503), 
were  then,  or  later,  as  follows:   Forte,  Capt.  Edward  Pitcairu  Jones  (C.B.,  Oct.  21, 
1900);   Lieuts.  Francis  William  Melvill  (Com.,  Oct.  21,  1900),  and  George  Percy 
Edward  Hunt  (D.S.O.,  Oct.  21,  1900);  Staff- Surg.  Frederick  John  Lilly  (Fleet-Surg., 
Oct.  21,  1900);  Actg.-Lieut.  John  Miles  Steel  (Lieut.,  June  30,  1900),  and  Gunner 
Edward  Holland  :   Terrible,  Com.  Arthur  Henry  Limpus  (Capt.,  May  2,  1900)  ;  Lieuts. 
Frederick  Charles  Ashley  Ogilvy  (Com.,  Mar.  9,  1900),   Spencer  Reginald  Strettell 
Richards,  James  Stuart  Wilde,  and  George   Plunkett   England;    Sub-Lieut.  Stephen 
Newcombe ;  Surgs.  Ernest  Courtney  Lomas  (Stafl'-Surg.,  Oct.  21,  1900),  and  Charles 
Clarke   Macmillan  (D.S.O.,  Oct.  21,   1900);    Engineers  John  Frederick  Arthur,  and 
Alfred  Edward  James  Murray;    Asst.-Eng.  Francis  John    Roskruge  (Eng.,  July  2, 
1900) ;  Gunners  Joseph  Wright,  Edwin  John  Cole,  and  Edwin  Williams ;  and  Mids. 
Percival   Francis   Willoughby,   Richard   Thornton  Down,  Reginald   Becher   Caldwell 
Hutchinson,   Austin    Charles   Ackland,   Alwyne   Edward   Sherrin,   Herbert    Edward 
JValter  Christian  Whyte,  George  Macgregor  Skinner,  Gerald  Lord  Hodson,  William 
Wybrow  Hallwright,  Herbert  Seymour  Webb  Boldero,  and  James  Andrew  Gardiner 
Troup:     Tartar,   Lieuts.   John   Edmund   Drummond,   and   Herbert  William   James 
(Com.,  Oct.  21,  1900);  and  Staff-Surg.  John  Douglas  Hughes:  and  Philomel,  Lieuts. 
Arthur  Halsey  (Com.,  Oct.  21,  1900),  Charles  Richard  Newdigate  Burne,  Archibald 
Deas,  and  Francis  Alexander  Clutterbuck ;  Mids.  William  Rimington  Ledgard ;  and 
Clerk  Walter  Thome  Hollins. 

4  To  Sir  R.  Buller,  as  naval  A.d.C.,  was  attached  Lieut.  Edgar  Lees  (Com.,  June  30, 
1900). 


1899.]  JONES'S   BRIGADE.  503 

Early  in  November  a  few  small  detachments  of  bluejackets 
had  been  sent  north  from  Durban — one  from  the  Tartar  to  work 
a  7-pr.  in  an  armoured  train ;  another,  also  from  the  Tartar, 
under  Lieutenant  Herbert  William  James,  to  defend  Pietermaritz- 
burg  with  a  couple  of  12-prs.  ;  another,  from  the  Philomel,  under 
Lieutenant  Arthur  Halsey,  to  the  same  town  with  two  more  12-prs., 
when  James  moved  forward  to  Frere  ;  and  yet  another,  from  the 
Forte,  under  Lieutenant  John  Miles  Steel,  to  defend  the  railway  at 
Mooi  Eiver.  During  that  period  four  of  the  Tartar's  men  were 
taken  prisoners  by  the  Boers,  and  one  was  killed,  while  defending 
the  armoured  train  on  November  15th. 

Captain  Jones  was  ordered  to  proceed  with  his  Brigade  to  the 
front  on  November  26th,  and  he  started  that  afternoon.  On 
November  29th  he  reached  Frere,  where  a  detachment  of  the  Natal 
Naval  Volunteers  *  reinforced  the  command,  and  afterwards  formed 
a  welcome  addition  to  the  crews  of  the  4'7-in.  guns,  of  which  Jones 
then  had  two,  besides  twelve  12-prs.,  and  eventually  eighteen. 

Further  detachments  from  the  ships  joined  at  Frere,  until  at 
length  the  Brigade  attained  nearly  its  full  strength. 

Early  on  December  12th,  the  Brigade,  with  the  two  4' 7  and  six 
of  the  12-pr.  guns,  accompanied  General  Barton  towards  Chieveley, 
pitched  its  camp  on  Gun  Hill,  and  placed  the  guns  in  position  under 
Buller's  direction.  On  the  morning  of  the  13th,  fire  was  opened  on 
the  positions  and  camps  of  the  Boers  about  Colenso  and  Hlangwani ; 
but,  the  range  being  great,  with  a  mirage,  the  work  was  discon- 
tinued after  two  hours  and  a  half's  shelling.  On  the  14th,  the  guns 
were  moved  out  to  Shooter's  Hill,  2000  yards  nearer.  This  reduced 
the  ranges  to  5000  and  9000  yards  respectively.  There  was  no 

1  The  detachment  of  Natal  Naval  Volunteers  serving  with  the  Ladysmith  relief 
force  consisted  of  52  officers  and  men  under  Lieuts.  James  E.  Anderton,  and  Nicholas 
William  Chiazzari,  with  three  old  9-prs.  It  proceeded  to  the  front  on  Sept.  30,  1899. 
On  Oct.  30,  Anderton  escorted  the  Powerful's  Brigade  to  Ladysmith,  but  returned  at 
once.  On  Nov.  3,  when  ordered  to  evacuate  Fort  Wylie,  spiking  the  guns  and 
abandoning  ammunition,  the  detachment  disobeyed  orders,  and  carried  off  everything 
except  a  broken  gun-carriage.  On  Dec.  9  the  detachment  joined  Capt.  Edward  Pitcairn 
Jones's  Naval  Brigade,  and  subsequently  took  charge  of  a  4'7-in.  gun.  On  Jan.  16, 
1900,  Lieut.  Chiazzari  distinguished  himself  by  working  the  punt  at  Potgieter's  Drift. 
On  Feb.  19  the  two  Lieutenants  took  charge  of  two  4  •  7-in.  platform  guns.  After  the 
relief  of  Ladysmith,  Lieut.  Anderton  and  25  men,  with  Lieut.  Barrett,  who  had  been 
in  Ladysmith,  rejoined  Capt.  Jones.  That  part  of  the  detachment  was  dismissed  at 
Durban  on  June  25,  1900.  Chiazzari,  who  was  deservedly  awarded  the  D.S.O.  Oct.  21, 
1900,  was  the  first  Volunteer  in  the  Empire  to  win  that  distinction  (Natal  Volunteer 
Record). 


504      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,    1857-1900. 

reply ;  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  little  damage  was  done 
to  the  enemy's  works.  That  day  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  army 
advanced  about  six  miles,  from  Frere  to  Chieveley ;  and  orders 
were  issued  for  the  operations  which  it  had  been  determined  to 
undertake  on  the  following  morning,  when  Buller  was  to  endeavour 
to  force  the  Tugela  at  Colenso.  Two  12-prs.,  under  Lieutenant 
Charles  Richard  Newdigate  Burne,  were,  to  remain  on  Shooter's 
Hill;  six  12-prs.  were  to  join  Colonel  Long,  R.A.,  and  act  under 
his  orders ;  and  the  two  4'7-in.  guns,  with  four  12-prs.,1  were  to 
move  at  daylight  to  a  point  about  3000  yards  from  the  river,  and 
800  yards  west  of  the  railway.  The  remaining  six  naval  guns 
were  at  that  time,  two  at  Frere,  two  at  Bstcourt,  and  two  at 
Mooi  river. 

At  dawn,  on  the  15th,  the  detachment  with  which  were  the 
4'7-in.  guns,  advanced  across  the  veldt  to  within  about  5000  yards 
of  the  entrenched  hills  on  the  north  of  the  Tugela,  and  opened 
fire  at  5.20  A.M.,  but  drew  no  reply.  In  the  meanwhile,  Colonel 
Long,  with  the  14th  and  66th  batteries,  K.A.,  and  the  six  naval 
12-prs.,  under  Lieutenants  Frederick  Charles  Ashley  Ogilvy, 
(Terrible),  Herbert  William  James  (Tartar),  and  Archibald  Deas 
(Philomel),  was  advancing  along  the  east  side  of  the  railway,  and 
so  got  down  to  some  low  ground  which  was  cut  up  with  dongas, 
near  the  river's  bank.  The  Eoyal  Artillery  batteries  led,  and,  at 
about  6  A.M.,  took  position  to  open  fire,  while  the  naval  guns  were 
ordered  to  their  left.  Long  was  then  about  1200  yards  from  the 
Boers  at  Fort  Wylie,  and  450  yards  from  Colenso  station.  Suddenly 
a  tremendous  fire  burst  forth  from  among  the  trees  towards  the 
river,  from  rifle  pits  near  the  river's  bank,  and  from  Fort  Wylie 
and  its  neighbourhood.  The  gunners  and  horses  of  the  E.A. 
batteries  were  rapidly  shot  down  or  driven  from  their  pieces,  which 
were  completely  silenced  within  about  half  an  hour.  Galloping 
to  his  guns,  Ogilvy  found  that  the  native  drivers  of  four  out  of  his 
six  teams  had  bolted,  and  that  the  oxen  belonging  to  them  were 
almost  unmanageable.  James,  however,  succeeded  in  bringing  his 
two  guns  into  action  on  the  left,  against  Fort  Wylie,  and  Deas 
did  the  same  with  his  two  ;  but  the  remaining  guns,  under  Gunner 
Joseph  Wright  (Terrible),  were  for  some  time  jammed  in  the 
drift,  and  were  only  extricated  and  brought  into  action  by  the  aid  of 

1  These  were  under  Captain  Jones  in  person. 


1899.]  THE  BATTLE   OF   COLENSO.  505 

some  artillery  horses.  Everyone  knows  how  gallant  and  repeated 
were  the  efforts  made  by  the  army  to  recover  its  two  batteries, 
and  how  bloody  was  the  almost  hopeless  struggle,  but  two  of  the 
weapons  being  saved.  The  Navy  could  help  only  indirectly,  by 
continuing  to  sweep  the  Boer  positions  with  lyddite ;  and,  unfor- 
tunately, the  enemy's  guns  proved  most  difficult  to  make  out, 
being  admirably  placed.  At  length,  after  James  1  had  moved  his 
two  guns  over  to  the  west  of  the  railway -to  strengthen  the  force 
there,  Buller  was  compelled  to  order  a  general  withdrawal.  That 
was  at  about  11  A.M.  The  naval  guns  were  brought  out  of  action 
one  by  one,  as  oxen  could  be  obtained  to  move  them  ;  and  it  was 
fully  2  P.M.  ere  the  last  of  them  returned  to  Shooter's  Hill.  There 
was  no  attempt  at  pursuit. 

In  the  course  of  this  costly  battle  of  Colenso,  the  Naval  Brigade's 
work  was  magnificently  done.  The  Terribles  extricated  their 
jammed  guns  and  waggons  from  under  a  heavy  shell  and  rifle  fire 
with  notable  coolness.  Deas,  who  had  one  of  his  guns  capsized, 
mounted  it  again  without  delay  and  brought  it  into  action :  and 
all  hands,  including  the  Natal  Naval  Volunteers,  behaved  admir- 
ably. Happily,  although  the  loss  of  the  army  was  very  heavy, 
the  Navy  had  but  three  men  wounded.  Among  the  officers  favour- 
ably mentioned,  in  addition  to  those  whose  names  have  been  given 
already,  were  Surgeon  Charles  Clarke  Macmillan,  Midshipmen 
Herbert  Seymour  Webb  Boldero,2  and  Gerald  Lord  Hodson,2  and 
Clerk  Walter  Thorne  Hollins. 

On  the  17th,  the  two  4'7's  and  the  six  12-prs.  were  moved  back 
from  Shooter's  Hill  to  Gun  Hill ;  and  Ogilvy's  six  12-prs.  returned 
with  the  bulk  of  the  army  to  Frere,  there  to  await  the  reinforce- 
ments which  were  being  sent  forward  under  Sir  Charles  Warren. 
At  Gun  Hill,  where  the  main  part  of  the  Naval  Brigade  encamped 
until  January  10th,  1900,  the  4'7-in.  guns  persistently  worried  the 
Boers,  and  occasionally  covered  reconnaissances.  On  December 
19th,  General  Buller  ordered  the  guns  to  cut  the  road  bridge  over 
the  Tugela.  The  range  was  7500  yards ;  and,  at  first,  some  diffi- 
culty was  experienced  in  doing  the  work,  but  at  length,  thanks 
largely  to  the  accurate  aiming  of  a  4'7  by  its  captain,  William 
Bate,  one  of  the  spans  was  severed  by  means  of  a  lyddite  shell. 
On  December  22nd,  one  of  the  guns,  having  begun  to  show  signs 

1  Com.,  Oct.  21st,  1900.  2  Noted  for  promotion. 


506      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

of  wear,  was  dismounted,  a  fresh  gun,  obtained  from  Durban,  being 
mounted  in  its  place  within  an  hour,  and  the  whole  operation 
being  done  by  man  power,  without  sheers  or  tripods.  At  about 
the  same  time,  nine  of  the  Forte's  and  Philomel's  bluejackets,  from 
the  guns  at  Mooi  river  and  Estcourt,  were  attached  to  the  balloon 
section  of  the  army,  and  afterwards  made  themselves  very  useful 
with  it.  On  January  6th,  when  the  Boers  made  an  attack  on 
Ladysmith,  the  force  went  forward  in  hopes  of  being  able  to  create 
a  diversion,  but  scarcely  drew  the  enemy's  fire.  Yet,  upon  the 
whole,  the  fortnight  spent  at  Gun  Hill  was  extremely  monotonous. 
To  fill  up  the  time,  some  of  the  men  worked  up  6000  yards  of  6-in. 
rope  into  mantlets  for  use  in  an  armoured  train ;  and  some  of  the 
officers  completed  a  telescopic  survey  of  the  country  near  them. 

On  January  9th,  Warren's  force  began  to  arrive  at  Frere,  where- 
upon, on  the  three  following  days,  Captain  Jones  moved  his  Brigade 
away  to  the  British  left,  and,  on  the  13th,  had  his  4'7-in.  guns  in 
position  on  Mount  Alice,  one  of  the  heights  overlooking  Potgieter's 
drift,  on  the  Tugela.  Two  dummy  4'7's  were  left,  with  four  of  the 
12-prs.,  at  Chieveley,  and  two  12-prs.  at  Frere ;  and  it  was  at  that 
time  that,  as  has  been  already  noted,  Captain  Scott  mounted  a  third 
4'7-in.  on  a  railway  truck.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  dummies 
ever  deceived  the  Boers  ;  but  the  other  guns  assisted  General  Barton 
in  harassing  and  containing  the  enemy  at  Colenso,  while  the  rest  of 
the  relieving  army  entered  on  that  unfortunate  part  of  the  campaign 
which  included  the  operations  at  Spion  Kop. 

"  It  may  be  gathered,"  says  Lord  Roberts,  "  that  the  original  intention  was  to  cross 
the  river  at  or  near  Trichard's  drift,  and  thence,  by  following  the  road  past  Fair  View 
and  Acton  Homes,  to  gain  the  open  plain  north  of  Spion  Kop,  the  Boer  position  in 
front  of  Potgieter's  drift  being  too  strong  to  be  taken  by  direct  attack.  The  whole 
force,  less  one  brigade,  was  placed  under  the  orders  of  Sir  Charles  AVarren,  who,  the 
day  after  he  had  crossed  the  Tugela,  seems  to  have  consulted  his  general  and  principal 
staff-officers,  and  to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  flanking  movement  .  .  .  was 
impracticable.  ...  He  accordingly  decided  to  advance  by  the  more  direct  road  leading 
north-east  and  branching  off  from  a  point  east  of  Three  Tree  Hill.  The  selection  of 
this  road  necessitated  the  capture  and  retention  of  Spion  Kop." 

Mount  Alice,  part  of  Spearman's  Hill,  is  a  plateau  about  1000 
feet  above  the  river  level,  commanding  a  view  of  the  Tugela  valley, 
and  of  the  country  between  it  and  Ladysmith.  From  it  the  en- 
trenchments at  Caesar's  Camp  were  plainly  visible.  Immediately 
below  Mount  Alice  is  a  second  plateau,  extending  almost  to  the 
river,  and  about  400  feet  above  it.  To  the  east  is  Potgieter's  drift, 


1900.]  SP10N  KOP.  507 

whence  the  land  rises  in  a  wide  concave,  on  the  west  to  the  heights 
of  Spion  Kop,  and  on  the  east  and  south-east,  towards  the  Vaal 
Krantz  ridge.  From  the  left  front  of  Mount  Alice,  away  to  beyond 
Colenso,  far  to  the  eastward,  there  was  a  line  of  huge  defences 
covering  the  undulating,  donga-intersected,  boulder-strewn  slopes 
which,  towards  the  river,  are  for  the  most  part  very  steep.  The 
top  of  Spion  Kop,  the  highest  ground  in  the  vicinity,  is  about  1500 
feet  above  the  river. 

On  the  afternoon  of  January  16th,  part  of  the  army  crossed  the 
river,  practically  unopposed,  at  Potgieter's  drift,  and,  by  the  following 
morning,  occupied  the  chain  of  low  kopjes  near  it.  Eight  naval 
12-prs.,  along  the  edge  of  the  plateau  under  Mount  Alice,  assisted  in 
covering  the  advance.  Most  of  the  rest  of  the  army  crossed  at 
Trichard's  drift,  six  miles  west  of  Potgieter's.  The  advance  then 
commenced,  every  yard  being  stubbornly  contested,  and  Warren's 
right  being  at  length  apparently  arrested.  Spion  Kop  barred  its 
way,  and  the  right  became,  as  it  were,  the  pivot  on  which  the  attack 
wheeled  forward.  During  this  time  the  naval  guns  daily  assisted  in 
shelling  the  Brakfontein  position  and  Spion  Kop ;  and  so  matters 
went  on,  until  the  evening  of  January  23rd,  when  it  was  decided  to 
take  and  hold  Spion  Kop.  By  3.30  A.M.  on  the  24th,  the  position 
was  occupied  with  but  slight  opposition ;  and  soon  afterwards  the 
naval  12-prs.,  having  left  their  plateau  and  crossed  Potgieter's  drift, 
were  covering  a  demonstration  against  Brakfontein.  As  the  day 
cleared,  it  was  seen  that  the  Boers,  beyond  the  further  ridges  of  the 
Kop,  were  doing  terrible  execution  with  rifle  and  gun  fire  upon  the 
troops  on  the  crowded  shoulder.  The  enemy's  guns  could  not, 
however,  be  seen  from  Mount  Alice ;  and,  soon  after  noon,  James's 
two  naval  12-prs.,  besides  other  reinforcements,  were  ordered 
up,  though  they  could  not  actually  begin  the  ascent  until  the 
evening,  ere  which  time  one  of  the  4'7's  had  received  instructions 
to  move  at  dawn  to  the  westward,  to  a  point  whence  the  Boer 
guns  could  be  reached.  The  other  naval  guns  were  of  use  in  helping 
to  clear  the  way  for  the  assault,  which  was  made  against  the  north- 
east summit,  the  conical  hill,  and  the  centre  summit — all  commanding 
points  whence  the  Boers  were  driven.  That  night,  it  looked  as  if  the 
worst  was  over,  but  before  dawn  on  the  25th,  it  became  known  to 
the  Naval  Brigade  that  the  Kop  had  been  evacuated.  James  never 
reached  the  top.  This  was  followed  by  the  withdrawal  of  Warren's 
whole  force  to  the  south  side  of  the  Tugela.  In  the  next  few  days, 


508      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

six  naval  12-prs.,  with  other  guns,  were  put  in  position  on  Zwaart 
Kop,  and  one  of  the  4'7's  was  moved  to  Signal  Hill. 

It  is  useless  here  to  follow  in  any  detail  the  course  of  operations 
in  which  the  Naval  Brigade,  though  constantly  of  great  value,  saw 
little  exciting  service.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  on  February  5th,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  movement  against  Vaal  Krantz,  the  naval  guns 
succeeded  in  doing  some  damage  to  two  out  of  three  troublesome  Boer 
pieces  on  Spion  Kop,  though  the  latter  could  not  be  seen ;  that  on 
the  6th,  when  two  of  the  12-prs.1  had  been  moved  to  the  eastern 
spur  of  Zwaart  Kop,  a  lucky  shell  from  the  4  •  7 2  on  Signal  Hill  blew 
up  the  ammunition  of  a  Boer  6-in.  gun  at  a  range  of  11,500  yards  ; 
and  that  during  the  retirement  on  the  8th  and  9th,  the  4'7-in.  guns 
covered  the  withdrawal.  On  the  llth,  the  naval  guns  were  again 
back  on  Gun  Hill.  On  the  12th,  Scott's  6-in.  gun  on  field  mounting 
arrived  at  Chieveley,  and  three  additional  4'7-in.  guns  on  platforms 
were  reported  as  being  on  the  way  up  from  Durban.3  Two  of 
the  Terrible's  12-prs.  were  at  that  time  attached  to  a  small  force 
stationed  at  Eshowe,  in  Zululand,  to  check  Boer  incursions  in  that 
direction. 

On  February  13th,  orders  were  given  for  what  proved  to  be  the 
beginning  of  the  final  and  successful  effort  of  the  indomitable  Buller 
to  reach  his  goal.  A  move  was  to  be  made  to  the  right  front. 
Hussar  Hill  was  to  be  used  as  a  foothold  from  which  to  reach  out  on 
the  right  to  Cingolo  and  Monte  Christo,  whence  Green  Hill  and 
Hlangwane  could  be  rendered  untenable,  and  Colenso  could  be 
turned.  On  the  morning  of  the  14th,  in  consequence,  Hussar  Hill 
was  seized,  four  of  the  naval  12-prs.4  assisting  to  occupy  it.  The 
15th  witnessed  little  more  than  an  artillery  duel,  in  which  Gun  Hill 
took  its  share.  On  the  16th,  during  which  the  fire  was  continued, 
the  6-in.  naval  gun  was  placed  on  Gun  Hill.  Cingolo  was  captured 
on  the  17th.  On  the  18th  the  naval  guns  did  specially  useful  work. 
The  6-in.  on  Gun  Hill  drove  away  a  Boer  6-in.  at  Bloy's  Farm, 
18,500  yards  distant,  and  later,  with  the  three  4'7's — one  being  on 
the  railway  truck — silenced  a  hostile  6-in.  which  opened  on  Hussar 
Hill  from  the  Colenso  kopjes.  That  day  the  army  made  itself 
master  of  Monte  Christo,  and  everywhere  pushed  back  the  enemy 
upon  the  river. 

On   the  19th,  two  4'7-in.,  with   other   guns,  moved   to   Bloy's 

1  Under  Lieut.  Burne.  2  Under  Lieut.  England. 

8  They  arrived  on  Feb.  16th.  *  Under  Lieut.  Ogilvy. 


1900.] 


FINAL    CROSSING    OF  THE   TV  GEL  A. 


509 


Farm,  and  two  12-prs.1  to  Monte  Christo,  where,  in  the  course  of 
the  night,  the  4'7's  joined  them.  General  Barton  had  previously 
occupied  Hlangwane.  On  the  following  morning  it  was  apparent 
that  the  Boers  were  all  north  of  the  Tugela ;  and  General  Barton 
entered  Colenso,  though  he  subsequently  had  to  evacuate  it,  only  to 
retake  it  later.  Thus,  on  the  21st,  Colenso  became  the  rail-head  for 
British  supplies. 

More  12-prs.  were  advanced,  and  four  of  them  were  posted  on 
Hlangwane.     The  two  4'7's  from  Monte  Christo  were  taken  down 


FINAL  OPERATIONS  FOR  THE  RELIE.FOF  LADYSMITH.  1900 

CJltefly  frojn  r>lan-s   by  Com. 


One  inch  equals  about  five  mjles. 

to  the  river  in  readiness  for  crossing  by  a  pontoon  which  had  been 
thrown  over  about  a  mile  north  of  Fort  Wylie  ;  and  the  advance  of 
the,  army  continued.  On  the  22nd,  more  forces  crossed  the  river  ; 
the  two  4'7's,  still  south  of  the  river,  but  close  to  the  pontoon, 
shelled  Terrace,  otherwise  Hart's,  Hill ;  two  12-prs.  took  up  positions 
on  the  Colenso  kopjes  ;  and  there  was  a  lively  artillery  action,  the 
Boers  evidently  strengthening,  and  intending  to  hold  if  they  could, 
the  line  Grobelaar's  Kloof,  Terrace  Hill,  and  Pieter's  Hill.  That 

1  Ogilvy's. 


510      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

evening,    and    during   the   following    night,    the   enemy   was   very 
stubborn  and  determined,  and  even  made  counter-attacks. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  the  two  4'7's  and  two  more  12-prs. 
were  brought  up  among  the  kopjes;  and  two  4'7-in.  platform  guns, 
with  the  6-in.  on  Gun  Hill,  assisted  in  the  effort  to  keep  down  the 
hostile  fire,  four  12-prs.  also  helping  from  Hlangwane.  The  Boers 
had  at  least  three  45-prs.,  and  a  dozen  12-  or  15-prs.,  besides  numerous 
smaller  guns  and  pom-poms,  engaged.  Towards  night,  Hart  made 
an  assault  on  Terrace  Hill,  but  was  bloodily  repulsed.1  So  deter- 
mined, in  fact,  was  the  resistance,  and  so  strong  were  the  positions 
to  be  carried,  that,  though  Hart  temporarily  held  a  few  points  which 
he  had  gained,  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  most  of  the  advanced  ones 
early  on  the  24th.  These  points  were  reoccupied  later;  yet  further 
progress  in  that  direction  seemed  impossible.  It  was  therefore 
decided  to  hold  the  firing  line  which  had  been  acquired,  but  to 
withdraw  the  reserve  battalions  and  guns  south  of  the  river,  take  up 
new  gun  positions  to  command  and  enfilade  the  Boer  lines,  prolong 
the  British  line  to  the  right,  and  work  round  the  enemy's  left  flank, 
thus  threatening  in  succession  Pieter's  Hill,  Railway  Hill,2  and 
Terrace  Hill.  Four  naval  12-prs.,3  therefore,  were  at  once  sent  back 
to  Monte  Christo. 

February  25th  was  Sunday,  and  there  was  no  firing ;  but  the 
movements  begun  overnight  were  continued,  and  two  platform  4'7's 
from  Gun  Hill  were  ordered  to  Hlangwane,  while  two  wheeled  4'7's 
joined  the  12-prs.  on  the  north  spur  of  Monte  Christo,  where  they 
were  nicely  hidden.  With  General  Coke,  who  held  the  Colenso 
kopjes,  were  two  naval  12-prs.  The  26th  was  spent  in  desultory 
firing,  and  in  the  preparation  of  a  pontoon  for  effecting  a  crossing  of 
the  Tugela  just  below  the  falls. 

Early  on  the  27th  the  pontoon  was  thrown  across,  and  a  great 
bombardment  of  the  Boer  positions  began,  the  various  naval  guns 
making  excellent  practice.  By  9  A.M.  the  crossing  commenced  ;  and 
by  2.15  P.M.  General  Barton  had  taken  Pieter's  Hill.  Three  hours 
later  General  Kitchener  was  master  of  Eailway  Hill  and  the  adjoining 
nek,  and  then,  after  the  further  positions  had  been  searched  with 
a  redoubled  fire  from  every  available  gun,  was  joined  by  General 
Norcott,  and  triumphantly  drove  the  Boers  from  Terrace  Hill, 

1  The  naval  loss  on  the  23rd  was  5  wounded. 

2  Two  miles  south  of  Pieter's  Station. 
8  Under  Lieuts.  Melvill  and  James. 


1900.]  BELIEF   OF  LADYSMITH.  511 

leaving  them  in  possession  of  but  one  small  knoll  of  all  the 
hundred  that  had  once  barred  the  road  to  Ladysmith.  It  was 
Majuba  Day. 

Early  on  Wednesday,  February  28th,  the  last  knoll  was  taken 
without  the  firing  of  a  shot,  the  bulk  of  the  army  crossed  the  river, 
and  towards  evening  part  of  the  relieving  force  entered  Ladysmith. 
On  the  29th  there  was  a  general  advance  to  Nelthorpe  station.1 

On  March  3rd  the  4'7's  were  taken  into  Ladysmith  by  train,  and 
the  Brigade  and  the  12-prs.  trekked  thither  and  camped  beyond  the 
town,  two  miles  to  the  north-east.  The  Terribles  were  sent  back  to 
their  ship  at  Durban  on  the  llth  and  sailed  thence  in  her  for  China, 
where  they  found  other  active  work  awaiting  them.  Such  of  the 
guns 2  as  remained,  and  could  no  longer  be  manned  by  the 
diminished  force,  were  han,ded  over  to  the  army.  In  the  interval 
her  Majesty's  gracious  thanks  to  officers  and  men  for  their  services 

were  received. 

*  *  »  »  « 

After  the  relief  of  Ladysmith,  the  Naval  Brigade  then  with  the 
Natal  Field  Force  was  re-organised  under  Captain  Edward  Pitcairn 
Jones,  of  the  cruiser  Forte,  and  thenceforward  consisted  of  6  officers 
and  31  men  from  the  Forte,  6  officers  and  51  men  from  the  Philomel, 
and  2  officers  and  31  men  from  the  Tartar,  with  two  wheeled 
4'7-in.  guns,  and  four  12-prs.,  two  of  which  had  been  recently 
brought  up  by  Lieutenants  Steel  (Forte),  and  Burne  (Tartar).  The 
Natal  Naval  Volunteers  had  temporarily  rejoined  their  corps.  The 
officers  then  with  the  Brigade  were : — 

Forte.  Captain  Edward  Pitcairn  Jones;  Lieutenants  Francis  William  Melvill, 
George  Percy  Edward  Hunt,  and  John  Miles  Steel ;  Staff-Surgeon  Frederick 
John  Lilly ;  and  Gunner  (T.)  Edward  Holland  (actg.). 

Philomel.  Lieutenants  Arthur  Halsey,  Archibald  Deas ;  Sub-Lieutenants  Charles 
Kichard  Newdigate  Burne,  and  Francis  Alexander  Clutterbuck  ;  Clerk  Walter 
Thome  Hollins ;  and  Midshipman  William  Eimington  Ledgard. 

Tartar.  Lieutenant  Herbert  William  James;  and  (but  somewhat  later)  Staff- 
SurgeonJohn  Douglas  Hughes. 


1  Many  of  these  particulars  concerning  the  relief  of  Ladysmith  are  from  the  rough, 
diary  of  Capt.  A.  H.  Limpus,  R.N.,  extracts  from  which  were  read  by  him  at  a 
meeting  at  Hong  Hong  on  June  13th,  1900,  and  later  published  in  the  local  Daily 
Press.     Other  details  are  chiefly  from  Gen.  Clery's  Orders,  Dec.  14 ;  Gen.  Buller's  desp. 
of  Dec.  17;  Capt.  Jones's  desp.  of  Dec.  16;  Lieut.  Ogilvy's  report  of  the  same  date; 
Capt.  Jones's  dcsps.  of  Feb.  8  and  18,  and  Mar.  2,  1900;  Lieut.  Burne's  letters  of 
Feb.  16 ;  and  Fleet-Surg.  Lilly's  account  in  Jeans'  '  Naval  Brigades.' 

2  In  the  relief  operations  the4'7's  had  fired  4000  and  the  12-prs.  12,000  rounds,  and 
some  of  them  showed  signs  of  wear. 


512      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

About  March  14th  Lieutenants  Halsey  and  James,  with  the  four 
12-prs.  moved  up  to  Elandslaagte,  where  lay  the  division  of  General 
Lyttleton,  who  was  soon  afterwards  relieved  by  General  Clery  ;  and 
on  the  19th  Captain  Jones  followed  with  the  4'7-in.  guns,  pitching 
his  camp  on  the  20th  half  way  between  Elandslaagte  and  Sunday's 
Kiver,  below  the  foot-hills  of  the  Biggarsberg,  where  the  Boers  were 
in  force.  Nothing  of  importance  happened  there  until  April  10th, 
when,  at  8  A.M.,  the  enemy  suddenly  opened  fire  from  guns  which 
they  had  posted  across  the  river  at  a  distance  of  between  6000  and 
7000  yards,  making  a  general  attack  at  the  same  time.  As  the  Boers 
were  fortunately  using  black  powder,  the  position  of  four  of  their 
guns  was  soon  detected  ;  but  before  the  fire  could  be  silenced,  the 
Brigade  lost  2  killed,  and  4,  including  Lieutenant  Steel,  wounded, 
and  had  some  gun  limbers  and  wagons  smashed  up.  The  guns  were 
got  into  emplacements  covering  a  front  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half. 
The  enemy  began  to  draw  off  at  about  4  P.M.  ;  and  at  dark  the 
whole  British  force  was  also  withdrawn  to  take  up  a  more  sheltered 
position  among  the  Elandslaagte  hills.  Thereupon  the  Boers 
crossed  the  river,  and  mounted  guns  on  the  British  side  of  it,  opening 
fire  from  them  on  April  llth.  The  command  of  Sunday's  Eiver  had 
been  practically  abandoned  by  the  British  for  the  moment ;  and  the 
Naval  Brigade  stationed  its  two  4'7-in.  guns  on  Battle  Eidge,  two  of 
the  12-prs.  on  the  right  flank  a  mile  away,  and  the  other  two  12-prs. 
so  as  to  cover  Elandslaagte  station,  while  General  Warren's  division 
took  up  position  under  Junono's  Kop  and  at  Woodcot  Farm.  On 
the  14th  a  welcome  reinforcement  arrived  in  the  shape  of  25  men 
of  the  Natal  Naval  Volunteers,  who  returned  under  Lieutenants 
James  E.  Anderton  and  N.  Barrett ;  for  the  amount  of  sickness  in 
camp  was  becoming  very  serious,  about  one-third  of  the  Brigade 
being  temporarily  if  not  permanently  useless.  On  the  16th 
Clery's  division  was  ordered  back  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Modder 
Spruit. 

On  April  20th  General  Warren  was  relieved  in  command  of  the 
division  by  General  Hildyard,  and  proceeded  to  the  Cape.  On  the  21st 
the  Boers  again  attacked  in  force.  They  had  but  two  guns.  With 
them  they  quickly  picked  up  the  range  of  the  British  at  4000  yards  ; 
but  their  weapons  were  soon  disabled.  Lieutenant  James,  who  had 
been  down  with  enteric  since  the  18th,  was  sent  with  Staff-Surgeon 
Lilly  to  the  base  hospital  on  the  27th.  During  all  that  time  there 
was  continual  sniping  and  desultory  firing  ;  and  the  inactivity  and 


1900.]  DIFFICULTY   OF   THE   COUNTRY.  513 

sickness  had  a  very  depressing  effect,  though  the  seamen,  perhaps, 
stood  it  better  than  the  rest  of  the  army.     On  May  8th,  at  day- ' 
light,  a  small  party  of  Boers  attacked  the  station  guard,  but  was 
driven  off. 

Not  until  May  llth  was  a  move  begun  with  the  object  of 
outflanking  the  enemy  in  the  Biggarsberg.  Sunday's  Eiver  was 
again  crossed ;  and  Hildyard  gradually  occupied  points  so  as  to 
protect  the  flank  of  Sir  Eedvers  Buller's  army  while  it  moved  round 
by  way  of  Helpmakaar  and  Dundee.  Lieutenant  Halsey,  with  two 
12-prs.,  crossed  on  the  13th,  Lieutenant  Steel  with  the  two  others, 
following  at  night,  and  all  the  guns  occupying  positions  on  hills  on 
the  other  side.  By  the  16th  the  entire  force  had  passed  the  river, 
the  two  4'7-in.  guns  and  a  few  colonial  troops  only  excepted ;  and 
all  the  country  as  far  as  Waschbank  was  in  British  hands.  On  the 
17th,  the  4'7's  traversed  the  drift,  and  moved  through  Weasel's  Nek 
to  Waschbank,  where  the  12-prs.  were  found.  Early  on  the  18th, 
the  Brigade  started  with  the  division,  and  moved  through  Glencoe 
Pass  to  Glencoe,  and  thence  to  Hatting  Spruit,  where  it  arrived  at 
midnight,  after  a  magnificent  march.  It  proceeded  next  for 
Dannhauser,  but  was  stopped  when  half  way  by  orders  from  General 
Buller,  and  sent  back  to  Glencoe.  On  the  23rd,  it  advanced  again 
to  Dannhauser ;  on  the  26th  to  Ingagane  ;  on  the  27th  to  Newcastle  ; 
on  the  28th  across  the  Buffalo  at  Wool's  Drift ;  and  on  the  29th  to  a 
bivouac  about  three  or  four  miles  beyond  Utrecht.  On  the  31st 
the  guns  were  placed  in  position  before  that  place,  which,  however, 
surrendered  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  whereupon  the  Brigade 
returned  to  the  bivouac.  On  June  1st  the  whole  force  moved  back 
to  the  Buffalo,  which  it  crossed  on  the  2nd.  On  the  3rd,  it  reached 
De  Wet's  Farm. 

On  June  6th,  at  7  A.M.  Captain  Jones,  in  company  with  General 
Talbot  Coke  and  half  his  brigade,  a  battery  of  artillery,  and  the 
South  African  Light  Horse,  quitted  the  bivouac  at  De  Wet's  in 
order  to  make  a  reconnaissance  with  a  view  to  finding  positions  for 
the  naval  guns  on  Van  Wyk,  a  high  hill  facing  Botha's  Pass,  and 
about  6000  yards  from  it.  On  arriving  near  the  hill  a  considerable 
rifle  fire  greeted  the  column  from  the  enemy  on  the  neighbouring 
heights  ;  and  it  became  clear  that  Van  Wyk  ought  to  be  occupied 
and  held  at  once,  and  that  the  rest  of  the  brigade,  and  other  reinforce- 
ments, ought  to  be  brought  up.  Having  selected  suitable  positions 
for  the  guns,  Captain  Jones  started  back  to  find  a  route  by  which 
VOL.  VII.  2  L 


514      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

they  might  be  moved  up  to  the  mountain.  He  fixed  upon  a  very 
•difficult  one,  and  reached  camp  at  about  4  P.M.  All  that  afternoon, 
there  was  a  brisk  fire  of  both  guns  and  rifles  on  Van  Wyk ;  and  the 
South  African  Light  Horse  had  hard  work  to  hold  its  own  until  it 
was  reinforced. 

Captain  Jones  was  ordered  to  wait  until  dark,  ere  he  again 
proceeded,  as  the  route  was  much  exposed  to  the  Boer  fire.  At 
nightfall,  Lieutenant  Halsey's  two  12-prs.  were  put  on  a  kopje  near 
De  Wet's  Farm  ;  and,  with  the  two  4'7's,  and  the  other  two  12-prs. 
under  Lieutenant  Burne,  Jones  departed  for  Van  Wyk.  It  was  the 
weirdest  and  hardest  night  trek  of  the  gallant  Naval  Brigade.  The 
whole  country  had  been  set  fire  to  by  the  Boers,  and  most  of  Jones's 
landmarks  were  mere  blackened  masses.  Only  he,  and  his  aide-de- 
camp, young  Ledgard,  had  been  there  before.  The  latter  was  sent 
to  guide  the  12-prs.  which  were  travelling  quicker  than  the  bigger 
guns  ;  and  Jones  himself  piloted  the  4'7's.  The  flames  roared  in  the 
long  grass  ;  the  terrified  oxen  continually  broke  away  from  their 
yokes,  and  steep  hills  and  deep  dongas  had  to  be  traversed  ;  so  that 
it  was  4  A.M.  on  June  7th  ere  the  sheltered  drift  at  the  foot  of  Van 
Wyk  was  reached,  although  the  distance  covered  was  only  about 
seven  miles.  There  Captain  Jones  halted  the  4'7's  until  daylight, 
but  hurried  on  Burne  with  the  12-prs.  as  they  were  needed  by  the 
General  at  dawn.  One  of  the  12-prs.  was  consequently  able  to  open 
on  the  Boers  as  soon  as  the  light  served.  The  other  was  delayed  by 
a  broken  axle.  By  using  sixty-four  oxen  to  each  4'7,  and  as  many 
to  each  ammunition  wagon,  Jones  managed  to  get  his  heavy  quick- 
firers  into  position  on  Van  Wyk  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon. 
Hildyard  characterised  the  exploit  as  the  record  performance  of  the 
campaign.  The  Naval  Brigade  cordially  agreed  with  the  General, 
until  it  became  necessary  to  get  the  guns  down  again. 

By  daylight  on  the  9th  the  broken  carriage  of  the  12-pr.  was 
repaired 1 ;  and  all  the  naval  guns  were  in  position  for  the  attack  and 
capture  of  Botha's  Pass  on  that  day.  Halsey's  12-prs.,  with  some 
military  guns,  were  on  a  nek  a  mile  or  two  to  the  right.  The  action 
began  with  a  searching  fire  from  all  available  artillery  at  the  hills  of 
the  Drakensberg,  above  the  dongas  which  led  in  the  direction  of  the 
Pass.  At  11  A.M.,  the  infantry  advanced  with  three  field  batteries, 
General  Wynne  on  the  left,  General  Hamilton  on  the  right,  with 

1  The  other  12-pr.  broke  its  trail  on  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  when  firing  at  some 
wandering  Boers ;  but  this  was  also  repaired. 


1900.]  THE   ORANGE  FREE  STATE  ENTERED.  515 

cavalry  on  both  flanks,  and  Coke's  brigade  holding  Van  Wyk,  and 
the  hills  in  the  rear.  The  heights  were  mounted  with  great  rapidity, 
and  with  but  little  opposition,  until  after  the  summit  had  been  reached. 
This,  no  doubt,  was  due  very  largely  to  the  way  in  which  the  naval 
guns  had  been  brought  up  and  handled.  The  moral  effect  of  the 
presence  of  such  heavy  weapons  in  totally  unexpected  places ;  and 
the  hurling  of  shell  at  long  range  over  the  heads  of  the  advancing 
troops,  shook  the  enemy  immensely,  though,  in  all  probability,  not 
many  people  were  killed.  The  Boers  had  had  several  guns  in 
position  on  the  crest,  and  had  used  them  ;  but  no  sooner  did  they 
discover  that  the  British  had  big  guns  on  Van  Wyk  than  they  with- 
drew their  own  pieces  to  safer  neighbourhoods.  By  dusk,  the  troops 
were  in  possession  of  all  the  Boer  works,  and  the  defenders  had 
gone. 

It  was  a  bitterly  cold  night,  and  the  poor  fellows  had  neither 
coats  nor  any  other  comforts ;  while  the  enemy,  retiring  as  usual 
amid  the  smoke  of  their  own  fires,  had  burnt  all  the  grass,  and  so 
deprived  the  British  cattle  of  forage.  The  compensating  thought 
with  every  one  was  that  at  last  the  Orange  Free  State  had  been 
entered.  There  was,  however,  no  rest  for  the  Naval  Brigade,  which, 
at  8  P.M.,  was  ordered  to  get  its  guns  down  again.  There  was  a 
dense  fog,  a  fog  so  impenetrable  that  a  regiment  which  had  been 
sent  to  assist  in  the  operation  lost  itself  in  the  mountains,  and  did  not 
join  company  with  the  bluejackets  until  seven  o'clock  on  the  following 
morning,  when  it  found  them  at  the  bottom.  Jones  put  his  entire 
force  on  to  the  drag  ropes,  and  eased  down  the  guns  and  wagons  one 
at  a  time,  until  the  passage  of  the  heavy  masses  wore  away  the 
ground,  and  made  it  practicable  for  the  bullocks.  The  men,  who 
had  to  make  eleven  journeys  up  and  down,  worked  magnificently, 
and  without  a  grumble ;  and  when,  at  4  A.M.,  they  had  got  every- 
thing down  to  the  drift  to  which  they  had  been  ordered,  they  simply 
dropped  where  they  stood,  and  slept  like  the  dead  till  daylight. 
Then  they  trekked  up  over  Botha's  Pass  with  General  Coke's 
brigade,  and  bivouacked  that  night  in  the  Orange  Free  State. 

On  the  llth  they  moved  to  Grandsvlei,  the  guns  clearing  the  hills 
in  front  of  the  troops  ;  and,  after  an  early  advance  on  the  12th,  they 
got  into  action  at  about  12.30  P.M.  on  the  hills  facing  Alleman's  Nek, 
where  the  enemy,  strongly  posted,  was  already  shelling  the  British. 
The  naval  guns,  speaking  generally,  undertook  the  protection  of  the 
right  attack,  where  there  was  very  hard  fighting,  and  where  most  rocky 

2  L  2 


516      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

and  precipitous  hills  had  to  be  climbed.  As  usual,  the  bluejackets 
poured  in  shells  just  ahead  of  the  advance.  The  Boers  had  in  action 
some  Maxim  guns,  which,  however,  did  little  damage ;  and  the 
enemy's  gun-fire  was  overpowered,  and  the  guns  themselves  were 
soon  withdrawn.  By  dusk,  the  Pass  and  hills  were  clear,  and  the 
Boers  in  full  retreat.  In  the  early  hours  of  the  13th,  the  Naval 
Brigade  moved  on,  and  took  up  a  position  on  the  Nek.  At  noon  it 
moved  further,  and  posted  its  guns  at  a  place  whence  they  were  able 
to  shell  Zandspruit  station,  and  some  retreating  burghers.  In  the 
evening,  bivouacking  five  miles  from  Volksrust,  the  force  learnt  that 
Laing's  Nek  and  Majuba  had  been  evacuated,  and  that  General 
Clery  was  in  possession  of  them.  Thus  the  great  turning  move- 
ment, begun  on  May  llth,  had  attained  its  object,  and,  at  last, 
the  British  had  a  firm  foothold  in  the  Transvaal.  On  the  14th 
the  Naval  Brigade  encamped  at  Volksrust,  after  a  month's  most 
arduous  work,  and  frequent  fighting.  The  people,  who  had  suffered 
so  much  from  enteric  while  idle  near  Elandslaagte,  were  very  well 
in  spite  of  their  hardships. 

Captain  Jones  and  his  men  started  again  with  Hildyard's  division 
on  June  16th  ;  but,  after  Wakkerstroom  and  Zandspruit  had  been 
occupied,  a  telegram  from  the  Eear-Admiral  ordered  the  Forte's 
contingent  back  to  that  ship,  which  was  required  for  service  on  the 
West  Coast  of  Africa.  Lieutenant  Burne,  with  his  two  12-prs.  were 
therefore  left  at  Zandspruit ;  and  the  two  4'7's  were  turned  over  to 
the  Army.  On  June  24th  Captain  Jones  transferred  command  of 
the  rest  of  the  Brigade  to  Lieutenant  Halsey,  who  was  at  Volksrust, 
and  then  left  for  Durban  with  his  own  people,  and  with  the  detach- 
ment of  Natal  Naval  Volunteers.1 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  the  Boers  seldom  or  never  moved 
their  guns  over  places  half  so  difficult  as  were  traversed  by  those  of 
the  Naval  Brigade.  The  hostile  guns  reached  their  positions  from 
the  reverse  sides  of  the  hills,  where  the  gradients  were  often  relatively 
easy.  The  Naval  guns  frequently  reached  places  which,  in  all  pro- 
bability, the  Boers  would  never  have  attempted  to  get  their  guns 
to  by  the  same  route.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Navy  would  never 
have  experienced  the  least  difficulty  in  taking  its  4'7-in.  weapons 
over  any  road  which  was  used  for  the  Boer  artillery. 

1  The  above  is  compiled  from  notes  by  Capt.  Jones,  kindly  supplied  specially  for 
this  work ;  front,  the  same  gallant  officer's  account  in  Jeans ;  and  from  the  desps.  in 
Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 


1900.]  WITHDRAWAL    OF   THE   NAVAL   BRIGADES.  517 

Curious  to  relate,  the  bluejackets  did  not  suffer — to  the  extent  of 
having  to  fall  out — owing  to  sore  feet.  As  for  offences,  they  were 
practically  unknown.  There  were  two  or  three  cases  of  leaving  camp 
during  the  idle  time  in  the  earlier  days.  The  culprits  were  punished 
by  being  sent  back  to  their  ships ;  and  they  regarded  that  as  the 
severest  retribution  that  could  be  inflicted  on  them.  Never  was  there 
any  sign  of  flinching  under  fare,  although,  on  three  or  four  occasions, 
the  Brigade  was  exposed  to  very  heavy  shelling.  The  force  behaved 
magnificently  in  every  way. 

After  the  withdrawal  to  its  ships  of  the  main  portion  of  the 
Brigade  in .  June  there  remained  on  shore  on  the  Natal  side  one 
detachment  under  Lieutenant  Charles  Kichard  Newdigate  Burne, 
and  another  under  Lieutenant  Arthur  Halsey. 

Burne's  detachment,  which  came  originally  from  the  Tartar, 
was  turned  over,  while  it  was  still  serving  in  Natal,  to  the  Monarch, 
guardship  at  the  Cape.  With  two  12-prs.  it  took  part  in  the  march 
to,  and  occupation  of  Wakkerstroorn,  and  in  the  defence  of  Zand- 
spruit,  and  a  spirited  little  action  four  miles  to  the  north  of  it.  On 
July  24th,  when  Burne  was  disabled  by  jaundice  and  Lieutenant 
Francis  Alexander  Clutterbuck  1  was  in  temporary  command,  the 
battery  was  concerned  in  the  attack  on  Gras  Kop.  Burne  rejoined 
on  July  27th  and  thereafter  remained  at  Gras  Kop,  employing  his 
guns  for  the  defence  of  the  position.  The  guns  also  covered  the 
right  flank  of  the  two  British  attacks  on  Comersfoort  on  July  30th 
and  August  7th,  the  latter  of  which  was  successful.  He  had  with 
him  Midshipman  William  Eimington  Ledgard,  of  the  Philomel, 
whom  he  detached  with  one  gun,  first  to  Oppermann's  Kraal,  and 
subsequently  to  Paarde  Kop.  This  detachment  was  withdrawn  in 
October.2 

Burne  was  junior  to  Lieutenant  Arthur  Halsey,  who,  though  he 
had  only  his  own  men  from  the  Philomel  under  his  immediate 
orders,  commanded  in  effect  both  detachments.  With  his  two 
12-prs.  he  accompanied  a  flying  column  from  Zandspruit  towards 
Amersfoort,  and  was  most  useful  in  covering  the  subsequent  retire- 
ment from  before  that  place.  On  July  10th  he  moved  by  train  to 
Standerton,  where  his  guns  were  horsed  from  a  field  battery,  and 
were  thus  given  a  valuable  additional  mobility.  More  than  once 
they  were  engaged  in  slight  skirmishes.  On  July  24th  he  proceeded 

1  From  Lieut.  Halsey's  battery. 

2  Burne's  undated  report  in  Gazette  of  Mar.  12,  1901. 


518      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

to   Greylingstad,    and   thence,    after   about   a   month,   returned   to 
Standerton,  where  he  himself  remained  until  he  and  his  men  were 
recalled  to  their  ship.     On  September  30th,  however,  he  detached  ' 
one  gun  under  Lieutenant  Clutterbuck  to  Heidelberg  to  assist  in 
holding  that  town.1 

In  the  third  week  of  October,  1900,  the  last  remnants  of  Captain 
Jones's  Brigade  returned  to  their  ordinary  duty.  In  his  final  report 
Lieutenant  Halsey,  while  recommending  the  services  of  a  number  of 
men,  mentions  the  case  of  A.  Forcey,  Armourer's-Mate,  who,  though 
wounded  in  the  affair  at  Sunday's  River,  assisted  a  mortally 
wounded  bluejacket  to  the  hospital  tent,  and  then  returned  to  the 
guns  until  he  was  ordered  off  to  have  his  own  wound  dressed. 

In  January,  1901,  when  Boer  raiding  parties  were  still  active  in 
the  western  parts  of  Cape  Colony,  the  cruiser  Sibylle,  Captain  Hugh 
Pigot  Williams,  landed  bluejackets  and  guns  in  Lambert  Bay,  as 
a  precautionary  measure.  There  was,  however,  no  fighting  at  that 
spot.  Unfortunately,  the  cruiser  was  wrecked  there  on  the  16th 
of  the  month.  Various  other  ships,  which  never  landed  officers  or 
men,  but  which  did  useful  work  011  the  coast,  will  be  found 
mentioned  below. 

So  ended  the  active  intervention  of  the  Royal  Navy  in  the  war 
with  the  Boer  Republics.  Many  of  its  guns,  however,  in  the  hands 
of  the  army,  did  good  service  long  afterwards  against  the  enemy. 
The  only  gun  lost  by  the  Navy  was  a  7-pr.,  which  was  in  an 
armoured  train  and  was  worked  very  early  in  the  campaign  in  Natal 
by  men  from  the  Tartar.  The  train  was  derailed  by  the  Boers  near 
Frere  on  November  15th  and  captured  after  a  plucky  defence  had 
been  made.  In  the  circumstances  the  capture  was  inevitable. 
Well,  therefore,  did  the  Naval  Brigades  carry  out  the  spirit  of  Rear- 
Admiral  Harris's  injunction  when,  on  October  20th,  1899,  he 
despatched  the  first  of  them  to  the  front.  "Take  care,"  he  said, 
"  of  the  guns.  Knowing  the  officers  and  men  who  have  charge  of 
them,  I  feel  sure  that  neither  bluejackets  nor  Marines  will  come 
back  without  them." 

Numerous  naval  officers  were  employed  during  the  war,  and 
especially  during  the  earlier  part  of  it,  in  connection  with  the  trans- 
port arrangements.  Among  those  who  were  so  employed  were  :  — 

In  South  Africa,  Captains   Sir   Edward   Chichester,  Bart.,  Edmund   Barker   Van 
Koughnet  (retd.),  and  Frederick  St.  Leger  Luscombe ;  Commander  Thomas  Hadley 

1  Halsey  to  Harris,  Oct.  17,  1900. 


1900.] 


VESSELS  EMPLOYED. 


519 


(retd.) ;  Lieutenants  Stewart  Ayscough  Periy- Ayscough,  and  Arthur  Lingham  (retd.)  ; 
and  Paymaster  William  Marcus  Charles  Beresford  Whyte ;  at  Liverpool,  Captains  Charles 
Henry  Coke,  and  Francis  John  Jeffery  Eliott  (retd.)  ;  Commanders  Egerton  Bagot  Byrd 
Levett  Scrivener  (retd.),  and  William  Maitland-Dougall  (retd.) ;  and  Fleet- Paymaster 
William  Basset  Autridge ;  at  Southampton,  Captain  William  Graham  White ;  Com- 
manders William  Job  Woodman  Barnard  (retd.),  Duncan  Macpherson  (retd.),  Reginald 
York  Heriz  (retd.),  and  Arthur  Cleveland  Heathcote  (retd.)  ;  Lieutenant  Charles  William 
Pleydell  Bouverie  (retd.)  ;  and  Fleet- Paymaster  Cecil  Plomer  Walker ;  in  the  Thames' 
District,  Captain  Edward  Eden  Bradford  ;  Commanders  John  Teesdale  Hardinge  (retd.), 
Charles  William  Poynder  Allen  (retd.),  and  Herbert  Moultrie  Heathcote  (retd.) ;  and 
Paymaster  George  Whitcroft  (retd.)  ;  and  elsewhere,  Commanders  (retd.)  James  Nethery 
Hill,  Henry  Edward  Bourchier,  Harry  Dampier  Law,  Herbert  George  Paris,  and 
John  Martin ;  and  Lieutenant  (retd.)  William  Henry  Call  well. 

Special  gratuities  and  medals  for  South  African  service  were 
subsequently  granted  to  officers,  seamen,  and  Boyal  Marines  who 
were  borne  in  the  following  ships  during  the  period  noted  against 
each,  and  who  were  either  landed  for  duty  or  doing  duty  on 
board : — 


CLASS. 

H.M.S. 

COMMANDER, 

PERIOD. 

Cruiser  III.     . 

Barracouta 

Cora.  Hugh  Cotesworth 

24-10-1900—31-12-1900.* 

„     III.     . 

Barrosa 

. 

Com.  Wm.  Fras.  Tunnard 

11-10-1899—31-12-1900.* 

„     111.      . 

Blanche      . 

.      Com.  Hurray  Thos.  Parks 

t 

„     II. 

Doris     .     . 

(    R.-Ad.  Sir  Robert  Hastings  Harris                   \ 
'V  Capt.  Reginald  Chas.  Prothero                          / 

11-10-1899—31-12-1900.* 

Gunboat  I. 
Cruiser  111.      . 

Vwarf  .     . 
Fearless 

Lieut.  Hastings  Frank  Shakespear 
Com.  Hy.  Kobt.  Peel  Floyd 

6-11-1899—19-5-1900. 
5-12  -1899—23-8-1900. 

„      11. 

Forte     .     . 

l\  a.  Capt.  Edw.  Pitcairn  Jones,  20-4-99             ) 
"1    6.  Capt.  Robt.  Copland  Sparkes,  13-8-00          J 

11-10-1899—16-8-1900. 

„      HI.     . 

Magicienne 

.      Cai,t.  Wm.  Blake  Fisber 

1  1-10-1899—6-1  1-1900. 

Gunboat  I. 

Magpie  .     . 

Lieut.  Juo.  Knox  Laird 

12-11-1900—31-12-1900.* 

1 

a.  Capt.  Robert  Dalrymple  Barwick  Bruce,) 

B.  ship  III.      . 

Monarch     . 

26-1-97                                                                 J.    11-10-1899—31-12-1900.* 

1   b.  Capt.  Chas.  Hy.  Bayly,  1-2-00                     | 

Cruiser  I.   .     .      .\iobe    .     . 

Capt.  Alfred  Leigh  Winsloe                                  25-11-1899—23-8-1900. 

Gunboat  I.       .      Partridge  . 

'l 

a.  Lieut.  Allen  Thos.  Hunt,  4-5-99                  ) 
6.  Lieut.  Eustace  La  Trobe  Leatham,  1-9-00  j 

11-10-1899—31-12-1900.* 

Cruiser  III.     . 

Pelorus. 

Capt.  Hy,  Chas.  Bertram  Hulbert,  26-1-99 

8-12-1899—26-6-1900. 

C.  Def.  ship     . 

Penelope    . 

(Tender  to  Monarch) 

(As  Monarch.) 

Cruiser  111.      . 

Philomel    . 

(Japt.  Jno.  Edw.  Bearcroft 

11-10-1899—  31-12-1900.» 

„      1.  .     . 

Powerful  . 

Capt.  Hon.  Hedworth  Lambtou 

1  1-10-1899—16-3-1900. 

„      III.     . 

Jiacoon 

Com.  Alf.  Ern.  Alb.  Grant 

13-1-1900-15-6-1900. 

Gunboat  1. 

Jtedlfreast  . 

Lieut.  Marcus  Rowley  Hill 

t 

Cruiser  II. 

Sappho  . 

Capt.  Cecil  Burney 

t 

„      11. 

Siuylle  .     . 

,- 

Capt.  Hugh  Pigot  Williams 

„      III.      . 

Tartar  . 

.{ 

a.  Com.  Fredk.  Robt.  Wm.  Morgan,  29-6-99  i'  ..  ln_1(,o,    9  ,„  ,„„,.  ,.4. 
b.  Com.  Robt.  Hy.  Travers,  18-8-00                                                      900'  *  f 

I.  .     . 

Terrible     . 

Capt.  Percy  Moreton  Scott 

14-10-1899—27-3-1900. 

„      11.       . 

Thetis    .      . 

Capt.  Wm.  Stokes  Rees 

5-11-1899  —  31-12-1900.* 

Gunboat  I. 

Thrush  . 

Lieut.  Warren  Hastings  D'Oyly 

11-1-1900—4-9-1900. 

I.      . 

Widgeon    . 

[    o.  Lieut.  Anthony  Fras.  liuruey,  1-3-97         )    . 
•(    6.  Lieut.  Wyndham  Forbes,  5-9-00                  j1               9-31-12-1900.* 

*  Signifies  that  these  ships'  companies  remained  serving  after  the  end  of  the  year  1900. 

t  Signifies  that  these  ships'  companies  began  their  service  (counting  for  South  African  medals  and  gratuities') 
after  the  end  of  the  year  1900. 

At  the  very  height  of  this  exhausting  war,  the  Empire  was 
called  upon  to  exert  itself  in  another  quarter  of  the  world ;  and,  as 
in  South  Africa,  so  in  Eastern  Asia,  the  Navy  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  protecting  British  life,  property,  and  interests,  at  a 
moment  when  sufficient  military  force  for  that  purpose  was  not 
upon  the  spot. 


520      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Early  in  1900,  the  so-called  "  Boxer"  movement,  which  had  been 
slowly  gathering  head  for  some  time,  began  to  assume  formidable 
proportions  in  China.  According  to  the  mouthpieces  of  the  Chinese 
government,  it  was  a  rebellious  upheaval  of  misguided  patriots. 
Events  proved  that  the  insurgents  were  less  rebels  than  unofficial 
tools,  whom  it  was  intended  to  employ  against  the  foreign  element 
in  China,  and  then  reward  or  disown,  as  might  be  convenient.  The 
Boxer  movement  was,  in  fact,  a  movement  secretly  subventioned  by 
the  reactionary  majority  among  the  Chinese  princes  and  mandarins 
in  high  office,  and  directed  primarily  against  the  Christian  mission- 
aries and  their  families  throughout  the  country,  but  also,  in  a  more 
general  way,  against  all  foreign  residents,  Japanese  as  well  as 
European. 

In  May  the  movement  became  dangerous.  Outrages,  and  even 
murders,  were  committed  in  various  directions ;  the  railways,  which 
were  managed  and  worked  by  Europeans,  were  obstructed,  and  in 
places  torn  up;  and  the  legations  at  Peking  were  threatened.  In 
consequence  of  the  disturbed  situation  of  affairs  a  considerable 
international  naval  force :  had  by  that  time  been  assembled  in  the 
mouth  of  the  Peiho.  From  Peking,  from  Tientsin,  and  from  Taku 
the  reports  became  daily  more  and  more  alarming.  The  Com- 
mander-in-Chief,  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Edward  Hobart  Seymour,  K.C.B., 
in  the  first-class  battleship  Centurion,  Captain  John  Kushworth 
Jellicoe,  was,  with  part  of  his  squadron,  at  Wei-hai-Wei,  where,  on 
May  29th,  he  learnt  that  Fengtai,  the  station  next  to  Peking  on 
the  Tientsin-Peking  railway,  and  five  stations  on  the  Peking- 
Hankau  line,  had  been  burnt.  On  the  following  day  he  heard 
direct  from  the  British  Minister  at  Peking  that  the  position  there 
was  "  extremely  grave,  the  soldiers  mutinous,  and  people  very 
excited,"  and  that  European  life  and  property  were  in  danger. 

