The life of George, Lord Anson, admiral of the fleet, vice-admiral of Great Britain, and first lord commissioner of the admiralty, previous to, and during, the seven years' war

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THE LIFE

OF

GEORGE LORD ANSON,

ADMIRAL OF THK FLEET ; VICE-ADMIRAL OK GREAT DIMTAIN ;

AND FIRST LORD COMMISSIONER OF THE ADMIHAI.TY,

PREVIOUS TO, AND DURlNCi, THE

seven-years' WAR.

BY

SIR JOHN BARROW, Bart., F.R.S.

AUTHOK OF

THE "LIFE OF ADMIRAL LORD HOWE."

LONDON:
JOHN IMURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.

MDCCC.\XXlX.

I/INDON:

HrINTE!: HY V>'ll,LIAM Cl.OW KS A NI) SoNS,

Siamfiird Slieet.

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J3A

I PREFACE.

M

en

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^

The Life of Lord Anson, though wholly spent in
the civil and military services of the navy, is cer-

22 tainly less generally known than that of such an
officer ought to be, who, by character and conduct,
Avorked his way to the very top of his profession,
to the head of the naval administration, and to a
peerage ; and to whom was intrusted the principal
direction of the fleets of Great Britain, during the
two French and Spanish wars which occurred in the
reign of George II. Every body has heard of, and
^ multitudes have read, " Anson's Voyage round the

S World ;" many are acquainted with the fact of his
having been, for a long time, First Lord of the
Admiralty, and many in the profession may also
know, that he fought a great action, took six ships of
war, and defeated two important expeditions ; but
it may be doubted whether the great majority of
readers, even those in the naval service, know nmch
more about him than these few particulars. The
recollection of His late IMajesty even (than whom
few were better read in naval history, or better
acquainted with the characters of naval officers, or
whose memory was more retentive), failed him on
one remarkable occasion with regard to Anson., the

a 2

IV PREFACE.

omission of whoso name, in the eulogy he bestowed
on other officers, drew from him an expression ot
regret, and at the same time of the high opinion he
entertained of Anson.*

It is true, as the King said, Anson was not a bril-
liant character : lie was not one who had the faculty
of shining in conversation or in writing, nor can his
biographer give a detail of lieroic deeds, such as the
life of a Nelson or a "Wellington affords, but no man's
moral courage was put to a more severe test than that
of Anson. Pie was no boaster ; I have somewhere
seen it observed that he was too modest ever to speak
of his very unequal combat with the Acapulco ga-
leon, or of the victory he gained oft' Cape Finisterre.

* The occasion was this. His Majesty, on the anniversary of the
battle of Camperdown faUing on a Sunday, attended by the Board of
Admiralty and certain naval ofHcers, heard divine service in the
chapel of Greenwich Hospital, and afterwards dined at St. .James's.
When the queen and the ladies were about to retire, the king re-
quested they would stay, as he had a few words to say regarding the
British navy. He began with the landing of Julius Ctesar in Britain,
A\ Inch, he said, must have proved to the natives the necessity of a
naval force to prevent and repel foreign invasion ; and he went over
the main features of all the great battles that had been fought down
to that of Trafalgar.

Assembled in the drawing-room, after dinner, he beckoned me to
liim, and said, " I fear I forgot to mention the name of Anson, and
the action he fought off Cape Finisterre : I am not sure I know the
details correctly ; pray send me an account of it to-morrow." He
added, ".Vnson was a good man, and knew his business well ; though
not brilliant, he was an excellent First Lord, improved the build of our
ships, made more good olficers, and brought others forward in the
Seven-Years' War, than any of his predecessors had done. Howe,
Ki'ppel, Saunders, and many others, were of his making."

PREFACE. V

111 tliis kind of feeling Howe and St. Vincent parti-
(•ij)ated. The former never talked of tlie glorious
1st of June, nor did the latter of the 14th of Feb-
ruary ; it is said indeed he always discouraged that
topic being brought into conversation. I think it was
Lord St. Vincent who once made the observation,
that it was that man only who had performed one
little exploit who Avas for ever talking about it.

But if the Life of Anson affords not scope for
recording many brilliant deeds of his own, he had
the great merit of preparing fleets, selecting, appoint-
ing and making officers to command them, by which
and by AAhom the British navy was never more tri-
umphant, nor that of France more humbled and
reduced, than in the Seven- Years' War, when Anson
may be said to have had the whole direction of the
naval department. No one ever formed a juster esti-
mate of naval characters ; and it is worthy of remark
that the officers Avho served under him, in his cele-
brated voyage, were those who highly distinguished
themselves in the said war — Saunders, Keppel,
Brett, Denis, &c.

The fate of Admiral Byng is too intimately con-
nected with the administration in \y\ikh Anson held
a prominent position, too deeply aftecting the naval
character, and too painfully impressive, to be omitted
or slightly passed over in a work like this. AVhat
individual share Anson had in this deep tragedy, I
have not been able to discover ; he had however his

VI PREFACE.

share of responsibility, as First Lord of the Admi-
ralty, for the harsh and severe measures taken against
the unfortunate admiral in the hrst instance, which,
in fact, led to all the rest ; but no blame attaches to
him for the selection of this officer, who, being a full
admiral in the actual command of the Channel fleet,
and no complaint appearing against him, could not
have been superseded, without casting a stain on his
character.

In writing the Life of Anson, it Avould have been
unpardonable not to give an outline of the voyage
round the world, the second performed by any
Englishman, that of Drake being the first. The
narrative of this voyage is cleverly draAvn up, but it
does not give the sentiments and feelings of the Com-
modore, under the many distressing incidents and
the melancholy occurrences that befel him and his
companions. This is a fault inseparable from a nar-
rative of personal adventures, drawn up ])y a second
hand, not concerned in them. It is generally under-
stood that, although it bears the name of Mr. ^^^alter,
the chaplain, the account of the voyage was written
by Mr. Robins, an engineer officer of great talent
and celebrity ; but the widow of Walter claimed the
work as that of her husband. Lady Anson, in a
letter to Dr. }5ircli, asks, " Pray is Mr. Robins' se-
cond volume almost ready for President Montes-
quieu's approbation ?" — impl\ ing his authorship of
the first. And a letter of J^ord Anson makes a

PREFACE. Vll

similar inquiry. This second volume would have
furnished an interesting document, as showing the
real state and extent of nautical science when this
voyage was performed, whicli we know only, very
partially, from Pascoe Thomas^ the schoolmaster;
but its loss, in other respects, is not much to be
regretted. Major Rennell observes, in a letter to
his friend, " I forgot to say, in defence of Anson's
voyage, that a second volume, containing the nau-
tical observations, was written, and approved by
Anson ; but Colonel Robins, being hurried off to
India (as Engineer General), took the manuscript
with him, to revise and correct, very contrary to
Anson's desire. Robins died not long after at Fort
St. David, and the manuscript could never be found."
But with regard to the writer of the first volume,
the matter appears to be set at rest by what follows.

In 1761, Dr. James Wilson, a particular friend of
Mr. Robins, published his " Mathematical Tracts,"
in the preface of which he satisfactorily decides the
question whether ]\Ir. Walter, the chaplain to the
Centurion, whose name it bears, or ]\Ir. Rolnns, the
engineer officer, to whom it has generally been given,
be the real author of that celebrated work ; or
whether, which I have always thought most pro-
bable, both these gentlemen did not participate in it.
Dr. Wilson says,

" Of this voyage the public had for some time been
in expectation of seeing an account composed under

Vlll PREFACE.

his Lordship's own inspection. For this purpose the
JRev. IMr. Richard ^^^alter Avas employed, as having
heen chapLain aboard the Centurion for the greatest
part of the expedition. ]Mr. WaUer had accordingly
almost finished his task, having brought it down to
his own departure from IMacao for England, when he
proposed to print his work by subscription. Then
Mr. Robins being recommended as a proper person
for reviewing it, on examination it was resolved that
the w^hole should be written entirely by Mr. Robins ;
what Mr. Walter had done, being, as Mr. Robins
informed me, almost all taken verbatim from the
Journals, and was to serve as materials only. And,
upon a strict perusal of both performances, I find
Mr. Robins' to contain about as much matter again
as that of IMr. Walter ; and indeed the introduction
entire, Avith many dissertations in the body of the
book, were composed by JMr. Robins, without having
received the least hint from ]\f r. "Walter's manuscript ;
and what he had thence transcribed regarded chiefly
the wind and the weather, the currents, courses, bear-
ings, distances, offings, soundings, moorings, and the
cjualities of the ground they anchored on, with such
particulars as generally fill up a sailor's account. So
this famous voyage was composed, in the person of
the Centurion's chaplain, by Mr. Robins in his own
style and manner."

If however the description of Mr. ^\\'ilter's pro-
duction be correct, Mr. Robins must have been not

PREFACE. IX

a little indebted to tlie " Journal of the Voyage," pub-
lished three years before, namely, in 1745, by " Pascoe
Thomas, teacher of the mathematics on board the Cen-
turion," a very respectable work, containing nearly all
that is found in Robins', and, in some respects, unne-
cessarily, more. To corroborate the statement made
by Doctor Wilson as to Robins' share in the work, he
further states that INIr. Robins' friends, Mr. Glover
and Ml'. Ockenden, with himself, compared the
printed book with Mr. Walter's manuscript. The
fact then appears to be simply this — that Walter
drew the cold and naked skeleton, and that Robins
clothed it with flesh and muscles, and, by the warmth
of his imagination (chalcur (Timagmation, as a
French writer says), caused the blood to circulate
through the veins, giving a colour and freshness to
the portrait.

An observation was made by some one (I think in
Nicholl's Literary Anecdotes) that there is not a
single expression in the book that could lead a
stranger to suppose it had been written by a Chris-
tian (much less by a clergyman) or suited for the
reading of Christians ; and this accords with a
remark made by the late IMajor Rennell, that in the
whole narrative of such dangers, distresses, and
calamities, as rarely, if ever, occurred in any voyage,
before or since, the Avord Providence is not to be
found. Perhaps not ; but the finding of a compass
on Tinean, when the Centurion had been driven to

X PREFACE.

sea, is stated to be one of those " providential
interpositions of very improbable events " (p. 327) —
an event, however, that can hardly be considered
dignus vindice nodus to call for such interposition —
but the inference is, that the work could not be that
of the chaplain.