In  the  interim  H.M.  sloop  Algerine,  Commander  Robert  Hathorn 
Johnston  Stewart,  which  had  reached  Taku,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Peiho,  on  May  30th,  had  promptly  disembarked  and  sent  up  to 
Peking  a  small  detachment  of  Eoyal  Marines.  Others  were  sent 
up  on  the  same  day  from  the  first-class  cruiser  Orlando,  Captain 
James  Henry  Thomas  Burke,  and  from  various  foreign  vessels,  to 
assist  in  guarding  the  legations  ;  with  the  result  that  on  May  31st, 
the  total  number  of  legation  guards  of  all  nationalities  that  had 

1  H.M.S.    Orlando  and  Algerine  and  thirteen  vessels  of  other  nationalities   had 
arrived  by  May  30. 


1900.]  DANGER   AT  PEKING.  521 

been  forwarded  to  the  Chinese  capital  was  337,  of  whom  79 l  were 
British  Marines  under  Captains  Bernard  Murton  Strouts  (com- 
manding the  Tientsin  winter  guard),  Lewis  Stratford  Tollemache 
Halliday  (Orlando),  and  Edmund  Wray  (Wei-hai-Wei  detachment). 
In  addition,  104  British  seamen  and  Marines  2  were  at  Tientsin. 

On  May  31st,  Vice-Admiral  Seymour,  in  the  Centurion,  with 
the  destroyer  Whiting,  Lieutenant  Colin  MacKenzie,  quitted  Wei- 
hai-Wei  for  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho,  leaving  behind  him  Eear- 
Admiral  James  Andrew  Thomas  Bruce,  in  the  Barfleur,  with 
instructions  to  send  on  the  Endymion,3  which  was  expected  on 
the  following  day,  and  the  destroyer  Fame.*  The  Centurion  arrived 
off  Taku 5  on  June  1st,  and  the  Vice- Admiral  at  once  telegraphed 
to  the  Minister  at  Peking  that,  if  necessary,  he  would  land  and 
send  up  200  more  seamen  and  Marines.  The  Minister's  reply, 
received  on  the  2nd,  was  to  the  effect  that  the  guards  already 
despatched  had  entered  without  opposition,  and  that  affairs  were 
quieter. 

On  June  3rd,  the  Commander-in-Chief  landed  at  Tongku,  above 
Taku,  and  went  by  train  to  Tientsin  in  order  to  inspect  the  arrange- 
ments  which  had  been  made  for  the  guards  there,  and  to  collect 
information.  At  Tientsin  he  learnt  that  several  fresh  murders  and 
outrages  had  been  committed  in  various  quarters.  He  returned 
to  Taku  by  river,  in  order  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  it  with  a  view 
to  future  action  ;  and,  on  the  4th,  he  sent  a  field-gun's  crew  from 
the  Centurion  to  Tientsin,  to  take  the  place  of  ten  men  from  the 
Algerine,  who  could  not  be  longer  spared  from  that  sloop.  On  the 
5th,  moreover,  he  reinforced  the  Algerine,  which  lay  just  below 
Taku,  with  100  men  from  his  flagship,  so  as  to  have  them  ready 
for  landing  should  their  services  be  required ;  and  on  the  same 
day,  in  the  Centurion,  he  had  a  conference  with  the  senior  officers 
of  the  seven  other  nationalities  which  were  represented  in  the 
mouth  of  the  river — French,  German,  American,  Eussian,  Japanese, 
Austrian,  and  Italian.  Sir  Edward,  himself,  was  the  senior  of 
the  eight,  and  Bear-Admiral  Courejolles,  of  the  French  navy, 

1  This  number  includes,  however,  three  naval  ratings,  viz.,  Leading  Signalman 
Harry  Swannell,  Armourer  James  Thomas,  and  Sick-berth  Attendant  B.  Fuller,  all  of 
whom  proved  invaluable  in   Peking.     They   belonged   to   the    Orlando.     With   the 
detachment  was  a  Nordenfelt  gun. 

2  Under  Lieut.  Philip  Nithsdale  Wright  (Orlando). 

3  Capt.  George  Astley  Callaghan.  4  Lieut.  Roger  John  Brownlow  Keyes. 
5  The  anchorage  for  large  ships  is  thirteen  miles  below  the  town,  outside  a  bar. 


522      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

second.  Great  unanimity  and  good-feeling  prevailed  at  the  meeting. 
It  was  also  on  the  5th,  that,  having  heard  that  British  life  and 
property  were  in  danger  at  Peitaiho,  a  few  miles  south  of  Shan- 
haikuan,  he  ordered  thither  the  Number,1  storeship,  from  Wei- 
hai-Wei,  directing  that  she  should  first  take  on  board  25  additional 
Royal  Marines.  The  first-class  cruiser  Aurora,2  which  had  arrived 
at  Wei-hai-Wei  on  the  4th,  was,  at  the  same  time,  ordered  to  the 
Peiho,  where  she  arrived  on  the  7th. 

On  the  6th,  the  guard  at  Tientsin  was  reinforced  with  50 
seamen  3  from  the  Centurion,  and  75  Marines ;  and  a  second  con- 
ference of  senior  naval  officers  being  held,  it  was  decided  that, 
in  case  of  communication  with  Peking  being  cut  off,  the  way 
should  be  reopened  by  force.  It  was  on  that  day  that  the  Austrian 
senior  officer,  Captain  von  Montalmar,  of  the  Zenta,  gracefully 
requested  that  such  of  his  men  as  had  been  sent  on  guard  service 
to  Tientsin  might  be  placed  under  the  orders  of  the  senior  British 
naval  officer  there. 

Previous  to  the  third  conference,  which  was  held  on  June  9th, 
news  was  received  that  the  Boxers  intended  to  attack  the  foreign 
settlements  at  Tientsin  on  June  19th,  and  that  a  Chinese  general 
had  defeated  a  body  of  rebels  twenty  miles  from  that  town. 
At  the  conference  an  alarming  telegram  arrived  from  the  British 
Minister,  Sir  Claud  Macdonald.  It  declared  that,  unless  those 
in  Peking  were  speedily  relieved,  it  would  be  too  late ;  and 
Vice- Admiral  Seymour,  having  read  the  news  to  his  colleagues, 
chivalrously  said  that  for  his  part  he  should  start  at  once  with 
all  his  available  men,  and  that  he  hoped  that  they  would  co- 
operate. 

The  danger  was  no  imaginary  one,  such  as  had  been  signalled  a  few 
years  earlier  from  Johannesburg  in  order  to  bring  about  the  Jameson 
Raid.  A  handful  of  Europeans,  Americans,  and  Japanese,  including 
women  and  children,  as  well  as  men,  was  in  the  most  imminent 
and  deadly  peril  at  the  hands  of  a  riotous  soldiery  and  a  lawless 
population,  who  were  capable  of  nameless  iniquities.  The  various 
legations  *  in  which  these  unfortunates  found  temporary  refuge  were 
large  and,  to  some  extent,  scattered ;  a"nd  less  than  350  Marines 

1  Com.  Henry  Jocelyn  Davison.  2  Capt.  Edward  Henry  Bayly. 

3  Under  Lieut.  Wyndham  Lerrier  Bamber.  These  bluejackets  and  Marines  subse- 
quently joined  the  Vice- Admiral's  column  for  Peking,  a  detachment  from  the  Aurora, 
with  a  field-gun,  taking  their  place.  "  See  plan  infra. 


1900.] 


THE  PEKING   BELIEF  FORCE. 


523 


were  available  for  the  defence  of  the  long  lines  of  walls  and  of  the 
crazy  buildings.  The  Vice-Admiral's  decision  has  been  adversely 
criticised  by  many;  but  Sir  Edward  would  have  shown  himself 
unworthy  of  his  nationality,  of  his  manhood,  and  of  his  command, 
had  he  not  leapt  as  it  were  instantly  in  the  direction  of  those 
who  so  sorely  needed  succour,  and  called  upon  his  fellows  to 
follow  him.  It  was  one  of  the  rare  occasions  where  something 
very  like  rashness  becomes  a  duty.  There  seemed  to  be  no  other 
way  of  rendering  help ;  and  any  delay  promised  to  have  the  most 
fearful  consequences.  Moreover,  Sir  Edward  then  had  every  right 
to  suppose  that  he  was  proceeding  not  against  regular  Chinese 
troops,  but  only  against  proscribed  rebels.  His  colleagues,  one 
and  all,  adopted  his  view. 

That  night,  477  officers  and  men,  British,  American,  Austrian, 
and  Italian,  were  sent  up  by  river  to  Tongku,  and,  being  entrained 
there,  reached  Tientsin  by  7.30  A.M.  Thence  they  steamed  off  at 
9.30  A.M.  in  the  direction  of  Peking,  and  at  night  they  halted 
near  Lofa,  where  the  line  had  been  badly  damaged.  There 
two  other  trains  joined,  bringing  additional  British,  and  detachments 
of  Germans,  Japanese,  Russians,  and  French ;  and  making,  with 
the  crew  of  a  fourth  train  that  joined  on  the  llth,  the  total  force 
as  follows  :  — 


NATIONALITY. 

OFFS. 

MKX. 

GUNS. 

IN  COMMAND. 

!1  6-pr.  Q. 

Hritish    .... 

•  68 

(640  seam. 
1213  Mar. 

3  9-pr.  M.  L. 
2  45-in.  Maxims 

(V.-Ad.  Sir  E.  H.  Seymour,  K.C.B. 
I  Capt.  Jno.  R.  Jellicoe  (Centurion). 

6  45-in.  Nordenfelts. 

(German  . 

23 

427 

2  Maxims 

Capt.  von  Usedom  (Hertha). 

Russiau  .     . 

7 

305 

1  lic-M-diii 

Capt.  Chagkin  (Roxsia). 

French    .     . 

7 

151 

I  field-gun 

Capt.  de  Marolles  (d'Entrecasteaux). 

U.S.  American 

6 

106 

(1  13-pr.         1 
11  Colt,  machj 

Capt.  B.  H.  McCalla  (Newark). 

Italian    .     . 

2 

38 

1  Maxim 

Lieut.  Sirianni  (Calabria). 

Japanese 

2 

52 

Capt.  Mori. 

Austrian  . 

1 

24 

Lieut.  Prochaska  (Zenta). 

116 

1956 

19 

The  expedition  was  thus  entirely  and  exclusively  naval,  though 
with  it  went,  as  intelligence  officer,  Mr.  Clive  Bigham,  honorary 
attache  to  the  Peking  legation ;  as  engineer,  Mr.  Archibald 
Currie,  C.B.,  of  the  Peking-Tientsin  railway ;  and,  as  interpreter, 
Mr.  C.  W.  Campbell,  British  consul  for  Wuchow. 

The  line  having  been  repaired,  and  Lofa  occupied  by  a  small 
garrison,1  the  expedition  moved  forward  on  the  llth.  At  6  P.M., 

1  Under  Lieut.  Horatio  Walcott  Colomb. 


524      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

about  three  miles  short  of  Langfang  station,  a  body  of  Boxers, 
who  had  previously  tried  to  cut  off  an  advanced  working  party, 
attacked  train  No.  I,1  but  was  soon  repulsed,  with  a  loss  of  about 
35  killed.  Progress,  owing  to  the  way  in  which  the  line  had  been 
damaged,  was  very  slow,  and  Langfang  itself  was  not  reached  until 
the  morning  of  June  12th.  It  was  then  perceived  that  the  injuries 
to  the  permanent  way  immediately  ahead  were  quite  recent ;  and  as 
the  advance  of  the  trains  could  not  be  pressed  on  at  once,  owing 
to  the  condition  of  the  bridges,  etc.,  Lieutenant  Arthur  Gordon 
Smith,  of  the  Aurora,  was  despatched  with  three  officers  arid  44 
men,  to  endeavour  to  make  his  way  to  Anting,  thirteen  miles 
further,  to  seize  and  hold  the  railway  station  there,  and  to  prevent 
fresh  harm  being  done  on  the  intervening  section  of  line.  Smith 
occupied  Anting  on  the  morning  of  the  13th ;  but,  after  having 
bloodily  repelled  four  attacks,  in  the  last  of  which  450  Boxers 
were  engaged,  he  began  to  fall  short  of  ammunition,  and,  wisely 
retiring,  rejoined  the  main  body  at  2.30  P.M.  That  afternoon, 
Major  James  Kobert  Johnstone,  B. M.L.I.,  with  60  men,  was  also 
sent  forward  towards  Anting.  He  advanced  a  few  miles,  but,  near 
a  spot  where  a  full  mile  of  the  metals  and  sleepers  had  been  removed, 
he  was  attacked.  He  drove  back  the  Boxers,  who  lost  about 
25  killed ;  and  then,  perceiving  that  the  damage  which  he  had  been 
sent  to  prevent  had  been  already  done,  he  returned  to  Langfang  on 
the  14th.  So  far,  apparently,  there  had  been  no  casualties  on  the 
side  of  the  allies. 

Soon  after  10  A.M.  on  the  14th,  the  leading  train  at  Langfang 
was  resolutely  assaulted  by  great  numbers  of  Boxers,  who  ap- 
proached it  with  marvellous  determination,  and  were  driven  off 
with  some  difficulty,  after  about  100  of  them  had  been  killed. 
In  this  affair  five  Italians  fell.  At  5.30  a  mfessenger  on  a  trolly 
arrived  from  Lofa  to  report  that  the  guard  there  also  was  being 
attacked.  Seymour  himself  steamed  thither  with  train  No.  2,  but 
arrived  to  find  that  the  brunt  of  the  fight  was  over,  and  that  the 
enemy,  harassed,  in  his  retreat  by  the  reinforcements,  had  left 
behind  him  about  100  killed.  Two  guns  were  taken  from  the 
Boxers.  On  the  other  hand,  two  seamen  of  the  Endymion  were 
wounded,  one  mortally. 

On  the  15th,   the  trains  still  remained  perforce  at   Langfang. 

1  Commanded  by  Capt.  McCalla,  'U.S.N.     It   contained  British  (Centurion)  and 
American  seamen  and  marines,  and  a  few  AuBtrians. 


1900.]  THE  RAILWAY  DESTROYED.  525 

From  the  rear  it  was  reported  that  the  line  behind  Lofa l  had  been 
broken  up  by  the  enemy ;  and  on  the  16th,  early  in  the  morning, 
an  effort  was  made  to  send  a  train  back  to  Tientsin ;  but  it  returned 
at  3  P.M.,  with  news  that  the  railway  was  so  badly  damaged 
between  Lofa  and  Yungtsun  as  to  be  beyond  repair  with  the 
resources  carried  by  that  detachment.  Thereupon,  at  4  P.M., 
Vice-Admiral  Seymour,  with  train  No.  1,  went  back  to  investigate, 
leaving  Nos.  2  2  and  3 3  at  Langf ang,  and  No.  4 3  at  Lofa.  That 
night  he  remained  between  Lofa  and  Yungtsun,  repairing  the  line, 
and  so  working  down  to  the  latter  place,  where  he  found  the  station 
destroyed,  and  the  line  beyond,  in  the  direction  of  Tientsin,  a  wreck 
beyond  possibility  of  restoration  by  his  force. 

Sir  Edward  was  then  face  to  face  with  a  serious  situation.  His 
communications  were  completely  cut ;  he  was  rapidly  running  short 
of  provisions  and  ammunition ;  and  he  could  not  hope,  it  was  evident, 
to  get  much  further  than  Anting  by  railway.  On  the  17th,  there- 
fore, he  sent  orders  recalling  trains  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4  from  Lofa  and 
Langfang ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  18th,  all  three  rejoined  the 
Commander-in-Chief  at  Yungtsun,  where  Captain  vonUsedom,  I.G.N., 
senior  officer  with  Nos.  2  and  4,  reported  that  those  trains  that  day 
had  been  attacked  at  Langfang  by  fully  5000  infantry  and  cavalry, 
including  imperial  Chinese  regulars.  The  enemy  had  been  twice 
repulsed,  losing  over  400  killed ;  but  the  allies  had  had  6  killed  and 
48  wounded.  Seymour  had  previously  contemplated  the  possible 
failure  of  the  railway  advance  on  Peking,  and  had  endeavoured  to 
send  down  to  Tientsin  directions  for  a  concentration  of  stores  and 
transport  junks  at  Yungtsun,  with  a  view  to  the  establishment  there 
of  a  base  for  an  advancement  by  river  to  Tungchow,  and  thence,  by 
marching,  to  the  capital ;  but  the  messengers  had  not  succeeded  in 
getting  through ;  and,  even  if  they  had  reached  Tientsin,  nothing 
could  have  been  sent  thence,  owing  to  the  condition  of  affairs  there, 
and  to  the  siege  and  bombardment  of  the  place  by  the  Chinese.  Of 
all  this  Sir  Edward  was  ignorant.  He  only  knew  that  at  Yungtsun 
there  were  no  signs  either  of  supplies  or  of  transports ;  nor  did  he 
manage  to  procure  either  from  the  natives  in  the  neighbourhood. 

On  June  19th,  after  a  further  conference  of  senior  officers  had 

1  On  the  15th,  in  fact,  Capt.  Burke,  from  Tientsin,  tried  to  take  supplies  by  train 
to  Lofa,  but  found  the  line  torn  up. 

2  Manned  exclusively  from  Endymion  and  Aurora. 

"  Containing  mixed  nationalities,  but  no  British  or  Americans. 


526      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

been  held,  Yungtsun  was  evacuated  at  3  P.M.,  the  trains 1  being 
abandoned,  and  an  effort  being  made  to  regain  Tientsin  by  marching 
down  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  The  Germans  had  fortunately 
captured  four  junks  on  the  18th  from  the  Boxers,  and  in  those  the 
wounded  were  embarked  and  made  as  comfortable  as  the  circum- 
stances permitted.  Progress  was  slow,  owing  to  the  shallowness  of 
the  stream  in  places ;  and  one  of  the  junks,  having  grounded,  could 
not  be  got  off  until  a  6-pr.  quick-firing  gun  belonging  to  the 
Centurion  had  been  thrown  overboard  to  lighten  her.  That  night 
the  force  bivouacked  only  two  and  a  half  miles  below  its  previous 
halting-place.  On  the  20th  the^march  was  resumed,  its  speed  being 
necessarily  regulated  by  that  of  the  junks,  which  were  found  very 
difficult  to  manage.  At  9.15  A.M.,  the  Chinese  opened  fire  from  a 
village,  but  were  driven  on,  after  some  resistance,  to  the  next  one, 
and  then  again  to  the  next  and  the  next  for  several  miles.  Some  of 
the  villages  had  to  be  carried  with  the  bayonet.  In  the  afternoon, 
the  enemy  for  the  first  time  employed  a  1-pr.  quick-firing  gun, 
which,  it  is  true,  did  comparatively  little  damage,  but  was  somewhat 
demoralising,  as,  firing  smokeless  powder,  its  exact  whereabouts 
could  not  be  detected.  At  6  P.M.,  after  having  made  about  eight 
miles  that  day,  the  force  bivouacked. 

The  march  was  again  resumed  on  June  21st,2  at  7.30  A.M. 
About  an  hour  later,  after  the  left  flank  of  the  head  of  the  advancing 
column  had  been  reconnoitred  by  a  body  of  Chinese  cavalry,  the 
enemy  began  a  most  harassing  series  of  attacks,  bringing  up  a 
field-gun  and  a  1-pr.  quick-firer.  The  former,  firing  black  powder, 
disclosed  its  position  every  time  it  opened  fire,  and  was  kept  in 
check  by  one  of  the  British  9-prs.,  and  by  machine-guns;  but  the 
opposition  steadily  increased,  and  there  was  continuous  fighting 
until  Peitsang,  the  chief  place  between  Yungtsun  and  Tientsin,  was 
reached.  There,  the  Chinese  position  being  very  strong,  the  force 
was  halted  at  6  P.M.,  after  having  done  little  more  than  six  miles 
during  the  day  ;  and  it  was  decided  that,  as  soon  as  the  men  should 
have  rested  a  little,  they  must  make  an  effort  to  get  through  under 
cover  of  the  night.  In  the  meantime  the  field  and  machine-guns 
were  put  on  board  a  junk  which  had  been  captured  on  the  20th. 

At  1  A.M.  on  the  22nd,  the  night  march  was  begun.  It  was  soon 
seen  that  the  enemy  was  not  to  be  caught  napping,  for  his  signal 

1  They  were  afterwards  burnt  by  the  Boxers. 

2  On  that  day  a  rumour  of  the  capture  of  the  Taku  Forts  reached  the  force. 


1900.]  CAPTURE   OF  HSIKU  ARMOURY.  527 

fires  burst  out  in  more  than  one  place ;  and,  when  a  mile  and  a 
half  had  been  covered,  a  heavy  fire  was  opened  on  the  advanced 
guard  from  a  village  two  hundred  yards  ahead.  The  Marines,  fixing 
their  bayonets,  carried  that  village ;  but,  pwing  probably  to  the  fire 
from  the  place,  the  junk  carrying  the  guns  sank  during  the  fighting, 
and  had  to  be  abandoned,  the  Maxims  only  being  saved.  At  4  A.M. 
the  head  of  the  force  arrived  opposite  what  proved  to  be  the  imperial 
Chinese  armoury,  near  Hsiku,  on  the  right  bank.  Two  unarmed 
Chinese  soldiers  came  out  of  a  house  hard  by,  and  seemed  friendly 
and  harmless ;  but  no  sooner  had  they  returned  to  cover  than  a 
furious  fire  was  opened  from  both  guns  and  rifles. 

"  Rifle  fire,"  says  Sir  Edward,  "  was  directed  to  a  47mm.  Hotchkiss  gun  at  the 
north  corner  of  the  Armoury,  and  two  10cm.  guns  on  the  river  front.  Some  of  the 
men  at  the  guns  were  killed  and  others  driven  from  them.  Major  Johustone, 
R.M.L.I.,  of  the  Centurion,  was  then  sent  higher  up  the  river  to  cross  over  unob- 
served, with  a  party  of  100  Marines  and  seamen,  to  rush  the  position  at  the  north 
corner.  There  is  a  village  about  150  yards  from  this,  which  enabled  the  attacking 
force  to  come  up  without  being  seen  until  they  emerged  from  it,  when  they  charged 
with  a  cheer,  joined  in  by  those  on  the  other  side  of  the  river ;  and  the  Chinese  in 
that  part  of  the  Armoury  fled  precipitately.  At  the  same  time,  lower  down  the  river, 
a  German  detachment  crossed  over  and  captured  two  guns  (10cm.  Krupp)  in  their 
front,  and  subsequently  several  others.  The  two  detachments  then  cleared  the  whole 
Armoury  grounds." 

With  the  Armoury  in  its  possession  the  expeditionary  force  was 
in  comparative  safety,  for,  with  the  aid  of  the  captured  guns,  the 
place  was  defensible,  although,  so  far  as  was  then  known,  the 
people  had  with  them  but  three  days'  provisions  at  half  allowances. 
Indeed,  a  few  hours  after  the  Armoury  had  been  taken,  it  was  attacked 
by  a  large  and  determined  force,  which  poured  in  a  heavy  shell  fire, 
and  was  only  repulsed  at  considerable  cost.  Among  the  killed  was 
Commander  Buchholtz,  of  the  German  navy.  At  3  P.M.  the  main 
body  of  the  allies  crossed  the  river,  the  position  was  fully  occupied, 
and  the  wounded  *  were  brought  into  it. 

That  evening  Sir  Edward  ordered  Captain  Eichard  Osborn 
Maclean  Doig,  E.M.  (Endymiori),  and  Henry  Talbot  Eickard  Lloyd, 
E.M.  (Aurora),  to  take  100  Marines  and  endeavour,  by  making  a 
detour  to  the  northward  and  along  the  railway  in  the  dark,  to  reach 
the  foreign  settlement  at  Tientsin,  and  to  communicate  the  situation 
of  the  force  to  those  who  might  aid  it.  Mr.  Archibald  Currie  under- 
took to  guide  the  detachment,  which,  however,  encountered  active 

1  There  were  then  160  wounded,  including  71  British.  The  force  had  also  lost 
35  killed,  including  14  British. 


528      MILITARY   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

resistance  as  soon  as  it  struck  the  railway,  and,  after  losing  four 
men,  had  to  return. 

Early  on  the  23rd  the  Armoury  was  again  attacked 1  unsuccess- 
fully ;  but,  in  defending  it,  several  fell,  including  Captain  Herbert 
William  Hope  Beyts,  K.M.A.  (Centurion).2  A  subsequent  search  of 
the  buildings  led  to  the  welcome  discovery  of  about  fifteen  tons  of 
rice,  besides  medical  comforts,  and  immense  supplies  of  guns,  arms, 
ammunition,3  and  war  material  of  the  latest  pattern.  Thus  re- 
equipped,  the  expedition  might  have  forced  its  way  down  to  Tientsin, 
had  it  but  been  able  to  carry  its  230  wounded  with  it.  Unfortunately 
it  had  no  means  of  transport  for  them.  All  it  could  do  was  to  send 
out  runners  with  news  of  its  situation,  and  bombard  such  strong- 
holds of  the  enemy  as  lay  within  range.  One  of  the  native  couriers 
despatched  that  day  ultimately,  and  after  passing  through  many 
dangers,  managed  to  reach  Tientsin.  On  the  24th,  the  Allies  again 
bombarded  the  positions  of  the  enemy.  Very  early  on  the  25th,  it 
was  observed  that  one  of  these  positions  below  the  Armoury  was 
firing  towards  Tientsin;  and  at  6  A.M.,  to  the  great  joy  of  the 
expedition,  European  troops  were  reported  to  be  in  sight.  An  hour 
later,  a  relief  column,4  under  the  Russian  Colonel  Shirinski,  reached 
the  place,  and  took  the  heaviest  part  of  his  immediate  anxiety  from 
Sir  Edward's  shoulders. 

The  Comrnander-in-Chief  had  still,  however,  to  provide  for  the 
wounded,  who  were  taken  back  across  the  river  that  afternoon,  to 
conduct  the  force  back  to  Tientsin,  and  to  destroy  the  Armoury  and 
its  immense  and  valuable  stores.  This  last  work  was  entrusted  to 
Lieutenant  Edward  George  Lowther-Crofton,  and  acting  Torpedo- 
Gunner  Charles  Davidge,  both  of  the  Centurion,  who  alone  remained 
behind  for  the  purpose,  and,  after  having  set  everything  aflame, 
crossed  the  river,  mounted  ponies,  and  so  rejoined  the  main  body, 
which  had  begun  its  march  down  the  left  bank  at  3  A.M.  on  the 

1  According  to  a  Chinese  deserter,  General  Nieh  attacked  the  Armoury  with  no 
fewer  than  twenty-five  battalions  (Seymour's  desp.). 

2  The  duties  of  company  officer  of  the  flagship's  Marines  were  thenceforth  taken 
over  by  Engineer  George  Herbert  Cockey. 

3  Including  a  million  rounds  for  •  303  in.  Maxims,  which  fitted  the  British  rifles, 
and  much  Mauser  ammunition.     The  Russians  and  Japanese,  being  out  of  their  own 
ammunition,  were  thereupon  re-armed  with  Mausers  from  the  Armoury. 

4  It  was  accompanied  by  Com.  David  Beatty,  D.S.O.,  of  the  Barfleur,  although 
he  was  suffering  from  two  wounds,  received  on  the  19th,  which  were  only  partially 
healed.     He  was  posted  Nov.  9,  1900.     With  him  were  600  British.     Shirinski  had 
1000  Russians,  and  900  men  of  other  non-British  nationalities. 


1900.]  RELIEF   OF  ADMIRAL    SEYMOUR.  529 

26th,  and  which  reached  Tientsin,  without  further  adventure,  six 
hours  later.  As  the  Armoury  was  believed  to  contain  three  million 
pounds'  worth  of  stores,  its  destruction  was  no  small  consideration, 
seeing  that  the  regular  Chinese  troops  were  known  by  that  time  to 
have  sided  with  the  Boxers. 

The  British  officers  killed  or  wounded  in  the  course  of  this 
expedition  were : — 

Killed:  Captain  Herbert  William  Hope  Beyts,  E.M.A.  (Centurion),  June  23rd. 
Wounded:  Captain  John  Rushworth  Jellicoe  (Centurioii),  June  21st. 

„          Lieutenant  Wyndham  Lerrier  Bamber  (Centurion),  June  21st. 

„          Lieutenant  Horatio  Walcott  Colomb l  (Endymion),  June  21st. 

„          Sub-Lieutenant  Lawrence  Walter  Braithwaite2  (Endymion),  June  22nd. 

„  Midshipman  Charles  Dominick  Burke  (Centurion),  June  2Jst. 

„          Midshipman  Frank  O'Brien  Wilson  (Centurion),  June  21st. 

„          Clerk  Augustus  Elliott  Tabuteau  (Centurion),  June  21st. 

The  total  losses  of  the  expeditionary  force  between  June  10th 
and  June  26th  were  2  officers  and  63  men  killed,  and  20  officers  and 
210  men  wounded,  or  295  casualties  in  all ;  of  whom  30  killed  and 
97  wounded  were  British.  Among  the  wounded  were  Captains 
von  Usedom,  I.G.N.,  and  (in  three  places)  B.  H.  McCalla,  U.S.N., 
both  of  whom  rendered  most  valuable  services. 

Sir  Edward  Seymour,3  who,  on  June  27th,  wrote  separate  and 
graceful  letters  of  thanks  to  the  senior  officer  of  each  nationality 
that  had  thus  so  loyally  co-operated  with  him,  made  special  mention, 
in  his  despatch  of  the  same  day  to  the  Admiralty,  of : 

Captain  John  Rushworth  Jellicoe4  (Centurion) ;  Commander  Charles  Delabere  Gran- 
ville5  (Centurion),  and  William  Osbert  Boothby6  (Endymion);  Lieutenants  George 
Murray  Kendall  Fair,  Horatio  Walcott  Colomb7  (Endymion),  Edward  George  Lowther- 
Crofton8  (Centurion),  and  Arthur  Gordon  Smith  (Aurora);  Midshipman  William 
Beverley  Courselles  Jones  9  (Centurion)  ;  acting  Gunner  Charles  Davidge  (Centurion); 
Major  James  Robert  Johnstone,10  R.M.L.I. ;  Captain  Richard  Osborn  Maclean  Doig, 
R.M.L.l. ;  Admiral's  Secretary  Francis  Cooke  Alton  n ;  Assistant-Paymaster  Charles 
John  Ehrhardt  Rotter12  (Centurion);  Fleet-Surgeon  Thomas  Martyn  Sibbald  (Cen- 
turion); Engineer  George  Herbert  Cockey8'9  (Centurion);  Assistant-Engineer  Arthur 
Ernest  Cossey 9  (Aurora) ;  and  Messrs.  Clive  Bigham,  Archibald  Currie,  C.  E.,  and 
C.  W.  Campbell.13 

Captain  Bowman  H.  McCalla,  U.S.N.,  reporting  to  his  govern- 
ment, also  mentioned  with  gratitude,  and  recommended  for  United 

1  Subsequently  again  wounded  at  Tientsin  Arsenal,  June  27.     Com.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 

2  Lieut.,  Nov.  9,  1900.  8  G.C.B.,  Nov.  9,  1900.  4  C.B.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 
5  Capt.,  Nov.  9,  1900.              •  Noted  for  promotion.  *  Com.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 
8  D.S.O.,  Nov.  9,  1900.                                           '  Noted  for  promotion. 

10  Brev.  Lt.-Col.,  Nov.  9,  1900.  "  Fleet-Paym.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 

12  Paymaster,  Nov.  9,  1900.  ls  Gazette,  Oct.  5,  1900. 

VOL.   VII.  2   M 


530      MILITARY  HISTORY    OF   THE   ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

States'  medals,  Vice-Admiral  Seymour,  Captain  Jellicoe,  Lieutenant 
Lowther-Crofton,  Major  Johnstone,E.  M.L.I.,  Fleet-Surgeon  Sibbald, 
and  Surgeons  Edward  Butler  Pickthorn  (Centurion),  and  Eric 
Danvers  Macnamara  (Endymion),  besides  paying  eloquent  testimony 
to  the  high  qualities  displayed  by  Sir  Edward  Seymour,  and  ex- 
pressing his  personal  sense  of  pleasure  at  having  been  asked  to  serve 


CAPT.   JOHN   RUSHWORTH   JELLICOE,   C.B.,    R.N. 

under  him,  and  to  command  officers  and  men  of  the  nationality  of  so 
gallant  a  Commander-in-Chief  .     Of  McCalla,  Sir  Edward  said  :  — 

"  Had  he  been  thoroughly  British,  he  could  not  have  more  kindly  and  loyally  stood 
by  me  in  every  way,  and  carried  out  any  wish  I  expressed."  ..."  Considering  the 
gallant  way  in  which  he  exposed  himself,  I  am  only  equally  surprised  and  thankful 
that  he  is  still  alive." 

It  is  because  of  Captain  McCalla's  own  approved  bravery  that 
the  following  two  paragraphs  from  his  despatch  specially  deserve  to 
be  handed  down  in  the  Eoyal  Navy.  Dealing  with  the  events  of 
the  21st,  he  said  :  — 

"Among  the  many  acts  of  courage  during  the  day  was  a  deed  of  conspicuous 
bravery  and  readiness  of  resource  which  reflects  credit  upon  the  whole  naval  profession, 
and  was  done  by  one  British  bluejacket  from  the  Centurion,  Edward  Turner,  and 
seaman  George,  from  the  Aurora.1  Shortly  after  the  enemy  opened  fire  from  the 
arsenal  grounds,  one  of  the  junks  in  which  there  were  British  and  American  wounded 
drifted  across  the  river,  and  grounded  against  the  bank  occupied  by  the  Chinese. 
These  two  bluejackets,  forming  a  part  of  the  guard  of  the  junk,  sprang  overboard,  and, 
pushing  the  junk  afloat,  towed  her  out  of  the  line  of  fire,  and  anchored  her  securely  to 
the  bank  ;  but,  unfortunately,  not  until  three  of  the  wounded  had  been  killed." 

And  of  the  events  of  the  23rd,  he  said  :— 

"At  early  dawn  a  heavy  fire  was  opened  upon  the  enclosure  ...  by  a  force  of 
Chinese  who  had  entered  the  grounds  during  the  night.  It  was  an  inspiriting  sight 
to  witness  the  promptness  and  courage  with  which  the  line  of  British  Marines,  unHer 
Major  Johnstone,  sprang  forward,  apparently  as  one  man,  and  drove  the  enemy  over 
the  western  rampart  and  on  to  the  plain  beyond." 

All  the  foreign  nationalities  co-operated  very  loyally  with  the 
British  ;  but  none,  perhaps,  showed  quite  the  same  fraternal  spirit 
as  the  Americans,  though  the  Germans  were  second  only  to  them. 
The  experience  was  unique.  On  a  purely  military  expedition,  yet 

1  George  really  belonged  to  the  Orlando.  He  was  given  the  Conspicuous  Gallantry 
Medal  in  1901.  Gold  medals  from  the  Life-Saving  Assoc.  of  New  York,  with  personal 
letters  of  thanks  from  the  Sec.  of  the  U.S.  Navy,  were  subsequently  forwarded  to 
Herbert  George,  A.B.  (Orlando),  and  Edward  Turner,  L.S.  (Centurion). 


1900.]  RELIEF   OF  ADMIRAL   SEYMOUR.  531 

without  the  support  of  a  single  soldier,  seamen  and  marines  of  eight 
nationalities,  European,  American,  and  Asiatic,  served  together 
under  a  British  flag-officer  for  a  fortnight.1 

Sir  Edward  Seymour,  as  has  been  said  already,  was  absolutely 
right  in  starting  up  country  for  Peking  with  such  force  as  he  could 
collect.  The  necessity  was  terribly  pressing.  Yet  it  must  be 
recollected  that,  by  acting  as  he  did,  he  temporarily  crippled  the 
four  British  vessels  from  which  he  drew  his  officers  and  men ;  and 
that,  therefore,  except  in  the  face  of  the  very  gravest  necessity,  he 
would  have  been  wrong ;  for,  after  all,  a  naval  commander's  first 
business  is,  save  on  such  exceptional  occasions,  to  preserve  the 
fighting  efficiency  of  his  ships  for  utilisation  afloat,  especially  when, 
as  was  the  case  in  China,  there  is  a  reasonable  possibility  that  the 
ships  may  be  called  upon,  at  a  moment's  notice,  to  proceed  to 
sea,  or  even  to  go  into  action  in  defence  of  the  interests  of  their 
countrymen. 


REAR-ADMIRAL    SIR    JAMES   ANDREW   THOMAS    BRUCE,    K.C.B. 

{Signature  as  Captain.) 

During  Vice-Admiral  Seymour's  absence,  indeed,  some  of  the 
vessels  at  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho  were  obliged  by  circumstances  to 
go  into  action.  According  to  a  British  naval  officer's  letter  in  the 
North  China  News,  they  had  not  enough  men  in  them  to  work  them 
properly ;  and,  in  consequence,  a  catastrophe  might  have  easily 
resulted.  At  the  same  time,  as  will  be  seen,  the  resources  of  the 
Navy  were  severely  taxed  in  other  ways. 

On  June  llth,  on  the  day,  that  is,  following  Seymour's  departure 
to  attempt  the  relief  of  the  legations,  the  first-class  battleship 
Barfleur,  Captain  George  John  Scott  Warrender,  bearing  the  flag  of 
Bear-Admiral  James  Andrew  Thomas  Bruce,  second  in  command 

1  Authorities :  Despa.  of  Seymour,  and  each  of  the  senior  officers :  corr.  in  Globe 
(Aug.  17,  27,  28),  Times,  Express,  Nav.  and  Mil.  Record ;  notes  and  officers'  letters  in 
Globe  and  Laurel ;  Mids.  George  Gripps,  '  The  Fighting  in  North  China ' ;  numerous 
private  letters. 

2  M  2 


532      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

on  the  station,  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho  from  Wei-hai-Wei, 

and  found  there  a  considerable  fleet  of  British,  American,  German, 

Austrian,  French,  Kussian,  Japanese,  and  Italian  ships  of  war.     On 

the  night  of  the  14th,  news  came  down  the  river  to  the  effect  that  all 

the  rolling  stock  on  the  Peking  line  had  been  ordered  to  be  sent  up 

for  the  purpose  of  bringing  down  a  Chinese  army  to  Tongku,  where, 

of  course,  it   would  sever  the   communications   of   the   allies  with 

Tientsin.     The  senior  naval  officer  in  the  Peiho,  the  Russian  Vice- 

Admiral  Hiltebrandt,  at  once  summoned  a  council  of  his  colleagues, 

and,  as  a  result,  directions  were  sent  to  the  captains  of  ships  above 

the   bar  to  prevent   any  railway  plant   from   being  removed  from 

Tongku,  to  stop  any  Chinese  army  from  reaching  that  place,  and, 

if  necessary,  to  use  force  and  to  destroy  the  Taku  Forts.     On  the 

following  day  came  the  further  report  that  the  Chinese  were  laying 

down  electric  mines    to  block  the   mouth  of   the   river.      On   the 

morning  of  the  16th,  after  another  council  had  been  held  on  board 

the  Eussian  flagship  Eossia,  notice  was  sent  to  the  Viceroy  of  Chili 

at  Tientsin,  and  to  the  commandant  of  the  Forts,  that,  looking  to 

the  position  of  the  allied  forces  in  the  Peiho,  and  to  the  situation  of 

the    expedition   under  Seymour,  it  was  purposed,  with  or  without 

permission,  to  occupy  the  Taku  Forts  at  2  A.M.  on  the  17th ;  and 

orders  to   that  effect  were   given  to   the  allied  commanders  above 

the    bar,    the    senior   of   whom    was    Captain   Dobrovolski,    of   the 

Eussian  gunboat  Bobr.     The  vessels  then  above   the   bar  were  as 

follows  : — 


NATIONALITY. 

SHIP. 

DISPL. 
Toxs. 

COMMANDER. 

GCNS. 

British  .     .     . 

Alfferine,  sip. 

1050 

(Com.   Robert    Hathorn  John-    r6-25  pr.    Q.  j    4-3    pr.    Q.  j    3 
1     ston  Stewart                             \\     Maxims. 



Fame,  destr. 

272 

/Lieut.  Roger  John  Brownlow 
(     Keyes 

1-12  pr.  Q.  ;  5-6  pr.  Q. 



Whiting,  dcstr. 

300 

Lieut.  Colin  MacKenzie 

1-1  2  pr.  Q.  ;  6-6  pr.  Q. 

Russian      .     . 

Sotr,  g.b. 

950 

Capt.  Dobrovolski 

M-9  in.  B.  ;  1-6  in.  B.  :  6-9  pr. 
1     B.  ;  5-1  pr.  Q. 

» 

Giliak,  g.b. 

963 



w 



Korietz,  cruls. 

1713 



/2-S  in.  B.  ;  1-6  in.  B.  ;  2-6  pr. 
1    Q.  ;  2-3  '9  in.:  4-1  pr. 

Several  torpedo- 

boats. 

German      .     . 

ntis,  g.b. 

895 

Com.  Lans 

4-3  •  9  in.  Q.  ;  4-6  pr.  Q.  ;  2  m  ach. 

French  . 

Lion,  g.b. 

473 



2-5-5  in.  B.  ;  2-3'9  in.  B. 

Japanese    . 

Atago,  g.b. 

614 



f!8-2in.  B.;  1-4-  7  in.  B.;  2-1  in. 
I     mach. 

United  States  . 

Monocacy,  padd. 

1370 

Com.  F.  M.  Wise 

14-8  in.  M.  ;  2-60  pr.  B.  j  1-3  pr. 
<     how.  :   1-12  pr.  s.  b.   how.  : 

(    2-3  pr.  Q.  ;  6-i  pr.  Q.  ;  llhach. 

The  situation  of  the  forts  will  be  seen  from  the  accompanying  plan. 
They  were  armed  partly  with  modern  4  •  7-inch  (12  cm.)  Krupps  and 
5 -inch  Vavaseurs  mounted  en  barbette  behind  "shields,  but  also 


1900.] 


ATTACK   ON   THE   TAKU  FORTS. 


533 


with  rifled  and  smooth-bored  muzzle-loaders,  and  they  had  large 
garrisons. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  Monocacy  and  Atago  should  remain  on 
guard  just  below  Tongku,  and  that  the  fighting,  if  it  became  neces- 
sary, should  be  done  by  the  other  vessels,  which,  accordingly,  were 
ordered  to  take  up  certain  assigned  stations  by  4  A.M.  on  the  17th. 
They  were  reinforced  with  extra  men  from  the  ships  lower  down , 
so  as  to  be  able  to  land  detachments  ;  and  other  reinforcements  were 
sent  to  Tongku.  The  Algerine  took  up  her  appointed  station  soon 


ATTACK  ON  THE  PEIHO  FORTS:  1900 

C/tieffy  from  «  jyian    in  the 
"jifititar 


\.Atfferine.  tilt  53Oajn. 


after  8  P.M.  on  the  16th,  lying  about  a  mile  above  the  North- West 
Fort,  and  clearing  for  action,  with  the  Korietz,  Giliak,  and  Bobr,  in 
order  above  her.  Two  miles  still  further  up  were  the  Lion,  and, 
immediately  above  her,  the  Iltis ;  but,  soon  after  the  action  began, 
the  Iltis  moved  down  next  to  the  Algerine,  and  the  Lion  put  herself 
between  the  Iltis  and  the  Korietz ;  so  that,  at  about  2  A.M.,  and 
thenceforward  till  about  4.30  A.M.,  the  order  of  the  line,  from  below 
upwards,  was  Algerine,  Iltis,  Lion,  Korietz,  Griliak,  Bobr,  and,  still 
further  up,  Atago  and  Monocacy.  At  4.30  A.M.  the  Iltis  dropped 
down  past  the  Algerine  to  within  a  third  of  a  mile  of  the  North- 


534      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

West  Fort,  there  remaining  until  about  5.30  A.M.,  when  she  and 
the  Algerine,  followed  by  most  of  the  other  vessels,  moved  to 
a  fresh  position  nearly  due  east  of  the  South  Fort,  and  about 
five  hundred  yards  from  it.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  Giliak 
shifted  her  billet  until  later,  when  the  firing  was  practically  over. 
She  had  a  compartment  full  of  water.  One  correspondent 1  stated 
that  the  Monocacy,  lying  off  Tongku,  had  an  8-inch  shell  right 
through  her. 

After  receiving  the  ultimatum,  the  Chinese,  instead  of  waiting 
for  the  time  of  grace  to  expire,  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  ships 
at  fifty  minutes  past  midnight.  The  allies  replied,  and,  within  a 
few  minutes,  the  engagement  was  general.  Captain  Dobrovolski, 
according  to  Russian  accounts,  at  once  sent  some  of  the  torpedo- 
boats  which  were  with  him  to  watch  certain  Chinese  cruisers,2 
which  were  lying  in  the  roads  below.  Commander  Stewart,  in 
pursuance  of  previous  arrangements,  despatched  at  the  same  time 
the  Fame  and  Whiting  to  cut  out  four  Chinese  destroyers  lying 
alongside  the  Government  dockyard  at  Taku.  The  experiences  of 
these  will  be  followed  later. 

In  the  meantime  the  following  landing  force  had  been  organised : 
British,  23  officers,  298  men,  under  Commander  Christopher  George 
Francis  Maurice  Cradock  (Alacrity) ;  German,  3  officers,  130  men, 
under  Commander  Pohl  (Hansa) ;  Japanese,  4  officers,  240  men, 
"  under  Commander  Hattori  (Kasagi)  ;  Eussian,  2  officers,  157  men, 
under  a  military  officer,  Lieutenant  Stankevitch  ;  Italian,  1  officer, 
24  men,  under  Lieutenant  Tanca  (Calabria) ;  and  Austrian,  2  officers, 
20  men,  under  Lieutenant  Ernst  Stenner3  (Zenta).  Part  of  this 
force  was  to  advance  from  Tongku  by  the  road  north  of  the  river, 
and  was  to  be  met  by  the  British  contingent,  which  was  to  land 
abreast  of  the  Algerine.  In  the  result,  a  certain  number  of  men 
were  also  thrown  ashore  by  the  other  vessels  engaged,  so  as  to 
reinforce  the  Tongku  column.  The  German  and  Japanese  com- 
manders courteously  offered  the  direction  of  the  operations  to 

1  Nav.  and  Mil.  Sec.,  Aug.  9,  1900.     Lieut.  W.  C.  Davidson,  U.S.N.,  says  it  was 
a  0-in.  projectile.     Procs.  of  U.S.  Nav.  Inst,  Dec.  1900. 

2  These  were  ultimately  boarded  by  boats  from  the   allied   fleet,  and,  without 
resistance  being  offered,  the  breech-pieces  were  removed  from  the  guns,  and  the  charges 
from  the  torpedoes.     Italia  Mil.  e  Marina. 

3  The  Gazette  of  Oct.  5,  1900,  owing  to  slovenly  editing,  printed  this  officer's  name 
and  ship  as  "  Lieutenant  Ernt.  Tatniams  Quenta."     I  am  indebted  for  the  real  name 
to  Capt.  Leopold  Bitter  von  Jedina,  of  the  Imp.  Aust.-Hung.  Navy. 


1900.]  BOMBARDMENT   OF   THE  FORTS.  535 

Commander  Cradock  ;  but  it  would  appear  that  there  was  some 
independent  action,  seeing  that  Stankevitch  reports  that,  at  a  given 
period,  he  "  invited  "  Commander  Pohl  to  begin  the  attack,  and  that 
Pohl  refused,  on  the  ground  that  the  fire  from  the  forts  had  not 
then  been  sufficiently  weakened. 

The  landing-party  from  the  Algerine,  including  the  Italians,  who 
had  made  rendezvous  on  board  her,  was  set  ashore  within  about  an 
hour  of  the  opening  of  the  engagement.  Meantime,  the  bombard- 
ment was  hot.  The  Algerine  first  directed  all  those  of  her  4-inch 
guns  that  would  bear  on  the  North-West  Fort;  but,  finding  that 
much  ammunition  was  being  expended,  and  that  the  shooting  in  the 
moonlight  was  not  very  accurate,  Stewart  presently  continued  firing 
only  one  4-inch.  The  lit  is,  followed  by  the  Lion,  dropped  down  and 
took  up  position  soon  after  1.30  A.M.  ;  and,  at  about  the  same  time, 
the  tug  Fa  Wan,  which  till  then  had  been  alongside  the  Algerine, 
shoved  off  and  went  up  to  Tientsin,  with  orders  and  stores.  At 
2.45  came  news  from  Commander  Cradock  that  he  was  about  to 
assault  the  North- West  Fort.  The  ships,  therefore,  ceased  firing  at 
it,  continuing  to  bombard  the  North  and  South  Forts  only ;  but,  at 
3.45,  came  another  message,  to  the  effect  that  the  North-West  Fort 
was  practically  untouched,  and  far  too  strong  to  be  yet  attempted  ; 
and,  as  it  was  then  daylight,  it  was  found  possible  to  do  it  serious 
damage  within  the  following  hour,  the  Algerine  again  using  all  her 
starboard  4-inch  guns  against  it,  and  the  Iltis  making  excellent 
practice.  By  4.30  A.M.  the  work  had  almost  ceased  to  reply. 

At  5.30,  Stewart,  having  hoisted  a  prearranged  signal,  weighed, 
and,  followed  by  all  the  vessels  except  the  Giliak,  which  could  not 
move,  passed  down  the  river,  engaging  the  North  Fort,  which  made 
no  return,  and  the  South  Fort,  which  returned  a  very  heavy  fire. 
It  was  then  that  most  of  the  casualties  occurred.  The  Algerine 
suffered  no  worse  damage  than  a  steam-cutter  hulled  at  the  davits,  a 
few  cowls  shot  through,  and  some  standing  and  running  rigging  cut 
away,  and  she  had  only  half  a  dozen  people  hurt.  The  Griliak l  had 
already  had  10  killed,  and  2  officers  and  47  men  wounded,  one 
or  two  shots  below  the  waterline,  a  small  magazine  exploded  by  a 
shell,  and  a  steam-pipe  severed ;  but,  not  moving,  suffered  no 
further.  The  Iltis  lost  her  gunner  and  7  men  killed,  and  her 
commander  and  about  30  men  wounded ;  the  Lion  had  1  man 

1  She  had  attracted  attention  to  her  position  by  unwisely  using  her  searchlight. 


536      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

mortally  wounded ;  the  Korietz  had  2  officers  and  several  men  killed 
and  wounded ;  and  only  the  Bobr  seems  to  have  escaped  scot  free. 
The  Iltis  was  fought  in  a  most  magnificent  manner,  and  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  whole  squadron.  As  for  the  unfortunate  Giliak, 
she  had  much  difficulty  in  extinguishing  a  fire  which  broke  out  in 
her,  as  she  had  no  steam  available,  and  had  to  work  her  pumps  by 
hand.  Stewart  gave  warm  praise  for  their  behaviour  to  Lieu- 
tenants Arthur  Sydney  Chambers,  George  Duncan,  and  Sydney 
Robinson. 

Having  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river,  abreast  of  the  South 
Fort,  at  about  6.20  A.M.,  the  ships  continued  firing,  blowing  up  a 
magazine  at  6.55,  and  so  silencing  the  work.  At  7.10  A.M.  the 
engagement  ceased. 

As  regards  the  proceedings  of  the  Fame  and  Whiting,  Lieutenant 
Keyes  says : — 

"  In  compliance  with  your  order  of  16th  inst.,  to  take  H.M.S.  Whiting  under  my 
command  and  capture  the  four  Imperial  Chinese  destroyers  lying  between  Taku  and 
Tongku,  so  as  to  ensure  the  safe  passage  of  the  Iltis,  German,  and  Lion,  French,  gun- 
vessels  at  3  A.M.,  I  beg  to  report  that,  having  visited  the  place  during  the  evening  with 
Lieutenant  and  Commander  MacKcnzie,  of  H.M.S.  Whiting,  and  found  them  moored 
head  and  stern  in  single  line  off  the  smith  steep-to  bank,  with  wire  hawsers  laid  out 
from  each  bow  and  quarter;  I  arranged  as  follows:  That  the  Fame  should  weigh  at 
2  A.M.,  followed  by  the  Whiting  at  a  distance  of  about  one  and  a  half  cables  (the 
distance  between  the  fourth  and  second  destroyers).  Each  vessel  to  tow  a  whaler, 
with  a  boarding  party  of  twelve  men,  under  Lieutenants  [Wilfred]  Tomkinson ' 
(Fame),  and  [John  Alfred]  Moreton  (Whiting).  That  we  should  pass  well  out  in 
the  stream,  to  give  them  the  idea  we  were  proceeding  up  the  river,  and,  when  the 
Fame's  bow  was  abreast  of  No.  4,  and  the  Whitini/'s  abreast  of  No.  2,  sheer  in  and 
board  them  over  the  bow,  each  whaler  boarding  the  next  astern,  and  each  boarding 
party  being  covered  by  a  rifle  party  and  the  guns. 

"  When  the  forts  commenced  the  heavy  firing  about  0.45,  both  ships  being  in  a 
very  exposed  position,  and  the  necessity  of  clearing  immediate,  I  directed  the  Whiting 
to  weigh  and  proceed  as  arranged.  This  was  eifected  most  successfully.  After  a 
slight  resistance,  and  the  exchange  of  a  few  shots,  the  crews  were  driven  overboard 
or  below  hatches.  There  were  a  few  killed  and  wounded;  our  casualties  nil.  No 
damage  was  done  to  the  prizes.  The  Fame's  bow  was  slightly  bent  when  we  closed 
to  board,  and  the  Whiting  was  struck  by  a  projectile  of  about  4  or  5  in.2  abreast  a 
coal  bunker.  This  was  evidently  fired  from  a  mud  battery  on  the  bend  between 
Taku  and  Tongku,  which  fired  in  all  about  thirty  shots  at  us,  none  of  the  others 
striking,  though  several  came  very  close.  I  could  not  reply  for  fear  of  striking  the 
Russian  gun-vessels  lying  behind  it.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  sniping  from  the  dock- 
yard, so  I  directed  all  cables  of  the  prizes  to  be  slipped,  and  proceeded  to  tow  them  up 


1  The  Gazette  carelessly  printed  this  officer's  name  as  Tomlinson. 

2  MacKenzie  says,  "one  5-in.  shot  in  the  hull  just  forward  of  engine-room  bulk- 
head, starboard  side,  passing  through  bunker  (full),  carrying  away  wing  door  of  boiler, 
and  damaging  several  tubes  and  putting  No.  4  boiler  out  of  action."     But  the  destroyer 
was  still  able  to  steam. 


1900.]  CHINESE  DESTROYERS   CAPTURED.  537 

to  Tongku.  At  this  point  Mr.  Macrae,  the  Manager  of  the  Tug  and  Lighter  Company, 
came  to  my  help.  I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  this  gentleman's  assistance.  He  took 
one  destroyer  off  my  hands,  as  did  another  of  the  same  company's  tugs  for  the  Whiting. 
In  the  former  case  Mr.  Macrae  had  to  use  force,  with  the  assistance  of  one  of  my  men 
on  the  Chinese  crew,  most  of  whom  tried  to  jump  overboard  when  we  came  under 
the  fire  of  the  mud  battery.  In  the  latter  case  Mr.  Mayne,1  Midshipman,  of  the 
Barflmir,  was  in  command  of  a  guard  of  seamen  with  a  Maxim,  and  also  did  very  well. 
So  soon  as  the  destroyers  were  captured  the  Iltis  and  Lion  passed.  The  torpedoes 
were  in  the  tubes,  but  war  heads  were  not  fitted.  Ammunition  for  Q.F.  guns  in  two 
destroyers  was  on  deck. 

"  By  5  A.M.  they  were  securely  berthed  at  Tongku.  It  was  not  a  good  position, 
owing  to  shell  passing  over  the  bombarding  ships,  but  the  best  I  could  find  under 
the  circumstances.  Fortunately  no  damage  was  done. 

"Mr.  Mayne,  Midshipman,  in  charge  of  a  tug2  with  despatches  and  stores  for 
Tientsin,  informed  me  that  his  Chinese  crew  would  not  pass  a  fort  12  miles  up  the 
river  at  Lun  Chang ; s  so  I  proceeded,  in  company  with  the  Whiting,  to  force  a  passage 
if  necessary.  Finding  no  opposition,  I  returned,  as  directed  by  you,  to  Taku." 

Two  of  the  captured  destroyers  were  the  Hai  Lung  and  Hai 
Cheng. 

Keyes  mentioned  with  approval  the  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Wilfred 
Tomkinson,  Gunner  George  Mascull,4  and  Engineer  George  Gerald 
Knight ;  and  MacKenzie  reported  highly  of  the  behaviour  of  Lieu- 
tenant John  Alfred  Moreton.  Of  the  prizes,  one  was  given  to  the 
Germans,  one  to  the  Eussians,  and  one  to  the  French.  The  one 
kept  by  the  British  was  renamed  Taku,  and  commissioned  by 
Lieutenant  Tomkinson.  The  Whiting  was  sent  to  Nagasaki  for 
repairs,  and  was  back  in  the  Peiho  on  July  9th. 

Commander  Cradock,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  international 
landing  party  at  the  capture  of  the  forts,  reported  :— 

"  It  was  arranged  that,  after  an  effective  bombardment,  the  north-west  fort  should 
be  the  first  to  be  attacked ;  then  the  north  fort  (on  the  same  side  of  the  river),  and 
finally  the  long  string  of  south  forts  on  the  other  bank.  Before  the  advance  it  was 
agreed  that  half  the  British  should  have5  the  firing  line,  with  the  Italians  on  the 
left,  and  the  Germans  and  Japanese  ;  and  that  the  other  half  of  the  British,  with 
the  Russians  and  Austrians,  should  form  the  supports  and  reserves.  ...  At  2.45  A.M., 
when  some  2500  yards  from  the  north  face  of  the  fort,  the  advance  commenced, 
deploying  from  the  right,  which  flank  rested  on  the  river  bank.  The  whole  ground 
1000  yards  this  side  of  the  fort  was  hard  mud,  but,  unfortunately,  quite  flat,  without 
a  vestige  of  cover.  The  objective  of  the  British  was  to  force  or  scale  the  west  gate, 
and,  this  done,  to  endeavour  to  gain  an  entrance  into  the  inner  fort  by  means  of  another 
gate,  the  whereabouts  of  which  was  not  quite  clear.  To  do  this  they  were  to  advance 


1  Ronald  Clinton  Mayne  was  noted  for  promotion. 

2  The  Fa,  Wan,  which  had  left  the  Algerine  at  1.30  A.M. 

3  MacKenzie  calls  it  Sheng  Shing. 

4  This  officer  was  awarded  the  Conspicuous  Service  Cross,  soon  after  the  institution 
of  that  decoration. 

0  The  Gazette  misprints  part  of  this  sentence,  and  my  version  is  conjectural. 


538      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

in  skirmishing  order  to  within  50  yards  of  the  moat  on  the  north  face ;  then  close  on 
the  right,  swing  round  the  corner  of  the  fort  along  the  military  road,  the  right  flank 
leading  in  loose  formation,  and  seeking  what  cover  the  right  bank  might  afford,  and 
charge  on  the  west  entrance. 

"  The  advance  continued  until  within  1000  yards  of  the  fort,  when  I  could  plainly 
see  that,  owing  to  the  darkness,  it  had  suffered  little  from  gun  fire,  and  was  practically 
intact,  no  guns  being  silenced.  I  therefore  halted  the  men,  and  returned  myself  to 
consult  the  other  commanding  officers  as  to  continuing.  It  was  at  once  unanimously 
agreed  that,  to  take  it  in  its  present  condition,  all  its  guns  being  still  in  action,  would 
entail  a  serious  and  unnecessary  loss  of  life ;  and  it  was  therefore  decided  to  retire 
slightly  for  the  cover  afforded  by  a  bend  in  the  river,  and  wait  until  the  fort  was 
further  reduced. 

"It  was  not  until  4.30  A.M.,  half  an  hour  after  dawn,  that  the  heavy  ordnance  was 
finally  silenced  by  the  ships,  although  two  field  guns,  which  had  been  previously 
silenced,  now  began  to  play  on  the  attacking  party. 

"  The  second  formation  of  attack  was  different  from  the  first.  On  the  previous 
retirement  the  Alacrity's  and  Endymion's  men  had  been  ordered  to  remain  300  yards  to 
the  front,  as  an  observation  party.  They  were  under  cover  of  a  small  rising,  and, 
shortly  before  the  advance,  were  joined  by  the  Russians  on  the  left. 

"  In  the  firing  line  were  the  Alacrity's  and  Endyndon's  on  the  right,  Russians  on 
the  left,  and  Italians,  in  loose  formation,  immediately  on  the  right  flank,  the  military 
road  slightly  interfering  with  their  getting  into  line.  The  Barfleur's  closed  in  the 
rear  of  the  fighting  line,  reinforcing  while  the  charge  was  sounded.  The  foreign  forces 
and  the  remainder  of  the  British  were  in  close  support,  the  Russians  inclining  to  the 
left  to  make  their  attack  on  the  right  rear. 

"When  the  charge  was  sounded  the  Japanese  doubled  up  from  the  supports  in 
column  of  route  along  the  road,  and  raced  with  the  British  along  the  intervening 
300  yards  to  the  west  gate,  the  two  nations  scaling  the  parapet  together. 

"Part  of  the  British  force  also  gained  an  entrance  through  two  gun  ports,  and 
over  a  low  part  of  the  ramparts  to  the  right  of  the  gates,  which  were  utilised '  by  my 
officers  through  the  instrumentality  of  Lieut.  Duncan,  of  H.M.S.  Algerine,  who,  from 
previous  observation  on  shore,  had  found  these  weak  spots. 

"  The  inner  and  second  gate  was  forced  by  rifle  fire  from  the  British  and  Japanese  ; 
and,  this  done,  the  fort  was  practically  ours.  .  .  .  The  remaining  forts  were  taken 
with  slight  resistance ;  and  after  the  north  fort  was  captured  the  British  and  Germans 
were  each  able  to  turn  and  work  one  of  the  fort's  guns  on  the  still  active  artillery  in 
the  south  fort  across  the  river." 

According  to  German  accounts,2  although  the  Russians  headed 
the  assault,  the  muddy  nature  of  the  ground  enabled  the  nimbler 
Japanese  to  overtake  them.  The  Japanese  would  then  have  been 
first  in,  had  not  Commander  Hattori  been  shot  down.  Owing  to 
this,  Commander  Pohl  was  "  one  of  the  first  "  to  enter  the  fort. 
Dobrovolski  says  that  "  he  heard  afterwards "  that  the  troops 
who  led  the  attack  were  Russians  and  English ;  and  Stankevitch 
reports  that  "  though  the  English  wavered  at  first,  they  finally 
advanced  with  the  Russians."  The  Russians  also  claim3  that 
Stankevitch  and  four  of  his  men  were  first  in,  but  that,  as  they 

1  Again  the  Gazette  has  obvious  misprints  or  omissions,  and  1  have  to  conjecture. 

2  In  Militiir  Wochenblatt.  3  Dobrovolski. 


1900.]  KEYES  AT  HSIN  CHENG.  539 

had  no  flag,  the  British  flag  was  the  first  to  be  hoisted  over  the 
work.  Numerous  eye-witnesses,  however,  bear  out  the  substantial 
truth  of  Bear-Admiral  Bruce's  report  that — 

"  The  Japanese  and  British  stormed  the  north-west  fort  together,  and  the  Japanese 
commander  was,  I  believe,  the  first  man  in,  and  then  assisted  Commander  Cradock 
up,  when,  I  much  regret  to  say,  the  Japanese  commander  was  killed." 