On every consideration it appeared to nie desir-
able, that the name of Anson should no longer want
a place in the naval biography of Great Britain ; and,
having ascertained that materials, to a certain extent,
were to be found for the purpose, I ventured to un-
dertake it ; and I am not sure that in doing so the
similarity, real or fancied, between the circumstances
and characters of Anson and Howe, might not have
had its share in stimulating me to the attempt. The
parallel might run thus: — each of those distin-
o-uished officers entered the naval service without a
prospect of early promotion from any great interest or
hope of patronage ; the success of both appears to
have been owing to constant service and strict at-
tention to their duties, Avhicli rarely fail ; at the
period in (piestion, when the lists were not so swelled
as now, young men like these ^vere sure to succeed.
Howe rose to the flag at the age of forty-five ; Anson
at forty-seven. Both attained to the highest honours
of the profession ; both were raised to the peerage ;
and both Avere placed at the head of th(^ naval ;id-
ministration. And it may here be noticed, as one
amonu- the numerous instances of Anson's discri-

PREFACE. XI

minatiug faculty in the character of naval officers,
that to him, and his recommendation to Mr. Pitt,
Howe, while a captain, was indebted for tlie distin-
guished command of the expeditions to the coast of
France in the Seven-Years' War.

The moral and physical character of these two
officers was very similar. The same personal qua-
lities and constitution of mind were common to each ;
resolution, with undaunted courage, united with pa-
tience, perseverance, and indefatigable attention to
their professional duties ; modesty and diffidence
were the characteristics of both. Howe, on one or
two occasions only, spoke in Parliament — Anson
never. Howe has been represented as silent as a
rock ; Anson is called, by the same writer, the silent
son-in-law of the chancellor. Howe was a family
man, and seldom appeared in society ; Anson was
said to have been " round the world, but never in it."
Howe's character was strongly marked by bene-
volence, humanity, and generosity ; and Anson's was
not less so. Both were firmly attached to the naval
service ; and it is so far remarkable that both should
have had the opportunity of giving the first blow to
the French navy, by each having gained the first
victory in two several wars.

The comparison might be carried further ; but in
one respect there appears to be a great contrast : the
one was fond of writing, the other appears to have
abhorred it ; and this leads me to speak of the mate-

Xll PREFACE.

rials I have collected for the IMemoir of Anson.
In the case of Lord Howe I had upwards of four
hundred letters, all written by the noble Earl to one
individual, which proved a habit of writing ; but,
unfortunately, the rest of his correspondence had
perished. In the case of Anson I have between five
and six hundred letters, none of them written by, l)ut
all of them addressed to, the noble Lord, by a great
variety of correspondents, in and out of the pro-
fession ; all carefully bound up in three large vo-
lumes, alphabetically arranged under tlie names of
the writers, so as to afford an easy reference.

From several of these letters it appears that
Anson, unlike Howe, was as sparing of his pen as
of his tongue. Of whatever letters he may have
written, not purely official, few have been found ;
and, I understand that those I have spoken of
from his correspondents were scattered al)out the
house, until collected ])y the old house-steward,
Jenkins, who had been in his younger days a boy
under Lord Anson's cook, and wlio lived in the
Anson family until his death, in 1824; and that
these letters owe their present collective form to the
care of JMr. Upcott, a gentleman well known in the
literary circle for his valuable collection of curious
manuscripts, which, for their novelty and variety,
ouijlit to have a ])lacc in the British Museum, whose
library is certainly not overstocked with IMSS.

For the use of the IMS. letters above mentioned,

PREFACE. Xlll

I am indebted to the kindness and liberality of the
Earl of Lichfield, Avho most readily placed them
in my hands, and to whom I take this opportnnity
of expressing my thanks. In addition to these
I have another volume of letters, addressed by the
Lord Chancellor Hardwicke, Mr. Pelhani, Chief
Baron Clarke, Lord Anson, and some others, to
Lord Sandwich, at the time chiefly when his Lord-
ship was negociating a peace at Aix-la-CIiapelle.
For these I am indebted to the Earl of Sandwich,
Avho, with the greatest kindness, brought them up
from Hinchinbrook for my use, and for Avhich I am
desirous to express my acknowledgments. The State
Paper Othce afforded but few materials ; but, what-
ever there might be. Lord John Russell had the ci-
vility to order every facility to be given for availing
myself of them ; and it is due to Mr. Lechmere, De-
puty Keeper of State Papers, to say, I found him ever
willing to comply with my w'ishes. To the records
of the Admiralty of a professional nature I had, of
course, ready access ; to these, and a few casual let-
ters and notices, the present little work owes its
existence. What follows has only relation to a
former volume.