The  casualties  were,  happily,  not  heavy,  the  British  losing  only 
1  killed  and  13  wounded.1  After  the  forts  had  been  captured,  it 
was  arranged  that,  so  far  as  possible,  one  should  be  occupied  by 
each  nation ;  and,  accordingly,  the  North-West  one  was  occupied 
by  the  British,  and  put  into  a  good  defensive  state. 

Cradock  mentioned,  as  having  distinguished  themselves,  Lieu- 
tenants Eric  Charrington  2  (Alacrity),  and  Arthur  Eussell  Hulbert 
(Endymion),  and  Midshipmen  Dennis  de  Courcy  Anstruther 
Herbert4  (Orlando),  Lionel  Henry  Shore4  (Barfleur),  and  Charles 
Cabry  Dix4  (Barfleur),  the  last  of  whom  "undoubtedly  saved  his 
Lieutenant's  life."  Surgeon  Eobley  Henry  John  Browne 5  (Alacrity), 
was  praised  for  his  attention  to  the  wounded. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that,  on  June  25th,  Captain  George 
John  Scott  Warrender  (Barfleur),  then  in  command  of  the  Naval 
Brigade  at  Tongku,  ordered  the  destroyer  Fame  to  reconnoitre, 
and  if  possible  destroy  all  munitions  of  war  in  Hsin  Cheng  fort, 
up  the  river.  Lieutenant  Keyes  accordingly  embarked  Lieutenant 
George  Duncan  and  twelve  men  from  the  Algerine  at  6  A.M. 
on  the  following  day,  and  proceeded.  Anchoring  the  Fame 
off  the  work,  he  landed  with  32  men,  took  precautions  against 
surprise,  entered  the  fort  without  opposition,  blew  up  the  magazine, 
and  disabled  six  15  cm.  (5'9-in.)  Krupp  breechloaders  on  recoil 
mountings,  which  commanded  the  river  and  the  Tientsin  road. 
The  damage  was  done  by  putting  a  2^1b.  charge  of  gun-cotton 
under  the  trunnions  of  each  piece,  thus  shattering  and  bending 
the  carriage,  but  not  permanently  injuring  the  weapon  itself.  By 
the  explosion  of  the  magazine,  two  seamen  were  unfortunately  hurt. 
Keyes  reported  that  in  all  probability  there  were  further  munitions 
of  war  which  he  had  not  been  able  to  discover. 

1  Some  of  the  wounded,  among  whom  was  Asst.-Paym.  Herbert  James  Hargraves, 
seem   to  have  been   hit  on  board  the  Alyerine,  seeing  that  Cradock   reported   only 
one  killed  and  six  wounded.     Compare  Bruce  of  June  17  with  Cradock  of  same  date. 

2  D.S.O.,  Nov.  9,  1900.  3  Com.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 

4  Noted  for  promotion.  5  Staff  Surg.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 


540      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

While  these  operations  were  in  progress,  serious  events  were 
happening  at  Tientsin.  The  course  of  them  is  well  summarised 
in  a  dispatch  sent  thence  on  July  8th  by  Vice-Admiral  Seymour. 

When  the  Commander-in-Chief  departed  on  June  10th,  to 
attempt  to  reach  Peking,  Captain  Edward  Henry  Bayly  (Aurora), 
was  left  in  charge  of  the  British  forces  at  Tientsin.  That  officer 
immediately  discovered  that  the  Chinese  were  doing  all  that  lay 
in  their  power  to  prevent  trains  from  being  sent  forward  to 
Seymour  with  reinforcements,  and  to  interrupt  his  communica- 
tions. Trains  were  sent  through  only  with  difficulty ;  and  on  the 
14th,  the  tearing  up  of  sections  of  the  line,  and  the  impossibility 
of  effecting  repairs,  cut  off  the  expedition  from  its  base.  On  and 
after  that  day,  Captain  James  Henry  Thomas  Burke  (Orlando), 
took  command  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  Captain  Bayly  remaining 
Commandant  of  the  settlement.  From  the  10th  to  the  16th, 
Lieutenant  Charles  Donnison  Eoper  (Aurora),  with  50  men,  was 
detached  from  Tientsin  to  Tongshan  to  protect  British  railway 
servants  there.  He  then  withdrew  with  the  Europeans  to  Peitaho, 
and  there,  on  the  21st,  embarked  in  the  Humber,  Commander  Henry 
Jocelyn  Davison,  for  Taku. 

In  the  meantime  it  had  become  clear  that  Tientsin  was  to  be 
attacked.  The  Chinese  in  the  place  shut  up  their  shops  and  left 
the  European  settlements.  Very  fortunately,  150  British  seamen 
and  Marines,  under  Commander  David  Beatty,  D.S.O.  (Barfleur), 
had  reached  the  town  on  the  llth,  and  about  1700  Kussians,  with 
cavalry  and  field-guns,  on  the  13th.  On  the  15th,  some  mission- 
houses  in  the  French  settlement  and  the  cathedral  in  the  native 
city  were  burnt,  and  the  telegraph  wire  to  Taku  was  cut.  That 
night  a  search-light  train  patrolled  the  line  between  Tientsin  and 
Tongku,  and  200  Eussians  occupied  the  station  at  Chun  Liang 
Cheng.  On  the  day  following  the  Boxers  made  the  first  of  their 
attacks  on  the  settlements  and  upon  the  railway  station,  which 
was  held  by  the  Eussians,  but  were  driven  off.  A  repairing  train 
was  set  to  work  on  the  up  line.  Another  train,  sent  to  Tongku, 
was  fired  at  by  the  forts  near  that  place,  and  returned  to  Tientsin 
next  morning.  On  the  17th,  the  repairing  train,  which  had  a  gun 
mounted  in  it,  went  with  a  small  naval  force  under  Midshipman 
Henry  Crosby  Halahan,  and  defeated  about  80  or  90  Chinese 
troops  outside  the  station.  The  Eussians,  assisted  by  Lieutenant 
George  Bingham  Powell  (Aurora),  with  a  6-pr.,  also  went  out 


1900.]  DEFENCE   OF  TIENTSIN.  541 

and  inflicted  losses  on  the  enemy.  The  Military  College,  on  the 
river,  opposite  the  British  concession,  was  taken  by  an  allied 
force  under  Major  Edward  Vyvyan  Luke,  E. M.L.I.  (Barfleur)  :l 
and  the  buildings  and  guns  found  there  were  destroyed.  While 
these  operations  were  going  forward,  guns  in  the  native  city 
opened  a  desultory  bombardment  of  the  foreign  settlement.  It  was 
deemed  advisable  to  attempt  to  withdraw  the  Kussian  force  from 
Chun  Liang  Cheng  station ;  but  a  train  sent  in  that  direction 
on  the  18th,  under  Lieutenant  Frederick  Laurence  Field  (Barfleur), 
failed  to  reach  the  place,  owing  to  the  damaged  condition  of  the 
line,  and,  after  a  brisk  engagement,  returned  just  in  time  to  help, 
by  a  flank  attack,  in  repulsing  a  Chinese  assault  upon  Tientsin 
railway  station.  The  Russians  there  had  been  hard  pressed,  but 
had  been  succoured  by  two  British  companies  under  Commander 
Beatty,  with  a  9-pr.  under  Lieutenant  Philip  Nithsdale  Wright 
(Orlando). 

On  June  19th  two  Chinese  field-guns  were  posted  near  the 
railway  embankment  opposite  the  British  concession,  and  opened 
an  annoying  fire.  Commander  Beatty,  with  three  companies  of 
seamen,  crossed  the  river,  hoping  to  capture  them  with  a  rush ; 
and  a  body  of  Russians  moved  out  at  the  same  time  to  co-operate  ; 
but  the  British  were  suddenly  enfiladed  by  a  large  hostile  force, 
which  took  post  behind  a  mud  wall,  and  poured  in  so  heavy  a  fire 
that  retreat  was  necessary.  In  this  affair,  15  of  the  British  were 
wounded,  including  Commander  Beatty,  Lieutenants  George 
Bingham  Powell  (Aurora),  and  Anselan  John  Buchanan  Stirling 
(Barfleur),  and  Midshipman  Archibald  Philip  Donaldson  (Barfleur). 
The  last  named  was  badly  hit,  and  died  on  July  3rd.  The  Chinese 
were,  however,  obliged  by  the  fire  of  a  9-pr.  on  the  Bund  to  remove 
their  two  pieces.  In  directing  the  fire  of  this  gun  from  the  roof 
of  the  consulate,  Lieutenant  Wright  (Orlando)  was  wounded  in 
two  places.  In  the  evening,  Mr.  J.  Watts,  of  the  Tientsin 
Volunteers,  undertook,  with  a  guard  of  three  Cossacks,  to  ride  to 
Taku  with  dispatches ;  and,  thanks  to  his  pluck,  and  his  great 
knowledge  of  the  country,  he  got  through  in  safety.  On  the  two 
following  days,  although  the  bombardment  of  the  Concession  con- 
tinued, only  small  and  unimportant  skirmishes  took  place.  On 
the  22nd,  troops  were  seen  afar  off  advancing  from  the  direction 

1  The  British  contingent  lost  one  killed  and  four  wounded^ 


542      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,    1857-1900. 

of  Tongku ;  and  on  the  next  day,  at  about  noon,  a  column  of 
250  seamen  and  Eoyal  Marines,  300  Eoyal  Welsh  Fusiliers,  40  Royal 
Engineers,  150  United  States'  marines,  and  23  Italians,  reached 
Tientsin.  It  had  left  Tongku  three  days  earlier,  under  Commander 
Cradock  (Alacrity),  and  had  met  with  but  little  opposition  until 
near  its  goal,  when  it  had  encountered  a  heavy  fire.  An  American 
3-pr.,  assisted  by  a  force  of  about  1200  Russians,  which  was 
advancing  to  Tientsin  by  another  route,  checked  this,  and  enabled 
the  detachment  to  get  through.  The  British  lost  in  the  affair 
2  killed  and  5  wounded.  The  reinforcing  Russians,  under  Major- 
General  Stessel»  camped  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  opposite  the 
settlements. 

On  the  24th  further  help  arrived  in  the  shape  of  detachments 
of  the  1st  Chinese  regiment  (from  Wei-hai-Wei),  and  50  men 
from  the  Terrible,  with  one  of  Scott's  12-prs.  The  Terrible  had 
made  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho  on  the  21st,  and  her  services 
proved  to  be  almost  as  useful  in  China  *  as  they  had  previously 
been  in  South  Africa,  for  she  brought  up  with  her  from  Hong 
Kong  the  Fusiliers  and  Engineers  above  mentioned.  In  the 
afternoon,  the  12-pr.,  in  conjunction  with  a  6-pr.  on  the  wall, 
shelled  the  western  arsenal,  and  set  it  on  fire,  causing  some 
explosions. 

At  the  same  time,  Captain  Bayly,  of  the  Aurora,  made  arrange- 
ments with  the  Russian  general  for  the  despatch  of  the  force  which, 
as  has  been  seen,  relieved  Vice-Admiral  Seymour  at  the  armoury 
or  arsenal  near  Hsiku,  only  five  miles  distant,  whence  a  native 
messenger  had  arrived  on  the  24th.  Of  this  force,  600  were 
British.  The  whole  marched  soon  after  midnight,  and  returned 
on  the  26th.  After  it  had  departed,  that  is  to  say,  on'  the  morning 
of  the  25th,  the  Terrible1  a  12-pr.  was  placed  on  the  river  bank 
to  shell  the  gun  or  guns  which,  from  a  position  in  the  native  city, 
had  been  seriously  annoying  the  settlements.  Although  the  guns 
could  not  be  seen,  their  approximate  station  had  been  ascertained 
by  carefully  watching  their  flashes  at  night ;  and,  within  a  few 
minutes,  they  were  silenced.  This  little  success  allowed  the 
relieving  force  from  Hsiku  to  return  unmolested  on  the  day 

1  The  Terrible  disembarked  in  all  10  officers,  200  men,  four  12-pr.  12-cwt.  guns  on 
Scott's  carriages,  and  four  Maxims,  for  service  in  China ;  and  the  only  British  naval 
guns  which  reached  Peking  were  hers.  Nevertheless,  none  of  her  officers  was  among 
the  recipients  of  honours  for  the  operations  in  China. 


1900.] 


CAPTURE  OF  TIENTSIN  ARSENAL. 


543 


following.      Up   to   that   date    the   British   casualties   at    Tientsin 
were : — 


OFFICERS. 

SEAHEK  AH 

D  MAKINES. 

K.                  \V. 

K. 

W. 

Barfleur  . 
Aurora    . 

1'              52 

1 

1 

26 

1 

Endymion 
Orlando  . 

i 

'i 

\ 

16 

Terrible    . 

Alacrity  . 

i  Mids.  Donaldson,  though  he  did  not  actually  die  till  July  3rd. 
"-  Including  (besides  Com.  Beatty  and  Lieut.  Stirling)  Midshipmen'  Valentine  Francis  Gibbs,  George  Louis 
Hrowne,  and  Lionel  Henry  Shore  (the  last  being  noted  for  promotion). 

In  his  despatch  dealing  with  the  events  of  this  period,  and  dated 
July  8th,  Sir  Edward  Seymour  specially  noticed  the  services 
of  Captain  Bayly,1  Commander  Beatty,2  Lieutenants  Philip 
Nithsdale  Wright3  (Orlando),  Herbert  Du  Cane  Luard4  (Barfleur), 
and  Frederick  Laurence  Field  (Barfleur),  Major  Edward  Vyvyan 
Luke,5  E.M.Lfl.  (Barfleur),  Surgeon  John  Falconer  Hall,  6  M.B. 
(Barfleur),  Midshipman  George  Gipps 7  (Orlando),  second-class 
petty  officer  William  J.  Christmas8  (Barfleur),  Patrick  Golden,8  A. B. 
(Barfleur),  and  William  Parsonage,8  A.B.  (Aurora).  Wright  was 
recommended  for  special  immediate  promotion ;  Christmas,  Golden, 
and  Parsonage  distinguished  themselves  by  carrying  off,  under  fire, 
the  three  officers  who  were  wounded  on  the  19th.  Golden  and 
Parsonage  were  themselves  wounded  in  consequence  of  their  gal- 
lantry and  devotion. 

On  his  return  to  Tientsin,  on  June  26th,  Seymour  found  the 
settlement  presenting  a  very  desolate  appearance,  the  railway- 
station  being  wrecked,  the  mud  huts  or  cottages  of  the  labouring — 
but  hostile — Chinese  round  the  settlement  burnt,  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  taking  cover  there ;  many  of  the  houses  in  the  settle- 
ment closed  or  unoccupied,  the  buildings  generally  more  or  less 
injured  by  shell-fire  or  by  incendiaries,  the  streets  barricaded  with 
bales,  and  trade  entirely  suspended.  Most  of  the  women  and 
children  had  been  sent  on  board  ships  in  the  river,  but  some 


1  C.B.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 
3  Com.,  July  10,  1900. 
5  Brev.  Lt.-Col.,  Nov.  1900. 
7  Noted  for  prom. 


a  Posted,  Nov.  9,  1900. 

*  Com.  Nov.  9,  1900. 

6  Staff  Surg.,  Nov.  1900. 

8  Conspicuous  Gallantry  Medal,  1901. 


544      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

still  remained.  Several  ladies  were  doing  good  work  in  nursing 
the  wounded. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the  Russian  forces  began  to 
bombard  the  large  Chinese  arsenal  two  miles  E.N.E.  of  the  British 
concession ;  and  Seymour,  by  request,  sent  out  a  force  of  seamen, 
under  Commander  Cradock,  and  of  Marines  under  Major  James 
Eobert  Johnstone,  E. M.L.I.,  the  whole,  about  600  strong,  being 
commanded  by  Captain  James  Henry  Thomas  Burke,  of  the 
Orlando.1  This  had  been  asked  for  as  a  reserve ;  but  it  was 
brought  into  action  immediately  upon  its  arrival,  and  ordered  to 
advance  parallel  with  the  left  face  of  the  arsenal,  the  Eussians 
taking  the  centre  and  right  face.  The  British  were  exposed 
to  a  heavy  flanking  fire  ere  they  could  turn  and  face  the 
arsenal,  and  then  they  had  to  advance  under  a  harassing  shrapnel 
fire ;  but,  fixing  bayonets  at  a  distance  of  250  yards,  they 
charged,  and  quickly  drove  out  the  enemy.  The  Eussians  were 
equally  successful  on  their  side.  As  the  Naval  Brigade  was 
no  longer  required,  it  returned  to  Tientsin.2  Its  casualties  were 
7  killed,  and  21,  including  2  officers,  wounded.  T>he  arsenal  was 
destroyed.3 

During  all  this  time,  the  Legations  in  Peking  were  besieged. 
On  the  28th  came  a  message,  dated  June  24th,  from  Sir  Eobert 
Hart,  head  of  the  Chinese  Customs,  with  the  anxious  words, 
"  Our  case  is  desperate :  come  at  once " ;  and  on  the  following 
day  came  another,  to  the  same  effect ;  but  nothing  could  be 
done,  a  sufficient  relieving  force  not  then  being  ready  to  start 
up  country.  Indeed,  the  Europeans  everywhere  were  still  hard 
pressed. 

On  July  4th  the  Chinese  opened  fire  on  the  settlement  from 
several  fresh  guns,  and,  in  the  afternoon,  made  an  unsuccessful 
attack  on  the  railway  station.  British  Marines,  under  Captain 
George  James  Herbert  Mullins,  E.M.,  of  the  Terrible,  assisted 
in  the  defence,  as  did  also  a  force  of  seamen  under  Commander 
Charles  Delabere  Granville.  That  day  two  additional  12-prs.  were 

1  As  an  example  of  what  may  be  done  with  a   short-handed  ship,   it  may   be 
mentioned  that  while  the  Orlando,  which  had  a  complement  of  486  all  told,  had  no 
fewer  than  362  of  these  serving  ashore  and  elsewhere,  she  steamed   900  miles,  and 
brought  the  Chinese  Regiment  from  Wei-hai-Wei  to  the  Peiho. 

2  The  Endymion's  returned  to  their  ship  on  July  1. 

3  The  Eussians  ruthlessly  destroyed  with  it  a  huge  quantity  of  valuable  machinery, 
guns,  and  scientific  instruments. 


1900.]  INTERNATIONAL   DEFENCE   OF   TIENTSIN.  545 

received  from  the  Terrible,  and  two  Krupps  (about  9-prs.)  from 
the  Taku  forts.  Up  to  that  time,  the  Tientsin  brigade  had  had 
only  one  12-pr.,  two  9-pr.  muzzle-loading  field  guns,  and  three 
6-pr.  Hotchkiss  guns.  An  effort  was  made  on  the  morning  of 
July  6th  further  to  supplement  these  by  cutting  out  a  1-pr.  quick- 
firer  which  had  been  pushed  up  by  the  enemy  to  within  short 
range ;  but  the  attempt  failed,  owing  to  the  gun  being  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  the  nearest  bridge  being  too  exposed 
for  men  to  cross  it.  At  noon,  the  Allies  opened  a  bombardment 
of  the  forts  in  the  native  city,  and  of  the  western  arsenal.  The 
forts  were  silenced  by  the  12-prs. ;  the  French  guns  set  fire  to 
the  Viceroy's  Yamen ;  and  the  Japanese  guns  shelled  the  arsenal. 
In  the  afternoon,  Major  Bruce,  of  the  1st  Chinese  regiment, 
offered  to  take  out  a  9-pr.,  and  silence  the  1-pr.  quick-firer  before 
mentioned  by  approaching  it  along  a  covered  road  known  to  him. 
Finding  this  road  too  narrow  for  his  gun,  he  unfortunately 
ventured  upon  the  main  road,  which  was  swept  by  the  enemy's 
fire,  and  was  thus  obliged  to  retreat,  with  a  loss  of  2  killed,  and 
5,  including  himself,  and  Midshipman  Frank  Samuel  Drake 
Esdaile  (Barfleur),  wounded.  Young  Esdaile  died  on  the  fol- 
lowing day. 

The  bombardment  was  renewed  on  the  7th,  it  being  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  do  everything  possible  to  keep  down  the  fire 
of  the  Chinese  guns,  which  were  very  troublesome,  and  very 
difficult  to  locate.  A  reconnaissance  by  Japanese  cavalry  to  the 
south-west  showed  also  that  the  Chinese  were  endeavouring  to 
work  round  on  that  side,  in  order,  probably,  to  cut  the  com- 
munications of  the  allies  by  river.  A  large  force  was  dis- 
covered near  the  racecourse,  and  opened  a  heavy  fire.  On  the 
8th  it  was  decided  to  make  a  combined  movement  with  the 
object  of  driving  off  this  body ;  and,  accordingly,  early  on  the 
9th,  the  Japanese  Brigadier-General  Fukushima  led  out  to  the 
southward  a  number  of  his  own  men,  with  1000  British  (400 
naval)  under  Brigadier-General  Dorward,  150  Americans,  and  400 
Eussians. 

When  well  clear  of  the  settlement,  the  force  wheeled  to  the 
right,  attacked  the  Chinese  near  the  racecourse,  seized  some 
earthworks,  and  captured  four  3-pr.  Krupps,  and  about  50  rifles, 
and  then  advanced  further  in  a  northerly  direction,  ultimately 
entering  the  western  arsenal,  which  was  found  to  have  been 
VOL.  VII.  2  N 


546      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

evacuated,  but  which  still  contained  two  guns.  Beyond  the 
arsenal,  and  towards  the  south  wall  of  the  city,  the  troops  and 
seamen  were  exposed  to  so  heavy  a  fire  that  they  retired,  after 
burning  the  arsenal.  The  British  naval  loss  on  this  occasion  was 
1  killed  and  3  wounded. 

Early  on  July  llth  the  Chinese  made  a  more  determined 
attack  than  ever  before  upon  the  railway  station,  and  were  not 
repulsed  until  they  had  fought  for  three  hours  in  the  most 
stubborn  manner.  The  allies  lost  rather  heavily  ;  but  the 
casualties1  were  almost  entirely  confined  to  the  French  and 
Japanese.  Later  in  the  day,  opening  on  the  forts  in  the  native 
city,  the  Terrible's  12-prs.,  and  one  of  the  Algerine's  25-pr.  (4-in.) 
quick-firing  guns  did  excellent  work,  demolishing  a  pagoda  which 
had  been  used  as  a  look-out  station  ;  but,  in  spite  of  repulses 
and  defeats,  the  number  of  the  enemy  seemed  to  increase. 
Seymour,  writing  on  July  12th,  estimated  it  at  not  less  than 
20,000;  while  against  them  were,  on  the  same  day,  1420  British, 
560  Americans,  400  Germans,  50  Austrians,  2160  French,  40 
Italians,  4450  Eussians,  and  3090  Japanese ;  total  12,170,  a 
number  quite  insufficient  both  to  protect  the  settlement  and  to 
take  a  vigorous  offensive.  Happily  the  river  remained  open, 
and  traffic  undisturbed,  so  that  supplies  came  up  freely.  In 
the  meantime  the  Eussians  were  hard  at  work  repairing  the 
railway. 

For  their  services  during  the  period  from  June  26th  to  July 
llth,  Sir  Edward  Seymour  specially  mentioned  and  recommended 
Lieutenants  Thomas  Webster  Kemp 2  (Aurora),  John  Edmund 
Drummond  (Terrible),  and  Frederick  Armand  Powlett  (Centurion), 
Sub-Lieutenant  Edward  Coverley  Kennedy3  (Barfleur),  Signal 
Boatswain  George  Ellis  (Centurion),  acting  Gunner  Joseph  Wright 
(Terrible),  Midshipman  Edward  Oliver  Brudenel  Seymour  Osborne  * 
(Centurion),  and  Carpenter  James  Attrill  (Centurion).  Lieutenant 
Kemp,  in  addition  to  other  services,  had  been  found  particularly 
useful  as  interpreter 5  in  Eussian  ;  Sub-Lieutenant  Kennedy  had 
been  recommended  to  the  Vice-Admiral  by  Major  Waller,  of  the 

1  The  only  British  naval  loss  was  one  Marine  killed. 

2  Com.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 
8  Lieut.,  Nov.  9,  1900. 
*  Noted  for  promotion. 

6  There  were  not,  at  the  time,  more  than  three  officers  in  the  service  qualified  as 
interpreters  in  Russian.  Kemp  was  also  qualified  in  Hindustani  and  Arabic. 


1900.] 


CAPTURE   OF   THE   CHINESE   G1TY. 


547 


United  States'  marines.     The  British  naval  casualties  in  the  same 
period  were  : — 


OFFICERS. 

SEAMEN  AND  MARINES. 

SHIP. 

K. 

W. 

K. 

W. 

Centurion 

2 

5 

12 

Barfleur  . 

'i 

1 

1 

7 

Terrible    . 

1 

1 

10 

Aurora     . 

2 

6 

Orlando  . 

1 

5 

Endymion 

1 

2 

4 

Alacrity  . 

1 

1 

Wei-hai-Wei  Detach  \ 
(E.M.).      .      .       1 

•• 

1 

2 

On  the  evening  of  July  llth,  the  Allies  having  received  rein- 
forcements of  American  and  Japanese  troops,  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  Centurion  were  sent  back  to  their  ship,  and  Sir  Edward 
Seymour  himself,  with  his  staff,  returned  to  his  flagship  outside 
Taku  bar.  The  senior  British  naval  officers  left  ashore  were 
Captain  Bayly,  commandant  at  Tientsin,  and  Captain  Burke,  com- 
manding the  Naval  Brigade. 

On  July  13th  a  general  attack  was  made  by  the  allies  upon  the 
Chinese  walled  city  of  Tientsin,  and  its  forts.  A  large  force  of 
Russians,  accompanied  by  some  Germans  and  French,  attacked  on 
the  east  and  north-east ;  and  the  rest  of  the  forces  from  the  settle- 
ment marched  out  by  the  Taku  gate,  and  began  a  detour  to  the 
west,  in  preparation  for  an  assault  on  the  south  gate  of  the  city. 
At  General  Dorward's  request,  Captain  Bayly  directed  all  the  naval 
guns  which  were  in  position  to  bear  on  the  enemy's  posts  to  be 
ready  to  open  fire  at  4  A.M ;  and  he  arranged  to  control  the 
batteries  by  telephone  from  the  signal  tower  of  Gordon  Hall. 
Owing  to  darkness  and  mist,  fire  was  not  actually  opened  until 
4.30,  whereupon  the  Chinese  responded  by  heavily  shelling  the 
settlement.  The  British  naval  guns  were  admirably  handled  by 
Lieutenants  Herbert  Du  Cane  Luard,  and  John  Edmund  Drurn- 
mond.  The  fighting  lasted  continuously  until  about  1  P.M.,  after 
which  the  allies  contented  themselves  for  the  most  part  with 
merely  maintaining  or  improving  their  positions.  In  the  night, 
most  of  the  defenders  abandoned  the  walled  city ;  early  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th,  the  Japanese  blew  in  the  outer  southern  gate  ; 
and  by  6  A.M.  the  whole  southern  part  of  the  place  was  in  the 

2  N  2 


548      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

hands  of  the  allies.  Very  many  junks,  and  a  stern-wheel  steamer 
were  captured  in  the  canal  to  the  north ;  and,  at  about  noon,  the 
large  fort  to  the  north-east  was  taken  by  the  Japanese,  who  behaved 
most  bravely  throughout.  A  few  hours  later,  the  city  was  divided 
into  four  administrative  districts,  the  north-west  portion  being 
assigned  to  the  British. 

Captain  Burke,  who  led  the  Naval  Brigade  of  about  300  blue- 
jackets and  Marines,  and  marched  out  at  3.30  A.M.  on  the  13th, 
with  the  mixed  force  by  the  Taku  gate  of  the  settlement,  joined 
the  left  attacking  column,  to  support  the  Japanese  in  the  effort 
against  the  south  gate  of  the  walled  city.  He  says  :— 

"After  passing  the  end  of  a  deserted  village  at  4  A.M.  the  head  of  the  column 
turned  to  the  right,  in  the  direction  of  the  western  arsenal.  The  British  naval  guns 
on  the  mud  wall  now  opened  tire  on  the  arsenal  and  city.  Soon  after  the  Japanese 
had  reached  the  plain  they  deployed,  and  immediately  came  in  contact  with  a  body 
of  Imperial  Chinese  troops,  whom  they  soon  drove  back,  with  apparently  slight  loss 
to  themselves.  The  column  then  advanced  till  the  bridge  leading  to  the  front  gate 
of  the  western  arsenal  was  reached.  This  was  at  about  5  A.M.,  when  a  halt  was 
made  to  permit  the  Japanese  to  repair  this  bridge,  which  had  previously  been  destroyed 
by  fire  on  the  9th  inst.  The  Naval  Brigade  was  extended,  and  ordered  to  lie  down, 
and  maintained  this  position  for  some  time,  when  the  Chinese  small-arm  men  on  the 
city  wall  got  the  range  very  accurately,  and  caused  many  casualties  in  our  ranks, 
including  the  deaths  of  Captain  Lloyd,  R.M.L.I.,  H.M.S.  Aurora,  and  James  Brown, 
A.B.,  H.M.S.  Barfleur.  I  then  moved  the  Brigade  some  distance  to  the  right,  and 
it  was  some  little  time  before  the  enemy  again  obtained  our  range,  when  their  fire  was 
again  very  destructive. 

"  At  about  7.15  A.M.,  the  Japanese  having  completed  the  repair  of  the  bridge,  the 
whole  column  advanced  over  it,  the  Japanese  entering  the  arsenal,  and  the  remainder 
taking  cover  under  its  mud  wall.  Here  we  remained  without  further  casualty  until 
noon,  when  the  Japanese  had  cleared  the  arsenal  and  commenced  the  attack.  Shortly 
after  this  the  American  marines  joined  in  the  attack,  and  were  reinforced  by  our  '  A ' 
company  of  seamen. 

"  About  1  P.M.  our  '  B '  company  and  all  our  Marines  advanced  under  a  heavy  fire 
in  support  of  the  Japanese  centre,  and  took  cover  as  supports  in  a  village,  and  remained 
there  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  At  8  P.M.  the  remaining  two  companies  of  our  seamen 
went  out  to  occupy  two  large  houses  on  our  left,  to  prevent  their  occupation  by  snipers, 
and,  an  hour  later,  were  reinforced  by  100  French  marines.  All  these  men  returned 
to  the  mud  wall  shortly  after  daybreak  on  the  14th.  At  10  P.M.  on  the  13th  our  '  A ' 
company  returned  from  the  firing-line,  bringing  in  the  American  wounded,1  who  were 
very  numerous. 

"At  3.45  A.M.  on  the  14th,  the  Japanese  succeeded  in  blowing  in  the  outer  southern 
gate  of  the  city,  and  opened  the  inner  gate  and  entered,  supported  by  our  'A'  company 
and  Marines.  They  then  occupied  this  gate.  The  remaining  three  companies  of  our 
seamen  advanced  at  5  A.M.,  entered  the  city,  and  cleared  the  main  road  and  side  streets 
between  the  south  and  north  gates.  Outside  the  latter  were  several  junks  in  the  canal, 
which  were  seized  by  us." 

Captain  Burke  praised   the  behaviour  of  his  officers  and  men ; 
1  Belonging  to  the  9th  regt.  U.S.  infantry,  which  lost  23  killed  and  32  wounded. 


1900.] 


FRESH  EFFORT  TO  REACH  PEKING. 


549 


and  General  Dorward,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Edward  Seymour,  declared 
that  the  success  of  the  operations  was  largely  due  to  the  manner 
in  which  the  naval  guns  were  served  by  Lieutenant  John  Edmund 
Drummond.  He  expressed  his  appreciation  of  the  gallantry  and 
fine  spirit  of  the  seamen  and  Marines  generally,  who  had  been, 
among  the  first  to  enter  the  city,  and  of  the  way  in  which,  under 
a  heavy  fire,  Lieutenant  Phillimore  and  "  A  "  company  had  suc- 
coured the  hard-pressed  United  States'  9th  regiment. 
The  naval  casualties  in  these  operations  were  : — 


OFFICERS. 

SEAMEN  AND  MA  KINKS. 

SHIP. 

K. 

W. 

K.  OR  D. 

OF   WOUNDS. 

w. 

Barfleur  .... 

21 

5 

15 

Aurora    .... 

'l2 

7 

Terrible   .... 

"                9 

Orlando  .... 

4 

Wei-hai-Wei    guard,\ 

i 

R.M  / 

.L 

1  Major  Edward  Vyvyau  Luke,  R.M.L.I.,  and  Lieut.  Frederick  Laurence  Field,  R.N.  (Barjleur  . 

2  Capt.  Henry  Talbot  Rickard  Lloyd,  R.M.L.I. 

The  Commander-in-Chief  specially  noticed  the  behaviour  of 
Lieutenant  Valentine  Egerton  Bagot  Phillimore1  (Barfleur),  Mid- 
shipman Basil  John  Douglas  Guy  (Barfleur),  who  was  subse- 
quently awarded 2  the  Victoria  Cross  for  having  coolly  attended 
a  wounded  man  under  a  very  hot  fire,  and  then  helped  to  carry 
him  into  shelter,  Ernest  Whibley,3  O.S.  (Barfleur),  for  helping 
to  carry  three  men  across  a  fire-swept  zone,  sick  berth  steward 
Thomas  Gardner3  (Barfleur),  and  first-class  petty  officer  James 
Drew  (Barfleur).  To  these  names  would  have  been  added  that 
of  Captain  Henry  Talbot  Eickard  Lloyd,  E. M.L.I.,  had  he  not 
unfortunately  fallen  while  gallantly  doing  his  duty. 

Between  July  14th  and  July  20th  the  greater  part  of  the  Naval 
Brigade  returned  to  the  fleet,  Captain  Bayly  thanking  the  officers 
and  men  very  warmly  in  a  letter  dated  July  20th. 

The  capture  of  Tientsin  liberated  a  considerable  force  of  the 
allies,  and,  no  doubt,  taught  a  valuable  lesson  to  the  Chinese. 
On  July  27th,  when  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Alfred  Gaselee  arrived 
at  Tientsin,  to  take  the  command  of  the  international  forces,  there 
were,  consequently,  fewer  difficulties  than  there  had  been  in  the 

1  D.S.O.,  Nov.  9,  1900.  2  Nov.  8,  1900.  3  Conspic.  Gallantry  medal. 


550      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF    THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

way  of  the  relief  of  the  legations  at  Peking,  if,  perchance,  any  of 
the  legations  still  stood.  It  was  known  that  one  at  least  of  the 
ministers  had  already  met  his  death,  and  that  some  of  the  legation 
buildings  had  been  evacuated  as  untenable ;  but  beyond  this, 
•  although  the  most  terrible  rumours  were  in  circulation,  and  were 
very  widely  believed,  in  China  as  well  as  in  Europe  and  America, 
there  was  little  certain  news  of  what  had  occurred. 

Gaselee,  with  20,100  men  of  seven  nationalities,  and  70  guns, 
moved  from  Tientsin  on  August  4th.  The  British  Naval  Brigade  l 
accompanying  him  was  a  comparatively  small  one,  consisting  of 
about  200  bluejackets  from  the  Centurion,  Barfleur,  Terrible,  Endy- 
mion,  Aurora,  Phoenix,  and  Fame,  with  four  guns,  and  about  300 
officers  and  men  of  the  Royal  Marine  Light  Infantry.2  On  the 
5th  a  movement  began,  having  for  its  object  the  turning  of  the 
Chinese  position  at  Peitsang.  This  brought  on  a  hot  action, 
which  ended  in  the  complete  rout  of  the  enemy.  On  August  6th 
another  battle,  with  similar  results,  was  fought  at  Yangtsun  ;  on 
the  9th  there  was  a  cavalry  skirmish  at  Hohsiwu ;  on  the  12th 
Tungchao  was  occupied  without  opposition ;  and  on  the  14th, 
after  less  fighting  than  had  been  expected,  Peking  was  entered ; 
and,  to  the  immense  relief  of  the  civilised  world,  it  was  discovered 
that  the  ministers — with  the  exception  of  the  murdered  German 
envoy — and  most  of  the  members  of  their  staffs,  were  safe,  though 
on  many  occasions  they  had  been  desperately  hard  pressed,  and, 
when  rescued,  were  in  extreme  peril.3 

The  story  of  the  long  defence  of  the  legations  has  been  told  by 
Dr.  Morrison,  correspondent  of  the  Times,  who  was  present  during 
the  whole  of  the  period.  It  has  been  said  already  that  the  British 
guards  in  Peking,  when  the  siege  began,  consisted  of  79  men, 

1  Under  Capt.  George'  Astley  Callaghan  (Endymion),  Com.  Robert  Grant  Fraser 
{Phoenix),  and   Lieuts.  William  Bourchier   Sherard  Wrey,  George  Holmes  Borrott, 
Thomas  Webster  Kemp,  Herbert  Du  Cane  Luard,  Arthur  Russell  Hulbert,  Roger  John 
Brownlow   Keyes,  and   John  Edmund   Drummond.     The   other   naval   officers  were 
Chaplain  the  Rev.  George  Morrow  Tichborne,  Staff-Surg.  John  Lloyd  Thomas,  Surg. 
John  Falconer  Hall,  Asst.-Paym.  Charles  John  Ehrhardt  Rotter,  and  Mids.  Valentine 
Francis  Gibbs,  James  Andrew  Gardiner  Troup,  Ernest  William  Leir,  Basil  Edward 
Reinold,  Godfray  Bruce  Cargill,  Henry  John  Studholme  Brownrigg,  and  Guy  Dalrymple 
Fanshawe,  and  actg.-Gunner  Joseph  Wright. 

2  Under  Maj.  Edward  Vyvyan  Luke,  Capts.  (R.M.)  William  Albert  Harris,  George 
James  Herbert  Mullins,  and  John  William  Dustan,  and  Lieuts.  (R.M.)  Charles  Lawson 
Mayhew,  Harold  Gage  Bewes  Armstrong,  and  Charles  d'Oyly  Harmar. 

3  Gazette,  Nov.  6th,  1900. 


1900.]  THE  MARINES  IN  PEKING.  551 

namely  :  a  signalman,  an  armourer,  and  a  sick  berth  attendant  from 
the  Orlando,  27  Marines  from  the  same  ship,  and  49  Marines 
from  Wei-hai-Wei,  the  whole  under  Captains  Bernard  Murton 
Strouts,  Lewis  Stratford  Tollernache  Halliday,  and  Edmund  Wray, 
R.M.L.I.  The  little  force,  co-operating  with  the  other  legation 
guards,  and  with  the  volunteers,  made  a  most  gallant  defence,  and, 
as  Morrison  says,  "  kept  up  the  best  traditions  of  the  British  Army." 
Its  casualties  were  very  heavy.  Captain  Strouts  and  3  men  were 
killed,  or  died  of  their  wounds  before  the  arrival  of  the  relief 
force,  and  Captains  Halliday  *  and  Wray,2  with  14  men,  were 
wounded.3 

As  at  Graspan  in  South  Africa,  so  at  Peking  in  China,  the  Eoyal 
Marines  were  the  chief  heroes ;  and  it  is  but  right,  therefore,  to 
describe  with  some  fulness  their  share  in  the  gallant  defence  of  the 
Legations.  Dr.  Morrison's  account  is  general!)'  accessible.  Less 
accessible,  and  certainly  quite  as  interesting,  though  doubtless  of 
inferior  literary  merit,  are  various  accounts  which,  during  1900  and 
1901,  were  printed  in  the  Globe  and  Laurel  (the  journal  of  the 
Koyal  Marines),  and  which  were  contributed  by  officers  and  men 
who  had  been  fighting  units  of  the  imprisoned  garrison.  They  were 
written  primarily  for  the  information  of  the  authors'  comrades,  and 
not  for  the  public  eye  ;  and  for  that  reason  they  are  doubly  valuable. 
One  of  them  is  by  Corporal  D.  J.  Gowney,4  of  the  Wei-hai-Wei 
detachment.  Another  is  by  Corporal  William  Gregory,5  also  of  the 
Wei-hai-Wei  detachment.  A  third  is  by  Major  Halliday,  V.C.6  I 
should  transcribe  this  last,  but  for  the  fact  that  it  deals  only  with 
events  up  to  the  day  when  the  writer  was  wounded.  For  the  same 
reason  I  do  not  copy  Corporal  Gregory's  narrative.  I  reprint,  with 
a  few  corrections  and  verbal  alterations,  Corporal  Gowney's  story, 
which  is  in  effect  a  rough  diary,  and  I  supplement  it  with  a  few 
notes  derived  from  other  sources. 

In  his  covering  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Globe  and  Laurel, 

1  Brev.  Maj.,  Sept.  12,  1900,  and  later  V.C.  2  Brev.  Maj.  Nov.  1900. 

3  The  official  account  of  the  naval  operations  in  China  is  to  be  found  in  the  Gazette, 
Oct.  5  and  Nov.  6,  1900.     Much  of  the  additional  information  given  above  is  taken 
from  the  columns  of  the  Times,  Western  Morning  News,  and  Globe  and  Laurel.     See 
also  '  From  Portsmouth  to  Peking  via  Ladysmith '  (Hongkong,  1901),  and  Gipps,  '  The 
Fighting  in  North  China'  (1901).     The  contents  of  numerous  private  letters  from 
officers  present  have  also  been  drawn  upon,  as  well  as  the  official  reports  of  the  foreign 
officers. 

4  Globe  and  Laurel,  Nov.,  1900.  6  Globe  and  Laurel,  Dec.,  1900. 
8  Globe  and  Laurel,  Nov.,  1901. 


552      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Gowney  points  out  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  three  naval 
ratings  already  mentioned,1  and  Captain  Poole,  of  the  East  York- 
shire Regiment,  who  was  there  for  instruction  in  Chinese,  the 
Marines  were  the  only  British  regular  forces  in  Peking ;  that  all  the 
European  non-combatants,  about  500  in  number,  were  ultimately 
concentrated  in  the  British  Legation,  as  being  the  largest  and  most 
defensible ;  and  that  in  many  places  the  enemy's  trenches  and 
barricades  were  at  the  close  within  from  forty  to  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  position.  Here  is  the  diary 2 : — 

"  Tientsin,  May  30th,  1900.  Arrival  of  detachments  of  Royal  Marines,  the  first  to 
arrive  heing  25  from  Wei-hai-Wei,  under  Capt.  E.  Wray,  the  second  from  H.M.S. 
Orlando,  under  Capt.  L.  S.  T.  Halliday.  Both  detachments  had  a  rough  time  of  it 
coming  up  the  Peiho,  going  aground  several  times.  Each  reached  Tientsin  within  an 
hour  or  so  of  midnight.  The  total  force  now  in  Tientsin  is  79,  the  whole  under  the 
command  ef  Capt.  B.  M.  Strouts,  who,  with  25  Marines,  has  been  doing  duty  in 
Tientsin  since  December  3rd  last.  .  .  .  Arrival  of  Americans,  Japanese,  Italians, 
French,  and  Russians.  Germans  and  Anstriaus  still  to  come. 

"May  31st.  To-day  was  a  very  busy  one,  packing  up  in  preparation  to  leave 
barracks  at  noon :  but  we  were  delayed  until  late  in  the  afternoon  on  account  of  the 
late  arrival  of  the  Russian,  French,  and  Italian  guards.  Entraining  at  4  o'clock,  and 
leaving  Tientsin  station  with  a  hearty  send-off  from  the  Europeans,  we  arrived  at 
Peking  about  7  in  the  evening.  After  a  delay  of  over  an  hour  and  a  half,  we  proceeded 
on  the  way  to  the  British  Legation,  which  lay  about  five  miles  from  the  station.  We 
were  all  glad  when  we  were  met  by  a  good  cheer  from  the  British  Legation  staff,  for 
one  and  all  were  done  up,  the  streets  of  Peking  being  shocking.  One  minute  one  is 
floundering  about  in  refuse  heaps,  and  the  next  in  inches  of  dust ;  and  the  smells  from 
the  natives'  houses  are  unbearable.  Thousands  of  Chinese  had  turned  out  to  see  us 
come  in;  but  no  hostile  demonstration,  such  as  had  been  expected,  took  place  on  their 
part.  On  arrival  at  the  Legation  we  were  split  into  two  parties,  one  going  to  the 
theatre,  and  the  other  to  the  bowling-alley,  both  being  utilised  as  barracks. 

"Peking,  June  1st.  Arrangements  are  being  made  for  nursing;  and  the  officers  are 
getting  things  into  ship-shape  order.  Arrival  of  German  and  Austrian  guards.  Total 
force  of  all  nationalities:  British,  79;  Russians,  75;  French,  75;  Austrians,  60; 
Germans,  50;  Americans,  50 ;  Italians,  50;  Japanese,  25;  total,  464. 

"June  2nd.  Orders  received  that  ten  men  and  a  N.C.O.,  Corpl.  G.  Sheppard, 
under  Capt.  Wray,  should  proceed  to  the  Summer  Legation  as  escort  to  Miss  Armstrong 
and  the  British  Ambassador's  children. 

"  June  3rd.  Departure  at  5.15  of  escort  for  the  hills,  which  were  reached  at  10.15. 
Several  men  suspected  to  be  Boxers  were  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Legation,  but 
offered  no  force  to  the  party. 

"  June  5th.  Return  of  escort  from  the  Summer  Legation.  A  force  of  35  French 
and  10  Italians  was  sent  to  guard  the  Cathedral,  which  lay  about  two  or  three  miles  to 
the  N.W. 

"  June  6th.  Buying  up  of  all  provisions  from  the  store  keepers  by  the  commissariat 
officer,  Capt.  Wray.  Council  of  war,  attended  by  all  officers,  at  the  British  Legation. 

"  June  7th.     Marine  force  detailed  for  defence  of  the  position  in  case  of  attack. 

"  June  8th.     Missionaries  and  refugees  coming  into  the  Legation  from  the  outlying 


1  See  p.  521. 

2  By  kind  permission  of  officer  editing  the  Globe  and  Laurel. 


1900.]  DEFENCE   OF  THE  LEGATIONS.  553 

missions.      Reports   that  Boxers  are  growing  very  hostile.     Guard  in  readiness  to 
proceed  to  assistance  of  missionaries. 

"  June  9th.  Burning  of  the  grand  stand  on  the  racecourse.  The  Empress  Dowager 
came  into  the  city  from  the  Summer  Palace. 

"  June  10th.     News  that  Vice-Admiral  Seymour  had  left  Tientsin  for  Peking. 

"June  llth.  Baggage  guard  of  22  Marines,  under  Capt.  Halliday,  with  30  wagons, 
proceeded  to  the  station  to  meet  the  Vice- Admiral's  force.  After  waiting  for  an  hour 
or  so,  news  came  that  the  railway  line  and  bridges  were  destroyed.  Learnt  that  British 
Summer  Legation  was  burnt  down  last  night.  Murder  of  a  member  of  the  Japanese 
Chancery  outside  the  Yung-Ting-Men.  The  last  remaining  telegraph  wire  was  cut. 
It  was  repaired  and  was  open  for  two  hours,  but  was  then  again  cut. 

"June  12th.  Reports  from  different  sources  that  Boxers  in  great  numbers  are 
nocking  around  the  city.1 

"June  13th.  Three  hundred  Boxers  came  in  at  the  Ha-ta-Men  this  morning,  and 
burnt  the  Methodist  chapel.  They  were  repulsed  by  French  volunteers,  who  killed 
and  wounded  several.  Mounting  of  a  picket  12  strong  on  the  north  bridge,  to  intercept 
any  Boxers  approaching  the  Legation. 

"June  14th.  Capture  of  a  Boxer,  with  arms  and  uniform.  Every  man  at  his 
defence  post,  as  there  are  rumours  that  an  attack  is  to  be  made  on  the  Legation. 
Attack  on  the  Legation  by  about  two  or  three  hundred  Boxers,  who  advanced  towards 
the  north  bridge  with  naming  torches  and  firebrands  with  the  intention  of  setting  fire 
to  the  Legation.  They  were  met  by  our  picket  under  Capt.  Halliday,2  who  repulsed 
them,  they  leaving  four  killed  and  two  severely  wounded  behind  them.  The  remaining 
wounded  were  carried  off.  We  had  no  casualties. 

"  June  15th.  Orders  received  for  25  Marines,  under  Capt.  Halliday,  and  a  small 
detachment  of  Germans,  to  proceed  to  the  west  end  of  the  Ch'ien-Men  to  fetch  in 
Christians.  On  the  way  a  large  force  of  Boxers  was  met.  They  were  murdering  the 
Christians  and  pillaging  their  homes.  We  immediately  opened  fire,  and  inflicted  severe 
loss  upon  them.  On  returning,  we  found  that  two  houses  inside  the  city  gate  were  on 
fire.  Christians  refugees  are  streaming  in  from  all  quarters. 

"  June  16th.  Huge  fire  outside  the  Ch'ien-Meu,  destroying  the  richest  quarter  of 
the  Chinese  city,  and  finally  setting  alight  to  the  outside  guard-house  of  the  Ch'ien-MCn 
itself. 

"  June  17th.  To-day  at  noon  our  picket  on  the  north  bridge  was  fired  upon  by 
Imperial  troops,  who  had  manned  the  Imperial  city  wall,  and  housetops  opposite. 
There  were  no  casualties.  An  expedition  went  to  the  east  side  of  the  Legation,  the 
force  consisting  of  20  British,  9  Americans,  and  5  Japanese,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Wray.  When  it  was  about  a  mile  out  it  discovered  40  or  50  Boxers  in  a 
temple.  They  were  surrounded  by  our  force,  and  not  a  man  escaped.  The  arms  were 
collected  and  handed  over  to  the  British  Ambassador.  Four  shots  entered  the  British 
Legation.  There  was  a  rumour  that  the  relief  column  had  been  driven  back  to 
Tientsin.  Two  Boxers  were  captured  on  the  north  bridge.  Very  heavy  rifle  firing 
went  on  all  round,  principally  from  the  Austrian  and  German  Legations.  Several 
bodies  of  soldiers  are  moving  about  freely,  probably  taking  up  positions  to  attack  us. 
The  Americans  and  Russians  are  taking  up  a  defensive  position  on  the  west  end,  and 
the  Germans  on  the  east  end  of  the  city  wall.  This  is  an  important  position,  as  the 
city  wall  overlooks  all  the  Legations,  and  is  to  be  held  at  any  cost.  These  positions 
are  reinforced  every  twenty-four  hours  by  the  British  Marines. 


1  On  this  day  the  thermometer  stood  at  103  degrees  in  the  shade  (Halliday). 

2  "  I  fired  a  volley,  which  stopped  them,  except  one,  who  dashed  on  to  the  bridge, 
flourishing  an  enormous  sort  of  pike,  and  was  shot  by  Sergt.  J.  E.  Preston  when  within 
four  feet.     Strouts   came  up  with  reinforcements.  ...  He  was  charged  by  a  Boxer 
...  but  shot  him"  (Halliday). 


554      MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

"June  18th.  Defences,  barricades,  and  trenches  are  being  rapidly  made.  Every 
man  sleeps  at  his  defence  post  with  140  rounds  of  ammunition. 

"  June  19th.  There  are  rumours  that  China  has  declared  war  with  the  Powers  on 
account  of  the  Taku  forts  being  fired  on,  and  that  we  are  given  twenty-four  hours  in 
which  to  clear  out.  We  do  not  yet  know  what  our  reply  is.  The  north  bridge  picket 
is  withdrawn  into  the  Legation. 

"June  20th.  The  Ambassador's  reply  to  the  ultimatum  for  us  to  clear  out  in 
twenty-four  hours  is  that  we  must  remain  here,  as  we  have  no  transport,  etc.  All  the 
Europeans  are  coming  into  the  British  Legation,  as  their  own  guards  cannot  protect 
them  in  their  own  Legations,  and  better  work  can  be  done  with  them  all  concen- 
trated in  one  Legation.  A  strong  force  of  Imperial  troops  and  Boxers  was  repulsed 
with  heavy  loss  at  the  French  Legation.  The  German  Ambassador,  Baron  von 
Ketteler,  was  killed,  and  his  secretary  severely  wounded  on  the  way  to  the  Tsung-li- 
Yamen. 

"  June  21st.  Constant  sniping  around  the  Legation.  The  Austrian  Legation  is  in 
flames.  By  some  error  all  the  Legation  guards  east  of  the  canal  came  in,  but  returned 
almost  immediately,  and,  fortunately,  were  able  to  retake  their  Legations.  The  French 
succeeded  in  killing  a  lot  of  Boxers  who  had  got  in  during  their  absence.  There  was 
very  heavy  continuous  firing  all  round.  The  Austrian  Legation  and  the  Customs  are 
abandoned.  The  Peking  Gazette  has  the  Emperor's  declaration  of  war  in  it. 

"  June  22nd.  Burning  of  the  Italian  and  Dutch  Legations.  Sir  Claude  Macdonald, 
British  Ambassador,  took  supreme  command  of  all  forces.  Tung-fu-Hsuang's  troops 
were  reported  to  be  in  a  temple  adjoining  our  Legation ;  but,  on  a  party  under  Captain 
Halliday  proceeding  thither,  the  place  was  found  to  be  empty.  There  was  an  attempt 
at  the  south-west  corner,  which  overlooks  the  Mongol  market,  to  burn  the  British 
Legation,  to  which,  however,  no  damage  was  done,1  though  thirty  houses  in  the 
market  square  were  burnt  to  the  ground.  Private  A.  Scadding  was  killed  while  on 
duty  on  the  west  wall. 

"June  23rd.  Heavy  continuous  firing  all  round  us.  There  was  another  daring 
attempt  at  the  north  end  of  the  Legation  to  fire  the  buildings.  Only  slight  damage 
was  done,  but  Hanlin  College  and  some  houses  adjoining  the  Legation  were  completely 
gutted. 

"  June  24th.  The  British  Marines  made  a  successful  sortie  into  the  Mongol  market 
at  2.30.  They  succeeded  in  driving  a  large  body  of  Imperials  and  Boxers  out  of  their 
position,  and  in  causing  them  heavy  loss.  Our  casualties  were  two,  Captain  Halliday,2 
who  was  in  command,  being  severely  wounded  in  the  early  part  of  the  charge,  and 
Captain  Strouts  also  having  a  narrow  escape,  he  having  taken  command  of  the  force 
from  Captain  Halliday.  A  bullet  grazed  his  neck,  wounding  him  slightly.  Our  force 
also  succeeded  in  capturing  arms  and  ammunition,  and  in  destroying  the  entire  north 
face  of  the  market.  Private  A.  G.  Sawyer  was  severely  wounded  in  this  engagement. 
Private  G.  Goddard  was  wounded  while  walking  to  his  post  inside  the  Legation. 

"  June  25th.  Two  Boxers,  prisoners,  were  shot  at  daybreak.  A  volunteer  company 
was  formed  under  the  command  of  Captain  Strouts. 

"  June  26th.     Lance-Corporal  T.  II.  Allin  was  wounded  while  doing  duty  with  the 


1  "  The  ladies  all  joined  in  handing  buckets,  and  have  all  through  done  wonderfully, 
and  shown  great  pluck  "  (Halliday). 

2  "  Led  a  sortie  among  some  ruined  houses.     Went  down  a  narrow  alley,  and  came 
upon  five  men  with  rifles  round  the  corner  of  a  house.     One  immediately  plugged  me 
in  the  shoulder,  cutting  the  left  brace  of  my  Sam  Browne  belt  in  half.     I  then  began 
to  empty  my  revolver  into  them.    As  they  were  only  a  yard  away,  there  was  no 
question  of  missing.     I  finished  four,  and  the  fifth  bolted  around  another  corner" 
(Halliday). 


1900.]  DEFENCE   OF  THE  LEGATIONS.  555 

Americans  at  the  barricade.1     The  first  issue  of  horse-flesh  was  made  in  the  Legation. 
There  was  again  a  hot  ride-fire  around  us. 

"June  27th.  Lance-Corporal  W.  J.  Sparkes  was  severely  wounded  while  acting 
as  look-out  in  the  fort  on  the  west  wall.  The  south-east  corner  of  the  Legation  wan 
bombarded  by  artillery,  which  did  considerable  damage  to  the  buildings,  but  no  harm 
to  the  inmates. 

"June  29th.  Private  C.  W.  Phillips  was  killed  while  proceeding  to  the  guard  room. 
Captain  Strouts  sounded  the  general  attack  on  the  big  bell. 

"  June  30th.  Privates  A.  J.  Tickner  and  W.  Home  were  severely  wounded  with 
shrapnel  while  doing  duty  with  the  Germans  at  their  barricade  on  the  city  wall. 

"  July  1st.  There  was  a  sortie  by  a  mixed  force  of  British,  Italians,  and  French, 
under  command  of  an  Italian  officer,2  to  capture  a  field-gun.  It  was  unsuccessful. 
The  casualties  were  two  Italians  killed  and  their  officer  severely  wounded;  three 
British  wounded — Privates  S.  W.  Haden,  J.  Buckler,  and  J.  Dean — and  one  French 
wounded.  An  attempt  was  also  made  by  9  British  Marines,  3  Americans,  and  2 
Russians,  under  Captain  Wray,  to  erect  a  barricade  on  the  city  wall.  It  failed,  there 
being  too  hot  a  fire  from  each  end  of  the  wall.  The  British  casualties  were  two — 
Captain  Wray  and  Private  K.  King.  The  Americans  lost  one.  The  full  losses  during 
the  day  near  the  Americans'  barricade,  and  on  the  ramp,  were  11 :  British,  2  wounded ; 
Americans,  1  killed  and  1  wounded;  Russians,  1  wounded;  and  2  coolies  killed  and 
4  wounded.  The  coolies  were  assisting  to  build  barricades.  Private  J.  W.  Heap  was 
severely  wounded  while  on  duty  at  the  Germans'  trenches.  The  Chinese  have  advanced 
their  barricade  by  building  zig-zag  breastworks  to  within  twenty  yards  of  the  Americans' 
barricade. 

"July  3rd.  There  was  a  successful  attack  by  a  mixed  force  on  the  enemy's 
trenches  and  barricades.3  The  force  consisted  of  27  British,  14  Americans,  and  15 
Russians.  The  attack  started  at  2.30  A.M.  under  Captain  Myers,  U.S.  Marines,  and 
succeeded  in  driving  the  enemy  from  his  positions  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  in 
occupying  the  trenches  and  barricades,  and  in  inflicting  severe  loss,  also  capturing 
banners,  arms,  and  ammunition.  Our  losses  were  Uotporal  William  Gregory, 
severely  wounded  in  the  foot,  and  Private  W.  T.  Woodward;  the  Americans  had 
two  privates  killed  and  Captain  Myers  severely  wounded ;  and  the  Russians  had 
two  wounded. 

"  July  5th.     The  students'  quarters  were  shelled  from  the  wall  of  the  Imperial  city. 

"  July  6th.  A  messenger  who  was  sent  out  has  returned,  reporting  that  he  could 
not  get  through,  as  he  was  constantly  watched. 

"July  7th.  An  old  English  cannon  was  discovered  which,  mounted  on  an  Italian 
gun-carriage,  was  fired  with  good  results.  The  weight  of  the  shot  is  about  5  Ibs. 
Mitchell,  an  American  gunner,  got  the  gun  fixed.  It  has  already  received  several 
names,  such  as  "  International,"  "  Long  Claude,"  etc.  Armourer  Thomas,  and  Mitchell, 
U.S.M.,  began  making  shell  for  the  1-pr.,  and  ammunition  for  various  rifles.  The 
houses  in  the  Mongol  market  overlooking  our  south-west  defence  were  set  on  fire  by 
our  force. 

1  "An   American   sergeant  and  myself  and  Lance-Gorp.  Allin  were   building   a 
barricade,  when  the  enemy  dropped  a  shell  right  into  the  very  bag  we  were  placing. 
It  exploded;  and  it  was  a  great  wonder  that  the  three  of  us  were  not  killed,  but  we  got 
off  with  Allin  being  wounded  rather  bad  about  the  chest.     I  got  stunned,  and  was 
grazed  a  little  about  the  head  "     (Gregory). 

2  "  The  captain  lost  his  head,  and  set  fire  to  the  houses  in  the  rear ;  and  the  men 
retreated  pell-mell."     Morrison ;  who  says,  however,  that  the  force  included  Germans, 
Russians,  and  volunteers,  as  well  as  British,  Italians,  and  French,  and  who  does  not 
say  that  the  commander  was  an  Italian. 

3  They  were  only  25  ft.  from  the  nearest  American  picket  (Morrison). 


556      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

"  July  10th.  The  command  of  the  Italian  guard  at  the  Fu  (Japanese '  defences)  was 
taken  over  by  Captain  Wray ,  the  previous  practice  having  been  to  employ  a  roster  of  officers. 

"  July  llth.  At  noon  an  attempt  was  made  to  send  out  a  messenger  by  the  canal  sluice 
gates.  The  Chinese  sentries  fired  on  him  immediately,  but  he  ran  back  without  being  hit. 

"  July  12th.  Private  A.  E.  Westbrook  wounded  while  on  duty  with  the  Japanese 
at  their  trenches.  A  prisoner  who  was  captured  this  morning  by  French  marines 
states  that  Tung-fu-Hsuang's  troops  are  opposing  us  on  the  city  wall,  and  along  our 
lines  on  the  south  ;  that  Jung-Lu's  are  behind  the  French  Legation ;  that  several  are 
killed  and  wounded  every  day ;  and  that  there  are  about  3000  of  Tung-fu-Hsuang's 
troops  in  the  city.  Direct  attack  having  failed,  and  our  rifles  being  better  than  theirs, 
it  has  been  decided  to  starve  us  out.  The  soldiers  believe  we  have  several  thousand 
troops  under  arms  here.  The. prisoner  thought  we  certainly  had  over  2000.  To-day 
the  British  Marines  have  done  duty  at  each  nationality's  barricades  and  trenches. 

"  July  13th.  Sergeant  J.  E.  Preston  was  slightly  wounded  with  a  brick  while  on 
duty  in  the  Legation.  This  occurred  while  he  was  assisting  Gunner  Mitchell,  U.S.M., 
who  captured  an  enemy's  banner 2  in  the  Hanlin,  adjoining  the  Legation.  The  French 
Legation  was  undermined,  and  one  house  blown  up,  two  Frenchmen  being  killed. 

"  July  15th.  There  was  a  call  for  more  volunteers  to  keep  watch  by  day,  in  order 
to  give  the  troops  a  much-needed  rest.  Private  A.  T.  Layton  severely,  and  Corporal 
D.  J.  Gowney  slightly  wounded,  while  on  duty  at  the  Japanese  defences. 

"July  16th.  Captain  Strouts3  killed,  and  Dr.  Morrison  wounded.  Both,  m 
company  with  Colonel  Shiba,  Japanese  military  attache,  were  visiting  the  British 
sentries  at  the  Italian  post  in  the  Fu,  which  is  under  the  command  of  Captain  Wray. 
Colonel  Shiba  also  had'a  narrow  escape,  a  bullet  passing  through  his  jacket.  The  burial 
of  Captain  Strouts  was  an  impressive  ceremony,  the  Tientsin  guard,  Dr.  Poole,  and 
Captain  Poole  acting  as  pall-bearers.  The  deceased  officer  is  sadly  missed  by  the  Marine 
force.  Private  W.  Roe  wounded  while  acting  as  look-out  on  the  fort  on  the  west  wall. 

"  July  17th.  Very  quiet.  There  are  rumours  that  the  enemy  is  negotiating  for  a 
cessation  of  hostilities. 

"July  18th  to  Aug.  4th.  Negotiations  between  the  Ministers  and  the  Chinese 
Government.  There  was  a  general  interruption  of  hostilities,  with,  however,  occasional 
sniping  by  the  enemy  on  the  west  of  our  defences. 

"Aug.  5th  to  8th.  The  enemy  is  getting  very  troublesome,  especially  in  the 
Mongol  market  which  adjoins  our  western  defences.  The  market  and  ruins  were 
occupied  by  the  British  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  von  Strauch,  a  retired 
German  officer.  There  were  no  casualties. 

"  Aug.  9th  to  1 1th.  We  succeeded  in  advancing  our  defences  within  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  yards  of  the  enemy  in  the  Mongol  market.  This  was  done  to  checkmate  the  enemy. 

"  Aug.  12th  and  1 3th.    There  was  a  heavy  fusilade  all  round,  with  several  casualties. 

"  Aug.  14th.     We  were  hard  pressed  all  round  by  the  enemy,  who  were  reinforced 

'  The  gallant  Japanese  had  suffered  so  heavily  as  to  be  unable  fully  to  man  them 
(Morrison).  On  the  previous  day,  in  a  panic,  the  Italians  and  Austrians  in  the  place 
had  temporarily  abandoned  it.  British  Marines  thenceforth  took  the  place  of  the 
Austrians.  "  It  was  difficult  to  keep  the  southerners  at  their  posts.  They  were  said 
to  have  no  lack  of  spirit,  but  their  forte  was  in  attack  "  (Morrison). 

2  Flying  "  from  a  sandbag  shelter  in  the  carriage  walk,  over  the  very  wall  of  the 
British  Legation  "  (Morrison). 

3  Born  May  27,  1870;  educd.   at  Aldenham;   entd.   service   1888;   Kent.   1889; 
captain  1897.     "  He  was  struck  in  the  upper  part  of  the  left  thigh  by  an  expanding 
bullet,  and   died  an  hour  after   being  brought   into  the  hospital,  to  the  grief  of  the 
entire  community.     He  was  always  cool  and  self-reliant,  and  never  spared  himself, 
while  always  considerate  for  his  men  "  (Morrison).     Strouts  had  been  chief-of-staff  to 
Sir  C.  Macdonald. 


1900.] 


THE  LEGATIONS  BELIEVED. 


557 


by  Chinese  retreating  before  the  allied  forces  advancing  to  our  relief.  Heavy  cannon- 
ading and  Maxim  fire  were  heard  away  to  the  south-east.  At  length  the  relief  forces 
arrived,  the  first  man  to  enter  the  Legation  being  a  private  of  the  Sikhs.  The  General 
and  staft'  followed.  The  enthusiasm  was  tremendous.  The  Naval  Brigade,  with  guns, 
remained  at  the  Temple  of  Heaven,  a  couple  of  miles  south  of  the  Tartar  city. 

Aug.  15th.  Arrival  of  the  Marine  battalion,  250  strong,  under  the  command  of 
Major  Edward  Vyvyan  Luke,  the  other  officers  being  Captains  William  Albert  Harris, 
and  John  William  Dustan,  and  Lieutenants  Charles  Lawson  Mayhew,  Harold  Gage 
Bewes  Armstrong,1  and  Charles  d'Oyly  Harmar.  Fifty  Marines,  under  Captain  James 
Herbert  Mullins,  had  remained  at  Matou." 

The  defence  of  the  Legations  at  Peking  was  a  fine  exploit ;  and 
the  Eoyal  Marines,  who  were  the  soul  of  it,  behaved  on  the  occasion 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  worthy  of  their  glorious  reputation. 
They  can  be  given  no  higher  praise.  The  little  British  guard  of  79 
all  told  lost,  killed  and  wounded,  20  of  its  number.  Graspan 
showed,  it  is  true,  a  much  higher  proportion  of  casualties  among  the 
Marines  engaged ;  but  even  the  fierce  brief  fight  at  Graspan  did  not 
try  the  metal  of  officers  and  men  as  those  two  and  a  half  months  in 
Peking  did,  nor  afford  so  fine  an  opportunity  for  the  display  of  the 
finest  of  all  military  qualities,  steadfastness  and  resource. 

In  recognition  of  the  good  work  done  by  the  Marine  guard  at 
Peking  the  Admiralty  subsequently  directed  that  six  months'  service 
should  be  counted,  in  the  case  of  the  officers,  towards  qualification 
for  retiring  allowances,  and,  in  the  case  of  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  men,  towards  the  completion  of  limited  engagements, 
and  towards  qualification  for  good  conduct  badges  and  pensions. 

A  parliamentary  paper  issued  in  1901  showed  the  total  strength 
of  the  British  Naval  forces  landed  in  China  in  1900,  and  the 
casualties  incurred,  to  have  been  as  follows  :  — 


— 

Number  Landed 

Total  Deaths 

Total  Womide'i 

Officers. 

Men. 

Officers. 

Men. 

Officers. 

Men. 

!  Executive. 

124 
8 
22 

12 

1 

1,090 
296 
109 
69 

476 

3 

3 
1 

3; 

: 

33 

10 
1 

2 

147 
27 
3 
fi 
73 

Engineer  . 

"    o  "<: 

Civil   
Royal  Marine  Artillery  
Royal  Marine  Light  Infantry    . 

Totals  

1G7 

2,040 

7 

83 

33 

256 

1  Capt.  Nov.  9,  1900,  for  his  services. 


558      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1857-1900. 

These  statistics  embrace  only  the  officers  and  men  actually  dis- 
embarked, and  do  not  include  casualties  on  board  ship  at  the 
bombardment  of  the  Taku  Forts. 

It  should  be  added  that  011  October  1st  the  Admiralty  des- 
patched to  Sir  Edward  Seymour  a  long  letter,1  full  of  generous 
appreciation  of  the  services  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  Kear- 
Admiral  Bruce,  and  the  officers,  seamen,  and  Eoyal  Marines 
engaged  in  the  first  ineffectual  march  towards  Peking,  the  capture 
of  the  Taku  forts  and  of  the  Chinese  destroyers,  and  the  operations 
at  Tientsin.  The  same  letter  transmitted  the  thanks  of  the 
Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs.  A  G.C.B.  awarded  to 
Vice-Admiral  Seymour;  a  K.C.M.G.  to  Kear-Admiral  Bruce; 
C.B.'s  to  Captains  Bayly,  Burke,  Callaghan,  and  Jellicoe;  D.S.O.'s 
to  Lieutenants  Lowther-Crofton,  Charrington,  Mackenzie,  and 
Phillimore,  and  Engineer  George  Herbert  Cockey ;  and  V.C.'s  to 
Midshipman  Guy,  and  Major  Halliday,  together  with  numerous  pro- 
motions, most  of  which  have  been  already  chronicled  in  the  notes, 
afforded  further  evidence  of  the  high  estimation  with  which  the 
work  of  the  Eoyal  Navy  in  China  was  regarded  by  Her  Majesty's 
advisers.  The  services  and  gallantry  of  petty  officers,  seamen,  and 
private  Marines  were  not,  however,  as  adequately  recognised,  owing 
largely  to  the  existence  of  regulations  preventing  the  granting  of 
the  D.S.O.  to  other  than  officers.  The  medal  for  Conspicuous 
Gallantry,  conferred  in  several  instances,  was  almost  inadequate  for 
some  of  the  services  rendered.2  Seeing  how  important  it  is,  under  the 
conditions  of  modern  warfare,  to  encourage  self-reliance,  initiative, 
resource,  and,  of  course,  gallantry  in  all  ranks,  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  better  provision  had  not  then  been  made  for  rewarding  and 
honouring  the  display  of  such  qualities  on  the  lower  deck. 

After  the  relief  of  Peking,  the  war  in  China  assumed  a  more 
distinctively  military  character,  and,  as  troops  from  various  quarters 
arrived  upon  the  scene  of  action  and  were  placed  under  the 
supreme  command  of  Field-Marshal  Count  von  Waldersee,  the 
naval  detachments  were  withdrawn  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  their 
ships.  The  Navy  continued  to  do  most  useful  work  by  guarding 
threatened  towns  along  the  coast,  removing  refugees,  and  pre- 

1  Gazette,  1900,  p.  6115. 

2  It  was  to  meet  part  of  this  difficulty  that  the  Conspicuous  Service  Cross  was 
afterwards  instituted   (0.  in   C.  of  June   15th,  1901).     The  Conspicuous   Gallantry 
Medal  is  awarded  under  0.  in  C.  of  July  7th,  1874,  and  Feb.  22,  1896. 


1900.]  THE  "PIGMY"   AT  SHANHAIKUAN.  559 

venting  the  Imperial  Chinese  fleet  from  taking  any  part  in  the 
struggle  with  the  Powers ;  but  practically  it  saw  no  more  fighting.1 
During  the  entire  campaign  it  lost  no  ship,  except  the  shallow- 
draught  river  gunboat  Sandpiper,  which,  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Henry  Cecil  Carr,  foundered  in  a  typhoon  at  Hong  Kong.2  The 
crew,  with  the  exception  of  one  man,  was  saved  by  the  devotion 
of  the  people  of  the  destroyer  Otter,  Commander  Henry  Douglas 
Wilkin,  D.S.O. 

One  almost  comic  episode  enlivened  the  comparative  monotony 
of  the  work  of  the  Navy  during  the  concluding  months  of  the  year. 
On  September  29th,  at  a  conference  of  the  allied  admirals  at  Taku, 
it  was  decided  to  occupy  the  Chinese  forts  at  Shanhaikuan,  the 
point  at  which  the  Great  Wall  touches  the  sea.  That  night,  at 
eleven  o'clock,  the  little  gunboat  Pigmy,  6,  Lieutenant  John 
Frederick  Ernest  Green,3  left  the  Peiho  by  order  of  Vice-Admiral 
Seymour,  carrying  with  her  as  passengers  Sir  Walter  Hillier,  a 
political  officer,  and  Colonel  Charles  Herbert  Powell,  1st  Goorkhas, 
a  member  of  Count  von  Waldersee's  staff.  The  Pigmy's  proper 
complement  was  73  all  told,  and  her  largest  gun  was  a  4-in.  breech- 
loader. It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  the  capture  and  occupation  of  the 
forts,  which  were  large  and  powerful,  was  not  intended  to  be  her 
mission.  She  went,  in  fact,  mainly  to  reconnoitre,  in  preparation 
for  the  arrival  of  the  big  ships  of  various  nationalities  which 
followed  her. 

At  noon  on  the  30th  the  gunboat  reached  Shanhaikuan.  Green, 
Hillier,  and  Powell,  finding  that  everything  looked  peaceful,  went 
ashore,  and  had  an  interview  with  the  Chinese  general  commanding 
the  forts.  That  officer  proved  to  be  unexpectedly  courteous  and 
amenable.  He  had  no  desire  to  fight ;  he  was  perfectly  willing  to 
withdraw  at  once ;  he  was  even  anxious  to  depart  as  quickly  as 
possible.  It  would  have  been  dangerous,  of  course,  to  leave  such 
extensive  and  well-armed  works  unguarded.  Lieutenant  Green 
therefore  returned  on  board,  and  directed  Lieutenant  Harold 

1  In  November,  1900,  however,  the  gunhoat  Plover,  6,  Lieutenant  Carlton  Valentine 
de  Mornay  Cowper,  was  despatched  from  Wei-hai-Wei  to  release  some  junks  which  had 
been  captured  by  pirates  at  the  Bourchier  Islands.     She  chased  one  of  the  pirate  craft 
to  the  Yalu  river,  and  there  took  her.     At  Wumaton  Island  she  subsequently  lauded 
a  party  which,  after  some  struggle,  made  prisoners  of  seven  of  the  freebooters,  who 
were  afterwards  executed,  and  killed  three  more  in  action. 

2  She  was  afterwards  raised. 

3  Com.  for  his  services. 


560      MILITARY  HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1857-1900. 

Douglas   Briggs   to   disembark   with    eighteen    men '    and    occupy 
the  place. 

Meantime,  Eussian  troops  were  advancing  overland  to  take 
possession  of  the  forts.  They  arrived  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
demanded  admission  to  the  railway  station  and  works,  were  politely 
refused  by  the  officer  in  charge,  who  professed  that  he  had  no  orders 
to  admit  them,  and  at  last  pitched  their  camp  on  the  beach. 
Conscious  of  the  growing  difficulty  of  the  situation  Lieutenant 
Green,  leaving  his  little  garrison  on  shore,  returned  with  all  speed  to 
Taku  for  further  instructions.  In  his  absence  the  huge  Eussian 
armoured  cruiser  Rurik,  a  vessel  with  a  complement  of  nearly  800, 
reached  Shanhaikuan.  The  Pigmy,  reinforced  with  fifty  bluejackets, 
was  promptly  sent  back,  and  arrived  at  night  to  find  the  Rurik 
landing  her  people  by  searchlight.  The  Eussians,  however,  had  not 
been  admitted  to  the  works,  nor  were  they  admitted  until  after  the 
appearance  on  the  scene,  some  hours  later,  of  the  British  Commander- 
in-Chief,  in  the  Centurion,  with  numerous  other  vessels  of  the 
different  Powers.  It  was  then  arranged  that  the  railway  station 
and  the  sea  fort  should  fly  the  allied  flags,  and,  as  for  the  other  forts, 
that  they  should  be  apportioned  out  at  the  rate  of  one  to  each  one 
or  two  nationalities.2  Not  until  then  were  the  Pigmy's  men  relieved 
from  a  situation  which,  but  for  the  good  temper  of  all  concerned, 
might  easily  have  brought  about  regrettable  results.  Shanhaikuan 
subsequently  became  a  great  landing-place  for  stores  for  the  inter- 
national troops. 

The  war  in  South  Africa  had  led  to  a  general  rallying  of  the 
British  Empire  round  the  mother  country,  and  to  the  despatch  to 
the  scene  of  hostilities  of  a  succession  of  military  contingents  from 
all  the  self-governing  states  owing  allegiance  to  the  Crown,  as  well 
as  from  many  of  the  smaller  colonies.  The  fighting  in  China  gave 
occasion  for  a  more  modest,  yet  scarcely  less  significant,  demonstra- 
tion of  the  unity  of  the  Empire.  On  August  9th,  1900,  the  steamer 
Salamis  left  Sydney  for  China,  having  on  board  a  number3  of  officers 
and  men  of  the  New  South  Wales  Naval  Defence  Force  under 
Commander  Edward  Eichard  Connor 4  (retired  navigating  Lieu- 

1  This  allowed  an  officer  and  six  men  to  the  railway  station,  and  two  bluejackets  to 
•each  of  the  six  forts,  one  at  least  of  which  mounted  40  gnus. 

2  North  China  Daily  Mail  in   N.  and  M.  Record,  Jan.  10,  1901 ;   and   private 
letters  from  Endymion,  Centurion,  and  Dido. 

3  New  South  Wales,  300;  Victoria,  200  (Procs.  in  Par!.,  Aug.  6,  1900). 

4  C.M.G.  Nov.  29,  1900. 


1900.]  THE   CO-OPERATION   OF   THE   COLONIES.  561 

tenant,  E.N.),  and  of  the  New  South  Wales  Naval  Artillery 
Volunteers,  under  Lieutenant  M.  A.  Eoberts  of  that  corps  (the 
whole  being  under  Lieutenant  Alexander  Gillespie,  E.N.,  who 
commanded  with  the  temporary  rank  of  Captain),  and  also  of 
the  Victorian  Naval  Defence  Force,  under  Commander  F.  Tickell,1 
Victorian  Navy.  At  the  same  time  South  Australia  sent  the  twin- 
screw  gunboat  Protector  to  Chinese  waters.2 

1  C.M.G.  Nov.  29,  1900. 

2  Gratuities  in  respect  of  services  rendered  in  China   in  1900  were  subsequently 
granted  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  following  ships  :  Alacrity,  Com.  Christopher 
Geo.  Fras.  Maurice  Cradock;  Algerine,  (1)  Com.  Eobt.  Hathorn  Johnston  Stewart, 
(2)  Com.  Edw.  Duke  Hunt ;  Arethusa,  Capt.  Jae.  Startin ;  Am  ora,  Capt.  Edw.  Hy. 
Bayly;   liarfleur  (flag   of  R.-Ad.  Bruce),  Capt.  Geo.  Jno.  Scott  Warrender;  Bona- 
venture,  Capt.  Chas.  Jno.  Graves-Sawle ;  Centurion  (flag  of  V.-Ad.  Seymour),  Capt. 
Jno.    Rushworth   Jellicoe ;    Daphne,   Com.   Chas.    Wm.   Winnington-Ingram ;   Dido, 
Capt.  Philip  Fras.  Tillard  ;  Endymion,  Capt.  Geo.  Astley  Callaghan  ;  Esk,  Lieut.  Win. 
Fredk.   Blunt;   Fame,  (1)  Lieut.   Roger   Jno.   Brownlow    Keyes,   (2)   Lieut.   Chas. 
Playdell   Mansel;    Goliath,   Capt.   Lewis   Edm.    Wintz;    Hart,  Lieut.   Jno.   Garnet 
Armstrong ;  ffermione,  Capt.  Robt.  Stevenson  Dalton  Gumming ;  Number,  Com.  Hy. 
Jocelyn   Davison;  Isis,  Capt.   Geo.  Morris   Henderson:    Linnet,  Com.  Wm.  Wyatt 
Smythe ;  Marathon,  Capt.  Jno.  Geo.  Mostyn  Field ;  Orlando,  Capt.  Jas.  Hy.  Thos. 
Burke ;  Peacock,  Lieut.  Chas.  Penrose  Rushton  Coode ;  Pigmy,  Lieut.  Jno.  Fredk.  Ern. 
Green ;  Pique,  Capt.  Harry  Campbell  Reynolds ;  Plover,  Lieut.  Carlton  Valentine  de 
Mornay  Covvper ;  Bedpole,  Lieut.  Chas.  Fredk.  Corbett ;  Rosario,  Coin.  Claude  Arth. 
Wm.  Hamilton ;  Snipe,  Lieut.  Arth.  Hugh  Oldham ;  Terrible,  Capt.  Percy  Moretou 
Scutt;   Undaunted,  Capt.  Arth.  Cal vert  Clarke;   Wallaroo,  Capt.  Fras.  Chas.  Methuen 
Noel;  Waterwitch,  Lieut.  Wm.  Owen  Lyne  ;  Whiting,  Lieut.  Colin  MacKenzie;  Wood- 
cock,  Lieut.   Hugh  Dudley  Richards  Watson;   and    Woodlark,   Lieut.   Hy.   Eilbeck 
Hillman. 


KHKDIVE'S  BHONZE  STAR,  EGYPT,  1882,  1884,  ETC. 
(Gun-mt'tnl,  irurn  mi  a  blue  ribbon.') 

VOL.    VII.  '2   O 


.562 


VOYAGES  AND   DISCOVERIES,   1857-1900. 


CHAPTER  XL VIII. 

VOYAGES   AND   DISCOVERIES,    1857-1900. 

SIE  CLEMENTS  E.  MAEKHAM,  K.C.B.,  F.R.S. 

The  Search  for  Franklin — McCHntock's  success — The  Hydrographers — The  voyage  of 
the  Challenger— Nares  and  Markham  to  the  Arctic — The  modern  surveying  service. 


S( 


[OON  after  the  peace  with  Russia  the 
news  came  that  Dr.  Rae,  servant 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  had 
bought  some  silver  spoons  and  forks, 
and  a  few  other  articles  which  had  be- 
longed to  officers  of  Sir  John  Franklin's 
expedition,  from  a  party  of  Eskimos.. 
Their  story  was  that  the  last  survivors 
had  died  on  a  cape  and  an  island  near 
the  estuary  of  the  Back  River.  This 
was  the  very  spot  which  the  authorities 
bad  declined  to  search  during  the  previous 
ten  years,  in  spite  of  Dr.  King's  repre- 
sentations and  entreaties.  Their  duty 
was  now  clear.  An  expedition  must  be 
sent  to  examine  the  shores  of  King  William  Island  and  ascertain 
the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  gallant  followers.  What 
the  Admiralty  did  do  was  very  different.  They  hurriedly  paid  the 
reward  of  ^10,000,  offered  to  anyone  who  discovered  the  fate  of 
Franklin,  to  Dr.  Rae  in  order  to  close  the  subject.  They  refused 
to  send  an  expedition.  In  other  words,  the  Government  declined 
to  lift  a  finger  to  discover  the  fate  of  those  officers  and  men 
who,  owing  to  Admiralty  blunders,  had  perished  in  the  service 
of  their  country.  This  refusal  was  in  spite  of  the  entreaties  of 
Lady  Franklin,  and  of  all  the  leading  scientific  men  in  the  country. 
Then  Lady  Franklin  nobly  came  forward  to  spend  her  last  shilling 
rather  than  that  this  disgrace  should  be  incurred.  The  steamer 


BADGE   OF   THE    DISTINGUISHED 
SERVICE    OKDEH. 

(Obverse.) 
Instituted  Sept.  6th,  1886. 

Ribbon  :  red,  edged  with  blur.    To  be 
worn  on  the  left  breaxt. 


1857-59.]  DISCOVERY   OF  FRANKLIN'S  FATE.  563 

Fox  was  purchased,  and  a  small  private  expedition  was  equipped, 
almost  entirely  at  her  own  expense.  There  could  be  no  question 
as  to  the  best  man  to  command  it.  Captain  Francis  Leopold 
McClintock  accepted  the  honourable  post.  Lieutenant  William 
Bobert  Hobson  went  with  him,  and  Allen  Young,1  an  officer  of 
the  mercantile  marine,  gave  not  only  his  services,  but  also  a 
large  subscription  towards  the  expenses  of  the  expedition. 

McClintock  sailed  in  the  spring  of  1857.  He  was  unfortunate  in 
crossing  Melville  Bay.  He  was  beset  in  the  ice  of  the  middle  pack, 
and  drifted  southward  down  Baffin's  Bay  and  Davis  Strait  through- 
out the  winter.  At  length,  during  a  gale  of  wind,  the  ice  broke  up, 
and,  amidst  fearful  dangers  from  the  heaving  masses,  the  Fox  was 
released  from  her  long  imprisonment.  Most  men  would  have  sought 
a  friendly  port  for  rest  and  refreshment.  Not  so  McClintock.  He 
at  once  turned  her  head  northwards.  In  the  season  of  1858  he  was 
more  fortunate.  He  succeeded  in  reaching  a  bay  down  Prince 
Kegent's  Inlet,  which  was  sufficiently  near  to  his  work,  and  which 
he  made  his  winter  quarters  for  1858-59. 

The  sledge-travelling  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1859.  He  was 
to  examine  the  whole  coast  of  King  William  Island,  and  to  visit 
Montreal  Island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  Eiver.  Hobson 
was  to  search  the  north  coast  of  King  William  Island,  and  Allen 
Young  was  to  complete  the  discovery  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island, 
by  uniting  the  furthest  points  of  Brown  and  Sherard  Osborn. 
McClintock  went  down  the  east  side  of  King  William  Island  and 
reached  Montreal  Island,  finding  various  traces.  After  rounding 
Cape  Herschel  he  came  upon  a  most  pathetic  object.  It  was  the 
skeleton  of  a  young  steward  who  had  fallen  down  to  die  as  he 
struggled  onwards.  Then  he  came  to  the  boat,  containing  two 
skeletons  and  many  articles  belonging  to  officers  of  Franklin's 
expedition.  The  most  important  vestiges  had  already  been  dis- 
covered by  Hobson.  For  a  second  time  McClintock  trod  this 
classic,  almost  sacred  ground  round  Cape  Victory  before  return- 
ing to  his  ship.  The  great  discovery  was  the  document  signed 
by  Crozier  and  FitzJames,  which  finally  revealed  the  fate  of 
Franklin  and  his  devoted  followers. 

McClintock  brought  back  the  Fox  to  England  in  the  autumn 
of  1859,  amidst  the  plaudits  of  his  countrymen.  The  Admiralty 

1  Born  1830 ;  Lieut.  R.N.H.  1862  ;  comd.  Pandora  in  Arctic  Exped.  1875-7G  ; 
Kt.  1877  ;  C.B. ;  retd.  com.  R.N.R.  1886. 

2   0  2 


."><!  1  VOYAGES  AND   DISCOVEltlES,   1857-1900. 

then  recognised  his  services,  and  the  Queen  conferred  upon  him 
the  honour  of  knighthood.  Thus  closed  this  famous  episode  in 
the  history  of  our  Navy.  The  despatch  of  Sir  John  Franklin's 
expedition  and  the  work  of  the  expeditions  to  ascertain  his  fate 
covered  a  period  of  fourteen  years.  It  was  a  period  when  many 
officers  and  men  were  receiving  a  training  and  gaining  experiences 
which  were  afterwards  of  great  advantage  to  the  service. 

The  Navy  lost  two  of  the  hest  friends  it  ever  had  when  Sir  John 
Barrow  retired  in  1845,  and  Sir  Francis  Beaufort  in  1855.  Neither 
long  survived  his  retirement.  The  former  died  in  1849,  the  latter 
in  1857.  It  is  said  that  good  men's  places  are  easily  filled.  Both 
these  eminent  men  are  still  missed. 

Captain  John  Washington '  succeeded  Sir  Francis  Beaufort  as 
I  I  \  tlrogrnpliiT.  In  1K!('>,  he  h;ul  made  a  joiinirx  lo  Morocco,  ;iml 
lie  had  written  a  valuable  account  of  it ;  he  had  been  for  several 
years  Secretary  of  the  Itoyal  Geographical  Society ;  and  his  sur- 
veying services  had  been  chiefly  on  the  English  coast,  in  command 
of  the  Shearwater  and  lllazer.  Washington  died  at  his  post  in 
1804.  In  his  time  Captain  Henry  Mangles  Denham,  in  the  Herald, 
was  carrying  on  surveys  in  the  Fiji  Islands  and  other  parts  of  the 
Paciric  from  1852  to  1859 ;  while  Arthur  Lukis  Mansell,"  the  worthy 
successor  of  Graves  and  Spratt,  executed  the  Syrian  survey  in  the 
Tartarus  and  Firejfi/,  and  in  1864  continued  his  excellent  work  in 
the  Ionian  Islands  and  on  the  coast  of  Albania.  Two  other  valuable 
surveying  officers,  Captains  William  Louis  Sheringham,  and  George 
Augustus  Bedford,  were  much  employed  on  the  coasts  of  England 
and  Scotland  ;  but  Bedford  was  also  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa, 
and  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  In  18(>2  he  succeeded  Mr.  Michael 
Walker  as  Assistant  Hydrographer,  and  was  afterwards  Superinten- 
dent of  Charts  at  the  Admiralty. 

Captain  George  Henry  Kichards,3  who  became  Hydrographer  in 
18(>4,  had  served  in  the  Sulphur  and  Sainarang  with  Belcher,  in 
the  Philomel  with  Sulivan,  and  in  the  Acheron  with  Stokes.  He 
was  Commander  of  the  Assistance  in  the  Arctic  regions  from  1852 
to  1854,  and  afterwards  conducted  a  survey  of  the  coasts  of  Van- 
couver's Island  in  the  Plumper.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  Sir  George 
Henry  Richards  that,  at  least  on  one  occasion,  he  followed  success- 

1  Kntd.  Navy  1812;  Lieut.  Jan.  1,  181!  1 :  Com.  Aug.  14,    18;i3;  Capt.  Mar.  1C, 
1842. 

*  Com.  Sept.  29th,  1855;  Capt.  Jan.  1st,  1805;  ret.l.  Mar.  7th,  1866. 
8  See  List  of  Flag-Officers. 


1872-75.]  THE  "  CHALLENGER "   EXPKDITION.  5(55 

fully  in  the  footsteps  of  Sir  Francis  Beaufort.  It  was  mainly 
due  to  him  that  the  Challenger  was  commissioned  in  1H7'2,  properly 
equipped,  and  despatched  on  a  scientific  expedition  round  the 
world.  The  command  was  given  to  Captain  George  Strong  Nares,1 
who  had  served  with  McClintock  and  Mecham  in  the  Arctic  regions, 
and  since  done  good  service  as  a  surveyor.  With  him  was  associated 
a  civilian  scientific  staff  under  Charles  Wyville  Thomson,3  with 
which  the  naval  officers  always  worked  in  perfect  harmony.  In  1875 
Nares  was  recalled  to  command  an  Arctic  expedition,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Captain  Frank  Tourle  Thomson.  The  Challenger  ex- 
pedition has  justly  acquired  a  world-wide  reputation  for  the  immense 
extent  and  value  of  its  researches,  more  especially  those  connected 
with  deep  sounding  and  dredging,  and  the  scientific  examination  of 
the  great  ocean  beds.  It  has  occupied  many  years  to  work  up  the 
numerous  collections ;  and  the  twenty  volumes  of  the  results  of  the 
Challenger  expedition,  brought  out  under  the  auspices  of  Sir  John 
Murray,3  are  the  monument  to  one  more  peace-victory  gained  by  the 
British  Navy  for  the  good  of  the  whole  civilised  world. 

During  Sir  George  Henry  Kichards's  term  of  office  the  revision  of 
the  survey  of  Magellan's  Strait  was  undertaken  by  Captain  Kichard 
Charles  Mayne,  in  the  Nassau.  For  three  years,  18(>(>-(59,  that 
officer,  who  had  served  with  Kichards  in  the  Plumper,  conducted 
surveys  from  Punta  Arenas  to  Cape  Virgins,  and  from  Cape  Filar 
to  Port  Famine.  He  also  examined  '255  miles  of  the  channels 
from  the  Gulf  of  Penas  to  Magellan's  Strait.  Mayno  was  the 
author  of  '  Practical  Notes  on  Marine  Surveying.' 

The  renewal  of  Arctic  exploration  became  an  important  question, 
both  for  geography  and  for  the  Navy,  as  soon  as  the  Fox  returned. 
The  loss  of  Sir  John  Barrow  was  then  deeply  felt.  The  long  hard 
tight  had  to  be  fought  without  the  aid  of  Sir  Francis  Beaufort. 
But  Sherard  Osborn  was  a  host  in  himself.  During  his  Arctic 
service,  and  long  before,  Sherard  Osborn  had  been  deeply  impressed 
with  the  importance,  indeed  the  necessity,  of  expeditions  of  dis- 
covery and  research  for  the  welfare  of  the  Navy  in  time  of  peace. 
•"  Do  not  keep  us  for  ever  crossing  topgallant  yards  and  cleaning 
brass  work  !  "  he  exclaimed.  How  much  greater  is  the  need  now, 

Bom  1831;  Capt.  1869;  K.C.B.  187(i ;  retd.  Capt.  Apr.  2-i,  188<>;  rctd.  r.-ndin. 
1887 ;  retd.  v.-adm.  1892. 

Born  1830;  served  with  dredging  uxpeds.  of  LiyTitniny  and  Porcupine-,  1868-G!) ; 
prof,  of  nat.  hist,  at  Edinburgh,  1H70-81 ;  Kt. ;  died  1882. 
:'  Horn  1841;  biologist;  K.C.B.  1898. 


566  VOYAGES    AND   DISCOVERIES,   1857-1900. 

when  there  are  no  longer  topgallant  yards  to  cross  !  Osborn  read 
a  paper  hefore  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  in  1864,  advocating 
the  renewal  of  polar  research,  which  created  a  deep  impression 
throughout  the  country.  He  was  a  man  who  was  not  to  be  beaten. 
He  read  another  paper  in  1867,  and  continued  his  advocacy  in  every 
shape  and  form,  undaunted  by  fruitless  interviews  with  First  Lords, 
or  by  any  other  form  of  obstruction.  At  length  his  perseverance 
was  rewarded.  In  the  autumn  of  1874  Mr.  D'Israeli  announced 
the  intention  of  the  Government  to  despatch  an  Arctic  expedition, 
"  to  encourage  that  spirit  of  enterprise  which  had  ever  distinguished 
the  English  people." 

An  old  sloop,  the  Alert,  was  selected,  and  a  whaler,  purchased 
for  the  service  and  strengthened  for  ice  navigation,  was  re-named 
Discovery.  The  command  was  entrusted  to  Captain  Nares,  of  the 
Challenger,  with  Albert  Hastings  Markham  as  Commander ;  and 
Captain  Henry  Frederick  Stephenson  commanded  the  Discovery. 
Officers  of  great  promise  were  appointed  to  the  two  vessels,  such  as 
Beaumont,1  Aldrich,2  Parr,3  May,4  Wyatt  Eawson,5  and  Egerton.6 
The  route  selected  was  Smith  Sound,  at  the  head  of  Baffin's  Bay. 
The  Eoyal  Geographical  Society,  through  which  body  Sherard 
Osborn  had  conducted  his  propaganda,  had  always  advocated 
the  exploration  of  the  polar  region  for  scientific  purposes,  and 
not  a  foolish  rush  to  the  pole.  But  the  instructions  drawn  up 
by  the  Admiralty  contained  the  fatal  order  to  go  as  far  north  as 
possible. 

The  expedition  sailed  in  May  1875,  and  proceeded  up  Smith 
Sound,  the  difficulties  of  the  navigation  being  overcome  by  Nares's. 
consummate  seamanship.  The  Discovery  was  left  to  winter  in 
Lady  Franklin  Bay,  and  the  Alert  pressed  northward  to  encounter 
the  impenetrable  polar  pack,  seen  at  •  other  points  by  Parry, 
McClintock,  Mecham,  McClure,  and  Collinson.  Nares  was  forced 
to  winter  on  an  open  coast  and  at  the  edge  of  this  pack,  the  most 
northern  winter  quarters  ever  formed.  Some  very  gallant  work 
was  done  during  the  autumn  travelling,  and  the  two  young  officers, 

1  Lewis  Anthony  Beaumont,  1st  Lieut,  of  Discovery  ;  see  list  of  Flag-Officers. 

2  Pelham  Aldrich,  1st  Lieut,  of  Alert ;  see  list  of  Flag-Officers. 

8  Alfred  Arthur  Chase  Parr,  2nd  Lieut,  of  Alert;  K.-Adm.  May  24,  1001. 
4  AViDiam  Henry  May,  4th  Lieut,  of  Alert;  E.-Adm.  Mar.  28,  1901. 
6  Wyatt  Eawson,  3rd  Lieut,  of  Discovery ;  mort.  wounded  at  Tel-el-Kebir ;  promd. 
Com. ;  died  Sept  21,  1882. 

6  George  Le  Clerc  Egerton,  Sub-Lieut,  of  Alert;  Capt.  Jan.  1,  1893. 


1875-76.]  ARCTIC  EXPLORATION.  567 

liawson  and  Egerton,  distinguished  themselves  in  the  very  early 
spring  by  opening  communications  between  the  two  ships.  But 
the  seeds  of  scurvy  had  been  sown  during  the  long  winter,  and 
broke  out  soon  after  the  spring  travelling  commenced.  The  fatal 
Admiralty  order  to  press  northwards  under  all  circumstances  also 
hampered  the  operations.  But  all  was  done  that  brave  men  could 
do.  Markham  and  Parr  pushed  northwards  over  the  polar  pack, 
dragging  heavy  boats  which  obliged  them  to  make  three  journeys 
over  the  same  ground,  where  the  ice  was  broken  up  into  endless 
ridges  of  hummocks.  Never  had  so  hard  a  service  been  performed. 
The  party  reached  'the  highest  northern  point  up  to  that  time 
attained  by  man.  Aldrich  explored  the  coastline  to  the  east,  Beau- 
mont to  the  west,  and  the  naturalists  were  indefatigable  in  their 
several  departments.  But  the  disease  that  had  broken  out  so  un- 
expectedly was  a  great  hindrance  to  the  work.  The  expedition, 
however,  returned  in  the  autumn  of  1876,  with  the  loss  of  only 
two  men,  and  with  an  exceptionally  rich  harvest  of  scientific 
results. 

Sir  George  Henry  Eichards  had  retired  from  the  post  in  1874,  and 
was  succeeded  as  Hydrographer  by  Frederick  John  0.  Evans,  C.B.,1 
who  had  held  the  post  of  Superintendent  of  the  Compass  Department 
during  the  previous  ten  years.  He  held  office  until  1884,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Captain  William  James  Lloyd  Wharton,2  well 
known  for  his  excellent  work  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 

On  the  return  of  the  Alert  she  was  sent  to  Magellan's  Strait  to 
complete  the  work  of  King,  FitzEoy,  and  Mayne,  again  under  the 
command  of  Sir  George  Nares,  who  was  relieved  by  Captain  John 
Fiot  Lee  Pearse  Maclear  to  finish  the  commission.  The  ordinary 
surveying  service  has  since  kept  seven  or  eight  small  vessels 
employed,  two  for  the  British  Isles,  two  for  the  Mediterranean, 
three  for  Australia  and  the  Pacific,  one  in  China,  and  one  in  the 
West  Indies.  But  much  valuable  scientific  work,  including  deep- 
sea  soundings,  is  done  by  the  surveying  vessels,  in  addition  to 
surveys  of  coasts  and  harbours.  There  are  two  Captains,  four 
Commanders,  and  about  thirty  Lieutenants  and  Sub-Lieutenants 
employed  on  board  the  surveying  vessels. 

The  results  of  the  British  naval  surveys  during  the  nine- 
teenth century  have  been  that  the  whole  world  is  supplied  with 

1  Master,  R.N.  Nov.  23,  1841;  letd.  as  captain  June  5,  1872;  subsequently  K.C.B. 

2  Born  Mar.  2, 1843 ;  retd.  as  r.-adiu.  Jan.  1,  95,  but  remained  Hydrog. ;  K.C.B.  1897- 


568 


VOYAGES  AND   DISCOVERIES,   1857-1900. 


admirably  engraved  charts,  constantly  corrected  and  brought  up  to 
date,  and  supplied  with  sailing  directions. 

A  contemplation  of  the  work  of  naval  expeditions  since  the  time 
of  Byron  cannot  fail  to  force  the  conviction  that  this  is  legitimate 
work  for  the  Navy  in  time  of  peace.  At  the  end  of  the  century 
there  appeared  to  be  a  tendency  to  abandon  this  glorious  position ; 
to  seek  no  more  for  peace  victories  for  our  Navy ;  to  give  place 
to  other  nations  in  the  work  of  discovery.  But  it  only  needs  a 
more  thorough  study  of  the  history  of  the  Navy,  and  a  more 
clear  appreciation  of  her  needs,  in  order  that  a  public  opinion 
may  be  formed  which  will  restore  us  to  the  position  we  held  at 
the  time  when  Barrow  and  Beaufort  could  make  their  influence 
felt.  For  success  in  war  it  is  not  only  ships  that  we  need,  but 
also  trained  officers  and  men,  who  have  acquired  confidence  and 
experience  in  the  course  of  special  service,  in  addition  to  a  know- 
ledge of  the  ordinary  routine  of  mastless  steamships. 


HADGE    DF    THE    DISTINGUISHED    SERVICE   OIIDKK. 
Beverse. 

(.Sec  p.  562.) 


LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


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K.C.B  
Alexander  Milne  (civ.  K.C.I!.  5H  ;  G.C.B 
71)  
Lord  Clarence  Edward  Paget,  C.B.  (K.C.B 
69  ;  U.C..B.  80)  
liichard  Ijiird  Warren  
G<orge  Elliot  (4)  (K.C.B.  77)  .  .  .  . 

570 


LIST   OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,    1857-1901. 


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Hon.  Frederick  Thomas  Pel 
Sydney  Colpoj-s  Dacrrs,  C.I 
G.C.B.  71)  .... 
John  Shepherd  (2)  .  . 
Thomas  Henderson  .  . 

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Robert  Fanshawe  Stopford 

Robeit  Spencer  Kobinson  (,c 

Thomas  Matthew  Charles  £ 
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Thomas  Leeke  Massie  . 

Sir  F.dward  Belcher,  Kt.,C. 
James  John  Stopfurd 
Woodford  John  Williams 

Augustus  Leopold  Kuper, 
64;  G.C.B.  69).  .  . 

Charles  Kden,  C.H.  (K..U.B. 

Hon.  Charles  Gillwrt  John  11 
C.B.  (K.C.B.  81)  .  . 

Hon.  Joseph  Denman  . 

George  St.  Vincent  King, 
73;  sue.  as  Bart.,  and  a 
of  Duckworth-King)  . 
Edward  Pellew  Halsted  . 

George  Goldsmith,  C.B.  . 
Charles  Frederick.  ,  . 

LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


571 


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Richard  Collhison,  C.B.  (K.C.B.  75) 

George  Kamsay,  C.B.  (sue.  as  12th 
of  Dalhousle)  

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(K.C.B.  73;  G.C.B.  80)  .  .  . 

John  Lort  Stokes  
Henry  Mangles  Denbam  (Kt.  66)  . 
Arthur  Forbes  

572 


LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


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and  titles  subsequently  acquit 
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Han-y  Edmund  Edgell,  C.B.  .  . 
Frederick  Henry  Hastings  Glasse, 
Charles  Gepp  Robinson  .  .  .  . 
George  Thomas  Gordon  .  .  .  . 
Erasmus  Ommanney  (C.B.  67  ;  K' 

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William  Ixiriog,  C.B.  (K.C.B.  75) 
Sir  William  Legge  George  Hostp. 

John  Fulford  

Alfred  I'hillipps  Ryder  (K.C.B.  84 
Henry  Chads  (K.C.I!.  B7)  .  . 

trancis  Scott,  C.i*  
Sir  Adolphus  Slade,  K.C.B..  . 

LIST  OF  FLAO-OFFICESS,   1857-1901. 


573 


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Eihvin  Clayton  Tennysoi 
(C.U.  73)  .... 

Thomas  Henry  Mason  (C.B 
Sidney  Grenfell  (C.B.  67) 

Sir  John  Charles  Dalrymp 
(C.B.  69;  K.C.B.  85)  . 

James  Horsford  Cockbunl 
James  Willcox,  C.B.  .  .  . 

Hugh  Dnnlop,  C.B.  .  . 

Astley  Cooper  Key,  C.B. 
G.C.B.  82)  

Frederick  Byng  Montresor 

Charles  Faml  Hillyar  (C.I 
87)  

Thomas  Hope  (2).  .  . 
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Edmund  Heathcote  .  .  . 

(ieoffrev  Thomas  Phipps  Ho 
78  j  G.C.B.  86).  .  .  . 
Charles  Frederick  Alexuud 
C.B.  (K.C.B.  73)  .  .  . 

574 


LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


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REMARKS. 
Rank  attained  only  on  or 
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and  titles  subsequently  acquired 
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Aitlmr  Gumming,  C.B.  (K.C.B.  87)  .  . 

Arthur  Parry  Kardley  Wilinut,  C.B.  . 
U-ilwrt  C(M>t,ft  rc.B.  7.1^  . 

\\'illiam  Houston  Stewart,  C.B.  (K.C.B.) 
77;G.C.B.  87)  / 
Hon.  Arthur  Auckland  Leopold  Pedro* 
Cochraue,  C.B.  (K.C.B.  89)  .  .  .  .) 
Frederick  Archibald  Campbell.  .  .  . 
Frederick  Beauchamp  Paget.  Seymour,! 
C.B.  (K.C.B.  7I;.G.C.B.  81;  cr.  Lord]. 
Alcester,  82)  I 

Hon.  John  Welbore  Sunderland  Spencer  . 

Reginald  John  James  (  Jeorge  Maalonald  \ 
(K.C.^.I.  77;  K.C.B.  87)  / 
George  Henry  Rii-hards  (civ.  C.B.  7l;l 
Kt.  77;  K.C.B.  86)  / 

Sir  Francis  Leopold  M'Clintock,  Kt.l 
vl«'.l).  91)  / 

LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


575 


3-8-1893 

20-9-1876 

1&-12-1895 
19-10-1902 

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Lord  John  Hay  (3),  C.B.  (K.C. 
G.C.B.  86)  
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William  Montagu  Dowell,  C.li.  ( 
82;  G.C.B.  94)  

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(K.C.B.  85;  G.C.B.  89;  cr.  LOB 
of  Avalon,  9'2)  
Charles  Fellowes,  C.B.  .  .  . 

576 


LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


~      ~ 



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Hichard  Vesey  Hami 
87;  G.C.B.  95)  .  . 
Charles  Lodowick  Darl 
John  Dobree  M'Crea  . 

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Anthony  Hiley  Hoskiu 
G.C.B.  93)  .  .  . 
Nowell  Salmon,  V.C., 
G.C.B.  97)  .  .  . 

i/,ST   OJ"  FLAa-OFFIGERS,   1857-1901. 


577 


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John  Kennedy  Erskine 

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George  Willes  Watsou  ( 

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VOL.  VII. 


2  P 


578 


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George  Tryon,  C.B.  (K.C.B.  87 
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Sir  Walter  James  Hunt-Grubl 
(G.C.B.  99)  
Charles  John  Rowley 
Richard  Wells  (K.C.B.  96)  . 

Thomas  le  Hnnte  Ward,  C.B. 

William  Arthur,  C.B.  .  . 
Hon.  Edmund  Robert  Frema 
C.M.G.  (K.C.K.  89;  G.C.B.  ' 
John  Ommauney  Hopkins  (!• 
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St.  George  Caulfleld  D'Arcy-In 
Henry  Fairfax,  C.B.  (K.C.B.  9 

William  Elrington  Gordon  . 

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Thomas  Barnardiston  . 

Lindesay  Brine  .  .  . 
James  Elphinstone  Erekine 

George  Lydiard  Sulivan. 

William  Codrlngton,  C.B. 
Henry  Frederick  Nicholson, 
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John  Frederick  George  Grai 
Henry  Foster  Cleveland. 

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Frederick  George  Denbam 
(K.C.B.  94)  .  .  .  . 

Albeit  Hastings  Markbain 
Samuel  Ij<mg  .... 
Alfred  Taylor  Dale  .  . 

Claude  Edward  Buckle  . 
Kichard  Duckwortb-King 
Harry  Holdsworth  Uawson 
97)  

2  P  2 


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LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


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Robert  Hornby  Boyle  .  . 
Cyprian  Arthur  George  Bridge  ( 
Edmnnd  Charles  Drummond 
Charles  Searle  Cardale  .  . 

Kdmund  John  Church  . 
Walter  Stewart,  C.B.  .  . 
John  Reginald  Thomas  Fullf 

Charles  Barstow  Theobald  . 

Henry  St.  Lcger  Bury  Palliser 

Ernest  Rice  
Frederick  Samuel  Vander-Meu 

Hilary  Gnstavus  Andoe,  C.B. 
Armand  Temple  Powlett  . 
Alexander  Plantagenet  Hasting 
Kodney  Maclaiue  Lloyd,  C.B. 

Francis  Starkie  Clayton  .  . 
Arthur  Hildebrand  Alington 
Henry  John  CalT  .... 

Charles  Lister  Oxley.  .  . 
Kobort  Hastings  Harris  (K.C 
K.C.B.  1900)  .... 
Hugo  Lewis  Pearson.  .  . 
John  Fellowes,  C.B.  .  .  . 
Charles  Cooper  Penrose  FitzGer 
Arthur.  Knyvet  Wilson,  V.C.,  < 
Archibald  Lucius  Douglas  . 

William  Home  CInshoIme  St.  C 
Atwell  Peregrine  Macleod  Lakf 
(ierard  Henry  Uctred  Noel  (K.( 
Johu  William  Brackcnbury,  C. 
Thomas  Sturges  Jackson  (Kt.  1 
Richard  Horace  Hamond  . 

LIST  OF  FLAG-OFFICERS,   1857-1901. 


581 


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Day  Hort  Bosauquet  .  . 
Lewis  Anthony  lleaumon 
1901)  
Lord  Charles  William  Delap 
C.B  
Albert  Baldwin  Jenkings 
Henry  Coey  Kane,  C.B.  . 

Frederick  Ross  Boardman,  < 
James  Andrew  Thomas  Bit 
1900)  
Henry  Rose  .... 
Pelham  Aldrich  .  .  . 

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James  Ijioon  Hammet  . 
Harry  Tremenheere  Grenfe 
Sir  Baldwin  Wake  Walk( 
C.M.G  
Robert  William  Cralgie  . 

m 

582 


SHIPS  LOST. 


[1857-1863. 


APPENDIX  B.   TO   CHAPTEES  XLVL-XLVIII. 


LIST    OF    H.M.    SHIPS    TAKEN,    DESTROYED,    BURNT,    FOUNDERED    OR    WRECKED 

BETWEEN  THE  END  OF  THE  YEAR  1856,  AND  THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  VICTORIA, 

JAN.  22ND,  1901. 

(From  Command  Paper,  No.  176,  of  1891 ;  supplemented  from  other  sources,  and  ly 
information  kindly  supplied  by  direction  of  the  St.  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Selborne, 
First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty.) 


YKAE. 

DATE. 

H.  M.  SHIP. 

Guxs. 

DlSI'L. 
Toss. 
[*  Old 
measure- 
ment.] 

H.P.I. 

*  Kom.] 

COMMANDER. 
[*  Lost  his  life  on  the 
occasion.] 

EEMABKS. 

Commod.    Hon.    Hy. 

185? 

Ap.  14 

Saleigh,  frig.    .     . 

50 

•1,939 

— 

Keppel,  C.B. 
Com.  Edw.  Winterton 

(Wrecked  near  Macao. 
All  saved. 

Tumour. 

185? 

July  10 

'Transit,  screw  ironl 
trooper      .     .     .] 

— 

*2,587 

•400 

/Wrecked  in  the;  Strait 
1    of  Banca. 

1859 

? 

Sappho,  brig  sloop. 

12 

•428 

- 

'Com.  Fairfax  Moresby 
1     (2).» 

(Supposed    foundered 
<;    on          Australian 
|     Station.     All  lost. 

1859 

Feb.  8 

Wizard,  brig  sloop 

6 

•231 

- 

fLt.  Alf.  ProwseHasler 
I    Helby. 

(Wrecked     on     Seal 
Bock,   Berehaveu. 
All  saved. 

Wrecked    on     Baxo 

1859 

Feb.  26 

Jaseur,  ecr.  g.  b.    . 

2 

•301 

•80 

Lt.  Jobu  Binuey  Scott. 

Nuevo,    W.     lud. 

All  saved. 

Foundered    between 

1859 

May  9 

Heron,  brig  sloop  . 

12 

»482 

— 

fCom.  Win.  Henderson 
I    Truscott. 

Ascension         and 
1    Sierra  Leone.     25 

(    saved. 

1859 

June  25 

Lee,  scr.  g.  b.    .     . 

2 

*299 

•80 

Lt.  Wm.  Hy.  Jones. 

[Sunk  in  action  with 
I    the  Pei-ho  forts. 

!K.-Ad.     Jas.     Hope, 

1859 

Juue  25 

Plover,  scr.  g.  b.    . 

2 

*235 

•60 

C.B. 
Lt.      \Vm.      Hector 

/Abandoned  under  fire 
I    of  the  Pei-ho  forts. 

Eason.* 

1859 

June  28 

Cormorant,  scr.  g.  b. 

4 

*6?5 

•200 

(Com.  Armine  AVode- 
\    house. 

/Sunk   by  fire   from 
I    the  Pei-ho  forts. 

1860 

— 

(Assistance,  scr.  6t. 
I    ship     .     .     .     .] 

— 

•1,820 

•400 

/Com.      Chas.      Jno. 
I    Balfour(l). 

/Wrecked  off  Hong- 
\    Kong. 

1860 

Oct2l 

(Perseverance,     scr. 
\    iron  trp.  ship 

2 

*1,96? 

•360 

/Com.      Ed.      Eoche 
I    Power. 

(Wrecked  off  Mayo, 
I    C.  de  Verdes.    All 
|    saved. 

1861 

Aug. 

Driver,  padd.    .     . 

6 

•1,056 

•280 

/Com.  Horatio  Nelson 
I    (2). 

(  Wrecked    on    llari- 
l    guana  I. 

1861 

? 

Camilla,  brig  sloop 

16 

•549 

- 

(Com.  Geo.  Twisleton 
V    Colvile.* 

(Supposed    foundered 
<     on   China  station. 
(    All  lost. 

1861 

Dec.  29 

/  Cnnqueror,  scr.  wood 
I    line-of-battle  s.  . 

101 

•3,265 

*800 

/Capt.   Ed.    Southwell 
(    sotheby,  C.B. 

/Wreiked    on    Ruin 
I    Key, 

(Commod.    Wm.   Far- 

1863 

Feb.  5 

Oi~pheus,  scr.    . 

21 

*1,?06 

•400 

quharson    Burnett, 
,     UB.* 
Com.     Eobt.     Heron 

/Wrecked  off  Mauu- 
l    kau,  N.Z. 

1     Burton.* 

1863 

Dec.  23 

Lively,  scr.  g.  b.    . 

2 

•254 

•60 

Lt.  Wm.  Walsh. 

/Wrecked      off     the 
I    Dutch  coast. 

1864-1880.] 


SHIPS  LOST. 


583 


DISPI.. 

TONS. 

COMMANDED. 

YEAR. 

DATE. 

H.M.  SHIP. 

GDNS. 

[*  Old 

H.P.I. 

[*  Lost  his  life  on  the            REMAKES. 

measure- 

[•Norn.] 

occasion.] 

ment.] 

1864 

Ap.  3 

Magpie,  scr.  g.  b.  . 

2 

•236 

•60 

Lt.  Geo.  Robt.  Bell. 

(Wrecked  in  Galway 
I    Bay. 

1864 

Nov.  4 

Racehorse,  scr.  g.  v. 

4 

•695 

*200 

(Com.  Chas.  Rd.  Fox    (  Wrecked  uearChefoo. 
t    Boxer.                      ;  t    Few  saved. 

(R.-Ad.     Hon.    Chns. 

1864 

Dec.  14 

{Bombay,  scr.  wood) 
I.    line-oi-battlesbpj 

67 

•2,782 

•400 

Gilbert   Juo.    Bry- 
1     done  Elliot,  C.B. 
leapt.      Colin      And. 

Bunit  off  Montevideo. 

[    Campbell. 

(Destroyed  to  prevent 

1865 

Oct.  23 

Bulldog,  padd.  .     . 

6 

•1,124 

*500 

Capt.  Chas.  Wake. 

/    capture,      at     C. 

(    Haytien. 

Sunk     by     collision 

1866 

July  10 

Amazon,  scr. 

4 

•1,081 

•300 

Com.  Jas.  Ed.  Hunter. 

/     with    B.S.   Osprey, 

}    off  the  Start. 

(Stranded  after  colli- 

1866 

Oct. 

Griffon,  scr.  g.  v.  . 

5 

•425 

*80 

siou  with  H.M.S. 
Pandora,  off  Little 

1867 

(0 

Osprey,  scr.  g.  v.  . 

4 

•682 

•200 

Popo. 
(Wrecked  on  coast  of 
Com.  \\  m.  Menzies.      )    s  Africa. 

1868 

Sept.  24 

Rattler,  scr. 

17 

•952 

•200 

(Com.      Hy.      Fredk.    (Wrecked    on   China 
(    Stephenson.                 \    station. 

1868 

Nov.  15 

Gnat,  twn.  scr.  g.  v. 

2 

•464 

•120 

(Com.    Chas.    Barstow    AVrecked  off  Balabac 
(    Theobald.                •    \    I.,  China. 

1869 

Mar.  29 

Ferret,  brig  sloop  . 

8 

•385 

_ 

(Lt.    Hilary    Mansell    (Wrecked  off  Dover. 
\    Carre.                          i     All  saved. 

1870 

May  9 

Slaney,  scr.  g.  v.   . 

1 

•301 

*80 

(Lt.  Wm.  Fras.  Leoline    (Wrecked      on      the 
I    Elwyn.                      i    Paracels.  China. 

1870 

Sept.  5 

Trincula,  scr.  g.  b.  . 

2 

•273 

•60 

(Lt.   Hon.   Fras.  Geo. 
1    Crofton. 

1  Wrecked  off  Gibral- 
(    tar.    Only  2  lost. 

1870 

Sept.  7 

(Captain,1  Iron  turret) 
1    battleship.     .     .j 

6 

(  *4,272  1 
(     6,950  ] 

•900 

(Capt.    Hugh    Talbot 
(    Bnrgoyne,  V.C.* 

(Capsized    off    Finis- 
J    terre.      Only     18 
|     saved. 

1870 

Dec.  15 

Psyclie,  padd.  d.  v. 

2 

•835 

•260 

Lt.  John  Fellowes. 

{    Mechini,  Catania. 

1871 
1374 

June  19 
May  21 

{MegcKra,    scr.    iron) 
\    at.  ship     .     .     .] 

jWo&F,  scr.    . 

6 

4 

•1,395 
•1,083 

•350 
•300 

(Capt.     Arth.     Thos. 
I    Thrupp. 

Com.  David  Boyle. 

(Beached  at  St.  Paul's 

1    I- 
(Wrecked  off  Mique- 
(    Ion  I. 

Accidentally  rammed 

1875 

Sept.  1 

{Vanguard,        ironl 
central      batteryV 
battleship      .     .  | 

14 

(  *3,774 
\     6,010 

•800) 
5,312/ 

Capt.  Rich.  Dawkins. 

by     H.M.S.     Iron 
Jfuke  off  the  Kish 
Bank,    and    sank. 

No  life  lost. 

1878 

Mar.  24 

tEurydice?  training) 
1    frigate.     .     .     J 

4 

(      »921  1 
I     1,014  ] 

— 

(Capt.    Marcus    Aug. 
{    Stanley  Hare.* 

{Capsized  off  the  I.  of 
Wight.      Only    2 
saved. 

1878 

Oct.  31 

Fanny,  c.  g.  cruiser 

— 

•153 

— 

(Chf.      Offr.      Joseph 
I    Greet.* 

)Ruu    down   off   the 
Tuskar,     by     s.s. 
Helvetia:  17  lost. 

Never  heard  of  after 

having    left    Ber- 

1880 

Mar.(?) 

tAtalanta,*  training) 
\    frigate.     .     .     .] 

4 

•923 

- 

Capt.  Francis  Stirling.* 

muda  on  Jan.  31st. 
Ail     hands,    280, 

lost. 

»  With  the  Captain,  in  addition  to  Capt.  Bnrgoyne,  there  perished  her  designer,  Capt.  Cowper  Pbipps  Coles ; 
Com.  Richd.  Sheepshanks ;  Lients.  Chas.  Giffard,  Fras.  Bennett  Renshaw,  Richd.  Ponsonby  Purdon,  Robt,  Fry 
Castle,  and  Ed.  Wm.  Fredk.  Boxer ;  Capt.  (R.M.A.)  Rich.  Archd.  Gorges ;  Lient.  (R.M.)  Jno.  Alex.  Armstrong 
Eckford;  Chaplain  and  Nav.  lust.  Rev.  Edm.  Sheppard  Powles;  Staff-Corn.  Robt.  Jno.  Corsillis  Grant ;  Paym. 
Julian  Alex.  Messum;  Asst.-Puyms.  Richd.  Cornish,  and  Arnold  West;  Chf.-Eng.  Geo.  Rock;  St.-Surg.  Mat. 
Burton,  M.D.;  Surg.  Robt.  Pnrves;  Actg.  Asst.-Snrg.  Jno.  Ryan;  Engineers  W.  C.  Moreton,  P.  Baldwin, 
0 .  H.  Barnes,  J.  H.  Willis,  and  F.  Pnrsell ;  Lt.  Nordeufelt,  of  the  Swed.  Navy ;  two  Greek  mids. ;  a  son  of  Adin. 
Sir  Baldwin  Wake  Walker;  a  son  of  Mr.  Childers,  then  First  Lord  ;  a  son  of  Lord  Northbrook  ;  and  other  officers. 
The  total  loss  was  472. 

2  There  perished  with  the  Eurydice,  In  addition  to  Capt.  Hare,  Lients.  Francis  Hope  Tabor,  Charles  Vernou 
Strange,  William  Edward  Black,  and  Stanley  Alfred  Brooke  Buruey;  Staff.-Surg.  James  Leech  Whitney; 
Paym.  Frank  Pittman ;  Sub-Lieuts.  Hon.  Edward  Robert  Glfford,  Herbert  Sayres  Edmunds,  Walter  Stuart 
Smith,  and  Sydney  Granville  Randolph  ;  Surg.  Robert  Murdoch ;  Gunner  Frederick  Allen ;  Boatswains  William 
Brewer  and  Joseph  Warren;  and  Asst.-Clerk  William  Lamont.  The  total  loss  of  life  was  about  300.  A  few 
military  passengers  were  on  board. 

>  Among  the  officers  who,  witli  Capt.  Fras.  Stirling,  perished  In  the  Atalanta  were  Lieuts.  Fredk.  Arth. 
Blackett,  Arth.  Dove,  and  Philip  Evan  Fisher;  Nav. -Lieut.  Wm.  Hy.  Stephens;  Chaplain  the  Rev.  Robt. 
Nlmmo ;  Paym.  John  Ashton ;  Gunner  Wm.  Silk ;  Boatswains  Fredk.  Siandish,  and  Rich.  Clancy,  etc. 


584 


SHIPS  LOST. 


[1881-1901. 


YEAR. 

DATE. 

H.M.  SHIP. 

GUNS. 

DISPL. 
loxs. 
[•Old 
measure- 
ment.] 

H.P.I.             COMMANDER. 
*  Norn.]    [*  Lost  his  life  on  the 
occasion.] 

REMAKES. 

Sank  off  Sandy   Pt. 

owning  to  au  acci- 

1881 

Ap.  26 

;Doierel,   comp.  BC.I 

6 

1,137 

900     Com.  Rich.  Evans. 

dental     explosion 

[    sloop   .     .     .     ,j 

on     board  :      143 

lives  being  lost. 

1882 

Sept.  12 

\PhKnix,  comp.  sc.) 
I    sloop   .     .     .     .] 

6 

1,130 

.  .-„    (Com.     Hubert     Hy. 
1>13°  {    Grenfell. 

Wrecked  ol  P.  Ed- 
ward's I.  No  lives 
lost. 

1883 

June  7 

Lively,  padd.  disp.  v. 

2 

985 

.„    (Com.  Alf.  Arth.  Chase 
I>46°   I    Parr. 

[Wrecked  i  ff  Storno- 
[    way.  No  lives  lost. 

1884 

Sept.  22 

\Wasp,    comp.    sc.l 
I    g.  b  ) 

4 

465 

.„„    (Lieut.    Juo.    Dundas 
470  I    Nicholls.* 

W'recked    off    Tory 
Island:     52    lives 
lost. 

1887 

Sept. 

rll'asp,    comp.     sc.\ 
I    g.  b  / 

6 

670 

i  Lieut.     Bryan     Jno. 
1,000  <     Huthwaite     Adarn- 
(    son.* 

Never  heard  of  after 
having  left  Singa- 
pore, Sept.  10.  All 
hands,  80,  lost. 

1889 

Sept.  16 

Lily,  sc.  g.  vessel  . 

3 

720 

.„    (Com.   Gerald   Walter 
830   I    Russell. 