I had hoped, in my " Life of Lord Howe," to
have steered clear of giving offence to any one ; but
I regret to say that, in this respect, I have been
mistaken ; and I avail myself of this opportunity to

XIV PREFACE.

make an explanation to the few from whom I have
received remonstrance or friendly hints. The head
and front of my offending comes from Vice- Admiral
Sir Thomas Harvey, who thinks I have thrown a
slur on the character of his late father, Admiral Sir
Henry Harvey, hy inchiding the RamillieSj of which
he was captain, in the only eight seventy-four-gun
ships that were in a condition to go down and oppose
the collected ships of the French, after the battle of
the 1st of June. The paragraph which has given
offence is in part from a MS. Memoir of Captain
Thomas White, on the battle of the 1st June, who
states that "the British Admiral had left only the
Impregnable, ninety, the Gibraltar, eighty, and eight
seventy-fours, to combat one ship of one hundred and
twenty, three of eighty-four, and eight of seventy-
four ouns, rather less damaged than those remaining at
Lord Howe's disposal — that is ten to twelve;" and
I added, " what confidence could Lord Howe have in
his eight seventy-fours, which had contributed little
or nothiuii: to the victory — such as the Thunder, that
had not a man killed or wounded ; the Alfred, none
killed and eight wounded ; the Tremendous, Culloden,
INIajestic, Ramillies, and Valiant, all of which had
little share in the action ; — was a second l)attle to be
intrusted 1o such ships?"

A\'hile I do not hesitate to answer my own ques-
tion by saying a second battle Avas 7iot to be intrusted
to such ships, 1 freely admit that the vaptain of the
Kamillies, Henry Harvey, was not in my contem-

PREFACE. XV

plation when I included his ship; it was a pure
inadvertence, and, I may acknowledge, entirely in-
compatible with what I have said elsewhere of the .
gallant officer in question. 1. I had included the
name of Henry Harvey among the officers having
" particular claim to Lord Howe's attention," p. '237.
2. In describing the gallant conduct of the Bruns-
wick, and her falling alongside the Vengeur, I said,
" In this situation, being observed by Captain Henry
Harvey, the brother of the commander of the Bruns-
wick, who afterwards fell on that day, he stood to
their relief in the Ramillies, and poured such a de-
structive and tremendous fire into the Vengeur, that
just after the conclusion of the battle she went to the
bottom," p. 276. 3. On the same occasion I have
inserted what Lady Mary Howe says : — " His poor
brother, who commanded the Ramillies, seeing the
Brunswick Avitli three ships upon him at the same
time, had twice borne down between the enemy and
his brother, to take the lire in his stead:" p. 284.
If Sir Thomas Harvey will cast his eye over these
passages, I think he will acquit me of any intention
to throw reproach on his father's character.

The next is a kind remonstrance from my much-
respected friend. Vice- Admiral Sir EdAvard Owen,
in behalf of the late Sir John Colpoys, who thinks
that a passage in the Memoir of Earl Howe
" sounds harshly, as regards his memory, and seems
calculated to narrow that high ground of general

XVI PREFACE.

estiiiKition in winch his character and conduct placed
him in public and private life." Sir Edward, I am
sure, knows that it is impossible for any human
being, who had any acquaintance with Sir John
Colpoys, and one in j)articular who sat daily with
him for many months in the same room, not to vene-
rate his character and admire his conduct in all
the relations of his life, public and private. I had
occasion to know him well, and to be witness to liis
kind and cheerful disposition, his general bene-
volence, and extensive charities. But to the charge.
Among the many manuscript slips of paper placed in
my hands, one without name stated that " Sir John
Colpoys wfis appointed to hoist his flag in the North-
umberland (Sir Edward Owen his captain). This
was suddenly changed, without Colpoys being aware
of it ; and, on the Admiral asking for some expla-
nation. Lord Spencer told him a letter from Lord
Bridport stated that there were murnun-s in the
fleet, it being a breach of promise to the service that
Colpoys should be employed again." The memo-
randum then goes on to say that Lord Spencer
sent down Lord Hugh Seymour, to ask Lord Howe
if after the nmtiny lie had made such promise, &c.

On this T observed, that the Lords of the Ad-
miralty had no occasion to ask any such (juestion ;
that no restriction respecting the employment of
orticers was ever conceded to, or asked l)y, the mu-
tineers; and I added what follows.

PREFACE. XVll

" In fact the whole story (contained in the Memo-
randum) is a fabrication. Sir John Colpoys was
never named for the Northumberhind, nor for any
other ship, until appointed by Lord St. Vincent
port-admiral at Plymouth in 1803. The Northum-
berland was never ordered to be fitted as a flag-ship,
and Captain (now Admiral) Sir Edward Owen, was
only first made into that ship a few weeks before."
It will be obvious that I coukl only have made this
statement after examining all that could be collected
from official documents ; and I am compelled to de-
clare, that, on a close re-examination, what I stated
is correctly true. It seems, however^ that, with all
this, I am still in error by Sir Edward's account, and
I most readily give him the benefit of it in his own
words : —

" I venture to assure you that I was promoted and
appointed to the Northumberland, at the vice-admi-
ral's especial request, as his flag-captain ; that the
Northumberland Avas fitted out in all respects as a
flag-ship, the captain's cabin being (as is usual in such
cases) in the ward-room. I can likewise assure you
that his officers, collected from the other ships they
had been serving in, were appointed to, and had
joined her ; I will add, that his name was used in
my various applications to the public boards, was
always blended with the consideration of her equip-
ments, his flag was fitted and ready, his coxswain
even and his boat's-crew named."

b

XVlll PREFACE.