(Wrecked  off  Labra- 
l    dor:  7  lives  lost. 

Lost  while  in  tow  of 

1890 

Oct. 

\No.    62    (1st    class) 
1    torpedo-boat).     J 

— 

75 

700 

H.M.S.  Ituziard  in 
a  gale,  N.  Amer. 

station. 

1890 

Nov.  10 

Serpent,!  3rd  cl.  cr. 

6 

1,770 

,.    (Com.     Harry     Leith 
4,500  ^    ROSS.* 

Wrecked  off  N.  coast 
of  Spain:  1"3  lives 

lost;  3  saved. 

Sank  after   collision 

1892 

Aug.  8 

flfo.   75    (1st   class) 
1    torpedo-boat).     J 

— 

75 

„    (Actg.  Sub-Lieut.  Arth. 
700   I    Wm.  Craig. 

with  t.  b.  No.   77 
off   the    Maidens. 

No  one  lost. 

Sank     after     being 

}V.-Ad.  SirGeo.Tryon, 

rammed  by  H.M.S. 

1893 

June  22 

Victoria,?  battleship 

15 

10,470 

Capt.  '  Hon.      Manr. 

Camperdown,     off 
Tripoli,  Syria.    C.- 

Archib.  liourke. 

in-Cnf  ,  21  officers 

and  350  men  lost. 

Stranded  in  Kalk  Bay. 

1898 

July  29 

INo.    28   (1st   class} 
X    torpedo-boat)  . 

- 

60 

(Lieut.     Hon.     Edw. 
600  <    Spencer          Harry 
I    Boyle. 

Badly      damaged. 
Used  in  Dec.  1*98 
as  a  target  by  Cape 
Squadron,         and 

snnk. 

1900 

Nov.  27 

rffind,      coastguard 
I    cntter  .     .     .     .  J 

— 

130 

(Chf.   Off.    John    Mc- 
X    Donald. 

(Wrecked    on    Ship- 
i    wash  Sands. 

1901 

Jan.  16 

Sibylle,  2nd  cl.  cr.  . 

8 

3,400 

(Capt.      Hugh      Pigot 
9,000   |    Williams 

(Wrecked    in    Lam- 
l    bert's  Bay,  S.  Air. 

1  The  officers  lost  in  the  Serpent  were :— Com.  Harry  Leith  Hoss ;  Lieuts.  Guy  Alwine  John  Greville,  Peter 
Noel  Richards,  and  Torqnill  MacLeod ;  Paym.  James  William  Dixou ;  Chf.-Eng.  John  James  Kobins ;  Asst.- 
Engs.  William  Piercy  Edwards  and  Frederick  Victor  Head;  Staff-Surg.  William  Masters  Kae;  Gunner  Frank 
Holsgrove,  and  Boatswain  Thomas  Hicks. 

2  In  addition  to  Sir  Geo.  Tryon,  the  following  officers  perished  with  the  ship :— Lieut.  Philip  Harvey  Mnnro ; 
Chaplain  the  Rev.  Saml.  Shcppard  Oakley  Morris ;  Fleet-Paym.  Valentine  Dyer  J.  Eickcord ;  Fleet-Eng.  Felix 
Foreman;  Eng.   Fredk.  Geo.  Harding;  Asst.-Engs.  Hy.  Chas.  Deadman,   Wm.  Emest  Hatherly,  and  Wm. 
Rowland  Seaton ;  Gunner  Wm.  Howell ;   Boatswain  Wm.  Barnard ;  Carpenter  Philip  Hy.  Beall ;  Mids.  Leslie 
Inglis,  Arth.  Chas.  Grieve,  Ayscough  Gny  Hawksworth  Fawkes,  Herb.  Marsden  Lanyon,  Walter  E.  Henley, 
Harold  W.  Gambler,  and  Lawrence  J.  P.  Scarlett ;  Naval-Cadet  Fraser  S.  Stocks ;  Clerk  to  Sec.  Hy.  Ross  Allen  ; 
and  Asst.-Clerk  Arth.  Darley  Savage. 


INDEX. 


VOLUME  VII. 


So  far  as  possible,  the  rank  ascribed  to  executive  officers  is  that  to  which  they  had  attained 
upon  leaving  the  Navy,  or,  if  still  serving,  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  period  covered 
by  this  History.  Betired  rank  is  not  noticed. 


ABBOTT,  Lieut.  Thomas  Francis,  272  n.3, 

273  n.1,  288 

Abdy,  Lieut.  Robert  Burlton,  336 
Aboh,  349 
Aboukir,  36  n.1 
Aboukir  Bay,  344,  346 
Abrakrampa,  258-259 
Abu  Hamed,  449 
Abu  Klea,  360-363,  369  and  n.3 
Abu  Klea,  440  and  n.1,  450 
Abu  Km,  364  n. 
Abyssinia,  26  n. 

Abyssinian  Expedition  (1868),  218-220 
Accidents,  gunnery.     See  under  Gunnery 
Accra,  247 
Acheron,  564 
Achilles,  23,  292,  295-296,  298,  327,  332, 

338  and  n.1,  339 

Ackland,  Mids.  Austin  Charles,  502  n.3 
Acland,  R.-Adm.  Sir  William  Alison  Dyke, 

581 

Acorn,  38, 106  n.1,  112  n.3, 114  n.1,  388-389 
a'Court,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Henry  Holmes,  310 
Actxon,  112  n.3,  114,  132  n.2 
Actinauts,  62  n.1 

Actions,   principal  (See  also    Pirates    and 
Slavers) : — 

Alexandria,  bombardment  of,  322-336 

Bogue  Forts,  99-100 

Bulldog,  212-213 

Canton,  bombardment  of,  113 

Canton,  near,  98 

Cawnpur  and  Lucknow,  near,  140-142 

Escape  Creek,  102-104 

Fatshan  Creek,  104-108 

Goolereah  Ghat,  148 

Kagosima,  197-200 

Pei-ho  Forts,  125-131 

Shah  and  Huascar,  287 

Simonoseki,  203-208 

Taku  Forts,  117-118,  134-135 


Active,  38,  259,  261  and  n.3,  262,  276,  281, 

282  n.1,  302-308 
Adair  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.  Charles  William, 

207 

Adams,  Surg.  Archibald,  256 
Adams,  R.-Adm.  John,  571 
Adamson,  Lieut.  Bryan   John  Huthwaite, 

584 

Adamson,,  Sub-Lieut.  Henry  Horace,  262 
Adeane,  Adm.  Edward  Stanley,  306,  309, 

579 

Adler  (Ger.),  393 
Admirals : — 
Klag  of,  15 
Pay  of,  17 
Retirement  of,  16 
Admirals  of  the  Fleet,  increase  in  numbers 

of,  14 
Admiralty : — • 

Coastguard  transferred   to   control 

12  n.2,  17 
Constitution  of,  11 
Naval     Intelligence     Department 

78 

Officials  of,  2-8 
Reorganisation  of,  9-10 
Adventure,  120,  410-413 
Adye,  Lieut.-Genl.  Sir  John,  342 
Afafit,  401 
Africa,  171  n.3 
Africa,  East : — 

Expeditionary  force  in  (1895),  432 
Jubaland  afl'air,  462 
Slaver  actions  on  coast  of,  189,  226, 
234,  263,  264,  279,   289,  386-388, 
390,  391 
Africa,  South : — 

Boer  wars  (1881),   315-320;    (1899- 

1900),  68,  463-519 
"Old  Colony  "war,  302 
Zulu  war,  303-309 


of, 


at, 


586 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


Africa,  West: — 

Boxer's  work  in,  311 

Flag-officers  in,  90 

Gambia  expedition,  426-427 

Gold  Coast,  247,  375 

Niger  expeditions  (1864-1866),  209; 

(1894),  428,  429 
Pioneer's  work  in,  312 
Pirates,  affairs  with,  228,  233 
Scarcies  expedition,  151 
Slave  trade  in,   136;    slaver  actions, 

187,  189 

Surveying  in,  564 
Agamemnon,  26,  29,  150,  390  n.4 
Agincourt,   23,    217,    292,    295-297,    338 

and  n.1 

Aitkeng,  Lieut.  Philip  Bennet,  226 
Ajax,  26 
Akassa,  431 
Akatoo,  209 
Akimfoo,  257 
Akrotiri,  445 
Alacrity,    534,     538-539,    542-543,    547, 

561  n.a 

Alarm,  38,  40 
Alaska,  310 
Albacore,  197  n.,  374 
Albania,  564 
Aibemarle,  33  n.9 
Albert,  Prince  Consort,  79 
Albert    William     Henry,     Adm.     H.E.H. 

Prince,  of  Prussia,  581 
Albert  Medal,  74 
Alberta,  42 
Albion,  33  n.6 

Alcester,  Lord.     See  Seymour 
Alcock,  Sir  Kutherford,  203,  221 
Aldham,  Capt.  William  Comwallis,  150 
Aldrich,  R.-Adm.  Pelham,  6,  566  and  n.2, 

567,  581 
Alecto,  188,  349,  386,  402,  405,  407,  420, 

428,  429,  440,  441,  443,  453,  454 
Alert,  566  and  nn.2  3  * 6,  567 
Alert  (U.S.),  434 
Alexander,  183 
Alexander,  Capt.   Henry  McClintock,   181 

and  n.2 
Alexander,   Capt.   John    Hobhouse   Inglis, 

196,  200,  203,  205,  207 
Alexander,  Com.  John  Richard,  189 
Alexandra,  24,  53,  62  n.2,  292,  295,  296, 
314,  323,  324,  327-329,  331,  332,  334, 
337  n.2,  338-340,  344,  345,  359  and  n.8 
Alexandria,    bombardment    of,     322-336 ; 

operations  ashore  at,  337-341 
Algerine,  122,  135  n.1,  220-222,   390  n.4, 
520  and  n.,  521,  532-535,537  n.2,  538- 
539  and  n.1,  546,  561  n.2 
Alicante,  243 
Alington,  H.-Adm.  Arthur  Hildebrand,  215, 

284,  311,580 

Alison,  Maj.-Genl.  Sir  Archibald,  338  and 
n.2-341 


Allahabad,  139 

Allen,  Com.  Albert  Clinton,  426 

Allen,  Com.  Charles  William  Poynder,  519 

Allen,  Gunner  Frederick,  583  n.2 

Allen,   Com.   George   Worouzow,   218   n.2, 

246,  283 

Allen,  Clerk  Henry  Ross,  584  n.2 
Allen,  Surg.  Marcus,  288 
Alligator,  102,  109 
Allin   (R.M.),   Lance-Corpl.    T.    R.,    554- 

555  n.1 
Allnutt  (R.M.),  Capt.  William  Winkworth, 

256,  258  n.2 
Alsnack,  Lieut.  Walter  Byrom,  353-354 
Almansa  (Sp.),  245,  246 
Alton,    Fleet-Paym.    Francis    Cooke,   529 

and  n." 

Alvarez,  Genl.  (Guat.),  154,  235-237 
Amadeus,  King  of  Spain,  243 
Amazon,  583 
Ambong,  451 

America.     See  United  States 
America,  North,  Flag-officers  on  station,  87 
Amethyst,  120,  156,  261,  262,  287  and  n. 
Amoaful,  260-261 
Amorantsanga,  347 
Arnorka,  144,  145,  147 
Arnoy,  211 

Amoy  (Ex  Jasper),  171  n.3 
Ampassandava  Bay,  347 
Amping  Fort,  222 
Amquana,  257 

Amsterdam  (Dutch),  203,  205 
Andaman  Islands,  152  n.3 
Anderson,  Surg.  Charles  Abercrombie,  97 
Anderson,  Com.  Warren  Hastings,  189 
Anderton,   Lieut.   James   E.   (Natal   Nav. 

Vols.),  503  n.,  512 
Andoe,  V.-Adm.  Hilary  Gustavus,  6,  295, 

320  n.3,  356  and  n.1,  530 
Andrews,  Seamen  Henry,  447  n.6 
Andrews,  Staff-Surg.  John,  461 
Annesley,  Com.  William  Martin,  264,  389 
Annesley  Bay,  218 
Anson,  31  n.* 
Anson,  Col.,  229 

Anson,  Lieut.  Charles  Eustace,  336,  337 
Ant,  179  n.3 
Antalo,  218 
Anuda  I.,  391-392 
Anunghoy  Forts,  100 
Aoba  (N.  Hebrides),  311 
Apak,  168 
Apanee,  257 

Api  (Tasiko  Island),  265 
Apia  (Samoa),   279-281,   393,    414,    456, 

457,  459-461 
Aplin,    Com.    Elphinstone    d'Oyley  d'Au- 

vergne,  160 
Aplin,  Com.  Henry  Faulconer,   384,   385, 

400 

Apollonia,  247,  251 
Aquidah,  253 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


587 


Arab,  435 

Arabi  Pasha,  322,  323,  337,  339,  340 

Arabian  Gulf,  224 

Arabs,  210,  214,  387,  391 

Arbuckle    (R.M.),    Capt.    James   William 

Vaughan,  262 

Arbuthnot,  Capt.  Charles  Ramsay,  435 
Arce,  Galvez  (Sp.),  244 
Archer,  38,  209,  430 
Architecture,  naval : — 

Authorities  cited  for,  20  n. 

Experiments  in,  25,  30-32 

Standard  type  of  battleship,  33 
Arctic  expedition  (1874),  566,  567 
Arden,  Lieut.  Edward  Henry,  284,  312 
Ardent,  151 
Arethusa,  38,  561  n.2 
Argus,  196,  197  and  n.,  199,  203-205,  217, 

218,  251,  254-258,  261,  262 
Ariadne,  157 
Arias,  President,  234-236 
Ariel,  137,  189,  276,  277,  281-283 
Armament,  28-32,   35,   36:   for  merchant 

cruisers,  42 
Armour : — 

Development  of,  57 

Disposition  of,  34,  35 

Early  forms  of,  21-24 
Armoured  train,  339-340 
Armstrong,  Miss,  552 
Armstrong,  Dir.-Geul.  Alexander,  M.D.,  5 
Armstrong    (R.M.),    Lieut.    Harold    Gage 

Bewes,  550  n.2,  557 

Armstrong,  Lieut.  John  Garnet,  561  n.2 
Armstrong,  Carpenter  M.,  200 
Armstrong,  Mids.  Thomas  Charles,  477 
Armstrong  screw  gun,  types  of,  44 
Armytage,  Mids.  G.,  130-131 
Armytage,  Capt.  William,  7 
Arnold,  Lieut.  William  Henry,  427 
Arnold-Forster,  Hugh  Oakeley,  3 
Arrogant,  38,  187-188 
Arrogie  Pass,  219 
Arrow,  93 

Arthur,  R.-Adm.  William,  122,  270,  578 
Artificer-Engineer,    creation    of    rank    of, 

13  n.12 

Ascension  Island,  227 
Ashantee,  189,  247-249 
Ashantee   War  (1873),  250-262 ;   authori- 
ties cited  foT,  247  n. ;  (1895-1896),  434 
Ashby,    Paym.    in    Chf.    James    William 

Murray,  131 

Ashley,  T.  W.  (1st  cl.  pet.  off.),  477 
Ashton,  Paym.  John,  583  n.s 
Assays,  136 

Assistance,  123  n.,  130,  564,  582 
Atago  (Jap.),  532-533 
Atalanta,  313,  314,  583  and  n.3 
Ataran,  381  and  n.2 
Atjempon,  Prince,  247,  249-251 
Atkinson,  Mids.  C.  W.,  207 
Atkinson,  Capt.  George  Lambart,  220  and  n. 


Atkinson,  Com.  William   Edward   Breeks, 

388 

Atlantic  cable,  laying  of,  150 
Attack  Bay,  210 
Attrill,  Carpenter  James,  546 
Auckland,  178,  181 
Audacieuse  (Fr.),  112 
Audacious,  24 

Aurora,  31  n.6,  69,  215,  522  and  n.s,  524- 
525  n.2,  527,   529,   530,   510-543,  546- 
550,  561  n.2 
Aurora  Island,  231 
Austin,  Seaman  Charles.  219    • 
Austin,   V.-Adm.   Horatio   Thomas,   7,   8, 

569 

Australia,  31  n.6 
Australian  Station,  Flag-officers   appointed 

to,  89-90 
Austria : — 

China,  operations  in,  521-523,  532-534, 

537,  546,  552,  556  n.1 
Crete,  action  at,  444,  446 
Greek  ports  blockaded  by,  385 
Naval  Review  (1897),  represented  at, 

84 

Autridge,  Fleet-Paym.  William  Basset,  519 
Avalanche  (Fr.),  112  n.8,  116,  117,  119 
Avon,  269-270,  283-285 
Avon  (colonial  st),  178-179,  182 
Awdry,  Acct.-Genl.  Richard  Davis,  5 
Aylen,  Lieut.  John  Robert,  200 
Aynsley,  Signalman  William,  304  n. 

BABBACJE,  Charles,  64  and  n.1 

Bacchante,  36  n.1,  379,  383 

Back,  Lieut.  Eric  Percy  Coventry,  482, 484- 

487,  492 

Bacon,  Lieut.  Henry  Edmund,  104  n.1 
Bacon,    Capt.     Reginald     Hugh     Spencer, 

443  n.,  444 
Badagry,  187 
Bahia  Honda,  242 
Bahrein,  224,  225,  289 
Baillie,  Nav.-Lieut.  Charles  William,  77 
Baillie,  V.-Adm.  the  Hon.  Thomas  (3),  571 
Bain,  Mr.  (Vice-Consul),  236 
Bainbridge,  R.-Adm.  John  Hugh,  581 
Baird,  Adm.  John  Kennedy  Erskine,  5,  88, 

89,  577 

Baird,  Asst.-Surg.  William  James,  131 
Baker,  Mr.  (missionary),  223 
Baker,  Capt.  Julian  Alley ne,  370 
Baker  Pasha,  Valentine,  350-351 
Baldwin,  Eng.  P.,  583  n.1 
Balfour,  Com.  Charles  John  (1),  582 
Balfour,   Capt.   Charles  John  (2),   8,  125, 

130,  297,  324,  336 
Ball,  Gunner  Harry,  492 
Balla  Rao,  148 
Ballarat,  171  n.3 

Ballard,  Com.  George  Alexander,  74 
Bamber,  Lieut.  Wyndham  Lerrier,  522  n.s, 

529 


588 


INDEX    10    VOLUME   VII. 


Banana  Creek,  233,  284 

Band,  Boatswain  Charles,  144  and  n. 

Banda  Bahru,  272  n.2,  274 

Bansee,  147 

Banterer,  111,  125-126,  128,  130 

Barbettes,  28 

Barcelona,  246 

Jlarjkur,  33  n.3,  448  n.1,  521,  528  n.4,  531, 

537-541,  543,  545-550,  561  n.2 
Sarham,  38 

Baring,  Evelyn,  Earl  Cromer,  322 
Baring,  the  Hon.  T.  G.     See  Northbrook 
Barker,  Capt.  Charles,  121 
Barlow,  Capt.  Charles  James,  8,  379,  384 
Bamaby,  Sir  Nathaniel,  4,  28 
Barnard,  Lieut.  George  Henry,  173 
Barnard,  Boatswain  William,  584  n.2 
Barnard,   Lieut.   William   Job   Woodman, 

519 
Barnardiston,  V.-Adm.  Thomas,  218-220  n., 

578 

Barnes,  En?.  Gr.  H.,  583  n.1 
Barnes  -  Lawrence,     Com.    Lionel    Aubrev 

Wallis,  302  n.3 

Barr  and  Stroud  range-finder,  52  n.a 
Barracouta,  94-96,  98,  99,  101,  156,  251, 

256,  258  nn.24,  261,  262,  279,  280,  519 
Barrett,    Lieut.    N.    (Natal    Nav.    Vols.), 

496  n.2,  503  n.,  512 
Barrington,  Adm.,  75 
Barrosa,  203-204,  207,  431,  432,  440,  441, 

479,  488,  519 
Barrow,  Col.,  363 
Barrow,  Sir  John,  564,  565 
Barry,  Lieut.  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  117 
Barton,  Genl.  Geoffry,  470,  490,  503,  506, 

509 

Basilisk,  231,  232 
Bassett  (U.S.N.),  Lieut.  P.  B.,  455 
Bate,  Seaman  William,  505 
Bate,  Capt.  William  Thornton,  96,  97  and 

n.1,  98, 114, 115  n.2 

Bateman,  Com.  Richard  Sacheverell,  234 
Bathurst,  402-404,  406 
Batineh  coast,  388 
Battiscombe,  Capt.  Albert  Henry  William, 

176 

Baudais,  M.,  347 

Baxter,  Mr.  William  Edward,  M.P.,  2 
Bay  Islands,  153,  235,  236 
Bayly,  Capt.  Charles  Henry,  519 
Bayly,    Capt.    Edward    Henry,   255,   413, 

522  n.2,  540,  542-543  and  n.1,  547,  549, 

558,  561  n.2 

Baynes,  Adm.  Robert  Lambert,  87 
Bays,  Gunner  Henry,  302  n.3 
Beacon,  258  n.4,  262,  324,  336,  343,  346 
Beaconsfield,  Earl  of,  297,  566;  admiralty 

officials  during  premierships  of,  2  n. 
Beadnell,  Surg.  Charles  Marsh,  477,  480 
Beagle,  38,  309,  311 
Beal,    Chaplain    and    Naval    Instr.    Rev. 

S  amuel,  104 


Beall,  Carpenter  Philip  Henry,  584  n.2 
Beamish,  Capt.  Henry  Hamilton,  98,  115 

and  n.1,  300 
Bearcroft,   Capt.   John   Edward,  478,  482, 

485-488,  492,  519 
Beatty,  Capt.  David,  439-440  and   nn.1 6, 

449,  450,  528  n.4,  540,  541,  543  and  n.2 
Beatty,  Staff-Surg.  Henry  Bullen,  461 
Beatty,  Lieut.  Michael  Stephens,  275 
Beaufort,  Capt.  Sir  Francis,  564-565 
Beaumont,  R.-Adm.  Lewis  Anthony,  6,  88, 

90,  566  and  n.1,  567,  581 
B&lford,  36  n.2 
Bedford,    V.-Adm.    Sir    Frederick    George 

Denham,  87,  90,  286  n.1,  350  n.1,  426, 

427,  429  and  n.1,  431,  579 
Bedford,  Capt.  George  Augustus,  564 
Bedingfeld,  Capt.  Norman  Bernard,  217 
Bedouins,  337,  340  n.1,  341 
Beeby,  Acct.-Genl.  James,  5 
Behenna,  Actg.-Master  Edwin,  212,  213 
Beira,  435 

Belcher,  Adm.  Sir  Edward,  564,  570 
Belfast  (S.A.),  battle  of,  485 
Belize,  153,  235  and  n.2,  237 
Bell,  Lieut.  George  Robert,  583 
Bell,  Paym.  James  Auten,  356 
Bell,  Paym.  James  King,  312 
Bellairs,     Lieut.     Beaucharnp     St.     John, 

403  n.2 
Belleisle,  24 
Bellerophon,  24,  217 
Belleville  boilers,  56  and  n.2 
Belwa  Fort,  144-145 
Benares,  149 
Benbow,  31 
Benbow,  Insp.  of  Mach.  Henry,  359,  367- 

369  and  n.1 

Benin,  440-443 ;  River,  428,  440,  441 
Bennett,  Com.  George  Latham  Blacker,  402 
Benwell,  Lieut.  William  Francis,  454 
Beranger,  Com.  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  117 
Berber,  371,  449 
Beresford,  R.-Adm.  Lord  Charles  William 

Delapoer,   81,   82,   298,   299,   324,   330, 

336-338,  359  and  n.6,  360,  361,  363-370 
Berkeley,  Lieut.  Henry,  136 
Bermuda,  228,  286  n.1 
Berridge,  Gunner  Thomas,  427 
Berry,  Seaman  William,  447  n.6 
,  Berwick,  36  n.2 
Besika  Bay,  290,  292-294 
Best,  Com.  Henry  Compton,  277 
Bevan,  Lieut.  George  Dacres,  130 
Beyts   (R.M.A.),    Capt.    Herbert    William 

Hope,  528-529 
Bhampur,  147 
Bickford,  R.-Adm.  Andrew  Kennedy,  7,  88, 

581 

Bigge,  Com.  Henry  Charles,  356  and  n.2 
Bigham,  Mr.  Clive,  523,  529  and  n.13 
1  Bills,  Chf.  Eng.  William   Thomas   Henry, 

340 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


589 


Bingham,  Consul  H.  F.,  430 

Bingham,  Lieut.  Henry  Maynard,  161,  164 

Bin  Ids,  Lieut.  (Dutch),  205 

Birch,  Asst.-Suri:.  Edward  Alfred,  208 

Birch,    Mids.    George    Anthony    Wyrley, 

121  n.1 

Birch,  Mr.  J.  W.  W.,  Resident  at  Perak,  272 
Bird's  Nest  Fort  (Canton),  95 
Birkama,  426-427 
Birkenhead,  414 
Bishop,  Gunner  Edwin,  271 
Biskohur,  148 
Bittern,  94  and  n.3,  96,  112  n.3,  233,  258 

nn.2  4,  262,  324,  330,  332,  336 
Black,  Lieut.  William  Edward,  583  n.2 
Black  Prince,  23,  298  n.1,  300 
Blackett,  Lieut.  Frederick  Arthur,  583  n.3 
Blake,  38,  53,  454 

Blake  (R.M.),  Lieut.  George  Lascelles,  104 
Blake,  Capt.  William  Hans,  175,  251,  261  n.1 
Blanc,  Herr  von  (Pr.),  208 
Blanche,  38,  223,  230  n.2,  408,  409,  519 
Blanja,  273,  274 
Blaxland,  Com.  John  Edric,  346, 390  and  n.4, 

391 

Blazer,  564 
Blenheim,  53 

Klenheim  Fort  (Canton),  94-95 
Blignieres,  M.  de,  321-322 
Blockades : — 

Canton  River,  110,  116 

Crete,  445 

Greek  ports,  385 

•  Mazatlan,  156 

Nile  (Damietta  mouth  of),  346 

Valencia,  247 

Zanzibar,  390  and  nn.3  * 
Blonde,  432,  434,  453,  454 
Bluefiekls,  430,  454,  455 
Bluejackets,  value  of,  78-79 
Blunt,  Lieut.  William  Frederick,  561  n.2 
Boadicea,  306-308,  315,  316,  319,  390  n.4, 

391,  395,  396  and  n. 
Board  of  Trade  medal,  74 
Boardman,  R.-Adm.  Frederick  Ross,  338, 

359  n.2,  370,  581 

Boats  on  board  in  action,  328,  329 
Bobr  (Russ.),  532-533,  536 
Boer  War  (1881),  315-320;  (1899-1900), 

68,  463-519 

Bogle,  Capt.  Archibald  George,  169  n.4 
Bogue  Forts,  99-100 
Boilers : — 

Authorities  on,  list  of,  52  n.3,  55  n. 

Norman,  41  n. 

Thornycroft,  41  n. 

Types  of,  55-56 

Water-tube,  41  n. 

Yarrow,  34,  41  n.,  56 
Boldero,  Com.  Arthur  Herbert,  324,  336 
Boldero,   Mids.    Herbert    Seymour   Webb, 

502  n.3,  505  and  n.2 
Bolitho,  Com.  Edward  Alverne,  348 


Bombay,  73,  414,  583 

Bonacea  Island,  153 

Bonaventure,  38,  561  n.2 

Bond,    Eng.    Edmund    Edward,    450-451 

and  n.2 

Bone,  Asst.-Eng.  John  W.,  139 
Bonnet,  Seaman  Henry,  275 
Booth,  Lieut.-Col.,  184 
Boothby,  Com.  William  Osbert,  529  and  n." 
Bor  (H.M.A.),  Major  James  Henry,  446,  448 
Bordein,  364-366 
Borlase,  Capt.  John,   166,   170,   173,   174, 

196,  197 

Borneo,  312,  388,  451 
Borradaile,  Mrs.,  196 
Borrett,  Lieut.  George  Holmes,  550  n.1 
Borumassie,  260,  261 

Bosanquet,  R.-Adm.  Day  Hort,  88,  300,  581 
Bosanquet,  V.-Adm.   George  Stanley,  338, 

578 

Boscawen,  Col.,  365 
Boscawen,  71  and  n.2 
Bosnia,  290 

Bouchier,  Com.  Henry  Edward,  519 
Boughey,  Lieut.  William  Fletcher,  181, 182 
Bouncer,  203-205,  207,  216,  225-227 
Bourboulon,  M.  de,  123,  124 
Bourke,  Capt.  Edmund  George,  252 
Bourke,   Fleet-Eng.    Henry    George,    393, 

394  n.1 
Bourke,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Maurice  Archibald, 

415,  419-420 

Bourke,  Com.  William  Theobald,  370 
Bouverie,  Lieut.  Charles  William  Pleydell, 

519 

Bowden,  Surg.  Walter,  427  and  n.2 
Bowden,  Capt.  William,  209 
Bowden-Smith,  Adm.  Sir  Nathaniel,  86,  90, 

130,  290,  579 

Boweu,  Skipper  (U.S.),  189 
Bower,  Lieut.  James  St.  Clair,  391-392 
Bowerman  (R.M.),  Private,  135 
Bowie,  Staff-Surg.  Robert  Forbes,  461 
Bowlby,  Mr.,  136 
Bowles,  Adm.  Sir  William,  85 
Bowling,  Paym.  Thomas  Henry  Lovelace, 

144,  218 

Bowman,  Chaplain  Edward  Lawson,  139 
Bowring,  Sir  John,  94,  96,  99,  102 
Boxer,  284,  311,  312 
Boxer,  Capt.  Charles  Richard  Fox,  196, 199, 

583 
Boxer,  Lieut.  Edward  William  Frederick, 

583  n.1 

Boxer,  Paym.  William  Edwin,  220  and  n. 
Boyes,  Mids.  Duncan  Gordon,  207 
Boyle,  Com.  David,  583 
Boyle,   Lieut,   the   Hon.   Edward    Spencer 

Harry,  475-476,  492,  584 
Boyle  (R.M.),  Major  Robert,  97,  105,  106 

and  n.3,  117 

Boyle,  Com.  the  Hon.  Robert  Francis,  427 
Boyle,  R.-Adm.  Robert  Hornby,  580 


590 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


Boyne  (later  Excellent},  69 
Boys,  Adm.  Henry  (2),  298  n.2,  575 
Brackenbury,  Col.  Henry,  247  n.,  370 
Brackenbury,  V.-Adm.  John  William,  307, 

309,  396  n.,  418  n.1,  425,  580 
Bradford,  Capt.  Barton  Rose,  330,  336 
Bradford,  Capt.  Edward  Eden,  392,  519 
Bradshaw,  Capt.  Richard,  218,   260,   262, 

276,  277,  307,  309 
Braithwaite,  Lieut.  Lawrence  Walter,  529 

and  n.2 
Bramble,  37 
Brand,  Lieut.  Herbert  Charles  Alexander, 

214 
Brand,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Thomas  Seymour, 

324 

Brandreth,  Adm.  Thomas,  3,  6,  7,  243,  576 
Brass  River,  431,  440,  441 
Brassey,  Sir  Thomas  (Lord),  2 
Bray  (H.M.),  Private,  135 
Bray,  Ship's  Corp.  John,  391 
Brazil,  189 

Breechloaders,  adoption  of,  43 
Bremer  Channel,  99 
Brenan  (R.M.),  Lieut.  T.  Herbert  Alexander, 

135 

Brennan  torpedoes,  59,  61  and  n. 
Brent,  Capt.  Harry  Woodfall,  4 
Brewer,  Boatswain  William,  583  n.2 
Brice,  Carpenter  Henry,  139 
Bridge,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Cyprian  Arthur  George, 

6,  90,  580 

Bridport,  Adm.  Lord,  75 
Briggs,  Lieut.  Harold  Douglas,  560 
Brine,  V.-Adm.  Lindesay,  74,  300,  578 
Brisk,  187,  189,  395,  396  and  n. 
Bristol,  69 
Britannia,  69 

Britannia  (ex  Prince  of  Wales),  69  and  n.3 
British  Columbia,  137,  233,  285 
Briton,  38,  234,  351  n.2,  353  n.1,  354,  374, 

387 

Britomart,  215 

Britten,  Capt.  Richard  Frederick,  295,  300 
Broad,  Capt.  George  Doherty,  125,  130 
Brock,  Com.  Arthur  Metivier,  103  and  n.2 
Brohemie  Creek,  428 
Bromhead  (Mil.),  Lieut.,  304 
Bromley,  Com.  Charles,  137 
Bromley,  Acct.-Genl.  Sir  Richard  Madox,  5 
Bromlow,  Fleet-Surg.  Thomas  d'Arcy,  384 
Brooke,  Capt.  Arthur  Thomas,  349 
Brooke,  Com.  Gerard  Marmaduke,  271 
Brooker,   Capt.    George    Augustus    Cooke, 

114  n.1,  122 
Brooker  Island,  311 

Brookes,  Lieut.  Francis  Avenell,  258  u.2 
Brooks,  Actg.  Vice-Cons.  Theodore,  241 
Brother  Island,  311 

Brown,  Asst.-Eng.  Frederick  William,  139 
Brown,  Seaman  James,  548 
Brown,  Com.  John  William,  396  n.,  397- 

399  n. 


Brown,  Capt.  Ralph  Abercrombie  Otho,  103 

and  n.',  218,  224 

Brown,  Paym.  William  Alfred,  277 
Brown   (later    Greive),   V.-Adm.    William 

Samuel,  578 

Browne,  Mids.  George  Louis,  543 
Browne,  Gore  (New  Zealand  Govr.),  174, 

177 

Browne,  Col.  Horace,  376 
Browne,   Staff-Surg.  Robley   Henry  John, 

539  and  n.6 
Brownlow,  Com.  William  Arthur  de  Vesci, 

207 
Brownrigg,  Capt.  Charles  James,  223,  386, 

387 
Brownrigg,  Mids.  Henry  John  Studholme, 

550  n.1 

Bruce,  Major  (Chinese  regt.),  545 
Bruce,  the  Hon.  Frederick  W.  A.,  123,  124, 

157,  158,  161,  162 
Bruce,  Adm.  Sir  Henry  William,  85,  87, 

137-138 
Bruce,  R.-Adm.  Sir  James  Andrew  Thomas, 

8,   281,   282,   311,  521,  531,  539,   558, 

561  n.2,  581 

Bruce,  Capt.  James  Minchin,  215 
Bruce,  Com.  John,  272,  273  n.1 
Bruce,  Capt.  Robert   Dalrymple  Barwick, 

519 

Brune,  187 

Bryson,  Dir.-Genl.  Alexander,  M.D.,  5 
Buccaneer,  397 
Buchholtz  (Ger.),  Com.,  527 
Buckle,  V.-Adm.  Claude   Edward,  8,  130, 

270,  579 
Buckle,  R.-Adm.  Sir  Claude  Henry  Mason, 

7,571 

Buckler  (R.M.),  Pte.  J.,  555 
Budd  (R.M.),  Capt.  Frederick  Edward,  159 
Bw/eaud  (Fr.),  448 
Bulgaria,  290 
Bulldog,  212-213,  583 
Buller,   Adm.   Sir   Alexander,   8,   88,  272, 

274  n.1,  275,  578 
Buller,   Genl.  Sir  Redvers,  369,  371,  468, 

470,  471,  485-487,  501-502  and  n.4,  503, 

505,  508,  513 

Bullock,  Capt.  Charles  James,  121,  134 
Bullock,  V.-Adm.  Frederick,  569 
Bulwark,  33  n.8 
Burgess,  Com.  John,  224 
Burgevine,  Genl.,  173 
Burgoyne,  Capt.  Hugh  Talbot,  27,  171  n.s, 

583 

Burhal,  144 

Burke,  Mids.  Charles  Dominick,  529 
Burke,  Capt.  James  Henry  Thomas,  520, 

525  n.1,  540,  544,  547,  548,  558,  561  n.2 
Burlton,  Lieut.  Charles  Edward,  171  n.3 
Burmah,  375-377 
Burnaby,  Col.,  360,  362 
Burne,  Lieut.  Charles  Richard  Newdigate, 

502  n.3,  504,  508  n.1,  511,  514',  516,  517 


INDEX.    TO    VOLUME   VII. 


591 


Burnell,  Capt.  John  Coke,  7 

Burnett,   Commod.   William   Farquharson, 

89,  582 

Burney,  Capt.  Cecil,  519 
Burney,    Lieut.    Stanley    Alfred    Brooke, 

583  n.2 

Burniston,  Master  Augustus  John,  130 
Burr,  Capt.  John  Leslie,  256,  312,  454-455 
Burriel,  Brig.-Genl.  Don  Juan  Nepomuceno, 

239-242 
Burton  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Cuthbert  Ward  (2), 

106  and  n.2 

Burton,  Carpenter  John,  144 
Burton,  Staff-Surg.  Matthew,  583  n.1 
Burton,  Com.  Robert  Heron,  582 
Bururiah,  148 

Bush,  Capt.  Paul  Warner,  401 
Bush,  Com.  William  Kemptown,  98,  221 
Bushire,  137,  462 
Bushnell,  Capt.  James  Henry,  07 
Busk,  Hans,  cited,  81 
Hussard  (Ger.),  414 
Bustard,  102,  106  n.1,  117,  118,  223 
Butler,  Lieut.  William  Ormonde,  115  n.'2 
Buxar,  143 
Buzzard,  584 

Byles,  Capt.  Mather,  344,  346 
Byng,  Com.  Robert  Lowther,  259,  262,  276 
Byrch  (R.M.),  Capt.  Edward  Berry,  340 
Byrne  (R.M.),  Capt.  Oervis  Taylor,  443 
Bythesea,  Capt.  John,  121,  132 

CABLE,  Transatlantic,  laying  of,  150 
Cadets,  Naval,  2nd  class,  transformation  of, 

into  Navigating  Cadets,  15 
Ciesar,  33  n.5 

Caffin,  Com.  Crawford,  305,  308,  351  and 
.  n.2,  352 

Calabria  (It.),  523,  534 
Calcutta,  143 
Calcutta,  94,  95,  98,  99,  104,  106  n.'-108 

andn.6,  114  and  n.1,  117 
Caledonia,  20 
Callaghan,   Capt.   George  Astley,  521   n.3, 

550  n.1,  558,  561  n.2 
Callao,  137,  138,  280 
Calliope,  38,  393,  394 
Calver,  Master  William  Barnerd,  150 
Call  well,  Lieut.  William  Henry,  519 
Cambrian,  122,  135  nn.1 3 
Cambridge,  70 

Cambridge  (ex  Windsor  Castle),  70 
Cameron,  Lieut.-Genl.  Sir  Duncan  A.,  178- 

185 

Cameron,  Com.  Orford  Somerville,  225 
Cameron  Town,  178 
Camilla,  582 

Campbell,  Consul  C.  W.,  523,  529  and  n.13 
Campbell,  Capt.  Charles  (2),  429,  435,  441, 

444 

Campbell,  Genl.  Sir  Colin,  140  and  n.2 
Campbell,  Capt.  Colin  Andrew,  106  n.1,  218, 

219,  583 


Campbell,   R.-Adm.    Frederick   Archibald, 

246  n.2,  574 
Campbell,  Lieut.  George  William  McOran, 

477 
Campbell,  Capt.  Henry  John  Fletcher,  305, 

307,  309  ;  quoted,  306 
Campbell,  Com.  James  Carter,  151 
Campbell-Bannerman,  Sir  Henry,  2 
Camperdown,  31,  415-426,  446,  448,  584 
Canada : — 

Fenian   disturbances  in  (1865-1867), 

215 

Prince  of  Wales's  visit  to  (1860),  157 
Voyageurs  from,  in  Egypt,  358,  370 
Canada,  215 
Candia,  446-447 

Canevaro  (It.),  V.-Adm.  Count,  444 
Cannon,  Gunner  James,  488 
Canopus,  33 

Canton,  94-96,  113-115,  120,  225 
Canton  River  (See  also  Escape  Creek),  100, 

101,  105,  110,  116,  120 
Cape  Coast  Castle,  189,  249-251,  253,  255- 

258,  260 

Captain,  26,  27,  583  and  n.1 
Carang-Carang,  233 
Cardale,  V.-Adm.  Charles  Searle,  219, 220  n., 

390  n.4,  580 

Cardew,  Sir  Frederick,  452 
Carey,  Col.  G.  J.,  179,  182,  183 
Carey,  Eng.-room  Artificer  G.  S.,  409 
Cargiil,  Mids.  Godfray  Bruce,  550  n.1 
Carimoo,  406-407 
Carl,  279 
Carnegie,    Mids.    the    Hon.    Ian    Ludovic 

Andrew,  493  n.2,  500 
Carnegie,     V.-Adm.     the    Hon.     Swynfen 

Thomas,  571 
Caroline,  38 
Carpegna,  Lieut.  Gabrielle  de  (Fr.),  112  n.3, 

Carpendale,  Lieut.  Charles  Douglas,  432 
Carpenter,  Com.  Alfred,  378  n.2,  379,  384 
Carpenter  (prev.  Talbot),  Adm.  the  Hon. 

Walter  Cecil,  577 

Carr,  Lieut.  Frederick  Ralph,  309  and  n.1 
Carr,   Lieut.    George    Shadwell    Quartano, 

412, 413 

Carr,  Lieut.  Henry  Cecil,  559 
Carr,  R.-Adm.  Henry  John,  7,  580 
Carrasco,  Don  Manuel  (Peruv.),  cited,  288 
Carre,  Lieut.  Hilary  Mansell,  583 
Carrington,  Genl.  Sir  F.,  435 
Cartagena,  Columbia,  216 
Cartagena,  Sp.,  243-247 
Carysfort,    342-345,    350-353,    371,   372, 

374 

Casembroot,  Capt.  de  (Dutch),  203,  204 
Casement,  Lieut.  John,  282  n.1 
Cassidey,  Seaman  Francis,  140 
Castelar,  Seilor,  240,  243 
Castle,  Lieut.  Robert  Fry,  583  n.1 
Castle  Tavern,  75 


592 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Castilla,  Gen.  Ramon  (Peruvian),  137 
Catamaran,  58 

Cathie,  Lieut.  Richard  Archibald,  353,  369 
Gator,  R.-Adm.  Ralph  Peter,  577 
Cave,  Mr.,  321 
Cave,  Mr.  Basil  S.,  436 
Cave,  Com.  George  Ellis,  459,  461 
Cave,  Capt.  John  Halliday,  151 
Cave-Brown-Cave,    Lieut.    Reginald    Am- 
brose, 336 
Cawnpur,  139-142 
Cay,  Com.  Robert  Barclay,  187,  233 
Centaur,  135  n.1,  160,  170 
Centurion,  33,  521-523,  526-530  and  n., 

546,  547,  550,  561  n.2 
Cerberus,  26  n. 

Cetewayo,  King,  303  and  n.1,  305 
Chads,  Adm.  Sir  Henry,  7,  86,  572 
Chads,  Lieut.  William  Henry  du  Caurroy, 

336 

Chagkin  (Bus.),  Capt.,  523 
Challenger,  38,  156  and  n.,  223,  565 
Challis,  Com.  Henry  Joseph,  230  n.2 
Chalouf,  344 
Chamah,  253-254,  260 
Chamberlain,  R.-Adm.  William  Charles,  6, 

575 

Chambers,  Lieut.  Arthur  Sydney,  427,  536 
Chambers,  Seaman  Robert,  271 
Champion,  401 

Champion,  Seaman  Albert,  447  n.6 
Chunar,  143 
Chanderpur  Fort,  144 
Channel  Squadron  (1900)  :— 
Age  of  battleships  in,  68 
Officers  commanding,  89 
Channer,  Lieut.  Arthur,  378  n.2 
Chapman,  Capt.  William  Cox,  189,  279 
Chapoo,  162 

Chappie,  Staff-Capt.  John  Emanuel,  208 
Chard  (Mil.),  Lieut.,  304 
Charner,  V.-Adm.  (Fr.),  132,  134 
Charrington,  Lieut.  Eric,  539  and  n.2,  558 
C'harrington,  Lieut.  Harold,  340  n.1 
Charybdis,  19,  270-272,  435 
Chatfield,   R.-Adm.  Alfred   John,   8,   262, 

287  n.,  298,  578 

Chatham  Dockyard,  Superintendents  at,  6 
Chefoo,  217 
Chekiang,  160,  162 

Chelmsford,  Lieut.-Genl.  Lord,  304,  305 
Chepoo,  165 

Chermside,  Sir  Herbert,  447 
Cherry  Island,  230 
Cherub,  215 
Chesapeake,  123  n.1,  125,  130,  135   nn.13, 

136 
Chevalier,  Capt.  (Fr.),  cited,  110  n.2,  116, 

131  n.,  133,  134  n.1 ;  quoted,  113 
Chiazzari,  Lieut.  Nicholas  William  (Natal 

Nav.  Vols.),  503  n. 
Chichester,  Capt.  Sir  Edward,  320  n.3,  346 

and  n.«,  518 


Chichester,  Mids.  Edward  George,  493  n.2 

Chief  Boatswains,  15 

Chief  Carpenters,  15 

Chief  Gunners,  15 

Child,  Lieut.  Herbert  Alexander,  403  n.2 

Guilders,  lit.  Hon.  Hugh  Culling  Eardley, 

2,  583  n.1 
Chile,  77,  401-402 
Chiltern,  325 

Chimmo,  Com.  William,  232 
Chimmo  Bay,  211 
China : — 

Boxer  movement  in  (1900),  77,  520- 
561 

British  officers'  assistance  to,  76,  77 

Colonial  assistance  in,  77 

Japanese  war  with  (1894-1895),  452 

Missionaries  in  (1868-1869),  221,  222 

Pirates  in.     See  Pirates 

Station,  Flag-officers  on,  88 

Ti-pings,    British    interference    with, 
157-174 

War  with  (1856-1859),  91-136 
China  (ex  Africa),  171  n.3 
Ching,  Com.  Lawrence,  77 
Chinkiang,  119,  162,  221 
Chinkiang-foo,  164 
Cholin,  166    ' 
Choochi,  222,  223 
Choshim,  Prince  of  Nagato,  193,  195,  201- 

206,  208 

Christian,  Com.  Arthur  Henry,  432 
Christmas,  William  J.  (2nd  cl.  pet.  off.), 

543  and  n.8 
Chub,  179  n.3 
Chuenpee,  109 
Chupra,  143 
Church,  V.-Adm.   Edmund  John,  7,  139, 

580 

Churchill,  Capt.  Orford,  276,  281,  283 
Chwaka  (Zanz.),  438 
Clancy,  Boatswain  Richard,  583  n.3 
Clanwilliam,   Adm.   of  the   Fleet  Richard 
James,  4th  Earl  of,  85,  87, 115  and  nn.23, 
576 

Claridge,  Major,  404,  405 
Clark,  Capt.  Bouverie  Francis,  4 
Clark,  Lieut.  Norman  Leith  Hay,  226  n.2 
Clark,  Seaman  William,  310 
Clarke,  Genl.  Sir  Andrew,  267,  268,  270- 

272 

Clarke,  Capt.  Arthur  Calvert,  402,  561  n.2 
Clarke,  Lieut.  Henry  James,  400 
Clarke,  Mr.  William,  196 
Clayton,  R.-Adm.  Francis  Starkie,  580 
Clements,  Mr.,  Foreman  of  Yd.,  471 
Clerk  of  Eldin,  John,  81 
Cleopatra,  430 

Cleveland,  R.-Adm.  Henry  Foster,  74,  579 
Clifford,     V.-Adm.     Sir    William    John 

Cavendish,  572 

Clinton,  Mids.  Lord  Arthur  Pelham,  139 
Clio,  136 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


593 


Clown,  134,  135  n.1 

Clubs,  Naval,  74-76 

Clutterbuck,  Lieut.  Charles  Henry,  130 

Clutterbuok,  Lieut.  Francis  Alexander,  502 

n.8,  511,  517 
Clutterbuck,   Capt.   William    Robert,   374, 

377,  378,  384  and  n.3 
Clyde,  224  n.1 
Clyde,  Lord,  148 
Coanza  River,  312 
Coast  Guard : — 

Control  of,  transferred  from  Customs  to 

Admiralty,  12  n.2,  17 
Increase  of,  18 
Sea  training  of,  71 
Cobra,  54 
Cochran,  Com.   Reginald  Purves,  302  n.3, 

315,  316,  319 

Cochrane,  Adm.  the  Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Auck- 
land Leopold   Pedro,  7,  56  n.1,  87,  99, 
.    107,  112  n.3,  114  n1.,  574 
Cochrane,  Capt.  Basil  Edward,  374  and  n.1 
Cockburn,   R.-Adm.   James    Horsford,   88, 

573 

Cockchafer,  174,  225 
Cockey,  Eng.  George  Herbert,  528  n.2,  529 

and  nn.8  9,  558 

Coddington,  Lieut.  Henry  Joshua,  179  n.2 
Codrington,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Henrv 

John,  8,  85,  569 

Codrington,  R.-Adm.  William,  6,  7,  578 
Coffee  Calcallee,   King  of  Ashantee,   247, 

249-251 

Coffin  (R.M.),  Capt.  Roger  Pine,  344,  345 
Coke,  Com.  Charles  Henry,  519 
Coke,  Genl.  Talbot,  510,  513,  515 
Coker,  Lieut.  Augustus  Heyliger,  299 
Coker,  Mids.  Lewis  Cadwallader,  306  and  n.1 
Colborne,  Maj.-Genl.  Sir  Francis,  273 
Cole,  Gunner  Edwin  John,  502  n.3 
Cole,  Lieut.  Francis  George  Theodore,  408, 

434,  437 

Colenso,  503-505,  509 
Coles,   Capt.   Cowper   Phipps,   21,  25,   27, 

286  n.,  583  n.1 

Colevill,  Armourer  Samuel  K.,  486 
Colley,  Gen.  Sir  George  Pomeroy,  315-320 
Collingivood,  31-33 
Collingwood,  V.-Adm.  Lord,  75 
Collinson,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Richard,  571 
Collinson,  Lieut.  Tathwell  Benjamin,  102, 

106  n.1 

Colmore,  Lieut.  Reginald  Blayney,  401,  430 
Colomb,  Com.  Horatio  Walcott,  523  n. 
Colomb,   Capt.  Philip  Howard,  64  and  n., 

74,  225,  529  and  nn.1 7 
Colombia,  216 
Colomliano  (Col.),  216 
Colonial  navies,  19,  77  and  n. 
Colossus,  31,  32 
Colquhoun  (R.  Viet.  N.),  Lieut.  William 

Jarvie,  480  and  n.2,  482  n.2,  486,  492 
Colt,  Lieut.  John  Hamilton,  173 
VOL.   VII. 


Columbine,  234 

Colvile,  Com.  George  Twisleton,  582 
Col  vile,  Maj.-Genl.  Sir  Henry,  488 
Colville,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Stanley  Cecil  James, 

439,  440  and  nn.1  "  4 
Colwell  (R.M.),  Maj.  George  Harry  Thorn, 

354 

Comayagua,  234 

Comerford,  Asst.-Surg.  John  Thomson,  208 
Comerford,  Paym.  William  Thomas,  139 
Commercial  Code  of  Signalling,  64 
Commerell,   Adm.  of  the   Fleet   Sir  John 
Edmund,  14,  83,  85,  87,  90,  129,  130, 
227,  253-256  and  n.1,  262,  292,  295,  297, 
299,  575 

Comonfort,  President  Ignacio  (Mex.),  155 
Comus,  38,  100,  101,  434 
Condor,  38,  314,  324,  327,  330,  336,  371 
Conducia  Bay,  314 
Conflict,  311 

Confucius  (Fr.),  169,  172 
Congo  River,  189,  209,  224,  228,  233,  275- 

277,  284,  285 

Connaught,  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of,  341 
Conning-towers,  63,  64 
Connor,    Com.    Edward    Richard  (N.S.W. 

Navy),  560  and  n.4 
Conqueror,  31,  203-206,  582 
Conquest,  396  n. 

Conspicuous  Service  Cross,  558  n.2 
Constance,  52 
Constantinople,  296-297 
Contagious  Diseases  Act  (1866),  67 
Contest,  283 

Contest  (Jap.  merchmn.),  197 
Continuous  Service  System,  17 
Contreras,  Gen.,  245 

Conybeare,  Capt.   Crawford  James   Mark- 
land,  353,  355-356 
Coode,    Lieut.   Charles    Peurose    Rushton, 

561  n.2 

Cook,  Com.  Alexander,  346 
Cook,  Capt.  James  (1),  267 
Cooley,  Boatswain,  144  n. 
Coomassie,  250,  259,  261 
Coomba  (Chief  of  Corisco),  233 
Cooper,  Lieut.  Myles  Harry,  390,  391 
Coote,  Adm.  Robert,  88,  574 
Coquette,  196,  197  and  n.,  199  and  n.,  200, 

203-206,  262,  342,  351,  371 
Corbet  (R.M.),    Lieut.-Col.   Arthur    Dom- 

ville,  427  and  n.2 

Corbett,  Lieut.  Charles  Frederick,  561  n.2 
Corbett,  Adm.  Sir  John,  86,  8tf,  103  and  n.1, 

104,  109,  575 
Cordelia,  176  n.° 

Cordite,  adoption  of,  48 ;  for  small-arms,  50 
Corio,  179,  182 
Corisco  Island,  233 
Cormorant,  116-118,  120,  125-127  and  n., 

128,  130,  311,  582 

Cornish,  Asst.-Paym.  Richard,  583- n.1 
Cornwall,  36  n.2 

2  Q 


594 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    Vll. 


Cornwallis,  33  n.9 

Cornwallis,  Adm.  Hon.  William,  75 

Coromandel,  94,  95,  98,  99,  101,  104-10G 

and  n.1,  Ill,  119,  131,  135  and  n.1,  160 
Corry,  Et.  Hon.  Henry  Thomas  Lowry,  2 
Cossack,  395-396  n. 
Cossey,  Asst.-Eng.  Arthur  Ernest,  529  and 

n.9 

Cutesworth,  Com.  Hugh,  519 
Cotter,  Chief-Boatswain  John,  306,  309 
Coulan,  122 
Countess  of  Derby,  453 
Courage,  Lieut.  Godfrey  Michel],  383 
Courbet  (Fr.),  Adm.,  374  and  n.6 
Courcy  (K.M.),  Capt.  Xevinson.  William  de, 

207 

Courejollts  (Fr.),  R.-Adm.,  521 
Courtenay,  Capt.  Richard  William,  8 
Courts  of  Enquiry,  112 
Courts-Martial,  213,  418,  419 
Covent  Garden,  Club  in,  75 
Cowan,  Lieut,  Walter  Henry,  432,  450,  451 

and  n.2 

Cowd,  Gunner  Thomas,  262 
Cowper  (Mil.),  Capt.,  95 
Cowper,  Lieut.  Carlton  Valentine  de  Mornay, 

559  n.1,  561  n.2 

Cox,  Surg.  Henry  Thompson,  262 
Cracroft,  Capt.  Peter,  174-176 
Cradock,  Com.  Christopher  George  Francis 
Maurice,  401,  534,  535,  539  and  n.1,  542, 
561  n.2 ;  quoted,  537,  538 
Craig,  Lieut.  Arthur  William,  584 
Craigie,  Com.  Robert  George,  167,  169  n.2 
Craigie,  R.-Adm.  Robert  William,  74,  302 

n.3,  305,  306,  309,  446,  581 
Crane  (Mil.),  Lieut.,  173 
Crawford  (R.M.A.),  Lieut.  John  Chesterton, 

130 
Crease  (R.M.A.),  Capt.  John  Frederick,  256, 

258  n.2 
Cressy,  36  n.1 
Cresswell,  Com.  Samuel   Gurnev,   112   n.3, 

117 

Creswell,  Lieut.  William  Rooke,  238,  289 
Crete  (1866),  215,  444-448 
Crinolines  against  tor[  edoes,  61 
Crocodile,  316 

Crofton,  Com.  Duke  Arthur,  336 
Crofton,  Com.  the  Hon.  Francis  George,  583 
Crohan,  Com.  Herbert  Franklyn,  262,  264 
Croker    (R.M.),    Captain    1'onsonby    May 

Carew,  131 

Gronje,  Genl.,  479-480 
Crook,  Imp.  of  Mach.  George  Thomas,  356 

and  n.5 
Crosbie  (R.M.),  Col.  Adolphus  Brett,  261  n.3, 

262,  277,  281 

Cross,  Capt.  Charles  Henry,  254 
Cross,  Staff-Surg.  Horace  Edward  Firmin, 

356 

Cross    (R.M.),   Capt.   Leaver    Henry   Gas- 
coyne,  340,  345 


Crouch,  Chf.-Gunner's  Mate  Robert  H.,  428 

and  n.1 

Crowe,  Com.  Fritz  Hauch  Eden,  351,  371 
"Crown  and  Anchor"  Tavern,  75 
Crozier,  Capt.  Francis  Ravvdon  Moira,  563 
Cruiser  (scr.),  63,  106  n.1,  112  n.3,  114  and 

n.1,  121,  123  n.1,  125,  130,  132 
Iruisers : — 

Armoured,  rise  of,  31 ;   suspension  of 

building  of,  35 
Merchant,  in  reserve,  42 
Unarmoured,  36-38 
Cuba,  228,  238-240,  242 
Culme-Seymour,  Adm.  Sir  Michael,  85,  87- 

89,  108  and  n.4,  118,  295,  299,  418,  577 
Cumberland,  36  n.2 

Cuming,  R.-Adm.  William  Henry,  207,  578 
Gumming,  Adm.  Sir  Arthur,  88,  574 
Cumming,  Ca[)t.  Robert  Stevenson  Daltou, 

561  n.2 

Cunningham,  I.ieut.-Col.,  453 
Cunningham,  Mids.  Andrew  Browne,  486 
Curacoa,  178,  180-183,  186,  210,  414 
Curme,   V.-Adm.  Charles   Thomas,   6,  86, 

577 
Curric,  Mr.  Archibald,  523,  527,  529  and 

n.13 

Curry,  R.-Adm.  Douglas,  572 
Curzon-Howe,   Capt.    the    Hon.    Assheton 

Gore,  390  n.4,  391,  395,  39C  n.,  K97,  430, 

435 
Custance,  R.-Adm.  Reginald  Keville,  6,  448 

and  n.1,  581 

Cyclop*,  26,  27,  150,  152 
Cygnet,  281-283,  324,  374 
Cyprus,  cession  of,  to  Great  Britain,  298, 
'   300 

DACBES,  Com.  Seymour  Henry  Pelham,  314 
Dacres,  Adm.  Sir  Sydney  Colpoys,  64,  89, 

570 
Dadson  (R.M.),  Lieut.  William   Frederick 

Portlock  Scott,  115  n.2 
Dahomey,  187-188,  282 
Dal,  450 

Dale,  V.-Adm.  Alfred  Taylor,  435,  579 
Dalhousie,  V.-Adm.  George  Ramsay,  12th 

Earl  of,  7,  571 
Danae,  284,  311 
Danger  Island,  414 
Daniel  (R.M.A.),  Lieut.  Edward,  299 
Daniel,  Mids.  Edward  St.  John,  139 
Daniel,  Mids.  Martin  Abbot,  139  and  n.7, 

140 

Daniell  (R.M.),  Capt.  John  Frederick,  74 
Danube,  320  and  n.2 
Daphne,    218,    225,    234,   263,    278,   401, 

561  n.2 

D'Arcy,  Lieut.  Judge,  406 
D'Arcy-Irvine,  Adm.  St.  George  Caulfield, 

295,  324,  346,  578 
Dardanelles,  293-299 
Dart,  209 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    Vll. 


595 


Dartnell,  Major,  304 

Darvel  Bay,  388 

Darwall,  Capt.  William  Eveleigh,  262,  350, 

374 

David  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Ernest  Frederick,  390 
Davidge,  Actg.-Torp.-Gunner  Charles,  528- 

529 

Davidson,  Coin.  Duncan  George,  173,  583 
Davidson  (U.S.N.),   Lieut.   W.    C.,   cited, 

534  n.1 

Davies,  Lieut.  Francis  Harvey,  331 
Davis,  Capt.  Edward  Henry  Meggs,  308 
Davis,  Genl.  J.,  353 
Davison,  Com.  Henry  Jocelyn,  522  n.1,  540, 

561  n.2 

Dawkins,  Capt.  Richard,  583 
Dawson,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Edward  Stanley, 

217 
Day,  Lieut,  Edward  FitzGerald,  251,  260, 

262 

Dayman,  Com.  Joseph,  150  and  n.1 
Deadman,     Asst.-Eng.      Henry      Charles, 

584  n.2 
Dean,  Com.  Frederic  William,  472  and  n.2, 

473  n.1,  476,  479 
Dean  (R.M.),  Pte.  J.,  555 
Deas,  Lieut.  Archibald,  502   n.3,  504-505, 

511 

Death  vacancies,  73 
Debreah,  346 

Debrot,  Mr.  (Vice-Consul),  235-236 
De  Chair,  Com.  Dudley  Rawson,  339,  389 
De  Courcy,  R.-Adm.  Michael  C3),  573 
Decoy,  251,  256  and  n.2,  257-258,  262,  312, 

324,  346 
Dee,  343 
Defence,  23 
Defiance,  70  and  n.3 
Dehilbat  Hill,  371 
De  Hoghton,  Com.  Thomas,  311 
De  Horsey,  Adm.  Algernon  Frederick  Rous, 

14,  87,  89,  214,  215,  237,  240,  286,  575 
De  Horsey,  Capt.  Spencer  Victor  Yorke,  430, 

451,  478,  482,  483,  492 
Deinhard  (Ger.),  R.-Adm.,  390  n.4 
De  Kantzow,  Com.  Walter  Sidney,  225 
Delacombe  (R.M.),   Capt.  William  Addis,  i 

234 

De  Lisle,  Lieut.  Rudolph  Edward,  359,  362 
Denham,  R.-Adm.  Sir  Henrv  Mangles,  564, 

571 
Denisou,  Capt.   the  Hon.   Albert  Denison 

Somerville,  313 

Denison,  Mids.  Bertram  Noel,  492 
Denison,  Lieut.  Ernest  William,  454 
Denkira,  247 

Denman,  R.-Adm.  the  Hon.  Joseph,  87,  570 
Denmark,  officers  from,  in  British  navy,  77 
Dennistoun,  Capt.  Robert  Peel,   173,  208, 

343 

Denny,  Messrs.,  438  n.2 
Denny,  Lieut.  D'Arcy  Anthony,  200 
Dent,  Com.  Edward  Frederic,  103  and  n.2 


Deptford  Dockyard,  Superintendents  at,  7 
Derby,  Earl  of,  292, 297;  Admiralty  officials 

during  premierships  of,  2  n. 
Dervishes,  390,  400,  439,  440,  449,  450 
De  Saumarez,  Adm.  Lord,  75 
De  Soto  (U.S.),  213 
Desperate,  156 
Destroyers,  40 
Devastation,  26,  27,  30,  32,  63,  72,  292, 

297,  1:98 
Devonport : — 

Commanders-in-Chief  at,  85-86 
I  Dockyard  superintendents  at,  6 
Gunnery  school  at,  70 
Homing  pigeon  lofts  at,  70 
Sailors'  Rest  at,  80 
Telegraphy  school  at,  70 
Torpedo  school  at,  70 
Training  ship  at,  69 
Dew,  Capt.  Roderick,  119  n.3, 161, 162, 167- 

169,  172  and  n.1,  112  n.3 
De  Wet,  Genl.,  489-490 
D'Eyncourt,     R.-Adm.     Edwin     Clayton 

Tennyson,  573 
Diadem,  18,  38 
Diamond,  38 
Diamond  Hill,  484 
Dick,  Staff-Surg.   James   Nicholas,  5,  220 

and  n. 

Dickson,  Staff-Surg.  Walter  (2),  131 
Dido,  279,  316,  319,  320,  561  n.2 
Digan,  Surg.  Matthew,  372 
Di«by,  Capt.  Noel  Stephen  Fox,  253,  255 
Dilkoosha,  141 

Dimsey,  Staff-Surg.  Edgar  Ralph,  444 
Dinapiir,  143 
Discipline,  73 
Discovery,  566  and  nn.1  5 
D'Israeli,  Mr.     See  Beaconsfield,  Lord 
Distinguished  Service  Order,  74 
Dix,  Mids.  Charles  Cabry,  539  and  n.* 
Dixcove,  247,  253,  255,  257 
Dixon,  Paym.  James  William,  584  n.1 
Dixon,  Ens;.  Robert,  277 
Djambi  (Dutch),  203-204,  206 
Dobrovolski  (Rus.),  Capt.,  532,  534,  538 
Dockyards,  superintendents  of,  6-8 
Dodgin   (R.M.A.),   Lieut.   William   Henry 

Townsend  Morris,  208 
Doig  (R.M.),  Capt.  Richard  Osborn  Maclean, 

527  529 

Dolphin,  371-372,  389,  401 
Dominica,  413 
Demira,  412 
Domvile,  Adm.   Sir  Compton   Edward,   5, 

220,  221,  316  n.3,  320,  579 
Domville,  Capt.  Sir  William  Cecil  Henry, 

371-372 

Donald  (R.M.A.),  Maj.  Andrew,  340 
Donaldson,   Mids.   Archibald    Philip,   541, 

543 

Donegal  (later  Vernon),  70  n.1 
Donegal,  36  n.s 

2   Q   2 


596 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Dongola,  440 

Doomureahgunge,  147-148 

Doris,  216,  471  and  n.2,  477,  479,  488,  519 

Dorwarcl,  Brig.-Genl.,  360  n.,  545,  547,  549 

Doterel,  320,  584 

Douglas,  V.-Adm.  Archibald  Lucius,  77,  88, 

215,  580 

Douglas,  Com.  George  Amelius,  127,  225 
Douglas,  V.-Adm.  Robert  Gordon,  8,  577 
Douglas,  R.-Adm.  Sholto,  104,  106  n.1,  577 
Douj-las,  Lieut.  Sholto  Grant,  430,  455 
Dove,  Lieut.  Arthur,  583  n.3 
Dove,  121,  134,  135  n.1,  210,  410-411,  413 
Dowding  (R.M.),    Capt.    Townley    Ward, 

302  n.3,  306,  309 
Dowell,  Adm.  Sir  William  Montagu,  82,  86, 

88-90,  112  n.3,  114  n.1,  203,  207,  338  n.1, 

346,  575 

Down,  Mids.  Richard  Thornton,  502  n.3 
Downes,  Com.  Edward  Downes  Panter,  181 

and  n.2 

D'Oyly,  Lieut.  Warren  Hastings,  519 
Draffen,  Sub-Lieut,  William  Pitt,  254-255 

and  n.2 

Dragon,  340,  348 
Dragonne  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  116,  117 
Drake,  36  n.s,  135  n.1 
Dreadnought,  26,  27,  53 
Dreaper,   Staff-Surg.  George   Albert,   462- 

403 

Drew,  James  (1st  cl.  pet.  off.),  549 
Drew,  Dir.  of  Trans.  William,  4 
Driver,  582 
Dromedary,  262 
Druid,  251,  253,  258,  261,  262 
Drummond,  V.-Adm.  Edmund  Charles,  88, 

580 
Drummond,   Adm.   the    Hon.    Sir    James 

Robert,  6,  7,  87,  290,  291,  571 
Drummond,  Lieut.  John  Edmund,  502  n.3, 

546,  547,  549,  550  n.1 
Drury,  R.-Adm.  Charles  Carter,  8,  581 
Dryad,  38,  40,  218  and  n.2,  225,  347-348 

and  n.5,  351  n.2,  354 
Duchayla  (Fr.),  123,  127,  128 
Duckworth-King,  Adm.  Sir  George  St.  Vin- 
cent, 88,  570 

Duckworth-King,  V.-Adm.  Richard,  579 
Dudding,  Capt.  Horatio  Nelson,  401 
Duff,  Com.  Alexander  Ludovic,  349 
Duff,  Com.  George  Graham,  186 
Duggan,  Pet.  Offr.  Cornelius,  310 
Dulcigno,  314 
Duncan,  33  n.9 
Duncan,  Adm.  Lord,  75 
Duncan,    Lieut.    Andrew    Henry    Farrell, 

320 

Duncan,  Lieut.  George,  536,  538,  539 
Dundas,  Storekeeper-Genl.  the  Hon.  Robert, 

4 

Dundonald,  Genl.  Lord,  501 
Dunlop,  Com.  Hamilton,  262 
Dunlop,  R.-Adm.  Hugh,  7,  156  n.,  573 


Dunquah,  258 

Dupleix  (Fr.),  203-204,  206 

Dupuis,  Capt.  Arthur  Edward,  104  n.1 

Durance  (Fr.),  112  n.3 

Durban,  466  and  n.2 

Diirnford,  Col.,  304 

Durnford,  Capt.  John,  379,  384 

Durrant,  R.-Adm.  Francis,  579 

Durston,  Eng.-in-Chf.  Albert  John,  5,  56 

Dustan  (R.M.),  Capt.  John  William,  550  n.2, 

557 
Dutch  :— 

Gold  Coast  Convention  with,  247 
Japan,  affairs  in,  195,  203-205 
Dutch  Folly  Hock  and  Fort,  95-98,  101, 

112  and  n.s 
Dwarf,  37,  224,  519 
Dyaks,  388 

Dyer,  Com.  Hugh  M'Neile,  246 
Dver,  Matl-Com.  Richard  Cossantine,  120, 

"156,  303 
Dyke,  Capt.  Henry  Hart,  208,  434 

EARDLEY-WILMOT,  Capt.  Sydney  Marrow, 

371 

Earle,  Maj.-GenL,  360,  370 
Earle,  Capt.  Hamilton  Edward  George,  310, 

312 

East,  Capt.  James  Wylie,  226 
East  India  Company,  vessels  of,  136,  137 
East  Indies  Station,  Flag-officers  on,  88 
Easterbrook,  W.,  309 
Easther,  Lieut.  Frederic  John,  181-182 
fiber  (Ger.),  393 
Eckford  (R.M.),    Lieut.    John    Alexander 

Armstrong,  583  n.1 
Eclipse,  38,  178-183,  186,  340 
Eden,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Charles,  5,  570 
Edgar,  38 

Kdgecumbe  Island  (Tapoua),  265 
Edgell,  R.-Adm.  Harry  Edmund,  103,  104, 

109,  572 

Edhem  Pasha,  447 
Edinburgh,  31  n.1,  418  n.1,  423 
Edinburgh,   Adm.    of   the    Fleet    H.R.H. 

Prince  Alfred   Ernest  Albert,  Duke  of, 

5,  14,  8_6,   87,  89,   290,  292,  295,   300- 

302,  385,  576  and  n.,  577  and  n. 
Edmonstone,  R.-Adm.  Sir  William,  7,  187, 

188,  574 
Edmunds,     Sub-Lieut.     Herbert     Sayres, 

583  n.2 
Edward   VII.,   Adm.   of    the    Fleet   H.M. 

King,  14,  82,  84  and  n.,  157,  581 
Edwards  (Mil),  Lieut.  C.  A.,  411 
Edwards,  Capt.  Herbert  Holden,  144,  343, 

346 
Edwards,  Com.  Frederick,  207,  253,   312- 

313 

Edwards,  Asst.-Eng.  William  Piercy,  584  n.1 
Kdye,  Capt.  Joseph,  217-219  and  n.3 
Edye,  V.-Adm.  William  Henry,  8,  577 
Egeria,  272,  273 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


597 


Egerton,  Hon.  Algernon  Fulke,  Parl.  Sec.  to 

the  Admlty.,  2 

Egerton,  R.-Adm.  the  Hon.  Francis,  575 
Egerton,  |Mrs.  Fred,  quoted,  295 
Egerton,  Com.  Frederick  Greville,  493  n.2, 

498,  499 
Egerton,  Capt.  Frederick  Wilbraham,  125, 

293-294,  296,  300 
Egerton,  Capt.  George  Le  Clerc,  432,  437, 

441,  443,  566  and  n.6,  567 

Egypt :— 

British  officers'  assistance  to,  76 
Dual  control  of,  321 
Viceroy  of,  217 
Zanzibar,  claims  on,  278 
Ekowe  (Etshowe),  305  and  c.1 
El  Kateef,  214,  289-290 
El  Teb,  351-353,  401 
El  Teb,  440,  450 
Electricity,  adoption  of,  62 
Elfin,  42 
Elgin,  James  Bruce,  8th  Earl  of,  110  and  n.1, 

116,  119,  120,  123,  135,  160 
Eliott,  Com.  Francis  John  Jeifery,  519 
Elk,  106  n.1,  114  and  n.1 
Ellice  Is.,  414 
Elliot,   Adm.   of  the   Fleet   the   Hon.   Sir 

Charles  Gilbert  John   Brydone,  86,  94, 

97-99,  101,  102,  104-107,  114,  570,  583 
Elliot,  Adm.  Sir  George  (4),  6,  26  n.3,  54, 

85,  569 

Elliott,  Com.  Henry  Venn  Wood,  441,  444 
Elliott,  Sur-;.  John,  171  n.3 
Ellis,  Col.,  407 

Ellis,  Gunner  Alexander,  238 
Ellis,  Chf.  Eng.  Edgar  Harrold,  493  n.2 
Ellis,  Signal  Boatswain  George,  546 
Ellis,  Staff-Surg.  Herbert  Mackay,  346 
Ellison-Macartney,  William  Grey,  Parl.  Sec. 

to  the  Admlty.,  3 

Elmina,  247-249,  251-253,  256-258 
Elobey  Island,  233 
Elswick  quick-firing  guns,  48 
Elwes,   Sub-Lieut.   Arthur   Henry   Stuart, 

314 
Elwyn,   Lieut.   William    Francis    Leoline, 

221,  583 
Emblana,  284 
Emerald,  38,  392 
Emlalazi  Kiver,  307 
Empress  of  India,  33  n.2,  448 
Encounter,   94-96,   98-101,   107    and  n.4, 

135  n.1,  161,  162,  167,  169,  172,  258  n.4, 

260,  262,  276,  277,  313 
Endymion,  521,  524,  525  n.2, 529,  530,  538, 

539,  543,  544  n.2,  547,  550  and  n.1,  561  n.2 
Enfield  rifle,  50 
Engineering  school,  71 
Engines : — 

Authorities  on,  list  of,  52  n.3 
Types  of,  52-53 
England  (Jap.),  197 
England,  Lieut.  George  Plunkett,  508  n.2 


Ensigns,  regulations  as  to,  15 

Enterprise,  23 

<f '  Entrecasteaux  (Fr.),  523 

Erebus,  20 

Erie,  Lake,  215 

Ermite  (Fr.),  279 

Errington,  Com.  Arnold  John,  374 

Erskine,  Sub-Lieut.  James,  338  n.2 

Erskine,  Adm.  Sir  James  Elphinstone,  87, 

89,  578 

Erskine,  Adm.  John  Elphinstone,  89,  569 
Erskine,  Com.  Seymour  Elphinstone,  444 
Escape  Creek,  102-105 
Escombe,  Et.  Hon.  Harry,  496  n.2 
Escombrera  Bay,  245,  246 
Esdaile,  Mids.  Frank  Samuel  Drake,  545 
EsTc,  114  and  n.1,  179,  182-184,  186,  187, 

561  n.2 

Espieyle,  38,  402 
Espiritu  Santo,  231 
Essaman,  256,  257 
Essex,  36  n.2 
Ethelston,  Com.  Alfred  Peel,  471  n.2,  475 

and  n.1,  493 

Ethersey  (Ind.  N.),  Commod.,  137 
Ethiopia,  284 
Etoile  (Fr.),  169 
Etshowe  (Ekowe),  305  and  n.1 
Euphrates,  316 
Euryalus,  36  n.1,  38,  173,  193,  196  and  n.3, 

197  and  n.2,  198-200,  203-207,  335,  339, 

340  n.1,  344,  351   and  nn.23,  352,  354, 

355 

Eurydice,  313,  583  and  n.2 
Evans,  Lieut.  Edward  Seymour,  260 
Evans,  Staff-Capt.  Sir  Frederick  John  0., 

4,  567  and  n.1 

Evans  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Harry  Lewis,  131 
Evans,  Com.  Richard,  320,  321,  584 
Erromanga  Island,  210 
Excellent  (ex  Boyne),  69 
Excellent  (ex  Handy},  70 
Excellent  (ex  Queen  Charlotte),  69 
Exhibitions,  Naval,  81,  82 
Exmouth,  33  n.9 
Exmouth,  Adm.  Lord,  75 
Explosions,  320,  321 
Express,  41 
Eyre,  Gov.  E.  J.,  214 

Fa  Wan,  535,  537  n.2 

Facey,  Surg.  Charles  Samuel,  433 

Fair,  Lieut.  George  Murray  Kendall,  529 

Fair  Malacca,  237 

Fairfield  Shipbuilding  Co.,  41  n. 

Fairfax,  Adm.  Sir  Henry,  86,  89,  324,  342, 

346  and  n.2,  578 

Fairlie,  Lieut.  Henry  James,  215 
Falcon,  179,  183   and  n.,  186,   188,   343, 

374 

Falke  (Ger.),  414 
Fame,    521,    532,     534,     536,    539,    550, 

561  n.2 


598 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


Fane,  V.-AJm.   Sir  Charles   George,  6,  7, 

579 

Fang,  Gen.  (Ti-ping),  163 
Fanny  (cr.),  230,  583 
Fanshawe,  Adm.  Sir  Arthur,  85,  80 
Fanshawe,  V.-Adm.  Artliur  Dalrymple,  581 
Fanshawe,  Adm.  Sir  Edward  Gennys,  6,  8, 

85,  87,  571 

Fanshawe,  Mids.  Guy  Dalrymple,  550  n.1 
Fantees,  247-251 

Farquhar,  Adm.  Sir  Arthur  (2),  86,  87,  573 
Fashoda,  450 
Fateh,  449,  450 
Fatehpur,  140 
Fatshan  Creek,  104-109 
Favorite,  21 

Fawckner,  Com.  William  Blewett,  373 
Fawkes,  Mids.  Ayscough  Guy  Hawksworth, 

584  n.2 
Fawkes,    R.-Adm.    Wilmot    Hawksworth, 

144,  146,  147,  581 
Fearless,  519 
Fegan,   Flcet-Surg.   Henry,    171   n.s,   262, 

277 
Fegen,  Capt.  Frederick  Fogarty,  379,  387, 

388  and  n.1,  462 
Fellowes,  Adm.  Charles,  6,  89,  112  n.3,  114 

andnu.14,115n.2,  575 
Fellowes,  V.-Adm.  John,  7,  214  n.1,  300, 

338  n.1,  373  and  n.1,  580,  583 
Fellowes,  Capt.  Thomas  Hounsom   Butler, 
*•   218,  219  and  n.3 
Ferdinand   Maximilian   Josef,  Emperor  of 

Mexico,  157 
Ferguson  Island,  311 

Fergusson,  Lieut.  James  Andiew,  488,  490 
Ferret,  583 
Festing  (R.M.A.),  Col.  Sir  Francis  Worgan, 

251,  252,  262 

Festing,  Com.  Henry  Marwood  Colson,  432 
Fidelity,  187  and  n. 
Field,  Lieut.  Frederick  Laurence,  541,  543- 

549 

Field,  Capt.  John  George  Mostyn,  561  n.2 
Fiji  Islands,  189,  223,  232,  279,  564 
Finn,  Gunner  Thomas,  199  n. 
Finnis,  Capt.  Frank,  402 
Fire,  accidents  by,  73,  414,  582,  583 
Firefly,  564 
Firm,  117,  136 

Firth,  Paym.  Thomas  Nelson,  218 
Fischer,  Brig.,  147 
Fisher,  Major,  129,  131 
Fisher,   Staff-Surg.    James  William,    256, 

262 
Fisher,  Adm.  Sir  John  Arbuthnot,  3,  6,  87, 

324,  337-340,  346,  579 
Fisher,  Lieut.  Philip  Evan,  583  n.3 
Fisher,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  (2),  572 
Fisher,  Com.  Thomas  Henry,  343 
Fisher,  Capt.  William  Blake,  462,  519 
FitzGerald,  V.-Adm.  Charles  Cooper   Pen- 
rose,  8,  580 ;  cited,  416,  420,  421 


FitzGerald,  Fleet-Surg.  Michael,  444 
Fitzgerald,  Sir  Gerald,  5 
Fitzgerald,  Capt.  John  Coghlan,  7 
FitzJames,  Capt.  James,  563 
Fitzmaurice,  Lieut.  Maurice  Swinfen,  408 
FitzRoy,  V.-Adm.   Robert   O'Brien,  5,  47, 

292,  295,  342,  343,  345,  346,  579 
Flag-officers : — 

Flags  worn  by,  15 
List  of  (1857-1900),  569-581 
Principal,  in  commission,  85-90 
Flags i—- 
Regulations  as  to,  15 
Signalling  by,  64 
Flagships  of  Port  Admirals,  71,  72 
Flamer,  161,  162, 167 
Flanagan,  Surg.  James,  139  and  n.9 
Fleet,  Capt.  Ernest  James,  396 
Flirt,  179  n.3,  349 
Floating-dock,    trans-Atlantic    towing    of, 

227  and  n.2 
Fkfgging,  73 
Flora,  306,  303,  315 
Flore  (Fr.),  348  and  n.3 
Florida  Island  (Anuda),  391,  392 
Floyd,  Com.  Henry  Robert  Peel,  396  n.,  519 
Fly,  272,  273  and  n.1 
Flying-Fish,  157,  189,  264 
Foam  (scr.  g.  b.),  41,  276 
Fodeh  Cabbah,  402-406 
Fodeh  Sillah,  426,  427 
Foley,  Adm.  the  Hon.  Fitzgerald  Algernon 

Charles,  6,  7,  576 

Foljambe,  Mids.  Cecil  George  Savile,  181 
Foochow,  221 
Foot,  Capt.  Charles  Edward,  144,  148,  263, 

278,  339,  340 
Foote,  Consul,  187 
Foote  (U.S.N.),  Com.  Andrew  H.,  95 
Foote,  Capt.  Randolph  Frank  Ollive,  441, 

444 

Forbes,  R.-Adm.  Arthur,  571 
Forbes,  Com.  Charles  Stuart,  171  n.3 
Forbes,  Lieut.  Wyndham,  519 
Forcey,  ArmourerVMate  A.,  518 
Ford,  Chf.-Eng.  Francis,  373 
Foreign  navies,  British  influence  on,  76,  77 
Foreman,  Fleet-Eng.  Felix,  584  n.2 
Forester,  106  n.1,  125,  126,  135  n.1,  305, 

307,  308 

For/ait  (Fr.),  348  and  n.4 
Formidable,  33,  34 
Formosa,  210,  222 
Forrester  (the  filibuster),  170 
Forsyth,  Capt.  Charles  Codrington,  99,  103, 

104  and  n.2 
Forsyth,  Capt.  William  Codrington  Carnegie, 

273  n.1,  336,  3(JO  n.4,  431 
Fort  Abhaye,  253 

Fort  Ada,  325,  327,  328,  330,  332,  333 
Fort  Adjerni,  325 
Fort  Chelmsford,  307 
Fort  Cirolet,  212 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


599 


Fort,  French  Folly,  93,  101,  112  n.s 

Fort  Golwen,  409 

Fort  Hudson,  389 

Fort  Kamaria,  325,  333 

Fort  Kolegone,  380 

Fort  Marabout,  325,  330,  333 

Fort  Marsa,  325,  329,  333 

Fort  Hex,  325,  327,  328,  330,  333,  339 

Fort  Napoleon,  253 

Fort  Coin  el  Kubebe,  325,  329,  330,  333 

Fort  Pearson,  305 

Fort  Pharos,  325,  327,  330,  332,  333 

Fort  Has  el  Tin,  323,  325,  327-329,  330, 

333 

Fort  Saleh  Aga,  325,  333 
Fort  Silsileh,  323,  325,  327,  333 
Fort  Tenedos,  306 
Fort  AVilliam  (Calcutta),  138 
Forte,  188,  440,  441,  443,  468,  502  and  n.3, 

503,  511,  516,  519 
Fortesoue,  Com.  the  Hon.  Seymour  John, 

492  n.4 
Fortescue,  Capt.  Thomas  Dyke  Acland,  91 

and  n.1,  97,  98 

Forwood,  Mr.  Arthur  Bower,  Parl.  Sec.,  2 
Fowler,  Com.  George  Campbell,  97 
Fowler,  Surg.  James  Grant,  493  n.2 
Fowler,  Seo.-Master  John,  144,  145 
Fox,  452-454 
Fox,  William,  181 
Fox  (Arc.  expl.  steamer),  563,  565 
Foxhound,  300 
France : — 

China,  operations  in  (1857),  109-119  ; 
(1860),  132-134,  159,  163,  165,  169 
and  u.,  173;  (1900),  521,  5'.'3,  532, 
533,  535,  537,  545,  546,  548,  552, 
555  and  n.2,  556 ;  acquisitions  in, 
452 

Japanese  affairs  of,  195,  202-206 

Madagascar,  claims  in  (1883),  347-349 

Crete,  represented  in,  444 

Egypt,  part-control  in,  321,  322 

Ermite  assisted,  279 

Fashoda  incident,  450,  451 

Matacong  Island  occupied  by,  311,  312 

Mexican  operations  of  (1861-1862), 
156, 157 

Represented  at  Naval  Review  (1897), 
84 

Siam,  action  in,  413 

Torpedo-boats  possessed  by   (1895),  39 

Valparaiso,  interests  in,  401 

Zanzibar  blockaded  by,  390 
Francesco  Morosini  (It.),  448 
Franclieu,  Capt.  (Fr.),  203 
Frankis  (R.M.),  Lieut,  Walter  William,  431 
Franklin,  Capt.  Sir  John,  562-564 
Eraser,  Com.  Ian  Mackenzie,  396  n.,  402- 

405,  407  and  n.2 

Fraser,  Capt.  Robert  Grant,  550  n.1 
Fraser,  Lieut.  Thomas  Guthrie,  306,  309 
Frazer  (R.N.R.),  Lieut.  William  John,  432 


Frederick,  Y.-Adtn.  Charles,  570 
Frederickstad,  491 
Freeman,  Lieut.  Angel  Hope,  460 
Fremantle,  Adin.  Sir  Charles  Howe,  85,  89 
Fremantle,   Adm.   the   Hon.   Sir   Edmund 

Robert,  8,  74,  86,  88,  179  n.2,  187,  251, 

252,  256-259,  262,  390  and  n.4,  395-398, 

407,  436,  578 

French,  Genl.  Sir  John  D.  P.,  485,  487 
French  (R.M.A.),  Maj.  Arthur,  346 
French  (R.M.A.),  Lieut.  FitzStephen  John 

Featherston,  438  n.1 
French  Folly  Fort,  98,  101,  112  n.3 
Frere,  Sir  Bartle,  234,  303,  304 
Friedrich  Carl  (Germ.),  243-245 
Frolic,  19,  270,  375 
Fry,  Capt.  (U.S.),  239 
Fukushima  (Jap.),  Brig.-Genl.,  545 
Fulfcrd,  R.-Adm.  John,  572 
Fuller  (1st  cl.  pet.  off.),  477 
Fuller,  Sick-berth  Attend.  R,,  521  n.1 
Fullerton,  Com.  Arthur  George,  386 
Fullerton,    V.-Adm.    Sir    John    Reginald 

Thomas,  580 

Fumo  Hakari,  Sultan,  395,  396 
Fumo  Omari,  Sultan,  407,  408 
Fungwha,  172 
Furious,  112  n.s,  117,  121 
Fury,  102,  106  n.1,  117,  118,  123  n.1,  130 
Fusee  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  116,  117,  119 
Futcher,  E.  (1st  cl.  pet.  off.),  306 
Fyfe,  Surg.  Charles  James,  443 
Fytche,  Col.,  375 
Fyzabad,  144,  145 

Galatea,  31  n.°,  213 

Gallipoli,  292,  293,  296,  297 

Gambia  River,  187, 188,  402,  426,  427 

Gam  bier,  Adm.  Lord,  75 

Gambier,  Mids.  Harold  W.,  584  n.2 

Gambler,  Capt.  Robert  Fitzgerald,  79 

Gamble,  Capt.  Edward  Harpur,  426,  427 

Oannet,  389  n.1 

Ganges  River,  139 

Gardiner,  Com.  Alexander  Milne,  308,  373 
and  n.2,  374  and  n.3,  396  n. 

Gardner,  Adm.  Lord,  75 

Gardner,  Gunner  H.,  211 

Gardner  (R.M.A.),  Lieut.  Robert  Ballard, 
186 

Gardner,  Thomas  (sick-berth  steward),  549 
and  n.3 

Gardner  Islands,  414 

Gardner  machine  guns,  50,  51 

Garforth,  Capt.  Edmund  St.  John,  272, 
274  u.2,  275,  277,  340 

Garnet,  390  n.4 

Garnett,  Mids. ,  176 

Garvey,  Mate  Henry  P.,  139  and  n.7,  141, 
142 

Gascoigne  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.  John  Haw- 
kins, 133,  136  n.2 ;  cited,  135 

Gaselee,  Lieut.-Genl.  Sir  Alfred,  549,  550 


600 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


Gate  Pah,  183-186 

Gatling  guns,  50,  51 

Gaunt,  Com.  Guy  Richard  Archer,  458-401 

Geffrard,  President  Fabre,  212 

Gemaizeh,  390 

Genouilly,  R.-Adm.  Rigault  de  (Fr.),  110, 
111,  116,  119 

George,  Prince,  of  Greece,  445,  448 

George,  Prince,  of  Wales,  83  and  n.6,  581 

George,  Kdward,  121 

George,  Herbert  (A.B.),  530  and  n. 

George  Wright  (U.S.),  285 

Geraldine,  275 

Germany : — 

China,  acquisitions  in,  452:  operations 
in  (1900),  521,  523,  526-527,  530, 
532-538,  546,  552,  555  and  n.2 
Crete,  action  in,  444,  446 
Greek  ports  blockaded  by,  385 
Jameson  raid,  attitude  towards,  435 
Officers  from,  in  British  navy,  77 
Represented  at  Naval  Review  (1897), 

84 
Samoa,  acquisition  of,  280  ;  agreement 

regarding  rights  in,  455,  461 
Slaver)',  action  against,  436 
Spanish  policy  of  (1873),  245 
Torpedo-boats  possessed  by  (1895),  39 
Valparaiso,  interests  in,  401 
Vitu  arrangement  with,  395 
Zanzibar,    blockade   of,   390;   acquisi- 
tions  in,  436 ;    obstructive  attitude 
in,  439  n.1 

Gervis,  Sub-Lieut.  William  Hampton,  408 

Gerzog  Edinburgski  (Rus.),  448 

Ghopalpur,  144 

Gibbons,    Com.    Frederick    Kenrick    Col- 
quhoun,  453 

Gibbs,  Mids.  Valentine  Francis,  543,  550  n.1 

Gibraltar,  246 ;  N.O.s  in  charge  at,  8 

Gibraltar,  435 

Gibson,  Consul,  222 

Gibson,  Surg.  George,  271 

Gibson,  Paym.  Henry  Cecil  William,  282  n.1 

Gibson,  Capt.  Herbert  William  Sumner,  414 

Giffard,  Lieut.  Charles,  583  n.1 

Giffard,  R.-Adm.  Sir  George,  571 

Giffard,  Capt.  George  Augustus,  19 

Giffovd,  Lord,  261 

Gifford,    Sub -Lieut,    the     Hon.    Edward 
Robert,  583  n.2 

Gilbert,   William    George    Prout,    Dir.   of 
Stores,  4 

Giliak  (Rus.),  532-535  and  n.,  536 

Gill  (Mil.),  Capt.  340  n.1 

Gillespie,  Lieut.  Alexander,  561 

Gillford,  Lieut.  Lord,  415,  418.     See  also 
Clamvilliam 

Gillies,  Asst.-Paym.  William  Codgbrooke, 
274  n.1 

Gillson,  Com.  Robert  Moove,  277 

Gilpin,  Master  Robert,  200 

Gimlette,  Surg.  Thomas  Desmond,  352,  353 


Ginginhlovo,  305 

Gipps,  Mids.  George,  543  and  n.7 

Girdlestone,  Mr.  Nelson,  Supt.  of  Stores,  4 

Gissing,  Capt.  Charles  Edward,  390  n.4 

Gissing,  Eng.  Thomas  Skinner,  77 

Gladiator,  154 

Gladstone,  Com.  Charles  Elsden,  262 

Gladstone,  Lieut.  Edward  Oliver,  454 

Gladstone,  the  Rt.  Hon.  W.  E.,  172,  237, 

320,    373;     Admiralty    officials     during 

premierships  of,  2  n. 
Glasgow  (Zanz.),  437,  438  and  n.2,  439 
Glasse,  R.-Adm.  Frederick  Henry  Hastings, 

572 

Glatton,  26,  27 
Gleichen,  Capt.  Count  (H.R.H.  Prince  Victor 

of  Hohenlohe),  108  and  n.1 
Gloire  (Fr.),  20 
Glory,  33  n.6 
Glover,  Com.  John  Hawley,  256  and  n.3, 

261,  262 
Glyn,  Col.,  304 

Glyn,  V.-Adm.  the  Hon.  Henry  Carr,  576 
Gnat,  583 

Goddard  (R.M.),  Pte.  G.,  554 
Godden,  Seaman  Charles,  255 
Godding,  Staff-Surg.  Charles  Cane,  274  n1, 

346 

Godfrey,  Surg.  Charles  Richard,  200 
Gogra  River,  144 
Gold  Coast,  247,  375 
Golden,  Seaman  Patrick,  543  and  n.8 
Goldsmith,  R.-Adm.  George,  6,  570 
Goliath,  33  n.6,  561  n.2 
Gondah,  145,  147 

Gooch  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Thomas  Sherlock,  137 
Good  Hope,  36 
Good   Hope,  Cape  of,  Flag-officers  on  the 

station,  90 
Goodenough,  Capt.  James  Graham,  78,  89, 

105,  106  n.1,  112  n3,  117,  217,  265-267, 

279 
Goodrich  (U.S.N.),  Lieut.-Com.  Caspar  F., 

334 

Goodridge,  Capt.  Walter  Somerville,  394 
Goodwin,   Asst.-Paym.   Thomas  •  Edmund, 

218 

Goolereah  Ghat,  148 

Gordon,  Sir  Arthur  Hamilton.     See  Stan- 
more,  Lord 
Gordon,   Genl.  Charles   George,   173,  350, 

356,  358,  360 

Gordon,  R.-Adm.  George  Thomas,  572 
Gordon  (Mil.),  Capt.  W.  S.,  450 
Gordon,  V.-Adm.  the  Hon.  William  (2),  86 
Gordon,  R.-Adm.  William  Elrington,  6,  578 
Gordon-Lennox,      Lord      Henry     Charles 

George,  Sec.  to  the  Admlty.,  2 
Gore-Browne,  Lieut.  Godfrey,  428  n.2 
Gorges  (R.M.A.),  Capt.  Richard  Archibald, 

583  n.1 

Gorgon,  26,  27,  150 
Gorst,  Sir  John  Eldon,  177 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


601 


Goschen,   the   lit.   Hon.   George   Joachim, 

Viscount,  2,  231,  321 

Gosselin,  Adm.  Thomas  Le  Marchant,  13, 14 
Gough's  Fort,  96,  98,  114, 115 
Gould,  Mate  Frederick  Edward,  131 
Gow,  Navig.  Sub-Lieut.  William  Stephen 

Eobert,  228 
Gowney  (R.M.),  Corp.  D.  J.,  551  and  n4, 

556 

Gowtow  Island,  227 
Graham,  Lieut.-Genl.  Sir  Gerald,  345,  351, 

353,  354,  371 ;  quoted,  353 
Graham,  Capt.  James  Stanley,  108  and  n.° 
Graham,  BoatswainVMate  John,  219 
Graham,    (R.M.L.I.),     Lieut.-Col.    Samuel 

James,  345,  346 
Graham,    Capt.   Walter    Hodgson    Bevan, 

351-353,  355,  35G 

Graham,  Adm.  Sir  William,  3,  8,  103,  576 
Gransmore,  Com.  Frederick  Rigaud,  282 
Grant,  Com.  Alfred  Ernest  Albert,  519 
Grant,  Adm.   Henry  Duncan,  6,  138,  143, 

145,  146,  149,  577 

Grant,  Lieut.-Gen.  Sir  Hope,  132,  134,  148 
Grant,  Gunner  John,  274  n.1 
Grant,  B.-Adm.   John    Frederick    George, 

173,  237,  238,  270,  579 
Grant,  Govr.  Sir  John  Peter,  240 
Grant,   Staff-Corn.   Robert  John    Corsillis, 

583  n.1 

Grant,  Thomas  T.,  Cont.  of  Victlg.,  3 
Grant,  Capt.  William  Burley,  260 
Grant,  Capt.  William  Lowther,  479,  482, 

488-492 

Grant-Dalton,  Com.  Hubert,  426,  429,  431 
Granville,  Capt.  Charles  Delabere,  529  and 

n.5,  544 

Graspan,  472-477,  557 
Grasshopper,  211 
Graves,  Lieut.  Alfred,  130 
Graves-Sawle,  Capt.  Charles  John,  561  n.2 
Gray,  Lieut.  Francis  John,  232  and  n.4 
Gray  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Montague  Philip  Hall, 

256 
Gray,  Com.  Scott  William  Alfred  Hamilton, 

288 

Great  Barrier  Reef,  232 
Great  Searcies  River,  151 
Greece : — 

Officers  from,  in  British  Navy,  77 
Revolution  in  (1863),  189-190 
Turkey,  war  with  (1897),  445 
Green,  Cons.,  cited,  152  n.2 
Green,  Com.  Edward  Lyons,  219,  220  n. 
Green,  Com.  John   Frederick  Ernest.,   559 

and  n.3,  560,  561  n.2 
Green,  Clerk  Warwick  Arthur,  314 
Greenwich  : — 

Hospital  at,  78,  81 

Royal  Naval  College  at,  71  and  nn.  *  6 
Greenwood,  Mr.  Frederick,  321 
Greenwood  and  Batley,  Messrs.,  59 
Greer,  Lieut.-Col.,  183 


Greet,  Chf.  Off.  Joseph,  583 

Gregory   (R.M.),   Corpl.  William,  551  n.5, 

555  and  n.1 
Greive  (prev.    Brown),   V.-Adm.    William 

Samuel,  578 

Grenfell,  Genl.  Sir  Francis  W.,  389 
Grenfell,     R.-Adm.     Harry     Tremenheere, 

448  and  n.2,  581 

Grenfell,  Com.  Hubert  Henry,  78,  584 
Grenfell,  R-Adm.  Sidney,  120,  156,  573 
Greville,  Lieut.  Guy  Alwine  John,  584  n.1 
Grey,  Lieut.  Francis  John,  264 
Grey,  Adm.  the  Hon.  Sir  Frederick  AVilliam, 

90 

Grey,  Sir  George,  177,  181 
Grey,  Adm.  the  Hon.  George  (2),  6 
Grey,  Com.  Harry  George,  277 
Grey,  Com.  Henry  Rowland  Ellison,  222 
Grey  (R.M.),  Capt.  Thomas  Carstairs,  139 
Grieve,  Mids.  Arthur  diaries,  584  n.2 
Griffon,  65,  390  and  n.4,  391,  583 
Grogan,  Lieut.  Edward  Henry  John,  433 
Gros    (Fr.),    Baron,    110,   112,   116,   119, 

135 

Grose,  Chf.-Eng.  William  Henry,  220  and  n. 
Growler,  228 
Guatemala,  234 
Gubat,  364-366,  368,  369,  371 
Gudrin,  R.-Adm.  (Fr.),  110 
Gunboats : — 
Torpedo,  40 
Types  of,  37 
Gunjur,  427 
Gunnery : — • 

Accidents,  199,  200  :— 
Thistle,  45  n. 
Thundenr,  46,  299 
Inefficiency  in,  51,  52 
Schools  of,  69,  70 

Training  in,  advocated  for  reserves,  18 
Guns : — 

Breechloaders : — 
Adoption  of,  43 
Types  ol',  44,  46,  47,  49 
Gatling,  50,  51 
Improvements  in,  43-49 
Machine,  30,  50,  51 
Maxim,  50,  51 

Muzzle-loaders,  29,  43,  45-47 
Powder-charges  of,  44,  46,  47,  49 
Quick-firing : — • 

Adoption  of,  48 
Necessity  for,  30 
Types  of,  49 

Gurdon,  Com.  Thornhaugh  Philip,  222 
Gurkhas,  145,  146 
Gurner,  Lieut.  Victor  Gellafent,  461 
Gurney,  Com.  Anthony  Francis,  519 
Guy,  Mids.  Basil  John  Douglas,  549  and  n.2, 

558 
Gwynn,   Lieut.    Graham    Samuel   Philpot, 

403  n.2,  405 
Gye,  Com.  Herbert  Frederick,  226 


602 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


HADES  (R.M.),  Pte.  S.  W.,  555 

Hadley,  Com.  Thomas,  518 

Hafir,  439 

Hai  Cheng  (Clii.),  537 

Hai  Lmif/  (Chi.),  537 

Haiti,  239,  311 

Halahan,  Mills.  Henry  Crosby,  540 

Halifax,  Lieut.  John  Salwey,  28-1 

Hall,  Capt.   George   Fowler  Kins?,  390  n.4, 

391,  452 
Hall,    Capt.    Herbert    Goodenough    King, 

426,  427  and  n.2 
Hall,  Staff-Surg.  John  Falconer,  543  and  n.6, 

550  n.1 

Hall,  Capt.  Robert  (3),  Sec.  of  Admlty.,  3,  7 
Hall,  Seaman  William,  140 
Hall,  Capt,  William  Henry,  6 
Hall,  R.-Adin.  Sir  William  Hutcheson,  79, 

571 
Hall,  Atlm.  Sir  William  King,  6,  7,  86,  94, 

97,  98,  104,  117,  118,  574 
Halliday  (H.M.),  Maj.  Lewis  Stratford  Tolle- 

maclie,  521,  551,  and  un.1  *,  552,  553  and 

nu.1 2,  554  and  nn.,  558 
Hailing  (U.M.),  Q.  M.  Sergt.,  131 
Hallowes,   Capt.   Frederick   William,    117, 

217,  218 

Hallwriglit,  Mids.  William  Wybrow,  502  n.3 
Halsey,  Com.  Arthur,  502  n.3,503,  511-514, 

516-518 

Halsey,  Lieut.  Lionel,  493  n.2,  495,  500 
Halsted,  Y.-Adm.  Edward  Pellew,  570 
Haly,  Clerk  Robert  N.,  208 
Hamilton,  Col.,  441, 442 
Hamilton,  Mr.,  murder  of,  409 
Hamilton,   Com.   Claude   Arthur  William, 

561  n.  " 

Hamilton,  lit.  Hon.  Lord  George  Francis,  2 
Hamilton,  Col.  Ian,  501 
Hamilton,  Capt.  John  Fane  Charles,  114 

and  nn.  ' »,  179,  184,  186  and  n.1 
Hamilton,  Adin.  Sir  Richard  Vesey,  8,  88, 

106  n.1,  576 

Hamilton,  Mids.  Robert  Cecil,  493  n.2 
Hamilton,  Robert  George  Crookshauk,  Sec. 

of  Admlty.,  3,  5 
Hamilton,  Mids.  Sydney  Augustus  Rowan, 

181 

Hamilton,  Staff-Suri:.  William  James,  262 
Hamilton,  Capt.  William  des  Ycoux,  302,  306 
Hammet,  ll.-Adm.  James  Lacon,  581 
Hammiek,  Capt.  Robert  Frederick,  181  and 

n.4,  186,  281,  283,  349 
Hammill,  Capt.  Tynte  Ford,  247,  324,  339, 

343,  357,  359,  370  and  n." 
Hammond,  Quartern!.  George,  319 
Hamond,  R.-Adm.  Richard  Hoi  ace,  580 
Hampton  Roads,  battle  of,  25 
Han  River,  225 

Hancock,  R.-Adm.  George,  87,  575 
Hand,  Capt.  George  Simmer,  94,  100  n.3, 

101,  109,  114  n.1;  cited,  94  n.4,  109  n.4, 

110  nn.3  4,  119  n.8,  120  u.3 


Hand,  Capt.  George  Weightman,  324,  336, 

386 

Hand,  Capt.  Henry,  438  n.2 
Handy  (later  Excellent),  49,  70 
Handy.  41 
Hankow,  120, 164 

Haunay,  Navg.-Lieut.  Hugh  Halliday,  262 
Hannibal,  33  n.° 
Hansa  (Ger.),  534 

Harding,  Eng.  Frederick  George,  584  n.2 
Harding,  Chf.-Gunner  Israel,  331 
•Harding,  Seaman  Thomas,  306 
Hardinge,  Cons.-Genl.  A.  H.,  432 
Hardinge,  Y.-Adm.  Edward,  576 
Hardinge,  Lieut.  John  Teesdale,  519 
Hard  wick,  Eng.  William  Wesley,  454 
Hardy,  1(>9,  172 
Hardy,   Mr.    Coghlan    McLean,    Supt.    of 

Stores,  4 
Hardy,  Sub-Lieut.  Edward  Ernest,  330  n., 

340,  359 

Hare,  Capt.  Marcus  Augustus  Stanley,  583 
Hargraves,    Asst.-Paym.    Herbert    James, 

539  n.1 

Harington,  Com.  Richard  Hastings,  207 
Harley,  Col.,  251,  252 
Harmar    (R.M.),    Lieut.    Charles    d'Oyly, 

550  n.2,  557 

Harney,  Genl.  (U.S.A.),  233 
llaro  Islands,  233 

Harper,  Surg.  Alexander  Fleming,  412  n.2 
Harrier,  178-180,  182,  184,  186  and  n.*, 

189 

Harris,  Lieut.  Charles  Reynold,  285 
Harris,  Capt.  Robert,  69 
Harris,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Robert  Hastings,  90, 

444,  445  and  n.1,  466,  477,  518,  519,  580 
Harris,  Gunner  W.,  200 
Harris  (R.M.),  Capt.  William  Albert,  430, 

550  n.2,  557 

Harrison,  Boatswain's  Mate  John,  140 
Harrison,  Asst.-Paym.  Thomas  Foley,  275 
Harston,  Lieut.  Frank  Archdall,  343,  349 
Hart,  246  and  n.1,  270,  271,  561  n.2 
Hart,  Genl.  A.  K.,  489,  491,  492 
Hart,  Lieut.  De  (Dutch),  204 
Hart,  Sir  Robert,  544 
Hartlaud,  Boatswain  W.,  125 
Harvey,  Cons.,  167,  168 
Harvey,  Adm.  Sir  Edward,  86 
Harvey,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  (2),  572 
Harvey  steel,  57 
Hasheen,  371 
Hastings,  V.-Adm.  Alexander  Plantagenet, 

339,  344,  346,  351,  580 
Hastings,  V.-Adm.  the  Hon.  George  Fowler, 

86,  87,  571 

Hatch,  Vice-Consul,  430,  434 
Hatch,  Major  G.  P.,  433 
Hatherly,     Asst.-Ens;.      William     Ernest, 

584  n.2 

Hattori  (Jap.),  Com.,  534,  538,  539 
Haughty,  105,  106  and  n.1,  125-128 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


603 


Ilavarmah  Harbour  (New  Hebrides),  230 
Itauock,  40,  41,  135  n.1,  173, 390-199,  210, 

217 
Hawes  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Albert  George  Sidney, 

77 

Ifawke,  445 

Hawkev  (R.M.),  Lieut.  John  Frederick,  131 
Hawtayne  (Mil.),  Capt.   Thomas   M.,  403 

and  n.1 

Hawthorn,  Leslie  &  Co.,  41  n. 
Jlav,  Com.  Edward,  139  and  n.5,  140-142, 

179  u.1,  184,  186  and  n." 
Hay,  Mids.  Edward  (2),  349 
Hay,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  Lord  John  (3),  86, 

87,  89,  135  n.1,  298,  300,  357,  385  n., 

575 
Hay,  ll.-Adm.  Sir  John  Charles  Dalrymple, 

573 

Hayes,  Mids.  Henry  Tresilian,  493  n.a 
Hayes,  Capt.  John  Montagu,  203 
Hayter,  Lieut.  Francis,  232 
Haytien,  Cape,  212,  213 
Hazard,  447 

Hazeby,  Lieut.  Lind  af  (Swed.),  139 
Head,  Asst.-Eng.  Frederick  Victor,  584  n.1 
Head,  Surg.  Richard  Lovell  Bluett,  207 
Health  of  the  Navy,  67 
Heap  (K.M.),  Pte.  J.  \V.,  555 
Heath,  ll.-Adm.   Sir   Leopold   George,  88, 

218,  219  and  n.8,  575 
Heath,  Capt.  William  Andrew  James,  129, 

130 

Heathcote,  Com.  Arthur  Cleveland,  519 
Heathcote,  V.-Adm.  Edmund,  573 
Heathcote,  Com.  Herbert  Moultrie,  519 
Heathcote   (R.M.),   Capt.   Robert   Walker, 

341 

Hecate,  26,  27 
lleda,  41,  324  n.,  338,  340,  341,  350,  351 

n.2,  352,  355 
Hector,  23 

Helby,  Com.  Alfred  Prowse  Hasler,  582 
Helden  (Mil.),  Capt.  William,  254  and  n. 
Helicon,  243,  245,  246,  314,  322  n.z-324, 

327,  332,  337,  338  n.2,  340,  343,  359, 374 
Helpmakaar,  304 
Heloetia,  583 

Hely-Hutchinson,  Sir  Walter,  466 
Hemmiugs,  Samuel  E.  (pet.  off.),  494  n. 
Henderson,  Capt.  Frank  Hannam,  233,  408, 

410,  452-454 
Henderson,     Capt.     George    Morris,     320, 

561  n.2 
Henderson,  Lieut.  Percy  Douglas  Melville, 

356 
Henderson,  Capt.  Reginald  Friend  Haunam, 

7,  324,  340,  430 

Henderson,  R.-Adm.  Thomas,  570 
Henderson,     R.-Adm.    William     Hannam, 

396  n.,  581 
Heueage,     Adm.     Sir    Algernon     Charles 

Fieschi,  86,  88,  188,  213,  221,  222,  298, 

578 


Heneage,  Capt.  Algernon  Walker,  493  n.2 
Henley,  Mids.  Walter  E.,  584  n.8 
Hennessy,  Gov.  John  Pope,  224,  249,  250 
Henri,  Asst.-Kng.  Henry  A.,  139 
Henry,  H.  R. :  see  Yelverton 
Henry    of    Prussia,    Prince.       See   Albert 

William  Henry,  Adm.  H.R.H.  Prince 
Herald,  397-399,  410,  411,  564 
Herbert,  Mids.  Dennis  de  Courcy  Austruther', 

539  and  n.4 
Herbert,  R.-Adm.  Frederick  Anstruther,  6, 

577 

Herbert,  Mids.  T.  H.,  130 
Hercules,  24,  215,  290 
Hereford,  Com.  Edward  William,  234 
Ileriz,  Com.  Reginald  York,  519 
Jlermen,  38,  121 
Hermione,  435,  561  n.2 
Hero,  31,  157 
Heron,  Com.  Frederick  William  Burgoyne 

Heron  Maxwell,  215,  283 
Heron  (brig  sloop),  215,  582 
Hurtha  (Ger.),  523 
Hervey    (R.M.),    Lieut.    Francis    William 

Archibald,  427 
Herzegovina,  290 
Hespei;  112  n.3,  123  n.1 
Heugh,  Com.  John  George,  306,  309,  428 

and  nn.2  8 

Hewett,  Consul,  386 

Hewett,  Lieut.  Edward  Matson,  353,  355 
Hewett,    V.-Adm.    Sir     William     Natlian 

Wrighte,  88-90,  259-262,  276,  277,  281, 

282,  295,  298,  299,  339,  342,  350,  576 
Hewlett,  R.-Adm.  Richard  Strode,  573 
Hext,  Capt.  John,  251,  252,  256,  258,  202, 

378  n." 

Hibbcrt,  Com.  Hugh  Thomas,  391 
Hibbert,  Rt.  Hon.  John  Tomlinson,  2 
Hibernia,  290,  359  and  n.5, 
Hickley,  V.-Adm.  Henry  Dennis,  154,  577 
Hicklev,  Lieut.  John  Dennis,  428  n.3 
Hicks  Pasha,  350 
Hicks,  Boatswain  Thomas,  584  n.1 
Hickson,  Asst.-Paym.  Edmund,  256 
Higgins,  Gunner  Charles,  408 
Higli  Island,  111 
Highflyer,   106   n.1,  107   n.2,  123  n.1,  126, 

130,  214 

Hildyard,  Genl.,  512-514 
Hill,  Lieut.  Charles,  181,  186  and  n.3 
Hill,  Lieut.  James  Nethcry,  519 
Hill,  James  Stephen,  1.12  n.3 
Hill,  Lieut.  Marcus  Rowley,  432,  519 
Hill,   Paym.   Shuldham   Samuel   Crawford, 

231 

Hillier,  Sir  Walter,  559 
Hillman,  Lieut.  Henry  Eilbeck,  501  n.2 
Hillyar,  Adm.   Sir  Charles  Farrel,  87,  88, 

190,  573 

Hillyar,  R.-Adm.  Henry  Schank,  575 
Hilston,  Asst.-Surg.  Duncan,  181 
Hiltebrandt  (Rus.),  V.-Adm.,  532 


60-4 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Himalaya,  260,  262 

Himesima  Island,  203 

Hind  (coastguard  cutter),  584 

Hire,  Staff-Corn.  Frederick,  356  and  n.4 

Hoare  (Natal  Nav.  Vols.),  Lieut.  F.,496  n.2 

Hobart-Hampton  (Hobart  Pasha),  Capt.  the 

Hon.  Augustus  Charles,  76  and  n.4 
Hobbs    (R.M.),    Capt.    Frederick     Manoli 

Baltazzi.  450 

Hobson,  Lieut.  William  Robert,  563 
Hockin,  Lieut.  Percy,  234  and  n.1 
Hodges,  Lieut.  Michael  Henry,  493  n.2,  494 
Hodgson,  Lieut.  Thomas  Tarleton,  226  n.2 
Hodson,  Mids.  Gerald   Lord,  502   n.3,  505 

and  n.2 
Hague,  36  n.1 

Holbrook,  Lieut.  John  Gabriel  Yarwood,  173 
Holden,  Lieut.-Col.  R.,  73  n.1 
Holder,  Capt.  Henry  Lowe,  174,  203,  207 
Holland,  Gunner  Edward,  502  n.s,  511 
Holland  (R.M.),  Capt.  John  Yate,  173 
Holland,  R.-Adm.  Swinton  Colthurst,  6,  581 
Holland:— 

Gold  Coast  convention  with,  247 
Japan,  interests  in,  195,  203-205 
Hollins,  Clerk  Walter  Tt.ome,  502  n.3,  505, 

511 
Holloway    (R.M.A.),    Lieut.-Col.    Thomas, 

115  n.2 

Holman,  Gunner  Thomas,  384,  385 
Holmes,  Com.  Arthur  Fosberry,  453,  454 
Holsgrove,  Gunner  Frank,  584  n.1 
Homing  pigeons,  70 
Honan  Island,  112  and  n.3 
Honduras,  153,  234 
Hong  Kong,  100,  109,  122,  215-217,  220, 

225,  227,  229  n.3 

Hongkong,  102,  105,  106  n.1,  107,  108,  159 
Honner,  Com.  Joseph,  74 
Hood  of  Avalon,  Adm.  Sir  Arthur  William 

Acland,  Lord,  89,  112  n.3,  114  n.1,  215, 

575 

Hood,  Com.  the  Hon.  Horace  Lambert  Alex- 
ander, 449,  450 
Hood,  33 

Hoogly  River,  139 
Hooper,  Lieut.  Thomas,  215 
Hope,  Lieut.  Charles  Kerr,  374,  388 
Hope,   R.-Adm.   Charles   Webley,   6,   157 

187,  576 
Hope,  Adm.  Sir  James,  85,  87,  88,  122-128 

130-132  and  n.3,  134,  136,  159,  569,  582 ; 

cited,  131  n.,  132  n.2 
Hope,  Lieut.  Johu,  186 
Hope,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  (2),  573 
Hopes,  Gunner  Stephen,  264  n.1 
Hopkins,  Adm.  Sir  John  Ommanney,  3,  6, 

7,  87,  578 

Hore,  Capt.  Edward  George,  78 
Hore  (R.M.),  Lieut.  John  Christopher,  208 
Hornby,  Adm.  of  the   Fleet   Sir  Geoffrey 

Thomas  Phipps,  46,  82,  85,  87,  89,  291- 

299,  573 


Home  (R.M.),  Pte.  W.,  555 

Hornet,  99-102, 104, 106  n.1, 112  n.s,  114  n.1 

Hoskins,  Adm.  Sir  Anthony  Hiley,  5,  87, 

89,  117  and  n.4,  189,  279,  309,  337  and 

n.1,  338  n.1,  342,  343,  346,  576 
Hoskyn,  Com.  Richard  Frazer,  374 
Hoskyns,  Capt.  Peyton,  434,  453,  454 
Hoste,  R.-Adm.  Sir  William  Legge  George, 

75,  572 

Hotchkiss  quick-firing  guns,  48 
Hotham,  Adm.  Lord,  75 
Hotham,  Adm.  Sin  Charles  Frederick,  75, 

85,  86,  88,  181,  186,  324,  338,  346,  401, 

579 

Hotham,  Lieut.  Edwin,  283,  284 
Hotspur,  26,  295 
Houssas,  250-252,  258,  259 
Houston,  R.-Adm.  Wallace,  572 
Howard,  V.-Adm.  Edward  Henry,  78,  577 
Howe,  31  n.3 

Howe,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  Lord,  75 
Howell,  Lieut-Corn.  (U.S.N.),  213 
Howell,  Gunner  William,  584  n.2 
Hsiautang,  165 

Huascar  (Peruv.),  285  and  n.3,  286-288 
Hubbard,  Lieut.  Godfrey,  374 
Huddart,  Mids.   Cymbeline  Alonso  Edric. 

476,  477 

Hudson,  Capt.  (U.S.N.),  150 
Hudson,  Lieut.  Frank  Elrington,  181 
Hudson,  Capt.  Joseph  Samuel,  117,  136 
Hudson,  Com.  Thomas  Keith,  103  and  n.4, 

104 

Hugh  Rose,  277 
Hughes,  Stafl'-Surg.  John  Douglas,  502  n.3, 

511 
Hughes-Hallett,  Captain  Harry  Francis,  324, 

435 
Hulbert,  Com.  Arthur  Russell,  539  and  n.3, 

550  n.' 