I cannot for a moment doubt that Sir Edward's as-
surances are strictly correct, and all that can be said
is, what has sometimes happened, that the communi-
cation WHS jwiv at ell/ made by the First Lord of the
Admiralty of his intention, wdio very probably desired
him to act upon it ; but I can assure him the flag was
never ordered to be hoisted ; the Northumberland
was never ordered to fit for a flag, but in the usual
way for Channel service, not at Sheerness, as Sir
Edward thinks, but at Woolwich ; and I am obliged
to Sir Edward Owen for putting me in possession
of the real cause (I consider, a very unworthy one) of
the intention l)eing abandoned, as it proves to me
that, at least, the part of the Memorandum which re-
lated to Lord Hugh Seymour's mission to Lord Howe
was " a fabrication."

It appears that a correspondence on the subject
took place in the year 1825, by Sir Griffith Colpoys,
the nephew of the admiral, with Sir Byam JMartin,
in ^v]lich it is stated that "two seamen in the lower
deck of the Bellona were overheard conversing in
their hammocks about the return of A(hniral Col-
poys to the fleet, and expressing their regret at it, as
it would remind them of the ' bad times,' or some
such exj)ression that had passed. This circumstance
having l)een reported to the flag-ship, more import-
ance was attached to it then, than in the opinion of
many it apjteared to deserve. It was considered to
imply a disposition in the seamen of the fleet to resist

PREFACE. XIX

the admiral's return, and witli this colouring it was
sent up to the Admiralty. Admiral Colpoys was
sent for by the Board, and was asked whether he
had heard any news from Portsmouth ; and, on his
answering in the negative, the intelligence alluded to
was communicated to him, and it was put to him
what he meant to do. His answer was to this effect
— that it was for the Board to decide ; that, on his
part, he was ready to act ; and he had only to entreat
that, in coming to a decision, they would lay all con-
sideration for him out of the question, and do what
they might judge best for the welfare of the country,
and the interests of the service. It was decided that
he was not to hoist his flag." — And I cannot avoid
saying, a very cruel decision it was.

3. Connected with the subject of the mutiny, I
had rather a curious application from a gentle-
man who siffns "Robert Bover Hinchliffe," and
who says he seeks at my hands an act of justice to
" a naval officer. Lieutenant Peter Bover, who served
on board the London, and was the officer who shot
the mutineer;" and he complains that, "in all ac-
counts of the transaction (as if purposely), his name
has ever been withheld from the page of history;"
and that "this has been a source of great regret to
his few remaining relations ;" and he requests me, if
an opportunity should occur, to take a little more
notice of Lieutenant Bover, and that, if so, he will
send me some letters and memoranda for the purpose.

62

XX PREFACE.

I liave received them, and most readily avail myself
of this occasion to communicate to the public the
interesting story of Lieutenant Bover.

Sir John Colpoys, in a long letter relating the in-
cidents of the mutiny in the London — a letter that
does him the highest honour for manly feelings, for-
titude, and courage — touches upon that part which
concerns Lieutenant Bover. " I can now solemnly
declare," says Sir John, " and mean to do at my
latest moments, should the poor misguided men, who
are to be my judges, allow me to say as much to
them, and which I am inclined to think they wdll, as
they really paid unexpected attention to me, even at
a moment that one could have little expected any
attention from them, but what was produced iVom
over-boiling rage and fury, at seeing several of their
wounded and dying shipmates weltering in their
blood. — Even then, I say, though armed with all
manner of missive weapons, they gave me a hearing,
and Avliich certainly saved Lieutenant Bover's life,
though the rope was about his neck, and indeed,
Avhen taken from his, I ex])ected it would have been
j)laced about mine." He then proceeds to state the
violent proceedings of the men, who were pointing
the guns aft, and forcing themselves up the hatch-
ways, wIhmi tlie officers called out to know if they
were to he ])revented by firing on them; Sir John
said, " Yes, certainly: they nuist not be allowed to
come uji." Several were killed and wounded by the

PREFACE. XXI

firing; : the niarlnes threw aAvay their muskets — the
men rushed up — the general cry Avas for poor Bover,
whom they seized, carried off to the forecastle, got a
rope round his neck, but were prevailed on by the
surgeon to hear what the admiral had to say. W^hat
he said was — that, if any one was culpable, it was
he, and he only, and that Mr. Bover only obeyed his
orders.