Hulbert,  Capt.  Henry  Charles  Bertram,  519 
Huleatt,  Rev.  H.  (Chaplain),  130 
Hulton,  Capt.  Edward  Grey,  340,  351  n.2 
Humann  (Fr.),  R.-Adm.,  413,  414 
Humber,  327,  374,  396   n.-399,  522,   540, 

561  n.2 

Hume,  Mids.  Edward  Plantagenet,  208 
Humphrys,  Messrs.,  53 
Hunt,  Com.  Allen  Thomas,  519 
Hunt,  Com.  Edward  Duke,  433,  441,  443, 

444,  561  n.2 
Hunt,  Lieut.  George  Percy  Edward,  502  n.3, 

511 

Hunt,  the  Rt.  Hon.  George  Ward,  2 
Hunt,  Com.  Robert  Sidney,  186 
Hunt-Grubbe,  Adm.  Sir  Walter  James,  7, 

90,   188,   260-262,   297,  324,  327,  346, 

578 

Huntley,  Lieut.  Spencer  Robert,  215 
Hunter,  Genl.  Sir  A.,  449,  501 
Hunter,  Com.  James  Edward,  173,  200,  583 
Huron,  Lake,  215 
Hurreah,  146 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


605 


Hurutin  River,  181-183 

Hussar,  448 

Hulchinson,  Mids.  Reginald    Becher  Cald- 

well,  502  n.3 

Hutchison,  Com.  John  de  Mestre,  408,  409 
Button,  R.-Adm.  Frederick,  571 
Mutton,  Xavg.  Sub-Lieut.  Peregrine  William 

Pepperell,  253 

Huxham,  Lieut.  Henry,  159,  163,  169  n.s 
Hwang,  Gen.  (Ti-ping),  163 
Hyacinth  Island,  105,  106 
Hydra,  26,  27 
Hydraulic  propulsion,  54 

Icarus,  153,  208,  221,  225,  389 

Igah,  349 

Ikorudu,  209 

Illaloon  pirates,  232 

Illustrious,  33  n.6,  69,  447 

lltis  (Ger.),  532,  533,  535-537 

Immortalite,  31  n.6 

Imperieuse,  31,  33,  135  nn.'  3,  166,  173   ' 

Implacable   (ex   Duquay    Trouin),   69,   71 

and  n.1 

Implacable,  33  n.7 
Inconstant,  38,  227,  339,  340 
Indau  River,  270 
Indian  Empire,  Order  of,  74 
Indian  Marine,  British  officers'  service  in, 

77 

Industry,  303 

Inflexible,  26,  28,  29  and  n.,  57,  72,  83,  102, 

104  and  n.1,  106  n.1,  109,  114  n.1,  116, 

122,  324,  327-332,   334,  338,  340,  344, 

359 

Inglefield,  Adm.  Sir  Edward  Augustus,  8, 

78,  87,  574 
Ingles,  Lieut.  Alexander  Wighton,  144, 147, 

149 

Ingles,  Capt.  John,  77 
Inglis,  Staff-Corn.  Prank,  276,  283 
Inglis  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Henry  Langton  Tolle- 

mache,  130 

Inglis  (R.M.),  Lieut.  James  Weir,  207 
Inglis,  Mids.  Leslie,  584  n.2 
Ingogo,  316 

Innes,  Lieut.  Arthur  John,  106  n.1,  130 
International    Commercial    Code  of    Flag- 
signals,  64 
Intrepid,  454,  455 
Intwa,  147,  148 
Investigator,  209  and  n. 
Invincible,  24,  243,  246,  298,  300,  323, 324, 

327-329,  331,  332,  336,  338,  340,  359 
Inyezane  River,  305,  306 
Ionian  Is.,  564 

Ms,  38,  342  and  n.2,  346,  350  n.1,  359,  374 
Iron  Duke,  24  and  n.,  270,  583 
Ironclads,  20 

Irrawaddy,  378  and  n.1,  379-381,  383 
Irrawaddy  River,  377 
Irresistible,  33  n.7 
Irwin,  Staff-Surg.  Ahmuty,  262 


Isandhlwaua,  304  and  n.,  305 

Isis,  561  n.2 

Ismail  Pasha,  Khedive,  321 

Ismailia,  342 

Ismid,  Gulf  of,  298 

Italy  :— 

Benadir  leased  to,  436 

China,  operations  in,  521,  523,  524,  532, 
534,  537,  538,  546,  552,  555  and  n.2, 
556  n.1 

Crete,  represented  at,  444 

Greek  ports  blockaded  by,  385 

Slavery,  action  against,  436 

Torpedo-craft  possessed  by  (1895),  39 

Zanzibar  blockaded  by,  390 
Izat,  Com.  George,  386 

JACKSON,  Lieut.  Francis  Sydnev,  331  n.1, 

332 
Jackson,  V.-Adm.  Thomas  Sturges,  7,  295, 

580 
Jago,  R.-Adm.  Charles  Trelawney,  295, 300, 

577 

Jakdnl  Wells,  360,  365,  369 
Jamaica,  153,  214,  216,  235,  238-240 
James,  Com.  Herbert  William,  502  n.s-505 

and  n.1,  507,  510  n.3-512 
James  Stevenson,  399 
Jameson  Raid,  435 
Jamestown  (U.S.),  203 
Jamoulee,  146 

Janus,  125,  126,  135  n.1,  210,  221 
Japan : — 

Affairs  in  (1853-68),  190-209 
British  officers'  assistance  to,  77 
China,    war    with    (1894-95),    452; 
operations  in  (1900),  52  L,  523,  528 
n.3,  532-534,  537-539,  545-548,  552, 
556  and  n.1 

Elgin's  mission  to  (1858),  120 
Represented  at  Naval  Review  (1897), 

84 

Torpedo-craft  possessed  by  (1895),  39 
Jardine,  Matheson  and  Co.,  Messrs.,  quoted, 

166 

Jaseur,  582 
Jasper,  171  n.3 
Jatobar,  406 

Jaures,  Adm.  (Fr.),  195,  203,  206 
Jeanne  d'Arc,  245 

Jeans,  Surg.  Thomas  Tendron,  488  and  n.1 
Jeddah,  riots  at,  152  and  n.3 
Jeddo,  191,  192,  194,  201 
Jedina  (Aust.),  Capt.  Leopold  Ritter  von, 

534  n.3 

Jeffreys,  R.-Adm.  Edmund  Frederick,  581 
Jellicoe,  Captain  John  Rushworth,  523,  529 

and  n.4,  530,  558,  561  n.2 
Jenkings,   R.-Adm.   Albert  Baldwin,   295, 

324,  336,  390  n.4,  581 
Tonkins,  Lieut.  John,  130 
Jenkins,  R.-Adm.  Robert,  100,  179  and  n.8, 
182,  186,  575 


606 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Jenner,  Mr.  A.  0.  W.,  462 

Jennings,  Torp.-Gunner  George  Alfred,  39G 
Jephson,  Com.  Sir  Alfred,  82  and  n.3,  208 ; 

cited,  197  n.2,  200 
Jervois,  Sir  W.  F.  D.,  272 
Jinks,  Boatswain  William,  256 
Job,  Boatswain  Thomas,  391 
Johore,  269 

Johns,  Carpenter  James,  471 
Johnson  (Mil.),  Capt,  412 
Johnson,  Com.  Cecil  Frederick  William,  210, 

223 

Johnson,  Mr.  Isaac  G.,  58 
Johnson,  Com.  Samuel  Arthur,  388,  400 
Johnston,  Actg.-Master  Charles  George,  96 
Johnston,  Sir  Harry  H.,  412, 413 
Johnston,  Torp.-Gunner  William,  443 
Johnstone,  Capt.  Charles,  74,  347,  348,  419, 

426 

Johnstone,  Com.  Henry  Boys,  224 
Johnstone    (R.M.),    Brev.    Lt.-Col.   James 

Robert,  524,  527,  529  and  n.10,  530,  544 
Johnstone,   V.-Adm.    Sir  William    James 

Hope,  86 
Jones,  Chf.-Gunner's  Mate  Charles  Henry, 

219 

Jones,  Lieut.  Charles  William,  77 
Jones  (R.M.),  Ebenezer  Tristram  Thomas, 

173 
Jones,  Capt.  Edward  Pitcairn,  468,  502  and 

n.3,  503  and  n.,  504  n.,  511-516,  518,  519 
Jones,  Asst.-Paym.  George  Washington,  200 
Jones  (Mil),  Col.  Howard  Button,  345,  346 
Jones,  Capt.  John  George,  271,  374 
Jones,  Lieut.  John  William,  209 
Jones,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Lewis  Tobias,  134,  135 

n.1,  136  n.2,  570 

Jones,  Adm.  Loftus  Francis,  578 
Jones,  Capt.  Oliver  John,  139,  141,  142, 

225,  226 

Jones,  R.-Adm.  Theodore  Morton,  7,  577 
Jones    (R.M.),     Lieut.     Walter     Thomas 

Cresswell,  475  n.2,  476  and  nn.3  7 
Jones,  Mids.  William  Beverley  Courselles, 

529  and  n.9 

Jones,  V.-Adm.  William  Gore,  78,  88,  576 
Jones,   Lieut.   William  Henry,   121,   125, 

130,  582 

Joseph  Nickerson  (U.S.),  284 
Josling,  Capt.  John   James  Stephen,   196, 

198  and  n.2,  335 
Joubert,  Mr.  (financier),  321 
Joubert,  Genl.  Piet,  320 
Jovellar,  Genl.,  239 
Juarez,  Benito  Pablo,  155,  156 
Juba,  396  n. 
Juba  River,  278,  409 
Jubaland,  462 

Jubilee  Naval  Review  (1887),  82,  83 
Judgespore  Fort,  147 
Jumna,  144 
Jumna  River,  139 
Juniata  (U.S.),  242 


Juno,  38 
Jupiter,  33  n.5 

KAGOSIMA,  197-200 

Kahding,  165,  166,  173 

Kairau,  176 

Kaling,  404, 405 

Kallee-Nuddee,  141 

Kamhia  (W.  Africa),  151 

Kambula,  304 

Kanagawa,  195 

Kane,  R.-Adm.  Henry  Coey,  343,  346,  393, 

394,  581 
Kaokiau,  165 
Karak  Island,  137 
Kavslake,   Capt.   Wollaston   Comyns,  276, 

277  and  n.3 
Kasagi  (.Jap.),  534 
Kassala,  373 
Kassassin,  344,  345 
Kathleen,  378-383 
Katikara,  178 

Kautz  (U.S.N.),  R.-Adm.  Albert,  457,  458 
Kay,  Fleet-Paym.  William  Hobart  Fendall, 

493  n.2,  497 
Kay-Shuttleworth,  the  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Ugh- 

tred  James,  3 
Keane,  R.-Adm.  the  Hon.  George  Disney, 

575 

Kerme,  Lieut.  Henry  Joseph,  398  n.2 
Keangsoo,  171  n.3 
Kearney,  Major,  108  and  n.3 
Keary,  Com.  Francis  William,  396  n.,  398, 

399  and  n. 
Keate,  Govr.,  250 
Keith,  Adm.  Lord,  75 
Keith,  Capt.  Sir  Basil,  75 
Kellett,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Henry,  8,  88,  571 
Kelly  (R.M.),  Corp.,  135 
Kelly,   R.-Adm.   Edward,   6,  8,  332,  338, 

579 
Kelly  (R.M.A.),  Capt.  Henry  Holdsworth, 

300 

Kelsey,  Boatswain  George  Henry,  408 
Kemble,   Com.    Horatio    Fraser,   258    n.2, 

300 
Kemp,   Com.   Thomas   Webster,   546   and 

nn.2  5,  550  n.1 

Kempenfelt,  R.-Adm.  Richard,  75 
Kenia,  409,  410 
Kennedy,   Capt.   Andrew  James,  351   n.2, 

353  n.1 

Kennedy,  Govr.  Sir  Arthur,  249 
Kennedy,    Lieut.    Edward    Coverley,    546 

and  n.3 

Kennedy,  Com.  Francis  William,  432,  433 
Kennedy,  Capt.  John  James,  156 
Kennedy,  V.-Adm.  Sir  William  Robert,  88, 

217,  579 
Kent,  36 

Keppel,  Adm.  Lord,  75 
Keppel,   Capt.   Colin    Richard,    359,    368, 

370  n.2,  449-451  and  n.2 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


607 


Keppel,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  the   Hon.  Sir 

Henry,  85,  88,  90,  102,  105-108  n.fl,  109 

and  n.6,  188,  221  and  n.3,  222,  225,  226, 

569,  582";  quoted  108 
Keppel,  Capt.  Leicester  Chantrey,  221,  283- 

285 
Kerr,   R.-Adm.   Lord    Frederick    Herbert, 

573 

Kerr,  Com.  Howard,  225 
Kerr,   Adm.   the    Rt.   Hon.    Lord   Walter 

Talbot,  89, 139,  142,  579 
Kestrel,  125,  126,  128,  130,  159,  163,  169, 

312,  313 

Ketteler,  Baron  von,  554 
Key,  Adm.  Sir  Astley  Cooper,  6,  8,  71  n.4, 

87,  110,  114,  116,  138,  573 
Keyes,  Com.  Roger  John  Brownlow,  521  n.4, 

532,  537,  539,  550  n.1,  561  n.2 ;  quoted, 

536,  537 

Keyham  College,  71 
Khartum,  356,  357,  365,  370,  371 
Khor  Ghob,  353-355,  373 
Kiangsu,  160  n.,  162 
Kiddle,  Lieut.  Edward  Buxton,  408 
Kidnapping.    See  Slavers 
Kikoukeh  Island,  312 
Kilcoursie,  Mate  Visct,  131 
Kimberley,  471,  478,  479 
Kimberly    (U.S.N.),   R.-Adtn.    Lewis    A., 

393,  394 

King,  Chf.-Eng.  (U.S.N.),  quoted  287 
King,  Adm.  Sir  George  St.  Vincent  Duck- 
worth, 88,  570 
King  (R.M.),  Pie.  K.,  555 
King,  V.-Adm.  Richard  Duckworth,  579 
King,  Lieut.  Robert  Maitland,  289 
King,  William  (N.Z.  chief),  174, 175,  177 
King  Alfred,  36  n.3,  56  n.2 
King  William  Island,  562,  563 
King-Harman,     Lieut.     Gerald      Lycidas, 

344  n.3 

Kingcome,  V.-Adm.  Sir  John,  87,  569 
Kingfisher,  375,  387,  396  and  n. 
Kingscote,  Capt.  Anthony,  306,  309 
Kiugsley  (Mil.),  Lieut.,  173 
Kingston,  Capf.  Augustus  John,  196,  198, 

203,  204,  207 
Kinta  River,  273,  274 
Kioto,  191,  193-195,  200,  202,  205 
Kipini,  396,  397 

Kirby,  Capt.  Franc's  George,  374,  413 
Kirk,  Dr.  John,  278 
Kismayu,  408-410,  462 
Kit,  Free,  18  and  n. 
Kitchener,  Genl.  Lord,  449,  450 
Kitchener,  Genl.  W.,  510 
Ki'ikiang,  164 
Kiunga  (Somalilaml),  234 
Kiungchau,  119 
Knap'p  (R.M.),  Sergt,  135 
Knevitt,   Com.    Herbert    Price,   125,   130, 

173 
Knight,  Kng.  George  Gerald,  537 


Knowles,  Capt.  Charles   George  Frederick, 

209 

Kobe,  208 
Koko  Island,  102 
Korea,  430 

Korietz  (Rus.),  532,  533,  536 
Kotah  Lamah,  274 
Kowloon,  135 
Kowloon  Bay,  216 
Kruger,  Pres.  Paul,  43o 
Krupp  steel,  57 
Kudjwa,  140 
Kuka,  386 
Kung,  Prince,  171 
Kupa  Kupa  Island,  181 
Kuper,  Adm.   Sir   Augustus    Leopold,  88, 

172  and  n.2, 193,  195-197,  203-206,  570 ; 

quoted,  197-199,  204,  205 
Kuper  Island,  112  n.3 
Kuptangunge,  146 
Kwangtung,  174 
Kwangtung,  171  n.3 

LADVSMITH,  466,  468,  493  and  n.M96  and 

n.2,  497-501,  503  n.,  506,  511 
Lafond,  Lieut.  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  117 
Lagos,  187,  188,  209,  226,  250,  256 
Laing's  Nek,  315,  316 
Laird,  Messrs.,  27,  41  n.,  285  n.3 
Laird,  Lieut.  John  Knox,  519 
Lake,  V.-Adm.  Atwell  Peregrine  Macleod, 

8,  295,  580 

Lalor  (R.M.),  Lieut.  James  Nicholas,  396 
Lambert,  Adm.  Sir  George  Robert,  86 
Lambert,  V.-Adm.  Rowley,  89,  223,  575 
Lambert  (R.M.A.),  Maj.  Walter  Miller,  384 
Lambeyaque,  138 
Lambton,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Hedworth,  330  n., 

332,  339,  340,  401,  466,  493  and  n.2,  519 
Lament,  Asst.-Clerk  William,  583  n.2 
La  Motte,  Com.  Lefer  de  (Fr.),  112  n.3 
Lamu,  395,  408 
Lancaster,  36  n.2 

Lang,  Com.  Edward  Lewis,  426,  427  and  n.2 
Lang,  Rev.  Francis  Charles,  282  n.1 
Lang,  Mids.  George  Holbrow,  488 
Lang,  Capt.  Henry  Briggs,  387 
Lang,  Lieut.  Oliver  Thomas,  209 
Lang,  Capt.  William  Metcalfe,  77 
Langfang,  524, '525 
Langkat  River,  270 
Langley,  Capt.  Gerald  Charles,  346 
Lans  (Gei-.),  Com.,  532 
Lansdale,  Lieut.  Philip  Vanhorne,  460 
Lanyon,  Mids.  Herbert  Marsdeu,  584  n. 
Lapwiny,  37,  228 
Larcom,  Com.  Thomas  Henry,  262 
Larut  Kiver,  237,  269,  273,  313 
Lascelles,  Cadet  H.  A.,  139,  141 
Lat,  218 
Latona,  38 
Lauderdale,   Earl    of  (Adm.    Sir    Thomas 

Maitland),  87,  569 


608 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VI  1. 


Lausliton,  Prof.  John  Knox,  83  and  n.3 
Launches,  form  of  service   for   use   at,  73 

and  n.4 

Law,  Lieut.  Edward  Downes,  262 
Law,  Lieut.  Harry  Dumpier,  386,  519 
Layard,  Sir  Austen  Heury,  293,  294,  296 
Layrle,  Lieut.  (Fr.),  205 
Layton  (R.M.),  Pte.  A.  T.,  556 
Le    Grand    (R.M.\   Lieut.-Col.    Frederick 

Gasper,  339 

Lean  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.  Francis,  73 
Leander,  462 

Leatham,  Lieut.  Eustace  La  Trobe,  519 
Leckie,  Capt.  Charles  Tayler,  117,  203 
Leckie,  Com.  George  Lindsay  Malcolm,  433 
Ltdgard,  Mids.  William  Eimington,  502  n.s, 

511,  514,  517 

Lee,  121,  125-128,  209,  582 
Lee,  Gen.  (China),  165 
Lee,  — ,  Seaman,  147 
Lee,  Henry  W.  C.  (pet.  off.),- 494  n. 
Lee,  Com.  William  Frederick,  134 
Lee-Enfield  rifle,  50 
Lee-Metford  rifle,  50 

Leeke,  Capt.  Sir  Henry  John,  137  and  n.1 
Lees,  Com.  Edgar,  502  ii.4 
Leet,  Com.  Henry  Knox,  136 
Lefroy,  Com.  Benjamin  Lanulois,  218,  224 
Legh,   Sub-Lieut.  Neville   Edmund  Corn- 
wall, 310 
Leiningen,   Adm.   H.S.H.  Ernest    Leopold 

Victor  Charles  Anguste  Joseph   Emich, 

Prince  of,  86,  576 
Leipzig  (Ger.),  390  n.4 
Leir,  Mids.  Ernest  William,  550  n.1 
Lomon  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.   Thomas,   129- 

131 

Leopard,  58,  150,  203-204,  207 
Lepers'  Island,  311 
Lesseps,  M.  de,  343 
Lethbridge,  Adm.  Thomas  Bridgeman,  86, 

576 

Levant  (U.S.),  96 
Leven,  117,  136,  225 
Leveque,  Com.  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  117,  118 
Leviathan,  36  n.3 
Levuka,  265 

Lewes,  Sir  Samuel  Sayer,  3 
Lewes,  Com.  Price  Yaughan,  409  and  n., 

447  and  n.2 

Libby,  Staft-Capt.  Samuel,  150 
Liberia,  311 

Liddell,  Master  James  Greenwood,  207 
Liddell,  Sir  John,  M.D.,  R.N.,  5 
Lifeboat  Institution,  Royal  National,  74 
Lightning,  39 

Lilley,  Carpenter  Henry  James,  379 
Lilly,    Fket-Surg.    Frederick    John,   408, 

502  n.8,  511,  512 
Lily,  213,  584 

Lily  (colonial  st.  launch),  403 
Limpus,  Capt.  Arthur  Henry,  468,  471,  502 

and  n.3,  511  n.1 


Lin  Fort,  114 

Lindesay,  Lieut.  Abraham  Hamilton,  238 

Lindley,  Capt.  George  Robert,  408,  409 

Lindsay,  Com.  Charles,  288 

Lingham,  Lieut.  Arthur,  519 

Lingie  River,  270,  272 

Lingting  Island,  122 

Linnet,  561  n.2 

Lion,  70  and  n.4 

Lion  (Fr.),  413,  414,  532,  533,  535-537 

Lisburn,  Cape  (New  Hebrides),  231 

Little,  Surg.  John,  131,  135 

Littleton,  Com.  the  Hon.  Algernon  Charles, 

270 

Lively,  582,  584 
Liverpool  Shipwreck  and  Humane  Society, 

74 

Lizard,  189 

Lloyd,  Surg.  Edward  Thomas,  273  n.1 
Lloyd  (R.M.),  Capt.  Henry  Talbot  Rickard, 

527,  548,  549 

Lloyd,  V.-Adm.  Rodney  Maclaine,  8,  225- 

227,  374,  387,  580 
Lloyd,  Chf.  Eng.  Thomas,  4 
Lloyd's,  hon.  silver  medal  of,  74 
Loa  (Peruv.),  137  and  n.2,  138 
Loanda,  284 

Loane,  Com.  Arthur  Jabez,  403  n.2,  404-405 
Loane,  Com.  Frederick  William,  405  and  n., 

407 

Loango,  228 
Lobo,  Adm.,  246,  247 
Loch,  Mr.,  136 

Lockhart,  Lieut.  Murray  MacGregor,  408 
Lofa,  523-525 
London,  33,  34,  57,  263,  264,  289,  310,  312, 

386,  387 
Long,  Col.,  504 

Long,  R.-Adm.  Samuel,  8,  579 
Longfleld,  Fleet-Surg.  William  Digby,  307, 

309 

Longley  (Mil.),  Lieut.  G.,  130,  131 
Loocbee,  162 
Loraine,  Capt.  Sir  Lambton,  235  and  n.'- 

237,  240,  241,  243 
Lord  Clyde,  22,  217 
Lord  Warden,  22,  243,  246 
Loring,  Sub-Lieut.  Arthur  Henry,  302  n.3 
Loring,  Adm.  Sir  William,  7,  89,  572 
Louisiade  Archipelaso,  311 
Loveridae,  Lieut.  Alfred  Churchill,  260 
Lowe,  V.-Adm.  Arthur,  571 
Lowe,  Lieut.  Arthur  Hill  Ommanney  Peter, 

273  n.1 

Lowe,  Gunner  Ernest  Edward,  476,  492 
Lewis,  Lieut.  Arthur  Welland,  461 
Lowther-Crofton,   Lieut.    Edward    George, 

528,  529  and  n.8,  530,  558 

Luard,  Com.  Herbert  du  Cane,  543  and  n.4, 

547,  550  n.1 

Luard,  Com.  John  Scott,  434 
Luard,  Adm.  Sir  AVilliam  Garnham,  7,  8, 

203,  205,  290,  575 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


609 


Lucas,  Staff-Surg.  Leonard,  256 

iuce,  Capt.  John  Proctor,  187,  189 
ucknow,  139,  141 
Lugard,  Sir  Edward,  quoted,  143 
Lukakong,  165 
Luke    (R.M.),   Brev.    Lieut.-Col.    Edward 

Vyvyan,  541,  543  aud  n.6,  549,  550  n.2, 

557 

Lukut  River,  271 
Lumptee,  146 

Lumsden,  Com.  Walter,  331  n.2 
Luppis,  Capt.  (Aust.),  59 
Luscombe,  Capt.  Frederick  St.  Leger,  518 
Lushington,  Mr.  Vernon,  Q.C.,  2,  3 
Luxmoore,  Capt.  Percy  Putt,  77,  251,  254, 

256,  261  and  n.1,  262 
Lynch,  Brig.-Genl.  Don  Juan  Nepomuceno 

"Burriel  y,  239 

Lyne,  Lieut.  William  Owen,  561  n.2 
Lynx,  41,  136,  226,  227,  289 
Lyons,  Lieut.  Algernon  Hankey,  398  n.1 
Lyons,   Adm.   of  the   Fleet  Sir   Algernon 

McLennan,  86, 87,  300,  576 
Lyons,  V.-Adm.  Edmund  Lord,  86 
Lyra,  137,  210 
Lyster,  R.-Adm.  Henry,  571 

MACALISTER,  Lieut.  Norman  Godfrey,  336 
M'Bean,  Asst.-Surg.  Samuel,  208 
McCalla  (U.S.N.),  Capt.  B.  H.,  523,  529,  530 
M'Callum  (R.M.),  Lieut.  E.  G.,  117 
McCann  (U.S.N.),  R.-Adm.,  401 
McCarthy,  Asst.-Surg.  James,  262 
McCausland  (R.M.)/ Lieut.  Edwin  Loftus, 

345 

M'Causland,  Sub-Lieut.  Marcus,  234 
M'Cleverty,  Capt.  James  Johnstone,  135  n.1 
M'Clintock,  Adm.  Sir  Francis  Leopold,  6, 

87,  216,  563-565,  574 
M'Clure,  Capt.  Sir  Robert  John  Le  Mesurier, 

114 
M'Crea,  R.-Adm.  John  Dobree,  6,  8,  246, 

576 
Macdonald,  Lieut.  Charles  Brownlow,  271, 

384,  385 

McDonald,  Chf.-Off.  John,  584 
Macdooald,  Sir  Claude,  522,  554,  556  n.3 
Macdonald,  Adm.  Sir  Reginald  John  James 

George,  86,  88,  574 
M'Dougall,  V.-Adm.  John  (3),  569 
M'Elwee,  Surg.  John,  403  n.2 
McGregor  Laird,  233 
MacGill,  Capt.  Thomas,  373  and  n.2,  394, 

432,  441-443 
Macgregor,  Sir  Evan,  3 
MacGregor,  Com.  Sir  Malcolm,  189 
M'Hardy,  Lieut.  John  George  Graham,  209 
M'Kenna  (Mil.),  Capt.  T.,  127,  130 
MacKenzie,  Lieut.  Colin,  521,  536  and  n.2, 

558,  561  n.2 
M'Killop,  Capt.  Henry  Frederick,  76  and  n.7, 

278  and  n.2 
M'Kinstry,  Com.  Frederick  Gordon,  402 

VOL.   VII. 


Maclear,  R.-Adm.  John   Fiot   Lee   Pearse, 

219,  220  n.,  567,  579 

MacLeod,  Capt.  Angus,  2G1,  262,  413,  414 
MacLeod,  Lieut.  Torquill,  584  n.1 
Macmillan,  Surg.  Charles  Clarke,  505 
Macnamara,  Surg.  Eric  Dauvers,  530 
McNeill,  Maj.-Genl.  Sir  J.,  371 
Macpherson,  Com.  Duncan,  519 
McQuhae,    Capt.    John    MacKenzie,   395, 

396  n.,  435 
Macrae,  Mr.,  537 
Macao,  220 

Macao  Fort,  95,  101,  104,  114 
Macao  passage,  94 
Machine-guns,  30,  50,  51 
Madagascar,  263,  264,  347,  349 
Madden,  Com.  Edward,  120  and  n.2 
Madonika,  189 
Magdala,  218-219 
Magdala,  26  n. 

Magellan's  Strait,  320,  565,  567 
Magersfontein,  478 
Magicienne  (pad.),  122,  123  n.1,  125,  126, 

130,  135  n.',  462,  519 
Magnificent,  33 
Magpie,  426,  427,  433,  434,  440,  441,  519, 

583 

Magrath,  Asst.-Surg.  Miles  Monk,  104  n.1 
Maquay,  Lieut.  Thomas  Moore,  144,  147- 

149 

Maguire  (Mil.),  Capt.  Cecil,  410 
Maguire,  Capt.  Rochfort,  89,  213 
Mahdi,  the  (Mahommed  Ahmed),  349,  350 

and  n.1,  366,  374 
Mahomed  Hossein,  Nazim,  148 
Mahommed  Ahmed.     See  Mahdi 
Mahomet  ben  Kuleef,  Chief,  224 
Mahon,    Staff-Surg.    Edward    Elphinstone, 

315-319 

Maillard,  Surg.  William  Job,  447  and  n.3 
Mainwaring,  Com.  Karl   Heinrich  Augus- 
tus, 216 

Maitland  (Mil.),  Lieut.  J.  M.,  131 
Maitland,    Adm.    Sir     Thomas    (Earl     of 

Lauderdale),  87,  569 
Maitland-Dougall,  Com.  William,  519 
Majestic,  33  n.° 
Majuba,  317-319 
Majunga,  347 

Makanjira,  410  and  n.2,  411,  412 
Malacca,  441,  443 
Malacca,  270 
Malacca,  Strait  of,  237 
Malaga,  244-246 
Malay  Peninsula : — 

Clarke's  work  in,  267-271 
Expeditions  and  engagements  in,  267- 

275 
Malays,  piracy  amona,  229,  230,  269,  270, 

312 

Malcolm,  Com.  George  John,  156 
Maletta  Creek,  224 
Mallard,  282  n.1,  283 

2  R 


610 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Malluda  Bay,  224 

Malta,  243,  292,  394 ;  Adm.  Supts.  at,  8 

Maltby,  Lieut.  Gerald  Rivers,  261,  262 

Man,  Capt.  J.  F.  De  (Dutch),  203 

Manakau,  179  n.s,  182 

Mandalay,  375-377,  382-384 

Mandarin  junks,  101  n. 

Mann,  R.-Adm.  William  Frederick  Stanley, 

262,  300,  343,  581 

Mansel,  Lieut.  Charles  Playdell,  561  n.2 
Mansell,  Capt.  Arthur  Lukis,  564  and  n.2 
Manthorpe,    Com.    Charles     William,     76 

and  n.' 
Maoris,  174 
Maraquita,  189 
Marathon,  561  n.2 
Marau  Sound,  311 
Marceau  (Fr.),  112  n.3 
Marchand  (Fr.),  Capt.,  450,  451 
Marchant   (R.M.),    Maj.   Alfred    Edmund, 

372,  476  and  n.2,  477  and  n.3,  482  n.2, 

484  n.3,  492 
Marconi  apparatus,  63 
Mareotis,  Lake,  323 
Maria,  232 

Marieta  (U.S.N.),  454,  455 
Marige,  403,  404,  406 
Mariner,  379 
Marion  Bennie,  230 
Markham,  V.-Adm.  Albert  Hastings,  230 

and  n.2,  231,  415,  416,  419,  423,  425,  426, 

566,  567,  579 
Marlborough,  18,  71 
Marmora,  Sea  of,  294,  296,  297 
Marolles  (Fr.),  Capt.  de,  523 
Marrack,  Capt.  William,  252 . 
Mars,  33  n.5 

Marshal,  Mr.  William,  196 
Marston,  Lieut.  Guy  Montagu,  433 
Marten,  Capt.  Francis,  209 
Marter,  Maj.  Richard,  305 
Martin,  Fleet-Surg.  James  Hamilton,  308, 

356 

Martin,  Staff-Surg.  James  McCardie,  444 
Martin,  Lieut.  John,  519 
Martin,   Adm.   of    the   Fleet   Sir   Thomas 

Byam,  13 

Martin,  Mr.  W.  A.,  55 
Martin,  Adm.  Sir  William   Fanshawe,  6, 

85,86 

Martini-Henri  rifle,  50 
Marwood,  Clerk  Ralph  Balsom,  302  n.3 
Marx,  Capt,  John  Locke,  431,  432 
Mascull,  Gunner  George,  537  and  n.4 
Mason,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  Henry,  573 
Massacre  at  Cholin,  166 
Massie,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  Leeke,  570 
Massongha,  189 
Masters,  transformation   of,  to   Navigating 

Lieutenants,  13  n.3,  15 
Masters   (R.M.),    Capt.    William    Godfrey 

Rayson,  130-131 
Mastiff,  49 


Masts,  military,  30,  63 

Mat  Salleh,  451 

Matacong  Island,  311,  312 

Matarikoriko,  176 

Mates,    Sub-Lieutenants    substituted     for, 

18 
Mat  hews,  Genl.  Sir  Lloyd  Williams,  289, 

432,  436  and  n.2 

Matutaere,  King  (N.Z.),  180,  181 
Maude,  Com.  Eustace  Downman,  229  and 

n.2,  324,  337 
Maungatautari,  182 
Maungatawhiri  Creek,  178 
Maunsell,  Lieut.  Edward  Eyre,  189 
Maxim  iruns,  50,  51 

Maxwell,  Brevet-Lieut.-C'ol.  Henry  L.,  139 
Maxwell,  Lieut.  Thomas  Edward,  256 
Maxwell,  V.-Adm.  William  Henry,  219  n.1, 

392,  579 

May,  Surg.  Arthur  William,  359,  369 
May,  Com.  Charles  Goodhart,  261 
May,  Staff-Corn.  Daniel  John,  220  and  n. 
May,  Capt.  Henry  John,  336,  390  and  n.1 
May,  R.-Adm.  William  Henry,  566  and'n.4 
Mayhew   (R.M.),   Lieut.   Charles  Lawson, 

550  n.2,  557 
Mayne,   Capt.   Richard  Charles,   178,   179 

and  n.2,  180,  181  and  n.1,  565 
Mayne,  Mids.  Ronald  Clinton,  537  and  n.' 
Mazatlan,  156 

M'buruk  bin  Rashid,  432,  433,  435 
M'pinge  Nebacca  (W.  African  chief),  228 
Mead,  R.-Adm.  James  George,  579 
Meara,  Com.  Edward  Spencer,  225,  226 
Mecham,  Lieut.  George  Frederick,  565 
Medals,  74 
Medea,  38 

Medhurst,  Consul  Walter,  221 
Medical  Department,  5,  68 
Medina,  President  (Honduras),  234 
Mediterranean  Fleet  (1876),  290 
Mediterranean    Station,    Flag-Officers    on, 

86,87 

Medjidieh  Fort,  295 
Medlycott,  Capt.  Mervyn  Bradford,  276,  277 

and  n.2 

Medusa  (Dutch),  203-205 
Megasra,  583 
Meister,    Sub  -  Lieut.    Francis    Waldemar 

Theodore,  427 
Melanesia,  230 
Melik,  450 
Melvill,   Com.   Francis   William,   502   n.3, 

510  n.3,  511 
Menameh  Fort,  225 
Mendez  Nunez  (Sp.),  243,  246 
Mends,  Capt.  William  Robert,  4 
Menzies,  Mids.  James,  478  and  n.2 
Menzies,  Com.  William,  216,  583 
Mercantile  marine: — 

Cruisers  taken  over  from,  42 
Supplementary  Officers  from,  19 
I  Meredith,  Lieut.  Hubert  Willoughby,  336 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


611 


Mcrewether,  Master's  Asst.  T.  R.,  144 

Merimeri,  178,  179,  181 

Merlin,  251,  255,  260,  262,  276 

Mersa  Kuwai,  390 

Mersey,  38 

Messer,  Surg.  Adam  Bruton,  181  and  n.5 

Messum,  Paym.  Julian  Alexander,  583  n.1 

MetaJen  Kruix  (Dutch),  203,  204,  206 

Meterameh,  363,  364,  449 

Metemmeh,  440  and  n.1,  450 

Methuen,  Maj.-Genl.  Lord,  471-473,  475, 

477,  489 
Mexico,  155-157 
Michigan,  215 
Middlemass,  Lieut.  Arthur  Charles,  76,  277 

and  n.4 

Middleton,  Sub-Lieut.  John  Richards,  493n.2 
Midge,  179  n.3,  237,  238,  270 
Miller,  V.-Adm.  Thomas,  136,  575 
Miller,      Gordon     William     (Director      of 

Stores),  4 

Miller,  Capt.  Henry  Matthew,  226 
Miller,  Armourer  Walter,  361 
Milne,   Adm.   Sir  Alexander,   27,   86,   87, 

569 
Milne,  Capt.  Sir  Archibald  Berkeley,  304  n., 

306,  308 

Milton,  Eng.  William,  393 
Min  River,  374  and  n.5 
Minahong,  165 
Minhla,  379,  380 

Minotaur,  23,  217,  298,  300,  338,  344,  346 
Miramon,  Gen.  (Mex.),  155 
Miranda,  179-]83,  186 
Mirs  Bay,  109,  211,  220 
Missionaries,  protection  of,  221-223 
Mitchell  (U.S.M.),  Gunner,  555,  556 
Mitchell,  Lieut.  William  Edward,  182 
Mito,  Prince,  191,  192,  194,  195 
Mitraille  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  116,  117 
Mitrailleuse,  50 
Modder  River,  477,  478 
Modeste,  272-275 

Mohammed  Tew6k,  Khedive,  321,  322 
Mohawk  (later  Pekin),  171  n.3 
Mohawk,  413 
Moji  Saki  Point,  206 
Molloy,  Sec.-Master  John,  103 
Molteno,  Lieut.  Vincent  Barkly,  408 
Molyneux,  Adm.  Sir  Hobert  Henry  More,  7, 

152  and  n.1,  295,  324,  346,  355  and  n.2, 

357,  371,  373  and  n.4,  579 
Molyneux,      Com.      William      Hargraves 

Mitchell,  295 

Mombasa,  insurrection  in,  263 
Monaghan  (U.S.N.),  Ensign  John  R.,  460 
Monarch  (turret  bat.  ship),  26,  27,  137,  227, 

300, 323, 324, 327-329, 332, 336, 342-345, 

350  n.1,  359,  471  and  n.2,  477,  478,  486, 

488,  517,  519 

Money,  Lieut.-Col.  C.  G.  C.,  472,  474,  475 
Money  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Herbert  Cecil,  344 
Monocacy  (U.S.),  532-534 


Monmouth,  36  n.2 

Montagu,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Victor  Alexander, 

108  and  n.2,  144,  246 
Montagu,  33  n.9 

Montague  (Nguna)  Island,  230  and  n.s 
Moutalmar  (Aust.),  Capt.  von,  522 
Montaubon,  Gen.  Cousin  de  (Fr.),  132 
"  Montenegro,  290,  314 
Montgomerie,  R.-Adin.  John  Eglinton,  170, 

224,  576 
Montgomerie,  Capt.  Robert  Archibald  James, 

359  and  n.8,  396 

Montgomery,  Com.  James  Pipon,  274,  n.2 
Montgomery  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Robert  Evans, 

271 

Montreal  Island,  563 
Montresor,   R.-Adm.   Frederick   Byng,  88, 

573 
Montresor,  Lieut.  William  Hughes  Hallett, 

351  n.s,  353,  354 

Moore,  R.-Adm.  Arthur  William,  581 
Moore,  Com.  Charles  Henry  Hodgson,  349 
Moore,  Staff-Surg.  Francis  Hamilton,  256 
Moore,  Com.  George  Henry,  262,  346  and  n.4 
!  Moore,  Capt.  Lewis  James,  196,  200 
Moore  (R.M.A.),  Lieut.  Thomas,  256 
Morales,  Govr.,  242 
Morant,  Adm.  Sir  George  Digby,  6,  8,  211, 

579 

Moresby,  Com.  Fairfax  (2),  582 
Moresby,   V.-Adm.   John,   174,   203,   205, 

207,  231,  577 

Moreton,  Lieut.  John  Alfred,  536,  537 
Moreton,  Eng.  W.  C.,  583  n.1 
Morgan,  Surg.  David  Lloyd,  208 
Morgan,  Capt.   Frederick  Robert  William, 

519 

Mori  (Jap.),  Capt.,  523 
Moriarty,  Staff-Capt.  Henry  Augustus,  150 
Moriarty,  Master  Stephen  J.  W.,  171  n.3 
Morice,  Com.  Sir  George,  76  and  n.*,  121, 

171  n.s 

Morrell,  Lieut.  George  Truman,  209 
Morris    (R.M.A.),    Lieut.    John    William 

Henry  Chafyn  Grove,  176 
Morris,  Chaplain  the  Rev.  Samuel  Sheppard 

Oakley,  420,  584  n.2 

Morrish,  Com.  William  Douglas,  356  and  n3 
Morrison,  Dr.,  550,  551,  556  and  nn. 
Morrison,     (R.M.),     Capt.     John     Charles 

Downie,  135 
Morrison,   Com.   William   Llewellyn,    324, 

336,  373,  383 
Morse  Code,  64  n.,  65 
Morshead,  V.-A.  William  Henry  Anderson, 

571 

Mosquito,  344,  397-399,  410,  412  and  n.2 
Mozambique,  314 

Muchaver  Pasha  (Capt.  Adolphus  Slade),  76 
Muh,  Gen.  (Tartar),  116 
Mulcaster  (Mil.),  Capt.,  147 
Mulinuu,  456-458 
Muller,  Com.  203 

2  R  2 


612 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Mullins  (R.M.),  Capt.  George  James  Her- 
bert, 544,  550  n.2,  557 

Muiuiy,  Adm.  Sir  George  Rodney,  85,  87, 
569 

Mundy,  Sub-Lieut.  Robert  Leyborne,  261 

Munro,  Lieut.  Edward  Lionel,  359,  363 

Munro,  Lieut.  Philip  Harvey,  584  n.2 

Muntri,  Bajah,  238 

Murdoch,  Sura.  Robert,  583  n.2 

Murphy  (H.M.),  Pte.  James,  227 

Murray,  Col.,  174 

Murray,  Surveyor  of  Factories  Andrew,  5 

Murray,  Surg.  Charles  Frederick  Kennan, 
254 

Murray,  Capt.  Elibank   Harley,  280,  281, 
338 

Murray,  Sir  John,  565  and  n.3 

Murray,  Lieut.  Patrick  James,  215 

Muscat,  224,  278 

Musgrave,  Capt.  Archer  John  William,  186 

Musters,  Com.  John  George,  311 

Mutsu  Hito,  Emperor  of  Japan,  208,  209 

Muzzle  energy,  43  n.4 

Muzzle-loaders : — 

Disadvantages  of,  29,  43 
Reversion  to,  45-47 

Muzzle  velocity,  43  n.3 

Myers  (U.S.M.),  Capt.,  555 

Myrmidon,  224,  374 

Myrwa,  143,  144 

Mystery,  311 

NAGARA  FORT,  293,  295,  and  n.6 

Nagasaki,  208 

Najoor,  166 

Namasgbia  Fort,  295  and  n.3 

Namoa,  220 

Namtao,  120 

Nankin,  120,  160,  163,  170,  221 

Nankin,  96,  99,  100,  102,  106  n.1,  Ill,  114 

and  n.1,  120 

Nanna's  town,  428,  429  and  n.2 
Napier,  Com.  Lenox,  342,  346 
Napier,    Brig.-Gen.   Sir    Robert    Cornelius 

(Lord  Napier  of  Magdala),  133  and  n.3, 

219 

Narcissus,  31  n.5  452 
Nares,  Com.  Edward,  104  and  n.3 
Nares,  Capt.  Sir  George  Strong,  565  and 

n.'-567 

Nasr,  449,  450 
Nassau,  232,  264,  565 
Nassau  Island,  414 
Natal,  304 

Natal  (transport),  305 
Naval.     See  also  under  Royal 
Naval  and  Military  Library  and  Museum,  72 
Naval  attaches,  77,  78 
Naval  Clubs,  74 
Naval  Defence  Acts,  12  nn.4  6 
Naval  Discipline  Acts,  73 
Naval   Intelligence  Department,  formation 

of,  78 


Navigating     Lieutenants,     Masters     trans" 

formed  into,  15 

Navigators'  Islands.     See  Samoa 
Navy  League,  82  and  n.2 
Navy  Records  Society,  83 
Nawabgunge,  145 
Neale,  Lieut.-Col.  Edward  St.   John,  195, 

196 

"  Needs  of  the  Navy,  The,"  83  n.4 
Nelson,  26,  28 
Nelson,  Brig.-Genl.,  214 
Nelson,  V.-Adm.  Horatio  Viscount,  75 
Nelson,  Com.  Horatio  (2),  582 
Nemesis  (Fr.)  110,  117 
Neptune,  26 
Nesham,   Capt.   Thomas    Peere    Williams, 

277,  281,  282  n.1 
Netherlands,  Gold  Coast  Convention  with 

the,  247 

Nets  against  torpedoes,  61 
Neville,  Capt.  George,  389 
New,  Seaman  John,  210 
New  Granada,  137 
New  Hebrides,  210,  230, 231,  265,  279,  309, 

311 

New  Orleans,  154 
New  Plymouth,  178 
New  Zealand,  174 
Newark  (U.S.),  523 
Newcastle,  38 

Newcombe  (Mil.),  Lieut.  E.  0.  A.,  450 
Newfoundland,  19,  150 
Newman,   Lieut.   Edward    John    Kendall, 

492 

Newman,  Gunner  Win.  Henry,  396 
Newton,  Asst.-Surg.  George  Bruce,  97 
Nganking,  121 
Ngaruawakia,  181 
Ngawoon,  380  and  n.3,  381,  383 
Nguna  (Montague)  Island,  230  and  n.3 
Niagara  (U.S.N.),  150 
Nias,  V.-Adm.  Joseph,  569 
Niblett,  Capt.  Harry  Seawell  Frank,  262 
Nicaragua,   153,   430    and  n.2,    433,   454, 

455 

Nicholls,  Lieut.  John  Duudas,  255 
Nicholson,  Com.  Charles  Skelton,  269 
Nicholson,  Lieut.  Edward  Hugh  Meredith, 

447  and  n.4 
Nicholson,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Frederick  William 

Erskine,  7,  117,  118,  571 
Nicholson,  Adm.   Sir  Henry  Frederick,  7, 

78,  86,  90,  324,  346,  578 
Nicholson,  Com.  Stuart,  444 
Nicklin,  Eng.  William,  384 
Nicobar  Islands,  217 
Nicolas,  Ex-Corn.  Beville  Granville  Wynd- 

ham,  171  n.3 
Nicolls,   Lieut.  Jasper  Edmund   Thomson, 

300 
Niger,  99, 101, 106  n.1,  112  n.3, 174, 176  n.5, 

215 
Niger  Coast  Protectorate,  428,  440 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


613 


Niger  River,  187,  209,  226,  279,  281,  282, 

284,  312,  349,  386 
Nile,  31  n.7,  53,  72,  418  and  n.1,  423 
Nimble,  111 

Nimmo,  Chaplain  the  Rev.  Robert,  583  n.3 
Nimrod,  112  n.3, 116,  117,  125,  126 
Ningpo,  161-163,  167-169,  172 
Niobe,  235-237,  240-242,  519,  583 
Nipsie  (U.S.),  393 
Nitendi  (Santa  Cruz),  231,  265 
Niuchang,  119 

Noble,  Sir  Andrew,  cited,  43,  46 
Noddall,  Master  Cornelius  Thomas  Augus- 
tus, 150 
Noel,     Capt.     Francis     Charles     Methuen, 

561  n.2 
Noel,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Gerard  Henry  Uctred,  5, 

74,  262,  394,  418  n.1,  445  and  n.2,  447, 

448,  580 

Nogu  Island,  392 
Norbury,    Fleet-Surg.     Henry     Frederick, 

302  n.3,  306,  309 

Norcock,  Capt.  Charles  James,  346 
Norcott,  Genl.,  510 
Nortleufelt  (Swed.),  Lieut.,  583  n.1 
Nordenfelt  quick-firing  guns,  48;  machine 

guns,  50,  51 
Nore,  The  :— 

Commanders-in-Chief  at,  86 
Flagship  at,  72 
Norman,  Brig.-Genl.,  384 
Norman,  Lieut.  Francis  Martin,  104  n.1 
Normand  boilers,  41  n. 
Normann,  Mr.  de,  136 
Norris,  Maj.  R.  J.,  452,  453 
Northbrook,  Thomas  George,  1st  Earl  of, 

2,  583  n.1 

Northampton,  26,  28 
Northumberland,    23,    338,    and    n.1,   342 

and  n.2,  343 
Norway : — 

Officers  from,  in  British  Navy,  77 
Represented  at  Naval  Review  (1897),  84 
Norzagaray  (Fr.),  123,  127 
Nott,  Com.  Edward  Thomas,  205 
Nouranie  Ghat,  144 
Nowell,  Com.  William  Henry  George,  264, 

265,  300 

Nuggur  Fort,  146 
Nukapu  Island,  230 
Numancia  (Sp.),  243,  246 
Nyassa,  Lake,  407,  410,  411,  413 
Nymphe,  216,  225,  226 

O'CALLAGHAN,   R.-Adm.   George    William 

Douglas,  94,  572 
O'Callaghan,   Capt.   Michael  Pelharn,  437, 

441-443 
O'Grady    (R.M.),    Lieut.     John     William 

Waller,  159 

O'Keefe,  Lieut.  Yelverton,  216 
Obry  gyroscopic  steering  apparatus,  60 
Ocean,  20,  33  n.6 


Octavia,  218,  219  and  n.1 
Odgers,  Seaman  William,  176 
Odin,  135  n.1 
Officers : — 

Foreign  navies  developed  by  British,  76 

In  1856  and  in  1900,  13 

Rank  of,  changes  in,  15 

Retirement  of,  15,  16 

Pay  of,  16,  17 

Training  of,  69—71 

Uniform  of,  65,  66 
Ogilvy,   Com.   Frederick    Charles    Ashley, 

471,  502  n.s,  504,  508  n.« 
Ogle,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Charles,  14 
Ogle,  Com.  Sir  Henry  Asgill,  316 
Oldfield,  Com.  Radulphus  liryce,  137 
Oldfield  (R.M.A.),  Capt.   Humphrey,  439, 

440  n.1 

Oldham,  Lieut.  Arthur  Hugh,  561  n.2 
Olga  (Ger.),  393,  394 
Oliver  Wolcott,  310,  311 
Ologbo,  441,  442 
Om  Dubreikat,  451 
Oman,  Gulf  of,  277,  278 
Omata,  174 
Omdurman,  450 

Ommanney,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Erasmus,  8,  572 
Ommanney,  Com.  Francis  Metcalfe,  289 
Ommanney,  Lieut.  Henry  Mortlock,  171  n.3 
Omoa  (Honduras),  235,  236 
Onitsha,  312 

Onslow,  Adm.  Sir  Richard,  75 
Ontario,  Lake,  215 
Onyx,  214 
Opal,  349 
Opossum,  106  n.1,  117-119,  125-127,  135 

n.1,  211,  215,  216 
Orange  Free  Slate,  war  with  (1899-1900), 

463-519 

Ord,  Surg.  Christopher  Knox,  208 
Ord,  Sir  H.  St.  George,  267 
Ordah-su,  261 
Orders  and  distinctions,  74 
Oregon,  42 
Orion,  24,  342-344 

Orlando,  31,  33,  520  and  n.,  521,  530  n., 
539,  540,  541,  543,  541  and  n.1,  547,  549, 
551,  552,  561  n.2 
Orontes,  356  n.1 
Orpheus,  89,  186  n.3,  582 
Ortiz,  Genl.,  434 
Osaka,  201,  202,  208 
Osborn,  Staff-Capt.  James  Roberts,  394 
( )sborn,  Lieut.  Noel,  171  n.3 
Osborn,  R.-Adm.  Sherard,  112  n.',  114  n.1, 

117,  119  n.3,  121,  171,  565,  566,  575 
Osborne,   Mids.   Edward    Oliver    Brudenel 

Seymour,  546  and  n.4 
Osborne,   Mr.   Ralph   Bernal,   Sec.   of  the 

Admlty.,  2 
Osborne,  42 

Osman  Di?na,  350,  353,  355,  371,  373,  389, 
400,  401,  449 


614 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Osprey  (sloop),  216,  310,  390  n.4,  583 
Otter,  559 

Otter,  Capt.  Henry  Charles,  150 
Outingpoi  Creek,  226 
Oxley,  V.-Aclm.  Charles  Lister,  131,  580 
Ozz  River,  396 

Ozzard  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.  Albert  Henry, 
356,  371,  373 

PAARDEBEBG,  480 

Pacific  Station,  Flag-officers  ,on,  87,  88 

Paget,  Capt.  Alfred  Wyndham,  372,  390 
and  n.1 

Paget,  Adrn.  Lord  Clarence  Edward,  2,  86, 
215,  569 

Pakenham,  Consul,  347  and  n. 

Pakington,  Bt.  Hon.  Sir  John  Somerset,  2 

Pakshui,  215,  216 

Palacios,  Genl.,  235,  236 

Pallas,  23,  53,  243,  246,  290,  300,  413, 
414 

Palliser,  R.-Adm.  Henry  St.  Leger  Bury, 
88,  580 

Pallu,  Lieut.  (Fr.),  203 

Palmer,  Prof.,  340  n.1 

Palmer,  Staff  Com.  John  Baker,  346 

Palmer,  Com.  Norman  Craig,  391 

Palmerston,  Lord,  157,  172 ;  admiralty  offi- 
cials during  premierships  of,  2  n. 

Palow,  380  and  u.2,  382,  383 

Panama,  136,  462 

Pandora,  65,  224,  563  n.,  583 

Paris,  Lieut.  Herbert  George,  519 

Parfitt,  Gunner  George,  403  n.2 

Parke  (R.M.),  Capt.  Richard,  129,  131 

Parker,  Adm.  Sir  Hyde  (2),  75 

Parker,  Com.  Philip  Reginald  Hastings,  186 

Parker,  Lieut.  Richard  Harry,  461 

Parker,  Adm.  Sir  William  (2),  85 

Parker,  Master  William  Hennessey,  200 

Parkes,  Consul,  93-95,  97,  136,  160 

Parkin,  Gunner,  144 

Parkin,  Capt.  George  Henry,  8,  179,  262, 
290 

Parks,  Com.  Murray  Thomas,  428  n.3,  432, 
519 

Parr,  R.-Adm.  Alfred  Arthur  Chase,  375, 
566  and  n.3,  567,  584 

Parr,  Com.  Robert  Augustus,  210 

Parrayon  (Fr.),  R.-Adm.,  401 

Parry,  R.-Adm.  Sir  William  Edward,  79 

Parsonage,  Seaman  William,  543  and  n.8 

Parsons.  Hon.  C.  A.,  and  his  steam  tur- 
bine, 41  n.,  54 

Parsons,  Com.  George,  270 

Parsons,  Lieut.  George  (2),  130 

Particular  Service  Squadron  (1885),  47 

Partridge,  519 

Pascoe  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Alfred  Henry,  156 

Pasley,  Capt.  Thomas  Malcolm  Sabine,  214 

Pasley,  Adm.  Sir  Thomas  Sabine,  6,  85,  217 

Passir  Sala,  272  and  n.2,  273  n.1 

Paterangi,  182 


Patterson,    Com.    John    Conyngham,    269 

and  n.1 

Patteson,  Bp.  J.  C.,  230 
Pattisson,  R.-Adm.  John  Robert  Ebenezer, 

581 

Pay,  16-18 

Payne,  Com.  Edward,  336 
Paynter,  R.-Adm.  James   Aylmer   Dorset, 

574 

Peabody,  Mr.  George,  227 
Peacock,  561  n.2 

Pearce,  Sec.-Mast.  Alfred  Frederick,  171  n.3 
Peard,  Mate  George  Spotswood,  131 
Pearl,  110,  135  n.1,  138,  143,  166, 173, 174, 

196,   197    and    n.,   200,   265-267,   280; 

brigade  of,  in  India,  143-149 
Pears,  Com.  Edmund  Radcliffe,  444 
Pearson  (A.B.),  387 
Pearson,  Col.,  304-306 
Pearson  (U.S.N.),  Lieut.,  203 
Pearson,  V.-Adm.  Hus;o  Lewis,  90,  580 
Pechili,  Gulf  of,  123 ;  surveys  of,  132  and 

n.2 

Peel,  Capt.  Sir  William,  110,  139-143 
Peh-Kwei,  Govr.,  116 
Pehtans;,  133 

Peiho  Forts,  125-130,  133,  135,  582 
Peiho  River,  116,  117,  119,  123,  124,  132- 

134,  520,  522,  532 

Peile,   Capt.    Mountford    Stephen    Lovick, 

253  n.,  258  n.2 

Peile  (R.M.),  Maj.  Schofield  Patten,  492 
Pekin,  British  Minister  appointed  to,  119, 

135,  136,  521  and  n.,  522,  544,  550-557 
Pekin  (ex  Mohawk},  171  n.s 

Pelham,     R.-Adm.     the     Hon.     Frederick 

Thomas,  570 

Pelly,  Lieut.  Frederick  Streatfield,  308 
Pelorus,  38,  176,  519 
Pemba,  310,  387,  391 
Pembroke,  Dockyard  Superintendents  at,  7 
Pembrokeshire,  203 
Penang,  217,  229 
Penelope,  24,  53,  323,  324,  327-329,  331, 

332,  336-338  n.1,  344,  519 
Penguin,  390  n.4,  391 
Penrose  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.  Penrose  Charles, 

95-97,  208 

Pensioners,  short  service,  17 
Pentecost  Island,  231 
Perak,  269 ;  River,  272-274 
Peri,  232 

Perkins  (U.S.M.),  Capt.  Con.  M.,  458 
Perkins,  Stoker  Joseph,  428  and  n.1 
Perry,  Commod.  M.  C.  (U.S.N.),  191 
Perry-Ayscough,  Lieut.  Stewart  Ayscough, 

519 

Perseus,  196-200,  203-205,  207,  225 
Perseverance,  73  n.4,  582 
Persian  Gulf,  214,  224,  225,  233,  277,  289, 

462 

Persian  War  (1856-1857),  137 
Peru,  137,  138,  285-289 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


615 


Petty,  Seaman  Alexander,  391 

Phayre,  Col.,  375 

Pheasant,  37,  246  and  n.1 

Pheasant  (1888),  37' 

Philadelphia  (U.S.N.),  457,  460,  461 

Philips  (R.M.),  Maj.  Joseph,  307  n.1,  309, 

338,  340 

Phillimore,  Adm.  Sir  Augustus,  5,  8,  86,  575 
Phillimore,  V.-Adm.  Henry  Bouchier,  180, 

186,  577 
Phillimore,  Lieut.  Valentine  Egerton  Bagot, 

549  and  n.1,  558 

Phillipps,  Com.  Henry  Arthur,  462 
Phillips  (K.M.),  Pte.  C.  W.,  555 
Phillips,  actg.  Cons.-Genl.  J.  R.,  440 
Phillpotts,  Com.  Arthur  Stephens,  234 
Philomel,  38,  272,  274  and  n.2,  277,  428  n.2, 
429, 437-441,  443,  478,  502  n.3-501,  511, 
517,  519,  564 

Phinn,  Thomas,  Sec.  of  Admlty.,  2 
Phipps,  Sir  Charles,  108 
Phlegeton  (Fr.),  112  n.3,  117 
Phabe,  428,  429,  432,  433,  440,  441,  443, 

454 

Phoenix,  38,  550  and  n.1,  561  n.2,  584 
Phoolpur,  144 

Pibworth,  Eng.  James,  322  n.2 
Pickthorn,  Surg.  Edward  Butler,  530 
Piercy,  Asst.-Surg.  Frederick,  171  n.3 
Pierola,  Nicolas  de  (Peru),  285,  286 
Pierre  (Fr.),  R.-Adm.,  347,  348 
Pigeon,  244,  396  n.,  398 
Pigeons,  homing,  70 
Pigmy,  559-561  n.2 
Pisott,  Com.  Alfred,  359,  362  and  n. 
Pigott,  Capt.  William  Harvey,  8,  336,  338 
Pike,  Lieut.  Gerald  Thomas  Fleetwood,  434 
Pikopiko,  182 
Pirn,  Capt.  Bedford  Clapperton  Tryvellion, 

111 

Pilkington,  Com.  Edward,  104  n.1 
Pioneer,  159,  179,  181,  226,  283,  284,  312, 

410-413 
Pipon,  Capt.  John  Pakenham,  274  n.1,  324, 

374,  384,  385 

Pipon,  Lieut.  Robert  Beaumont,  262 
Pique,  117,  561  n.2 
Pirates,  actions  with : — 

Africa,  West,  136,  224,  228,  233,  275 

Arabian  Gulf,  214,  224 

Borneo,  388 

China,   100,   174,    210-212,   215-217, 
220,  221,  223,  227,  237,  559  n.1 

Illaloon,  232 

Larut  River,  237 

Malay,  229,  230,  269,  270 

Malluda  Bay,  224 

Mirs  Bay,  109 

Nicobar  Islands,  217 

Persian  Gulf,  137,  289 

Taon  Ptmg,.etc.,  121,  122 
Pitt,  Com.  Francis  Joseph,  200,  204 
Pittman,  Paym.  Frank,  583  n.2 


Plenty,  Bay  of,  182 

Plover,  106  and  n.1, 122, 125-128,  130,451, 

559  n.1,  561  n.2,  582 
Plumbe  (B.M.),    Maj.   John    Hulke,   345, 

471  n.2,  474-476 
Plumper,  564,  565 

Plumridge,  R.-Adm.  Sir  James  Hanway,  6 
Pluto,  151,  152 

Pluto  (colonial  st.),  229,  230,  270 
Plymouth,  227  and  n.1 
Plymouth,  flagship  at,  72 
Pocklington,  Capt.  Archibald  James,  254 
Poe  (R.M.),   Maj.   Wm.    Hutcheson,    363 

and  n. 

Pohl  (Germ.),  Com.,  534,  535,  538 
Poland,  Capt.  James  Augustus,  200,  224 
Pole-Carew,  Lieut.-Genl.,  482,  485,  486  n.4, 

487 
Pollard,  Staff-Surg.  Evelyn  Reginald  Hugh, 

346 
Pollard,  Capt.  George   Northmore   Arthur, 

258 

Pollen,  Sub-Lieut.  Francis  Hungerford,  370 
Polynesians,  231,  232 
Polyphemus,  40 

Ponsonby,  Sub-Lieut.  Henry,  262 
Poole  (Mil.),  Capt.,  552,  556 
Poole,  Dr.,  556 

Poole,  Com.  George,  173,  196,  199,  200 
Poore,   Capt.   Sir   Richard,   274    n.a,    275, 

330  n.,  339,  340,  359,  370  n.2,  445 
Poplar  Grove,  481 

Popular  attitude  towards  the  Navy,  80-83 
Porcupine,  150 
Porpoise,  457-459 
Port  Arthur,  452 
Port-au-Prince,  311 
Port  Durnford,  307,  308 
Port  guard-ships,  71,  72 
Port  Lokko,  452 
Port  Said,  342,  350  n.1 
Porter,  Dep.  Insp.-Genl.  James,  476  and  n.°, 

492 

Porto  NOTO  (W.  Africa),  187, 188 
Portsmouth : — 

Commanders-in-Chf.  at,  85 

Dockyard  Superintendents  at,  6 

Flagship  at,  72 

Gunnery  school  at,  69,  70 

Homing  pigeon  lofts  at,  70 

Naval  Club  at,  76 

Sailors'  Home  at,  79,  80 

Signal  school  at,  70 

Torpedo  school  at,  70 

Training  ships  at,  69 
Portsmouth  (U.S.),  95 
Portugal : — 

Beira,  arrangements  regarding,  435 

Mombasa,  interests  in,  263 

Slavery,  action  against,  314,  436 

Zanzibar,  blockade  of,  390;    interests 

in,  397-399 
Pettier  (Fr.),  R.-Adm.  Edouard,  444,  448 


(516 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME   VII. 


Pounds,  Com.  Thomas,  220  and  n. 
Powell,  Lieut.-Col.,  140 
Powell,  Col.  Charles  Herbert,  559 
Powell,  Lieut.  Cottrell  Burnaby,  208 
Powell,   Capt.  Francis,   428   and   n.3,   429 

and  n.3 

Powell,  Lieut.  George  Bingham,  540,  541 
Power,  Com.  Ed.  Roche,  582 
Powerful,  54,  56,  466,  471  and  n.2,  478, 

480,  481,  493,  496,  503  n.,  519 
Powles,  Chaplain  and  Nav.  Inst.  the  Rev. 

Edm.  Sheppard,  583  n.1 
Powlett,  V.-Adm.  Armand  Temple,  7,  130, 

270,  283,  580 

Powlett,  Lieut.  Frederick  Armand,  546 
Prah  River,  250,  253,  259,  260 
Prahsu,  260 

Prater,  Lieut.  Charles  Golding,  5,  389 
Pratt,  Archibald  C.  (pet.  off.),  494  n. 
Pratt,  Maj.-Genl.  T.  S.,  176 
Prattent,  V.-Adm.  Francis  Mowbray,  579 
Preedy,  Capt.  George  William,  150  . 
Prempeh,  King,  434,  435 
Prendergast,  Maj.-Genl.  H.  N.  D.,  377,  380, 

383,  384  n.1 

Preston  (R.M.),  Sergt.  J.  E.,  553  n.2 
Pretoria,  484,  486 
Prevost,  R.-Adm.  James   Charles,  8,  137, 

574 

Prickett,  Master  Charles,  119  and  n.1 
Pride,  Seaman  Thomas,  207 
Prideaux  (Mil.),  Capt.  W.  F.,  264 
Primauguet  (Fr.),  112  n.3 
Prince  Albert,  26,  217 
Prince  Consort,  20 
Prince  George,  33  n.6 

Prince  of  Wales  (later  Britannia),  69  and  n.3 
Prince  of  Wales,  33  n.10 
Princess  Charlotte,  211,  227 
Pringle,  Capt.  Charles,  283 
Pringle,  Capt.  John  Eliot,   289,   343,  374 

and  n.4 

Pritchard,  Lieut.  Charles  Edward,  441,  443 
Prochaska  (Aust.),  Lieut.,  523 
Projectiles,  57  and  n.,  58 
Promotion,  14;  haul-down,  73 
Prospect,  Mt,  315,  316 
Protective  decks,  28,  35 
Protector  (S.  Austral.),  561 
Protet,  R.-Adm.  (Fr.),  165,  166 
Prothero,  Capt.  Reginald  Charles,  445  n.1, 

471,  473,  474,  476  and  n.1,  519 
Prowse,  Lieut.  Cecil  Irby,  432 
Prynne  (R.M.),  Capt.  John  Basset,  135 
Psyche,  583 
Puchpurwah,  149 
Puerto  Cortez,  235,  236 
Pugh,  Lieut.  Horace  John  Moore,  309 
Pukerimu,  183 
Pulleine,  Col.,  304 

Pullen,  Capt.  William  John  Samuel,  152 
Pulu,  383  and  n.1,  384 
Pumwani,  408 


Punishment,  corporal,  73 

Purdon,  Lieut.  Richard  Ponsonby,  583  n.1 

Pursell,  Eng.  P.,  583  n.1 

Purves,  Surg.  Robert,  583  n.1 

Purvis,  Com.  Charles  Kennedy,  344,  346 

Purvis,  Lieut.  George  Frederick  Godfrey, 

336 

Purvis,  Capt.  John  Child  (2),  8,  284,  311 
Pylades,  215 
Pym  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Frederick  George,  144, 

148 

QUALLA  KAXGSA,  273-275 

Quarter-bills,  uniform,  73 

Queen,  33,  34,  190 

Queen  Charlotte  (later  Excellent),  69 

Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  285 

Queen's  Redoubt,  178-179,  182 

Quiah,  King  of,  189 

Quick-firing  guns.     See  under  Guns. 

Quilis,  Capt.  du  (Fr.),  203,  205 

Quin,  V.-Adm.  Michael,  569 

Quint,  Gunner  Stephen,  264  n.1 

RABY,  Capt.  Henry  James,  187 
Racehorse,  114  n.1,  196,  197  and  n.,  199,  583 
Eacer,  386,  390,  402,  403  n.2,  405-407 
Racoon,  408,  410,  432-435,  437-439,  519 
Radcliffe,   Com.   Seymour   Walter    Delme, 

138,  143,  149 
Rae,  Dr.,  562 

Rae,  Lieut.  Ebenezer,  344  n.1 
Rae,  Staff-Surg.  William  Masters,  584  n.1 
Raikes,  Brig.-Genl.  A.  E.  H.,  436 
Rainbow,  19 
Rainier,  Capt.  John  Harvey,  375,  387,  400, 

445 

Raita  Bay,  392 
Raleigh,  38,  102,  104,  106  n.1,  107  and  n.1, 

108,  291,  292,  295,  298,  300,  391,  426, 

427,  582 
Ramillies,  33  n.2 
Rams,  24  and  n. 
Ramsay,  George :  see  Dalhousie 
Ramsay,   Y.-Adm.   George  (12th   Earl  of 

Dalhousie),  7,  571 
Ramsay,  V.-Adm.  William,  569 
Ramsey,  Paym.  William  Besley,  308 
Randolph,  V.-Adm.  Sir  George  Granville, 

575 
Randolph,   Sub-Lieut.    Sydney    Granville, 

583  n.2 

Rangariri,  180,  181 

Ranger,  187,  350,  351,  374,  384,  388,  400 
Rangioawhia,  182 
Rangoon,  377-379,  383 
Ransome,  Gunner's  Mate  Henry,  316  n.1 
Rapid,  246 
Ras-el-Had,  233 
Ras  Tinnorah,  289 
Rason,  Lieut.   William  Hector,  125,  127, 

130,  582 
Rattler,  583 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    VII. 