The state of anxiety in ]\Ir. Bover's femily, on the
circumstances being made known to them, will easily
be conceived. The following is a letter from one of
his sisters : —

" My dearest Sisters,

" Thank you both for your kind and flattering
letters. I deserve no praise ; but I rejoice that I had some
recollection left, because it contributed to alleviate in some
little degree the greatest misery wretches ever endured. I
shall not act so wise a part in relating some of the dreadful
circumstances which were yesterday sent me by Lady Howe.
She begged a friend of hers to call and tell me that my
brother's name and person were idolised, and that his life
was saved, by one of the very delegates fired upon. They
seized our dearest Peter, and were in the act of completing
his destruction, when Joyce ran, clasped him by the neck,
and called out to his party, "If you hang this young man,
you shall hang me ; for I will never quit him." The recol-
lection of hoAv near it was, makes me shudder every time I
think of it, and I have a horror beyond conception of being
alone. I secure myself at night by swallowing camphoretted
julep, which puts me to sleep; I beg you will get some," &c.

Xxii PREFACE.

Well did Lord Howe understand the real charac-
ter of British seamen when he "had to quiet the
most suspicious, but most generous minds, he thinks,
he ever met with in the same class of men." Read the
followinir letter written the day after the blood of the
writer's messmates had been shed, and then say, whe-
ther such men as Joyce and Fleming, delegates as
they -were, and mutineers if you will, are not an
honour to human nature ; and who will doubt that
there are thousands among our brave seamen pos-
sessing kindred feelings ?

" To the Delegates of the Fleet at St. Helen x.

" You have, I presume, read the address of the ship's

company, of which I am a member, to you, recommending;

me as their representative in future. They have further

given me the most flattering proofs of their opinion of my

abiUties to act as a man and a Christian ought to do.

Under these circumstances, I flatter myself you will hear

me with patience, as I am partly convinced that your own

sentiments, when compared with mine, will join me in

saving a deserving character from ruin and destruction. I

shall not dwell on the particulars of yesterday, they,< I am

confident, are still warm in your memory; but only recall

your attention to the behaviour, of our brother Valentine

Joyce — his intrepid beh.aviour, in rescuing the unfortunate

gentleman from the hands of an enraged multitude, will, I

am sure, make a deep impression on your minds, and will

I hope influence you to act in a manner worthy of the

character of Christians and British seamen.

" Tliis much, my brethren, for ])reface. Permit me

PREFACE. XXlll

now to speak for that ship's company whose confidence I
enjoy. In the first place^ had they followed the momentary
impulse of passion, and wreaked their vengeance on that
mifortunate gentleman, a few minutes would have brought
to their recollection the amiable character he always bore
among them, and I am confident would have embittered
the latest moments of their lives. Now, my brethren, your
general cry is ' Blood for blood ! ' Do you mean that as a
compliment to us, to assist us in following error after error ?
If so, it is a poor compliment to us indeed. Do you (let
me ask you) think it justice? I hope not: if you do, pray
from whence did you derive that authority to sit as a court
over the life of even the meanest of subjects? The only
answer you can give me is, you are authorised by your
respective ship's companies ; but is that authority sufficient
to quiet your consciences for taking the life even of a cri-
minal, much more that of a deserving and worthy gentle-
man, who is an ornament to his profession in every respect ?
I can almost safely say you will say no. But if you are to
be influenced by your ship's companies, in spite of your
own opinion — I am but a single individual among you —
and before this arm of mine shall subscribe the name of
Fleming to anything that may in the least tend to that
gentleman's prejudice, much more to his life, I will undergo
your utmost violence;, and meet death with him hand-in-
hand.

" I am nevertheless as unanimous as any member in the
fleet for a redress of our grievances — will maintain thtit
point hand-in-hand with you all, so long as you are con-
tented with your original demands ; but, that moment I
hear you deviate from those principles, that instant I become
your most inveterate enemy. You see, brethren, I act

Xxiv PREFACE.

openly, and am determined to support it, as I Mill never
form a part to do injustice to my country; and, for the
future, shall expect that whatever comes before us shall be
only conducive to the much-wanted and desirable end of
restoring this fleet to the confidence of an injured country.
Let these be your aims, and depend on every support from
me and this ship's company; and be assured that the life
and character of Mr. Bover shall always remain inviolate
in our hands ; and we think any step taken to the contrary,
highly injurious to ourselves as brothers of your com-
munity.

" We expect your answer this night ; and beg leave to
remain yours, most sincerely,

(Signed) " JoHxN Fleming.

** Per desire of the London's
ship's company.''

But these deluded men of the London did more :
when Lieutenant Bover was taken on shore, to abide
the result of a coroner's jury, the crew expressed
their unwillingness to give him up, but he promised
them he would return to the ship; the verdict being
" justifialih' homicide,"' liis friends wished to prevail
on him not to return, and put himself in their ])Gwer,
Init he persisted in rejoining his ship, as he had pro-
mised ; he was received on board \\\\\\ three cheers,
requested that he would not leave them, to Avliich he
assented, and continued to serve in the London till
made commander, on the 14th February, 1798; in
the mean time Lord Spencer liad written to his sister
a kind letter, (*f which the following is a copy: —

PREFACE. XXV

" Madam,

" Your brother's conduct on this unhappy occasion,
as well as upon former ones of a less unpleasant nature, has
deserved so well of his country and the service, that you
may depend upon my not suffering it to pass unnoticed;
there are, however, some reasons of discretion, which will
obviously occur to you, that may make it advisable to defer,
at least for a short time, anything to be done in his favour.
" I have the honour to be. Madam,

" Your very obedient humble servant,

(Signed) ''Spencer.
*' Admiralty, 13th May, 1797.
" Miss Maria Bover."