617 


Rattlesnake,  40,  53,  253-255,  262 
Ravenhill,  Messrs.,  286  n.1 
Rawson,  V--Adrn.   Sir  Harry  Holdsworth, 
89,  90,  298,  300,  346  and  n.3,  432,  434, 
435,  437,  438,  440-443,  579 
Rawson,  Com.  Wyatt,  261,  262,  345,  346, 

566  and  n.5,  567 
Rayfield,  —  Seaman,  147 
Raymond,  Staft'-Capt.  George,  107 
Reade,  Winwood,  cited,  247  n. 
Heady,  343 
Rear- Admirals : — 
Flags  of,  15 
Pay  of,  17 
Retirement  of,  16 
Redbreast,  396  n.-399,  519 
Bedpole,  561  n.2 

Reed,  Sir  Edward  James,  4,  21-23,  25,  26 
Rees,  Capt.  van  (Dutch),  203 
Rees,    Capt.    William    Stokes,    435,   444, 

519 

Reeve,  Lieut.  Charles,  370  and  n.2 
Reid,  Dir.-Genl.  Sir  John  Watt,  M.D.,  5 
Reid,  Staff.-Surg.  John  Watt  (2),  262 
Reid,  Surg.  Walter,  262 
Reid,  Lieut.  William  Crawford,  343,  370 
Reilly,  Com.  Hugh  Arthur,  159 
Reindeer,  387 

Reinold,  Mids.  Basil  Edward,  550  n.1 
Benard,  164,  309 
Rendel,  George  Wightwick,  10  n.1 
Renown,  18,  33,  57 

Renshaw,  Lieut.  Francis  Bennett,  583  n.1 
Renshaw,  Gunner  John  William,  403  n.2 
Repuhe,  21,  23,  33  n.2,  71 
Rescue,  215 
Research,  21,  290 
Reserves : — 

Branches  of,  17 
•   Colonial,  19,  77  and  n. 

Increase  of,  18 
•  Strength  of  (1900),  19 

Training  of,  71 
Reshire  Fort,  13t 
Resistance,  23 
Resolution,  33  n.2 
Retirement,  15 
Retribution,  121  and  n.1 
Revenge,  33  n.2,  435,  445  n.'-448 
Reviews,  Naval,  82-84,  217 
Rewa  (Fiji),  232 
Reynaud,  (Fr.)  Capt.,  117 
Reynolds,  Adm.  Sir  Barrington,  85 
Reynolds,  Capt.  Harry  Campbell,  282  n.1, 

561  n.2 

Rhodes,  Chf.  Boatswain's  Mate,  361 
Rhodesia,  435 
Rice,  Capt.  Edward,  394 
Rice,  Adm.  Sir  Edward  Bridges,  8,  86,  290, 

575 
Rice,  V.-Adm.  Ernest,  6,  78,  350  n.1,  374, 

580 
Richards,  Paym.  Charles,  3 


Richards,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Frederick 
William,  14,  88,  90,  209,  305   n.2-307, 
309,  315,  316,  379,  383,  385,  577  and  n. 
Richards,  R.-Adm.  Sir   George   Henry,  4, 

564  and  n.3,  565,  567,  574 
Richards,  Lieut.  Peter  Noel,  584  n.1 
Richards,  Lieut.  Spencer  Reginald  Strettell, 

502  n.8 

Richards,  Mids.  William  Henry,  139 
Richardson,  Lieut.  Arthur  Hart  Gurney,  173 
Richardson,  Mr.  Charles  Lenox,  196 
Rickcord,  Fleet-Paym.  Valentine  Dyer,  7, 

584  n.2 

Rifleman,  264,  277,  278,  389 
Rifles,  naval,  50 
Rigler,  Chf.-Ens?.  George,  346 
Rinaldo,  38,  221,  225,  226,  229  and   n.3, 

230,  270 

Ringdove,  167,  169,  272-274  and  n.' 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  335  n. 
Rio  Negro,  154 

Ripon,  George  Frederick  Samuel,  1st  Mar- 
quess of,  2 
Rising,  Com.  Charles   Compton,  209,  210 

and  n.1 

Ritchie,  Charles  Thomson,  Sec.  of  Admlty.,  2 
"  River  Column,"  The,  cited,  370 
Roberts  (Mil.),  Capt.,  407 
Roberts,  Field-Marshal  Lord,  320,  385,  468, 
470  n.,  479,  481-483,  485,  486,  492  n.4, 
506 
Roberts  (N.S.W.  Nav.  Vol.),  Lieut.  M.  A., 

561 
Robertson,   Capt.  Charles   Hope,  411-413, 

439,  440 

Robins,  Chf.-Eng.  John  James,  584  n.1 
Robinson  (Mil.),  Capt.  407 
Robinson,  R.-Adm.  Charles  Gepp,  572 
Robinson,  Seaman  Edward,  142 
Robinson,  V.-Adm.  Frederick  Charles  Bryan, 

88,  225,  579 

Robinson,  Com.  George  (2),  229 
Robinson,    V.-Adm.    Robert     Spencer,    3, 

570 

Robinson,  Lieut.  Sydney,  536 
Roche,  J.  J.,  cited,  155  n. 
Roche  (R.M.A.),  Maj.  Thomas  Horatio  de 

Montmorency,  438  n.1 
Rochfort,  Com.  Horace  William,  173 
Rock,  Chf.-Eng.  George,  583  n.1 
Rocket,  285 

Rodd,  Mr.  James  Rennell,  408 
Rodney,  31,  221,  225,  226,  445 
Roe,  Com.  Arthur  George  Robertson,  200, 

203,  204 
Roe,    Fleet-Paym.     Edward     Madgewick, 

75  n. 

Roe  (R.M.),  Pte.  W.,  556 
Roebuck,  152  n.3 

Rofl'ey,  Chf.-Insp.  of  Mach.  James,  346 
Roffey,  Asst.-Eng.  James  Robert,  393 
Rogers,  Com.  Reginald  William  Scott,  430 
Rokeby  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Langham,  131 


618 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   VII. 


Rokelle  River,  389 

Rolfe,  R.-Adm.  Ernest  Neville,  262,  277, 

281,  351  and  n.s,  353,  354,  356,  581 
Rolland,  Capt.  William  liae,  95,  97  and  n.1, 

105  and  n. 

Rolleston,  Capt.  Robert  Sidney,  454 
Romaine,  William  Govett,  Sec.  of  Admlty.,  2 
Romilly,  Com.  Francis,  307,  315,  317-319 
Roper,  Lieut.  Charles  Donnison,  540 
Rorke's  Drift,  304 
Itosario,   215,  230   and   n.2,  231   and  nn., 

561  n.2 

Rose,  R.-Adm.  Henry,  581 
Rosebery,     Earl     of,     Admiralty    officials 

during  premiership  of,  2  n. 
Roskruge,  Eng.  Francis  John,  471,  502  n.3 
Roslyn  Castle,  471  n.2 
Ross,  Sub-Lieut.  Duncan  Munro,  273  n.1 
Ross,  Com.  Harry  Leith,  584 
Ross,  Brig.-Genl.  J.,  273 
Ross,  Capt.  John  Francis,  156 
Xossia  (Rus.),  523,  532 
Rotter,  Paym.  Charles  John  Ehrhardt,  529 

and  n.12,  550  n.1 

Rotton  (Mil.),  Capt,  Guy,  96,  97  n.3 
Rougemont  (R.A.),  Lieut.  C.  H.  de,  440  n.1 
Rougemont,  Lieut.  Frank,  212  n.,  243 
Hover,  38 

Rowcroft,  Brig.,  144,  145,  148,  149 
Rowe,  Gov.,  312 

Rowley,  Adm.  Charles  John,  243,  578 
Royal,  215 
Royal  Albert,  198  n.a 
Royal  Alfred,  20 
Royal  Arthur,  38,  434 
Royal  Commission,  Report  of,  (1859),  18 
Royal  Corps  of  Naval  Constructors,  71 
Royal  Fleet  Reserve,  19 
Royal  Humane  Society,  74 
Royal  Marines : — 
Increase  of,  18 
Numbers  of,  voted,  12 
Record  of,  17,  73,  356 
Royal  National  Lifeboat  Institution,  74 
Royal  Naval  Artillery  Volunteers,  19  and 

nn.23 

Royal  Naval  Coast  Volunteers,  17  and  n.1 
Royal  Naval  College,  71  and  nn.4  6 
Royal  Naval  Fund,  80 
Royal  Naval  Reserve : — 
Flag  of,  15 
Increase  of,  18 

Orders  in  Council  regarding,  18-19 
Strength  of  (1900),  19 
Royal  Naval  Reserved  Merchant  Cruisers, 

42 

Royal  Naval  Volunteers,  18 
Royal  Navy  List,  73 
Royal  Oak,  20,33  n.2,  435 
Royal   School  of    Naval  Architecture,   71 

and  n.6 

Royal  Sovereign,  21,  25,  33,  54,  57,  217 
Royal  United  Service  Institution,  72-74 


Royal  Victorian  Order,  74 

Royal  yachts,  41,  42 

Royalist,  386,  457-461 

Royds,  Lieut.  Frank  Massie,  352 

Royle,  Capt.  Henry  Lucius  Fanshawe,  402 

407  and  n.2 
Royse,   Capt.   Thomas   Harvey,   246,   247, 

270,  338 

Ruatan  Island,  153 
Ruby,  295,  339 
Riihling,  Genl.,  455 
Rupert,  26 
Rurik  (Rus.),  560 
HusseU,  33 

Russell,  Earl,  158  n.1,  160-163,  172:  Ad- 
miralty officials  during  premiership  of,  2  n. 
Russell,  Maj.  Baker  C.,  258 
Russell,  Com.  Gerald  Walter,  584 
Russell,  Sir  William  Howard,  81 
Russia : — 

China,   engineering  work   in,  124   n. ; 
acquisitions  in,  452 ;  operations  in, 
521,  523,  528  and  n.3,  532-538,  540- 
542,  544-546,  552,  555  and  n.2,  560 
Crete,  represented  at,  444 
Demonstrations  against,  290-298 
Greek  ports  blockaded  by,  385 
Represented  at  Naval  Review  (1897), 

84 

Torpedo-craft  possessed  by  (1895),  39 
Volunteer  fleet  of,  300 
Ryan,  Actg.  Asst.-Surg.  John,  583  n.1 
Ryan,  Gunner  W.,  130 
Ryder,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet,  Alfred  Phillipps, 

5,  85,  88,  572 

Ryder,  Com.  Hugh  Cuthbert  Dudley,  324, 
336 

SABA,  188 

Sabben,  Staff  Com.  Hubert  Heath,  232 

Sofieh,  364-369 

Sai-lau,  111 

Sails,  63 

St.  Alban's  Tavern,  75 

St.  Andrew,  215 

St.  Barbe,  Mr.,  376 

St.  Glair,  Com.  the  Hon.  Archibald,  233 

St.  Clair,  Capt.  Frederick,  401,  402 

St.  Clair,   V.-Adm.   William  Home   Chis- 

holme,  580 

St.  George,  431-433,  435,  437-441,  443 
St.  Helena,  troops  from,  307 
St.  John,  Adm.  Henry  Craven,  8,  211,  212, 

215,  579 

St.  Lawrence,  Gulf  of,  564 
St.  Lawrence,  River,  215 
St.  Vincent,  71  and  n.3 
Salamis,  210,  221  n.s,  226,  270,  293,  295, 

296,  300,  338  and  n.1,  560 
Salaries  of  Admiralty  officials,  10 
Sale,  Gunner  W.,  200 
Salisbury,  Marquess  of,  Admiralty  officials 

during  premierships  of,  2  n. 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


619 


Salmeron,  Seilor,  243,  244 

Salmon,  Mr.,  249 

Salmon,  Gunner  George,  403  n.2 

Salmon,  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Nowell,  14, 

84,  85,  88,  90,  139  and  n.°,  140,  153-155 

and  n.,  165,  295,  299,  576 
Salnave,  Sylvestre,  212 
Salwey,  Lieut.  Arthur,  1V1  n.3 
Sama  Creek,  216 
Samarang,  564 

Samoa,  232,  279-281,  393,  414,  455-462 
Sampson,  Com.  Lewis  Dod,  408 
Samson,  Sec.-Master  Oscar,  131 
Samson,  94,  95,  98-102,  109,  110  n.8,  114 

and  n.1,  120 
San  Bias,  156 
San  Domingo.  235  n.1 
San  Fernando  Fort,  235,  236 
San  Jacinto,  455 
San  Juan  Islands,  233 
Sanders,  Com.  Francis   William,  349,  374 

and  n.1 

Sanderson,  Lieut.  Edward  John,  256 
Sandfly,  179,  183,  264-266,  391,  392,  401 
Sandilands,  Com.  the  Hon.  Francis  Robert, 

344,  346 

Sandjnper,  559  and  n.2 
SangHJore,  402-404 
Sanspareil,  31,  53,  72,  110,  114  and  nn.  ' 2, 

120,  138 

Santa  Cruz  Island  (Nitendi),  231,  265 
Santa  Cruz  archipelago,  230 
Santara,  219 

Santiago  de  Cuba,  239,  240,  242 
Sapphire,  280,  281 
Sappho,  267,  519,  582 
Supply,  276 
Sarmatian,  260 
Sartorius,   Adm.   of  the  Fleet  Sir   George 

Rose,  24,  40 

Sarun  Field  Force,  144,  145 
Satellite,  137,  217-219,  426 
Satsuma,  Prince  of,  192-199,  201,  208 
Saumarez,  Capt.  Thomas  (2),  117  and  n.3- 

119  n.s,  120 

Saunders  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Frederick  John,  476 
Savage  (a  seaman),  392 
Savage,  Asst.-Clerk  Arthur  Barley,  584  n.2 
Savill,  Lieut.  Herbert  John,  427 
Savings  banks,  73 

Sawle,  Capt.  Charles  John  Graves,  427 
Sawyer  (R.M.),  Pte.  A.G.,  554 
Sayyid  Khalid  bin  Bargash,  436,  437 
Scadding  (R.M.),  Pte.  A.,  554 
Scarcies  expedition,  151 ;  River,  311,  312, 

406,  452 

Scarlett,  Mids.  Lawrence  J.  P.,  584  n.2 
Seeley,  Seaman  William,  207 
Schneider,  Brig.-GenL,  219 
Schoonmaker  (U.S.),  Capt.,  393 
Scorpion,  26 
Scott,  Sub-Lieut.  Augustus  Lennox,  315- 

318 


Scott,  Adm.  Lord  Charles  Thomas  Montagu 
Douglas,  86,  89,  144,  145,  221,  225,  579 
Scott,  V.-Adm.  Sir  Francis,  434,  572 
Scott  (R.M.),  Lieut.  James  Woodward,  190 
Scott,  Lieut.  John  Binney,  582 
Scott,  Capt.  Percy  Moreton,  52,  277  and  n.4, 
464,   466,   468,   470,  471   and  n.',  519, 
561  n.2 

Scott,  Capt.  Robert  Anthony  Edward,  53 
Scott,  Genl.  Winrield  (U.S.x\.),  233 
Scout,  38,  135  n.s 
Screws : — 

Single,  53,  54 

Triple,  55 

Twin,  53,  54 
Scrivener,  Lieut.  Egerton  Bagot  Byrd  Levett, 

519 

Scullard,  Com.  Wm.  Jabez,  408 
Seadong,  165 

Seagull,  251,  262,  283,  344 
Seahorse,  394 
Seamen : — 

Dearth  of,  17,  18 

Health  of,  67 

Kit  of,  18  and  n.2 

Numbers  of,  voted,  12 

Pay  of,  17 

Training  of,  69,  70 

Uniform  of,  66,  67 
Searchlights,  62  and  n.2,  341 
Seaton,  Asst.-Eng.  William  Rowland,  584  n.2 
Seccombe,  Paym.  John  William,  373 
Secondee,  247,  253-255 
Secunderabagh,  140 
Sedgwick,      Asst.-Surg.      Henry     Nantou 

Murray,  219 

Seeadler  (Ger.)  438,  439  n.1 
Selangor,  269,  270 ;  River,  229 
Selborne,   William   Waldegrave,  2nd   Earl 

of,  2 

Selley,  Gunner  Albert,  403  n.2 
Selwyn,  Bishop,  392 
Semiramis  (Fr.),  203,  204 
Senafc,  218,  219 
Senior  (R.M.A.),  Capt.  Guy,  476 
Seniority,  promotion  by,  14 
Sennett,  Eng.-in-Cht'.  Richard,  5 
Seoul,  430 

Sermon,  Seaman  William,  255 
Serpent,  400,  584  and  n.1 
Servia,  290 

Service,  form  of,  for  launchings,  73  and  u.* 
Settang,  378,  381 
Severn,  430 

Seymour,  Adm.  Sir  Edward  Hobart,  5,  47, 
88, 173,  228,  342,  521-525,  527-531, 540, 
543,  544,  546,  547, 553,  558,  559,  561  n.2, 
579 

Seymour,  Adm.  Sir  Frederick  Beauchamp 
Paget  (Lord  Alcester),  87,  89,  176,  314, 
323,  324,  326,  327,  330,  332,  336,  337, 
340,  574 
Seymour,  Adm.  Sir  George  Francis,  85 


620 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Seymour,  V.-Adm.  George  Henry,  157,  571 
Seymour,   Adm.   Sir  Michael  (2),  85,   88, 

93-97,  101,  102,  104,  106  n.1,  110,  116, 

119  n.s,  322,  138;  quoted,  100,  106,  107, 

117;  cited,  119  n.2,  122 
Seymour,  Lieut.  Montagu  Hamilton  March, 

372,  374 
Shadwell,   V.-Adm.  Sir  Charles   Frederick 

Alexander,  88,  126,  127,  129,  130,  269, 

270,  573 

Shah,  38,  286  and  n.1,  287,  288  n.2,  307 
Shakespear,  Lieut.  Hastings  Prank,  519 
Shakespeare's  Head  tavern,  75 
Sba-lui-tien,  123 
Shameen  Forts,  95 
Shamrock,  150 

Shanghai,  132,  157-160,  162-165,  171,  221 
Shanhaikuan,  559,  560 
Shanks,  Paym.  Hemsley  Hardy,  208 
Shannon,  Carpenter  AVi'lliam,  331  n.1,  332 
Shannon,  26,  28,  31,  53,   110,  138,  142, 

143 ;  Brigade  of,  in  India,  142,  143 
Shark's  Point,  285 

Sharp,  Mids.  Charles  Reynolds,  493  n.2 
Sharpe,  Capt.  Philip  Ruffle,  228 
Sharpshooter,  38,  40 

Shaw,  Mr.  (agent  of  Lond.  Miss.  Soc.),  348 
Shaw,  Mr.  (Resd.  in  Burrnah),  376 
Shaw,  Dept.  Insp.-Genl.  Doyle  Money,  135, 

346 
Shaw-Lefevre,  the  Rt.  Hon.  George  John, 

Sec.  of  Admlty,  2 
Shearman,   Asst.-Eng.   John   George,  144, 

145 

Shearwater,  564 
Sheen,  Chf.  Eng.  Charles  Cape,  493  n.2,  497, 

500,  501 

Sheepshanks,  Com.  Richard,  583  n.1 
Sheerness : — 

Dockyard  Superintendents  at,  7 
Gunnery  school  at,  70 
Sheik,  450 
Shendy,  365 

Shepherd,  R.-Adm.  John  (2),  7,  570 
Sheppard  (R.M.),  Corpl.  G.,  552 
Shepstone,  Sir  Theophilus,  303  n.1,  315  n.1 
Sheringham,  Capt.  William  Louis,  564 
Sherrin,  Mids.  Alwyue  Edward,  502  n.3 
Shiba,  Col.,  556 
Shimadzu  Sabura,  193, 194 
Shipton,  Lieut.  John  Perceval,  428  n.3 
Shipwrecked  Fishermen  and  Mariners'  Royal 

Benevolent  Society,  74 
Shire  River,  407,  410,  412 
Shirinski,  Col.,  528  and  n.4 
Shirley,  Com.  Arthur  Horatio,  390 
Shone,  Asst.-Surg.  William  James,  144 
Shore,  Mids.  Lionel  Henry,   539  and  n.4, 

543 

Shousing,  172 
Shrubb,    Lieut.    Henry   Arthur    Bevorley, 

403  n.2 
Siam,  84,  413,  414 


Sibbald,  Fleet-Surg.  Thomas  Martyn,  288, 

529,  530 
Sibylle,  94,  95,  102,  106  n.1,  114  n.1,  518 

519,  584 

Sierra  Leone,  151,  388,  406,  452-454 
Signalling : — 

Commercial  Code  of,  64 

Military  masts  used  for,  63 

Night,  64  and  n.,  65 

School  of,  70 
Sikhs,  145, 147 
Sikukuni,  Chief,  303  n.1 
Silk,  Gunner  William,  583  n.3 
Sillem,  Mids.  William  Wood,  476  and  n.4 
Simmonds,  Seaman,  147 
Simms,  Lieut.  Henry  William,  406 
Simonoseki,  195,  203-208 
Simoon,  135  n.8,  253  and  n.,  256,  258  nn.24, 

262 
Sims,   Lieut.   William,   493  n.2,   494,   500 

and  n.3,  501 

Sinbyumaryin,  Princess,  376 
Sinclair,  Cons.,  161,  221 
Sinde,  224  n.1 

Singleton,  Capt.  Uvedale  Corbet,  272 
Sin-ho,  133,  134 
Sinkat,  350,  351,  353 
Sir  Charles  Forbes,  102,  107 
Sir  George  Grey  (Jap.),  197 
Sir  Hugh  Hose,  224  n.1 
Sirianni,  Lieut.  523 
Sirius,  38,  283 

Sisk,  Philip  T.  (pet.  off.),  494  n. 
Sitka,  310 

Skinner,  Mids.  George  Macgregor,  502  n.3 
Skrydloff,  R.-Adm.,  448 
Slade,  R.-Adm.  Sir  Adolphus,  76  and  n.3, 

572 

Sladen,  Col.  Sir  Edward,  375,  376,  383 
Slaney,  117-119,  136,  221,  583 
Slater,  Lieut.  Walter  Clifton,  391 
"  Slave-Catching  in  the  Indian  Ocean,"  cited, 

225 

Slaver,  waterlogged,  from  Fiji,  232 
Slavers,  encounters  with : — 

Africa,  East,  136,  189,  226,  234,  263, 
264,  279,  289,  312,  386-388 

Africa,  West,  152,  187-189,  210 

Arabian  Gulf,  224 

Bahrein,  225 

Mozambique,  314 

Persian  Gulf,  233 

West  Indies,  137 

Zanzibar,  310  and  n.2,  390,  391 
Slight,  Capt.  Julian  Foulston,  114  n.1,  120 

and  n.1 

Sloper,  Seaman  David,  275 
Small-arms,  improvements  in,  50 
Small-pox,  306  ;  in  slavers,  233 
Smart,  Adm.  Sir  Robert,  7,  86,  89,  569 
Smith,  Lieut.  Arthur  Gordon,  524,  529 
Smith,  Navg.-Lieut.  Edmond  Carter,  277 
Smith,  Capt.  Frederick  Harrison,  136,  1H8 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


C21 


Smith,  Col.  Holled,  400 
Smith,  Lieut.  Mansfield  George,  274  n.1 
Smith,  l.ieut.  Ralph  Fearon  Aysoough,  390 
Smith,  Gunner's  Mate  Robert,  219 
Smith,  Lieut.  Seymour  Spencer,  215 
Smith,  Lieut.  Sidney  Glenton,  305,  308 
Smith,  Capt.  Thomas  Edward,  270 
Smith,  Staff-Corn.  Thomas  Hawkins,  415, 

417, 418 

Smith,  Sub-Lieut.  Walter  Stuart,  583  n.2 
Smith,  Rt.  Hon.  William  Henry,  2 
Smith-Dorrien,  Capt.  Arthur  Hale,  307 
Smith-Dorrien,   Lieut.   Henry  Theophilus, 

323 

Smithfield,  Armourer's  Mate  Albert,  487 
Smythe,  Com.  William  Wyatt,  561  n.2 
Smythies,    Capt.    Palmer    Kingsmill,    374 

and  n.2 
Snake,  174 

Snake  boats  (mandarin  junks),  101  n. 
Snider  naval  rifle,  50 
Snipe,  561  n.2 

Soady,  V.-Adm.  John  Clark,  243,  577 
Sohunpore,  144 

Solfleet,  Master  John  Charles,  208 
Solomon  Islands,  224,  311,  391,  414 
Somali,  396  n. 

Somaliland,  234,  375,  400,  408,  462,  463 
Somerset,   Edward   Adolphus,   12th   Duke 

of,  2 

Somerset,  Adm.  Leveson  Eliot  Henry,  576 
Soongkong,  170 
Sooso  tribe  (West  Africa),  151 
Sotheby,  R.-Adm.  Sir   Edward  Southwell, 

110,  138,  143-145,  148,  149,  573,  582 
Soudan,  439,  440,  449-451 
Spain : — • 

Intransigentes,  243-247 
Mexican  operations  (1861-62),  156 
Represented  at  Naval  Review  (1897),  84 
Virginius  affair,  239-242 
Sparkes,  Eng.  George,  359 
Sparkes,  Capt.  Robert  Copland,  519 
Sparkes  (R.M.),  Lance-Corpl.  W.  J.,  555 
Sparks,  Lieut.  John  Barnes,  450 
Sparrow,  402,  403  and  n.2,  405,  407,  403, 

434,  437-439 
Spartan,  312 

Spencer,  John  Poyntz,  5th  Earl,  2 
Spencer,  R.-Adm.  the  Hon.  John  Welbore 

Sunderland,  574 

Sphinx,  351  n.2,  353,  355,  371,  383,  462 
Spion  Kop,  506,  507 
Spiteful,  218,  224,  275-277,  283 
Spit/ire,  151 

Spithead,  reviews  at,  82,  83,  217 
Springay,  Seaman,  232 
Spurrier,  Seaman,  108  and  n.8 
Squire,  Mr.,  155 

Stabb  (R.N.R.),  Lieut.  Edward,  493  n.2 
Staff-Captain,  creation  of  rank  of,  13  n.9 
Staff- Commander,  creation  of  rank  of, 

13  n.10 


StalUartt,  Surg.  AValter  Henry  Skinner,  406 
Standish,  Boatswain  Frederick,  583  n.s 
Stanhope  Gold  Medal,  74 
Stanifortli,    Com.    William    Lowley,    104 

and  n.3 

Stankevitch  (Rus.),  Lieut.,  534,  535,  538 
Stanley,  Staff-Capt.  George,  210 
Stanley,  Capt.  Owen,  267 
Stanmore,  Lord,  265  and  n.2 
Stanton,  Paym.  James  Edward,  139,  338 
Star,  218,  225 
Star  and  Garter  tavern,  75 
Star  of  India,  Order  of,  74 
Starkes,  Seaman  Benjamin,  219 
Starling,  102,  106  n.1,  120,  125,  126,  130, 

173,  349,  374,  390 
Startin,  Capt.    James,  307,  309,  441,  444, 

561  n.2 

Station-bills,  uniform,  73 
Staunch,  102  and  n.2, 106  n.1,  117,  118. 121, 

135  n.1 

Staveley,  Lieut.  Cecil  Minet,  450 
Staveley,  Maj.-Genl.  Sir  Charles,  166,  173, 

219 
Steel  :— 

Armour,  of,  57 
Gun  carriages  of,  45 
Iron  superseded  by,  29 
Steel,  Lieut.  John  Miles,  502  n.3,  503,  511- 

513 

Steele,  Lieut.  Henry  William,  288 
Steinberger,  Minister  in  Samoa,  279 
Stenner  (Aust.),  Lieut.  Ernst,  534  and  n.3 
Stephens,  Com.  Prescot  William,  258  n.2 
Stephens,  Nav.-Lieut.  William  Henry,  583 

n.3 

Stephenson,  Genl.  Sir  F.  C.,  357 
Stephenson,  the  Hon.  Mrs.  H.  F.,  107 
Stephenson,  Adm.  Sir  Henry  Frederick,  88, 

89,  144,  215,  342,  434,  566,  579,  583 
Stessel  (Rus.),  Maj.-Genl.,  542 
Stevens,  Capt.  Charles  Edward,  225,  279- 

280 

Stevenson  (Mil.),  Lieut.  A.  G.,  450 
Stewart,   Col.   Sir   Herbert,  360,  363,  365 

and  n. 

Stewart,  Adm.  Sir  Houston,  85,  87 
Stewart,  Lieut.  Houston  (2),  353,  354 
Stewart,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Keith  (2),  96,  97, 

114,  120 

Stewart,  Lieut.  Keith  (3),  106  n.1 
Stewart,  Capt.  Robert   Hathorn   Johnston, 

520,  532,  534-536,  561  n.2 
Stewart,  R.-Adm.  Walter,  8,  350,  351,  371, 

580 

Stewart  (R.M.A.),  Lieut.  William,  173 
Stewart,  Adm.  Sir  William  Houston,  3,  6, 

86,  574  and  n. 
Stirling  (R.M.),  Lieut.,  140 
Stirling,   Lieut.  Anselan  John   Buchanan, 

541,  543 
Stirling,  Capt.  Francis,  272,  273  and  n.1, 

275,  313,  583 


622 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Stirling,  V.-Adm.  Frederick  Henry,  87,  89, 

576 

Stirling  (R.M.),  Sec.-Lieut.  William,  139 
Stirling  Island  (Niger),  284 
Stoddart,  Com.  Archibald  Peile,  433,  437 
Stokes,  Mids.  Alick,  493  n.2,  496 
Stokes,  Capt.  John  Edward,  187 
Stokes,  R.-Adm.  John  Lort,  571 
Stokes,  Com.  John  Martin,  320 
Stonecutters'  Island,  100 
Stooks,  Naval-Cadet  Fraser  S.,  584  n.2 
Stopford,  Lieut.  Grosvenor,  229 
Stopford,  R.-Adm.  James  John,  570 
Stopford,  Adm.  the  Hon.  Sir  Montagu,  8 
Stopford,  V.-Adm.  Robert  Fanshawe,  570 
Stork,  397 
Stormcock,  343 
Storr,  I.ieut.  Paul,  186 
Story,  Com.  William  Oswald,  344  n.1 
Slracey,  Mids.  Eustace  William  Clitherow, 

337,  340 

Straghan  (R.M.),  Lieut.  John,  131 
Straits  Settlements,  229,  237,  267 
Strange,  Lieut.  Charles  Vernon,  583  n.2 
Strange,  R.-Adm.  James  Newburgh,  574 
Straubenzee,  Gen.  Charles  T.  van,  111,  120 
Strauch  (Ger.),  Lieut,  von,  556 
Streber,  Genl.,  235-237 
Strode,  Com.  Augustus  Chetham,  166,  173 
Strong  (R.M.),  Maj.  Henry   Harford,  340, 

345 

Strong,  Master  William  "Donaldson,  130 
Stroud,  Seaman  Alfred  B.,  447  n.6 
Strouts,  Capt.  Bernard  Murton,  521,  551- 

553  n.2,  554,  556  and  n.3 
Stuart,  Capt.  Leslie  Creery,  349,  459,  461 
Stuart-Montagu- Wortley  (Mil.),  Lieut.  E.  J., 

366 

Stubbs,  Com.  Ernest  Augustus  Travers,  251 
Sturdee,  Capt.  Frederick  Charles  Doveton, 

74,  457,  459-462 
Sturgess,     Asst.-Paym.     Richard     Ernest 

Stanley,  403  n.2 
Styx,  137 
Suadi  Islands,  278 
Suakin,  350,  351,  356,  371-373,  389 
Submarine  boats,  61,  62 
Submarine  telegraph  cables,  laying  of,  150 
Suda  Bay,  385,  386 
Suez  Canal,  321,  343 
Suffolk,  36  n.2 
Sulivan,  V.-Adm.  George  Lydiard,  218,  263 

and  n.2,  264,  283,  284,  578 
Sulivan,     Capt.     Thomas     Baker    Martin, 

263  n.2,  289 
Sullivan,  Adm.  Sir  Francis  William,  4,  90, 

178,  179  and  n.1,  181,  283,  302,  305  and 

n.2,  309,  338  and  n.1,  340,  576 
Sulphur,  564 
Sultan,  24,  290,  292,  293,  295-298  and  n.1, 

324,  327,  330-332,  394,  450 
Sultan  of  Sokoto,  281,  284 
Sultanieh  Fort,  293,  295  and  n.s 


Sulu  Sea,  232 

Sumner,  Lieut.  (U.S.),  213 

Sungei  Ujong,  269-273,  276 

Superb,  24,  322  n.2, 324,  327,  329,  331,  332, 

339,  341,  345,  359 
Supply,  283 

Surprise,  112  n.3,  117,  122 
Surveying,  564-567 
Susquehanna  (U.S.),  150 
Suther  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.  William  Grigor, 

205 

Sutiej,  36 

Suttie,  Com.  Francis  Grant,  210 
•  Sutton,  Chf.-Eng.  Frederick  William  (2),  77 
Suweik,  388 
Swallow,  402,  408,  433 
Swallow  Islands,  230 
Swann,  Com.  John  Tomlinson,  186 
Sxvannell,  Seaman  Harry,  521  n.1 
Swatow,  119,  223,  225 
Sweden : — 

Officers  from,  in  British  navy,  77 
Represented  at  "Naval  Review  (1897), 

84 

Samoan  arbitration  by  King  of,  461 
Swift,  413,  451 

Swiftsure,  24,  243-246,  295-298 
Swinburne,  Com.  William,  151 
Swinney,  Chf.  Eng.  George,  346 
Sydney,  231 

Symonds  (U.S.N.),  Lieut.-Com.  F.  M.,  455 

|  Symonds  (R.M.),  Capt.  Jermyn  Charles,  135 

Symonds,  Arfm.  of  the  Fleet   Sir  Thomas 

Matthew  Charles,  6,  86,  89,  217,  570 
Symons,  Com.  Edwin  Charles,  152  n.3 

TABOB,  Lieut.  Francis  Hope,  583  n.2 

Tabuteau,  Clerk  Augustus  Elliott,  529 

Tacorady,  257 

Taiwan,  119,  222 

Takiang,  203-205 

Taku,  116,  118,  521 ;  forts,  117,  118,  134, 

526  n.2,  532,  537-539 
:  Taku,  537 

Talbot,  Adm.  Sir  Charles,  86 
1  Talbot,  Lieut.  Henry  Fitzroy  George,  450 
:  Talbot,  Lieut.  Hugh,  288,  374 
!  Talbot,  Col.  the  Hon.  R.  A.  J.,  365 

Talienwan  Bay,  132 
!  Tamai  (Khor  Ghob),  353-355 
'  Tamai,  440  and  n.1,  450 

Tamar,  260-262,  316,  338 

Tamatave,  347 

Tambi,  406,  407 

Tan,  Commissioner,  116,  117 

Tanca  (It.),  Lieut.,  534 

Tancrede,  203-205 

Tandy,  Com.  Dashwood  Goldie,  312 

Tangata,  264 

Tanna  Island,  210,  309 

Taon  Pung,  121 

Tapoua  (Edgecumbe  Island),  265 

Taranaki,  174,  177 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME    VII. 


623 


Tarleton,  V.-Adm.  Sir  John  Walter,  5,  573 
Tartar,  203,  204,   206-208,  454,  484  n.3, 
'  502  n.3-504,  511,  517-519 
Tartarus,  564 
Tasiko  Island  (Api),  265 
Tatiiraimaka,  177 
Tatnall    (U.S.N.),   Commod.   Josiab,   128, 

129,  131,  132 
Tatum,   Com.  G.  E.   (Natal  Nav.  Vols.), 

496  n.2 

Tatumbla,  455 
Taupiri,  181 
Tanranga,  182,  183 
Tauranqa  (colonial  St.),  183 
Tauranga,  459,  460 
Taylor,  Rev.,  221 

Taylor,  Lieut.  George  John,  370,  431 
Tcbernak,  293  and  n.2,  294-296 
Te  Papa,  182, 183 
Te  Banga,-185 
'Teacle  (R.M.),  Sergt.,  135 
Teazer,  151 
Tel  el  Mahuta,  344 
Telahawiyeh,  364-366 
Telegraphy,  school  of,  70 
Temeraire,  26,  28,  32,  295,  296,  314,  324, 

327-330,  332,  334,  337,  344,  359,  394 
Tenedos,  306,  307 
Terrible,  38,  52,  54,  56,  464,  466,  468,  470, 

471  and  n.2,  493  n.2,  502  and  n.',  504, 

505,  508.  511,  519,  542-547,  549,  550, 

561  n." 

Tesela  Hill,  373 
Tetuan,  24.3,  246 
Tewfik,  Khedive,  337,  339  n.3 
Tewfikieh,  364,  365,  369 
Tezemvoka  Island,  391 
Thalia,  237-238,  270 
Thames,  Firth  of  (N.Z.),  180,  182 
Thatched  House  tavern,  75 
Theebaw,  King,  376,  377,  382-384 
Theobald,  R.-Adm.  Charles  Barstow,  209, 

210  and  n.2,  580,  583 
Theron,  Commandant,  491 
Theseus,  435,  440,  441 
Thetis,  234,  264,  278,  279,  519 
Thistle,  45  n.,  272  and  n.2,  273  and  n.1,  274 
Thomas,  Capt.  Alan  Brodrick,  300,  324,  336, 

339 
Thomas,  Lieut.  Francis  John  Oldfield,  282 

and  D.1 

Thomas,  Armourer  James,  521  n.1,  555 
Thomas,  Staff-Surj:.  John  Lloyd,  550  n.1 
Thomas,  Asst.-Paym.  William  Nichols,  255 
Thompson,  Mids.  Henry,  114  n.2,  115  n.2 
Thompson,  Seaman  Henry,  275 
Thompson,  Gunner  Robert,  139 
Thompson,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  Pickering,  572 
Thompson,  William  (N.Z.  chief),  177,  180- 

182 

Thompson,  Surg.  William,  306 
Thomson,  Prof.  Charles  Wyville,  565 
Thomson,  Capt.  Frank  Tourle,  565 


Thornycroft,  Messrs.,  39,  41  n. 
Thorpe-Double,  Lieut.  Thomas  Leslie,  403 
Thoyon,  Lieut.  (Fr.),  112  n.s 
Thrupp,    R.-Adm.    Arthur    Thomas,    577, 

583 
Thrush,  403  and  n.2,  405,  431,  433,  437- 

439,  519 
mule,  171  n.3 

Thunderer,  26,  27,  46,  61,  298 
Thurreah,  382,  383 
Thursfleld,  Mr.,  cited,  416 
Tia  Nia,  210 
Tichborne,    Chapl.    Rev.   George   Morrow, 

550  n.1 

Tickell  (VictN.),  Com.  F.,  561  and  n.1 
Tickner  (R.M.),  Pte.  A.  J.,  555 
Tien  Chi  (Ch.),  221 
Tientsin,  68,  135,   540-549,   552;   Treaty, 

119,  123,  135,  136 
Tientsin,  171  n.8 
Tigris,  383 
Tilga,  146 

Tillard,  Capt.  Philip  Francis,  561  n.2 
Timmanees  (West  Africa),  151 
Tinling,  Lieut.  Kdward  Ctiarles,  172 
Ti-pings,  300,  120,  121,  157,  160,  163,  169, 

170,  174 

Todd,  Mr.  (Cons.  Agent),  408 
Todleben,  Genl.,  298 
Toey-whan  (U.S.),  129,  131 
Tofrik,  371,  372,  374 
Tokar,  350,  351,  353,  400,  401 
Tomkinson,  Lieut.  Wilfred,   536   and  n.1, 

537 

Tongboo,  100  n.3 
Tong-ku,  133-135 
Toniatuba,  407 
Tonqua,  Island,  210,  222 
Tonquin  Gulf,  227 
Tooniang  Island,  211 
Torch,  136,  188,  246 
Torlesse,  Com.  Arthur  Ward,  457 
Tornado  (Sp.),  239 
Torpedo-boat  catchers,  40 
Torpedo-boat  destroyer.--,  40 
Torpedo-boats : — • 

Depot  ships  for,  41 

Foreign  nations'  strength  in  (1895),  39 

Invention  of,  29 

No.  28,  584;  No.  62,  584;  No.  75,  584 
Torpedo  Lieutenants,  70  n.2 
Torpedoes : — 

Authorities  on,  list  of,  59  n.1 

Automobile,  58-61 

Invention  of,  29 

Schools,  70 

Types  of,  60-61 

Whitehead,  31  n.,  38  n.1,  39,  41  n.,  59, 

61 

Tortola  (Virgin  Islands),  400 
Tottenham,  Com.  Henry  Loftus,  431 
Tourmaline,  283,  343,  400 
Touzla  Bay,  297,  298 


G24 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Trucey,  Adm.  Sir  Richard  Edward,  8,  77, 

207,  312,  579 

Trafalgar,  31,  69,  72,  415,  448  n.2 
Training,  technical  and  scientific,  69-71 
Training-ships,  18,  63,  69-71 
Training  Squadron,  71  and  n.3 
Transit,  143,  582 
Transvaal : — 

Britain,  war  with  (1881),  315 ;  (1899- 

1900),  463-519 
Zulus,  war  with,  303  and  n.1 
Travers,    Lieut.-Col.    Joseph    Gates,    135, 

136  u.2 

Travers,  Com.  Robert  Henry,  519 
Treacher,  Govr.,  312 
Treaties : — • 
•  Pekin,  135 
Perak   269 

Tientsin,  119,  123,  135,  136 
Trece,  Cape,  400 
Trench,  Capt.  Frederick  Perceval,  378,  384 

and  n.4,  434 

Trent  (K.M.),  Sergt.  H.,  135 
Trenton  (U.S.),  393,  394 
Trevelyan,  Sir  George  Otto,  2 
Tribune,  102-104  and  n.1,  106  n.1,  107  n.2, 

109 

Tricault,  Com.  (Fr.),  128,  129 
Trigger,  Boatswain  Richard  Harris,  264  n.1 
Triggs,  Lieut.  Tom  Bowden,  282  n.1 
Trinculo,  583 
Trinkitat,  401 
Triumph,  24,  246,  290,  321 
Trollope,  Capt.  Henry  Anthony,  221 
Trotter,  Lieut.  John  Archibald  Harvey,  244 
Troup,    Mids.    James     Andrew    Gardiner, 

502  n.3,  550  n.1 
Trower,  Lieut.  Cornwallis  Jasper,  315-319 

and  n.1 

Truscott,  Com.  William  Henderson,  582 
Trusty,  20 

"  Truth  About  the  Navy,  The,"  82 
Truxillo,  153,  154,  235 
Tryon,  V.-Adm.  Sir  George,  3,  5,  87,   89, 

218,  219  and  n.3,  415-426,  578,  584 
Tsekie,  172 
Tsingpoo,  166,  170 
Tuck,  Armourer's-mate  Joseph,  490 
Tucker,  Com.  John  Collier,  234 
Tucker,  V.-Adm.  John  Jervis,  7,  569 
Tucker    (R.M.A.),    Maj.    William    Guise, 

344  n.4,  352 
Tugela  River,  304 
Tuke,  Com.  Stratford,  264 
Tumbes,  137  and  n.2, 138 
Tungchou,  119 

Tunnard,  Com.  Wm.  Francis,  519 
Turbine,  steam,  41  n.,  54 
Turbinia,  54 
Turkey : — 

British  officers'  assistance  to,  76 

Cretan  affairs  of,  444-448 

Greek  ports  blockaded  by  (1886),  385 


Revolt  of  provinces  from  (1875),  290 

seij. 

Sultan  of,  217 

Turner,  Com.  Charles  Tatton,  370  and  n.2 
Turner,  Seaman  Edward,  530  and  n. 
Tumour,  V.-Adm.  Edward  Winterton,  104 

and  n.2,  108  and  n.7,  188,  575,  582 
Tumour,  Lieut.  Nicholas  Edward   Brook, 

138,  143,  145,  146,  148,  149 
Turquoise,  377-379,  384,  387,  396  n. 
Turret-ships,  25-27,  32 
Turton,  Com.  Ralph  Lancelot,  272  • 
Tuson  (R.M.A.),  Lieut.-Col.  Henry  Brasnell, 

340,  345,  346 

Twin  screws,  adoption  of,  for  ironclads,  53 
Twiss,  Capt.  Guy  Ouchterlony,  308 
Twysden,  Com.  James  Stevenson,  97 
Tychan  Island,  221 

Tyler,  Lieut.  George  William,  359  and  n.s 
Tyler,  Boatswain  Joseph,  273  n.1 
Tyne,  374,  394 
Tyndale-Biscoe,  Lieut.  Edward  Carey,  355, 

493  n.2 

UBEAN  ISLAND,  224 

Ulundi,  305,  308 

Undaunted,  31  n.5,  561  n.2 

Underwood,   Capt.  Powell   Cecil,  432-434, 

437 

Uniform,  65-67 
United  Service  Institution,  72,  73  and  n.1 ; 

medals  granted  by,  74 
United  States : — 

China,  operations  in  (1900),  521,  523, 
530,   532,  533,   545-549,   552,   555 
and  n.1 
Co-operation  with,  128,  129,  310,  337, 

401,  434,  455,  462  and  n.,  530 
Japan,  treaty  with  (1858),  191 ;  action 

in,  203-205 
Naval  attaches  to,  78 
Prince  of  Wales's  visit  to  (1860),  157 
Projectiles  improved  by,  57  n.,  58 
Represented  at  Naval  Review  (1897), 

84 
Samoa,  acquisition  of,  280 ;  agreement 

regarding,  455 ;  rights  in,  461 
San  Juan  Island  claimed  by,  233 
Urgent,  135  n.1 
Urmston  (R.M.),   Maj.   Archibald    George 

Brabazon,  478,  486 
Usedom,  Capt.  von  (Germ.),  523,  529 
Utrecht  (S.Afr.),  304 
Uzi,  310 

VALENCIA,  243,  246 

Valentia,  150 

Valentine,    Lieut.     Francis     Alfred,     389 

and  n.1 
Valiant,  23 
Valorogue,  212 
Valorous,  150 
Valparaiso,  401 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    VII. 


625 


Vancouver  I.,  233,  285,  564 

VniiiMin  (U.S.),  393 

Vander-Meiden,  V.-Adm.  Frederirk  Samuel, 

580 

I'niii/uard,  24  and  n.,  583 
Van  Koughnet,  Capt.  Edmund  Barker,  359, 

366-368,  370  n.2,  518 
Vausittart,  (''apt.  Edward  Westby,  157 
Vansittart,  Capt.  Nicholas,  122,  126,  129, 

130  and  n. 
Van  Wyk,  514,  515 
Vassos,  Col.  (Gr.),  445 
Vate  Island,  230 
Vaughan,  Com.  James   William,   139   and 

n.3-142 

Vaughau,  Boatswain's  Mate  Thomas,  219 
Vengeance,  33  n.c 
Venerable,  33  n.8 
Venus,  4-17 
Vera  Cruz,  156 
Verney,  Mate,  142 
Verney,   Actg.-Lieut,   Edward    Hope,    139 

and  n." 

Vernon,  70  and  n.~ 
Vernon  (ex  l>i>ne</nl\  70  n.1 
Versturine,  dun.  Louis  Hutton,  215 
Vesey,  Capt,  Charles,  137,  216 
Vesuvius,  151,  152 
Vestal,  312 
Vice- Admirals : — 
Flags  of,  15 
Pay  of,  17 
Retirement  of,  10 
Victor,  H.S.H.  Prince,  of  Hohenlohe.     .SW 

Gleichen 

Victor  Emmanuel,  262 
Victoria,  Queen,  79,  82,  84,  217,  477,  499, 

502,511    . 

Victoria,  31  n.",  53, 217,415, 416, 484  and  n.3 
Victoria  (colonial  st.),  176  n.6 
Victoria,    and    Albert    (2)    (ex     Windsor 

Castle),  41 

Victoria  and  Albert  (3),  42 
Victorious,  33  n.s 
Victory,  72,  138 
Victualling,  18  and  n.' 
Vidal,  Com.  John  Henry,  215 
Vigilant,  218,  224 
Vigiiante  (Sp.),  244 
Vi'lliers,  Lieut.  Arthur  Julian,  102,  101!  n.1, 

120,  125 

Villiers,  Lieut.  Edward  Cecil,  411 
Vincent,  Sub-Lieut.  Francis  Charles,  171  n.3 
'Vine,  Staff-Corn.  William  Wallace,  262 
Vinyt-deu'.i;  Decembre,  213 
Viper,  26,  41,  54 
Virgin  Is.,  400 
Vir ginie,  99 

Virginius,  238-240,  242 
Vitoria,  243-246 
Vitu,  394,  396 

Vivanco  (Peruv.  politician),  137 
Vivid,  72 
VOL.  VII. 


Vixen,  26,  217 
Volta  Etiver,  247,  256 

Voltnrno,  438,  439  n.1 

Volunteers,  Royal  Naval,  18 

Volunteers,  Royal  Naval  Artillery,  19  and 

nn.  2  3 

Volunteers,  Royal  Naval  Coast,  17  and  n.1 
Von    Donop,   Capt.    Victor    Edward    John 

Brenton,  312 

Vosper,  Boatswain  George,  273  n.1 
Vourla  Bay,  292,  293 
Vrignaud,  Com.,  112  n.3 

Vulcan,  41,  54,  166,  173 

VMure,  233,  289 

WADIUI.UVE,     Adm.     Charles     Lodowick 

Parley,  8(1,  576 

Wadlow,  Mids.  Krnest  Bannister,  176 
Wady  Haifa,  357 
Wages,  17,  18 

Wagstalt'e,  Asst.-Paym.  John  St.  John,  131 
Waikarei,  Lake,  180 
Waikato  River,  177-182 
Waimvright,   U.-Adm.  James  Francis  Bal- 

lard,  150,  574 
Wnipa,  182;  River,  181 
Waitara,  174,  176,  177 
Wake,  V.-Adm.  Charles,  212.  213  anil  n.a, 

575,  583 
Walderscc,  Field-Marslwil  Count  von,  558- 

559 

Wale,  Com.  George  Henry,  109  and  n.3 
Wallisrh  Bay,  303 
Walker,  Adm.  Sir   Baldwin   Wake  (1),  3, 

86,  90,  569,  583  n.' 

Walker,  R.-Ailm.  Sir  Baldwin  Wake  (2),  581 
Walker,  Fleet-Paym.  Cecil  Plomer,  519 
Walker,  Capt.  Charles  Francis,  224 
Walker,  Lieut.  Henry  Chapman,  276 
Walker,   Henry  William    Routledge,  Acct. 

Genl.,  5 

Walker,  Michael,  Asst,  Hydros.,  564 
Walker,  Mids.  Thomas  Philip,  274  n.2 
Walker,  William,  152-155,  165 
Wallace  Island,  279 
Wallaroo,  5(11  n.a 
Waller,  Maj.,  541- 

Walsh,  Lieut.  George  Sarsfield,  336 
Walsh,  Lieut,  William,  582 
Wanga,  43.°, 
Wantnng  Islands,  99 
Ward,  Jesse,  145 
Ward,  Com.  John  (2),  132  n.2 
Waid,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  Le  Hunte,  234,243, 

245,  264,  278,  324,  346,  578 
Ward,  Seaman  William,  391 
Ward,  Adm.  the  Hon.  William  John,  8,  78, 

577 

Ward,  William  Townsend,  165,  172 
Wardell  (R.M.),  Capt.  John  Charles,  345 
'    .  Frederick,  89,  217,  571 


Warden,  R.-Adm 
Wardle,    Mids.    Thomas    Frederick 
Livesey,  476  and  n.6,  492 

2   S 


John 


626 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    VII. 


Warren,  Boatswain  Joseph,  583  n.2 
Warren,  Genl.  Sir  Charles,  50(5,  507,  512 
Warren,  Adm.  Richard  Laird,  86,  189,  569 
Warren,  Lieut.  Walter  Travers,  274  n.1,  275 
Warrender,  Capt.  George  John  Scott,  531, 

539,  561  n." 
Warrigi,  440-442 
Wnrrior,  20,  23 

Warry,  Coin.  Alfred  Wihnot,  283 
Wurspite,  31  n.3,  401 

Washington,  Com.  Henry  Hoi  ford,  173,  28!) 
Washington,  Capt.  John,  564  and  n.1 
Wasp,  209,  210,  217,  584 
Watch-bills,  uniform,  73 
Water-tube  boilers,  56  and  nn.,  57 
Waters,  Staff  Com.  George  A.,  139 
Waterwitch,  26,  54,  217,  561  n.- 
Watkins,  Mids.  Thomas  A.,  L81 
Watson,  K.-Adm.  Burges,  8,  435,  581 
Watson,  Lieut.  Cecil  Francis  Lacon,  433 
Watson,  Mids.  Edward  S.,  139 
Watson,  Adm.  Sir  George  Willes,  6,  87,  577 
Watson,   Lieut.   Hu«jh    Dudley    Richards, 

561  n.2 

Watson,  ( !apt.  Rundle  Burges,  7 
Watts,  Isaac,  Clif.  Constr.,  4 
Watts,  Mr.  J.,  541 
Way,  Com.  John  Lewis,  139,  212  n. 
Way  (R.M.),  Lieut.-Col.  Xnwell  Fit/.Upton,  '. 

356,  373  and  n.3 

Way,  Statf-Surg.  Richard  Jlcury,  443 
Webb,  Com.  John  Whitmarsh,  122  and  n.1 
Webber,  Chf.  Boatswain  James,  359,  364, 

368-369 

Webster,  Seaman,  200 
Wei-luu-wei,  452 

Welch,  Lieut.  Gerald  Hubbard,  454 
\\ellesley,   Adm.   Sir   George   Greville,  6, 

87,  89,  237,  571 
Wells,   Lieut.   Lewis   Fortescue,   252,  258 

and  n.2 
Wells,  Adm.  Sir  Richard,  86,  90,  292,  295, 

578 
Wemyss,  Com.   Edward   William   Elphin- 

stone,  455 

Werner,  Capt.,  243-245 
West,  Asst.-Paym.  Arnold,  583  n.1 
West  Indies : — 

Flag  officers  stationed  in,  87 
Slavers,  actions  with,  137 
Westbrook  (R.M.),  Pte.  A.  E.,  556 
Westou,  Miss  Agnes  C.,  80 
Whale  Island,  69,  70 
Whamjwa,  111 
Wharton,  Capt.   William  James  Lloyd,  4, 

567  mid  n.2 

Whibley,  Seaman  Ernest,  549  and  n.3 
Whitcroft,  Paym.  George,  519 
White,  Leading-Stoker  Alfred,  409 
White,  E.,  pett.  off.,  306 
White,  Lieut.-Genl.  Sir  George  S.,  463,  466, 

468,  494 
White,  Lieut.  Kichard  Foster,  477 


White,  Com.  John  Thirkill,  454 
White,  Capt.  William  Graham,  519 
White,   Sir  William    Henry,  Dir.  of   Nav. 

( Joustr.,  4 
White,   Klcet-Surg.  William  Rogerson,  427 

and  n.2 

White,  Asst.-Eng.  William  Walter,  288 
White.  .SVwi,  381 
Whitehead    torpedoes,   31   n.,   38   n.1,   39, 

41  n.,  59,  61 

Whitiwj,  521,  532,  534,  536,  537,  561  n.2 
Whitney,  Staff-Surg.  James  Leech,  583  n.2 
Whydah,  282-283 
Whytc,    Mids.    Herbert    Edward    Walter 

Christian,  502  n.3 

Whyte,  Ado..  William  Henry,  151,  577 
Wliyte,   Paym.    William    Marcus    Charles 

Bercsford,  519 
Widgeon,  402-405,  408,  426,  429,  431,  433, 

440,  441,  519 
Wild  I>uck,  231 
Wild  Swan,  314 

Wilde,  Lieut.  James  Stuart,  502  n.3 
Wildfire,  70,  72 

Wilding,  Lieut.  Henry  Holden,  255 
Wildman,  Com.  Leveson,  102,  106  n.1,  117, 

121  and  n.3 
Wilkin,  Com.  Henry  Douglas,  405,  407  and 

n.2,  559 

Willcox,  R.-Adm.  James,  573 
Willes,  Adm.  Sir  George  Ommatmey,  6,  83, 

85,  88,  125,  130,  132  n.1,  136  n.2,  166, 

William    11.,   Adm.   of    the  Fleet   H.l.M. 

the  German  Emperor,  14,  83  and  n.6,  581 
William  IV.,  King,  75 
Williams,  Seaman,  147 
Williams,   Chaplain  and  Naval   Instructor 

Rev.  Edward  Adams,  144 
Williams,  Gunner  Edwin,  502  u.3 
Williams,  Master  George,  208 
Williams,  Capt.  Hugh  Pigot,  518,  519,  584 
Williams,  Surg.  Robert  William,  274  n.'2 
Williams,  V.-Adm.  Woodford  John,  570 
Willis,  Lieut-Genl.,  345 
Willis,  Eng.  J.  H.,  583  n.1 
Willis,  Sir  William,  Acct.  Genl.  of  Navy,  5 
Willis's  Rooms,  75 

Willoughby,  Mids.  Percival  Francis,  502  n/1 
Wihnot,   R.-Adm.  Arthur   Parry   Eardlcy, 

7,574 
Wilmot,  Com.  Edward,  196,  198   and  n.3, 

335 

Wilson,  Asst.-Paym.  Arthur,  406 
Wilson,  V.-Adm.  Arthur  Knyvet,  3,  324  u., 

338,  340,  350,  352,  580 
Wilson,   Col.   Sir  Charles  Win.,  363-365, 

367,  368 

Wilson,  Mids.  Frank  O'Brien,  529 
Wilson,   R.-Adm.   John   Crawford,   6,   89, 

125,  130,  311,  392,  577 
Wilson  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Leslie  Urme,  484  n.-', 

485,  492 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    VII. 


627 


Wilson,     Mids.     Richard     Henry    Francis 

Wharton,  255  and  u.1 
Wilson,  Mr.  Rivers,  .">21 
Wilson,  R.-Adm.  Thomas  (2),  94,  OS,  571 
Wilson,  Capt.  William,  210,  :\\i\ 
Wilson,  Com.  William  Charles  Fahie,  13'J 

and  n." 

\\'i.>i<-hixter,  94,  05,  98 
Windsor  Castle  (later  (Jnmbridge),  TO 
Wingate,  Sir  R.,  151 
Wingficld,  Mids.  Edward  .Tohn,  207 
Wilmington-Ingrain,  Com.  Charles  William, 

561  n.2 
Winsloe,  Capt.  Alfred  Leigh,  343,  374  and 

n.2,  306  and  n.,  -118,  -154,  51!) 
Wrinton,  Col.  Sir  Francis  Walker  do,  388, 

389 

Wint/,  Miss,  HO 

Wintz,  Capt.  Louis  Ediniind,  561  n.8 
Wireless  telegraphy,  63 
Wise,  R.-Adm.  Charles,  7,  150,  151,  572 
Wise  (U.S.N.),  Com.  F.  M.,  532 
Wiseman,  Capt.  Sir  William,  226  and  n.3 
Wiseman,  R.-Adm.  Sir  William  Saltonstall 

(2),  80,  178-181,  186,  210,  574 
Witheridge,  Quartermaster  Samuel,  31'J 
Withers,  Albert  G.  diet,  off.),  404  n. 
Wivern,  26,  200 
Wizard,  215,  582 

Wodehouse,  Com.  Armine,  125, 130,  582 
Wolf,  41 

Wolrige  (1\.M.),  Capt.  Ambrose,  208 
Wolrige  (R.M.),  Lieut.  Hamilton,  130 
Wolseley,  Viscount,  256,  258,  259-261,  300, 

305,  342,  345  and  n.,  357,  350,  360  n.1, 

370 

Wolmriuv,  38,  214,  311 
Women  and  children,  slaughter  of,  166 
Wongkadxu,  165,  167 
Wood,  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Charles,  2,  100  n.5 
Wood,  Com.  Charles  Robert,  401 
Wood,  Genl.  Sir  Evelyn,  250,  304,  306,  320 
Wood,  Staff-Coin.  Henry  Emilius,  346 
\Vood,  Lieut.  Robert  Thomas,  274  n.2,  275 
Woodcock,  135  n.1,  561  n.2 
Woodgate,  Col.  E.  R.  P.,  453,  454 
Wuodlark,  374,  377,  378,  384,  561  n.2 
Woods  Pasha,  Nav.  Lieut.  Henry  Felix,  76 

and  n.6,  295 
Woodward,  Capt.   Robert,   377,   378,  370, 

380,  381,  384  and  n.2,  387  ;  quoted,  382 
Woodward  (R.M.),  Pte.  W.  T.,  555 
Wuollcomlx;,  Capt.  Henry  Bedford,  237,  238, 

270 

Woolwich  Dockyard,  Superintendents  at,  7 
Woon  (R.M.),  Sergt.-Maj.,  131 
Woosung,  160,  164 ;  River,  165 
Wrangler,  386 
Wratislaw,  V.-Adm.  Henry  Rushworth,  139 

and  n.a,  187,  577 
Wray   (R.M.),   Brev.  Maj.    Edmund,   021, 

551—553,  555,  556 
Wrecks,  114,  582-584 


Wrey,  Lieut.   William    Bourchier  Sherard, 

550  n.1 
Wright,   Com.    Henry   Townley,   274    n.", 

275,  302 

Wright,  Eng.  in  Chf.  James,  5 
Wright,  Gunner  Joseph,  502  n.3,  504,  546, 

550 
Wright,   Com.    Philip   Nithsdale,  521    n.3, 

541,  543  and  n.3 
Wynniatt,  Com.   Kobert   James,  122,  125, 

133 
Wynyard,     Sub-Lieut.     Henry     Bingham 

Chesshyre,  228 
Wyominy,  105 

•  XEROTINE  siccative,  321 

YAUHTS,  royal,  41,  42 

Yandaboo,  382 

Yangchow,  221,  222 

Yang-tse-kiang  River,  119,  120,  159 

Yarrow,  Mr.  A.  P.,  39,  40,  307,  410 

Yeli,  Commissioner,  03-07,  100,  112,  115, 

116 
Yelverton,    Adm.    Sir    Hastings    Reginald 

(H.  K.  Henry),  5,  64,  87,  80,  243,  245- 

247 

Yokohama,  101-192,  194-195,  202 
Youge,  Lieut.  Duke  Doughton,  178 
j  Yonnies,  388,  380 
York,     R.-Adm,     H.R.H.    Prince     George 

Frederick  Krnest  Albert,  Duke  of,  83  and 

n.6,  581  and  n. 
Yorke,   Henry    Francis    Redhead,   Dir.   of 

Viet.,  3 

Youel,  Lieut.  Norman  Burgoyne,  336 
Young  (R.N.K.),  Lieut.  Sir  Allen  William, 

563  aud  n. 

Young,  Com.  Gordon  Charles,  252,  256-258 
,  Young,  Com.  James  Browning,  374 
Young,  Com.  Thomas  James,  139  and  n.1, 

140 

Young,  Lieut.  William  Allen,  17  L  n.:i 
Yule  (Mil.),  Capt.  Henry,  375 
Yunan,  381  and  n.' 
Yusef  Pasha,  350 
Yuyaou,  172 

Zafir,  440,  449,  450 

Zambesi  River,  397-399,  410 

Zanzibar,  226,  263,  278,  386,  390  im.3  4,  39 1 , 

397,  435-439 
Zapotillo  Cayo,  235,  236 
Zealous,  22 
Zebra,  189,  221 
Zeila,  375 
Zelandia  Fort,  222 
Zelaya,  Genl.,  434 

Zenta  (Aust.),  522,  523,  534  and  n.3 
Zephyr,  265,  374,  388 
Zoulla,  218 

Zuloaga,  President,  155 
Zulu  war,  303-30'J 


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