On the 11th August, 1800, he was made captain ;
and died about the end of 1802. It is hoped the
notice here taken will prove satisfactory to Mr.
Bover HinclilifFe and the surviving family of tliis
brave young officer.

4. There is no part of the IMemoir on Lord
Howe's life that I regret more than that which, for
want of explanation, has given pain to a most amiable
and highly-respected gentleman, Sir George Seymour,
son of the late Lord Hugh Seymour ; and which he
has pointed out to me in the most kind and friendly
manner. It is an extract of a letter from Lord HoAve
to Sir Roger Curtis, and is as follows : —

" The conditions meant to be exacted by the
crews of Lord Hugh Seymour's ships is a very un-
pleasant circumstance ; and, by pretensions of a si-
milar kind in the frigate detachments, it appears

XXvi PREFACE.

that the assumed right of rejecting their officers, un-
heard in their defence, will go through the fleet, at
home and ah road. I am glad you have convinced
Lord Hugh of the high degree of impropriety, in
my opinion, when commanders, not so compelled,
assume a liherty to quit their ships."

This paragraph, unexplained, does certainly Avear
the appearance of an indirect rebuke to Lord Hugh
Seymour; but, considering the high estimation in
whicli Lord Hugh's character stood in the navy, and,
on all occasions, in the mind of the noble commander-
in-chief, from his activity displayed in the Latona,
at the relief of Gibraltar, to the time he finally struck
his flag, it is utterly impossible he could have meant
it as such ; and I am vexed it did not occur to me,
at the time, to examine the official reports, to enable
me to explain the circumstance that gave rise to
it. It was simply tliis : Lord Howe, the late com-
mander-in-chief, had struck his flag, and was on
^hore ; Sir Roger Curtis had a squadron placed
under his orders for a cruise, having under him Rear-
Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour, in the Sans Pareil.
^^'hen at St. Helen's, Sir Erasnms Gower, of the
Triumph, and Sir Jose})!! Yorke, of the Stag, dis-
gusted with the conduct of the seamen, wrote a
letter to Lord Hugh, under \vliose orders they
were, desiring to be superseded or alloued to go on
shore ; wliicli Lord Hugh, as was his duty, trans-
mitted to Sir Roger Curtis, and the latter of course

PREFACE. XXVU

to Lord Bridport, the commander-in-chief. His let-
ter to Lord Howe, which drew from him the ob-
servation above alhided to, was a private one.

Whatever blame may be attached to the captain
and crews of other ships, it is due to Lord Hugh and
the Sans Pareil to say that she ought to have been
an example to the rest; her crew never joined in
the mutiny, nor demanded the removal of any officer.
The Sans Pareil was considered and mentioned by
the members of the Board of Admiralty as a gratify-
ing exception from the evil that was raghig in the
ships-of-the-line ; and her crew were looked upon as
so trustworthy, that she was sent to the North Sea,
though ill adapted from her draft of water, to join
Admiral Duncan, left with the Venerable and Ada-
mant off the Texel, where she remained until the
fleet at the No re returned to their allegiance.

Tlie conduct of Lord Hugh Seymour in the battle of
the 1st of June is too well known to make any com-
ments thereon necessary; and, though he is not one of
the five captains who, at once, broke through the ene-
my's line, yet he was one of those *' who were able to
secure their adversaries by close action to wind-
ward," and one who was particularly distinguished
by Lord Howe ; and on the 29th May, when the
Charlotte broke through the enemy's line, she was
folloAved, in the most gallant manner, by the Levia-
than (Lord Hugh's ship) and Bellerophon, both of
which were most conspicuously engaged, the former

XXviii PREFACE.

having her foremast crippled and in danger of falling,
when Lord Howe, observing tliis^ instantly stood to
her rescue. The beautiful manner in which Lord
Hugh expresses, in his journal, his grateful tribute
of admiration for this timely assistance, I have tran-
scril)ed in the Memoir (p. 266).

It will afford me much pleasure if the explanations
here given prove satisfactory to the several parties
concerned.

I

CONTENTS.

CHArTER I.— ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. . p. l

Genealogy of the Anson family— Mistake respecting his education —
Rises in the service by his own exertions and good conduct — First
found serving in the fleet under Sir John Norris— English, Russian,
and Danish fleets in the Baltic— Anson appointed to the Hamp-
shire—to the Montague— in Lord Torrington's engagement— Made
Commander— Captain of the Scarborough— Sent to South Carolina
—Peace with Spain— Returns to England— A great favourite with
the settlers of Carohna— Testimony of Mr. Killpatrick— His cha-
racter by Mrs. Hutchinson— Appointed to the Squirrel, and sent to
Georgia and Carolina— Spanish depredations in the West Indies-
Spanish inhumanity— Inquiry of a Committee of the House of
Commons— Case of Captain Jenkins— a doubtful one— Spanish
retaliation — Declaration of War— Anson appointed to the Centu-
rion, and sent to the coast of Africa— then to Barbadoes— Recalled
for a special service — Two expeditions proposed— Anson's squad-
ron appointed — The second expedition abandoned — Instructions to
Anson of 3 1st January not delivered till the 28th June— Invalids
embarked in lieu of seamen and marines — Impolicy and inhu-
manity — Remonstrance of no avail — Various delays — Sails —
Spanish squadron — disasters of— Character of Sir Charles Wager —
Anecdote — Anson's instructions.

Ch.\p. II. -THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. . p. 38

Expedition sails and arrives at Madeira — Early appearance of sick-
ness—St. Catharine's— St. Julian— Strait of Magellan— Tremen-
dous storm — Scurvy— Socoro — Juan Fernandez — Arrival of the
Tryal and Gloucester — Beauty of the island— Recovery of the sur-
viving part of the crews — Number dreadfully reduced — Several
prizes taken — Arrives off Paita — Attacks and burns the town —
Anson's conduct towards his prisoners — to some young ladies —
Good result of it — Anson's generosity — Proceeds to the coast of

XXX CONTENTS.

California— Measures to intercept the Acapulco ship — Bad condi-
tion of the Gloucester— Removes her men and stores, and sets fire
to her— Dreadful condition of Centurion from scurvy — The island
Tinian— Beauty and fertility of— Centurion driven out to sea-
Transactions thereupon — Returns— Men healthy — Proceed to Ma-
cao—Ship refitted— Sails to look out for the Galeon— Meets, fights,
and captures her — Carries her into China — Transactions there-
Parallel of Anson's voyage with Drake's — Some remarks on scurvy,
and on the defective state of nautical science — Shipwreck of the
"Wager — Disasters which befel the commander and officers— and
also those of the mutinous crew — Act to continue the crews of
ships wrecked. Sec, on full pay and under martial law.

Chap. III.— WAR WITH FRANCE AND SPAIN ; AND THE
SCOTCH REBELLION p. 97

Receipt of intelligence from Anson— His arrival— His first request
refused — Mr. Corbett's advice to him— Declines his promotion to
the flag— Change of Administration — Appointed to the Admiralty
—Character of the Duke of Bedford, Lord Sandwich, and Mr. An-
son— Preparations for commencing hostilities — French fleet in the
Channel— Sir John Norris sent to oppose it— A storm and its
effects— Action of Lion and Elizabeth— The young Pretender em-
barks for Scotland— Intelligence of the Rebels from Mr. T. Anson
—Anson left alone in the Admiralty— Bedford and Sandwich both
ill— Singular complaint ef the latter— Dangerous interference of
the Crown with the jurisdiction of the Admiralty, by commanding
a court-martial— Result of that court-martial — A writ oi capias
issued against the members — Their resolutions against Judge
Willes — He demands and obtains an apology — His character —
Activity of cruisers— Capture of Louisburg~The case of Admiral
Vernon — is ordered to strike his Hag— is summoned to attend the
Admiralty- is struck off the list— Proceedings on this transaction-
Satirical letter of Mr. Legge— Several brilliant actions between
single ships.

Chap. IV.-BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. p. 142

Order in Council for improving the building of Ships— Mode
of promoting Admirals— Situiition of old Captains— Orders in
Ciuncilfor their relier, by api ointing them retired Rear-Admirals

CONTENTS. XXXI

— Objectionable clause in the order — First established uniform —
The year 174 7 glorious for the British Navy — Duke of Bedford's
opinion regarding the distribution of the fleet — Lord Sandwich's —
Lord Anson's disposition of it — his information of two squadrons of
the enemy about to sail — Makes preparations to intercept them —
Determines to hoist his flag — Selects Rear-Admiral Warren for
his second — Letter of the Duchess of Bedford — Falls in with, at-
tacks, and takes six French ships of war — Admiral Warren pur-
sues the rest — Great rejoicings on this first victory — Congratulations
from Duke of Bedford and Lord Sandwich — Fox's squadron falls
in with and captures a large portion of the St. Domingo fleet —
Rear-Admiral Hawke appointed to command a squadron to inter-
cept that of M. Letendeur — Engages and takes five sail-of-the-line
and one fifty out of the eight — His account of the action — Captain
Fox's conduct brought before a court-martial — is dismissed his
ship, and never after employed — Numerous captures made, and
several single actions fought — M. de Conflans taken by Captain
Shirley — his unfounded charges against that ofBcer — Captain
Shirley's exposure of them — Relative ranks of army and navy
settled — Boscawen sent to India with a large force of ships and
troops — Unsuccessful attempt on Pondicherry — Hears of the peace,
and returns to England.

Chap. V.-CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. . p. 194

The duties of First Lord executed by Anson — Lord Vere's interfer-
ence and incapacity— Rules of precedence at the Board — Change
of the Board in consequence of Lord Chesterfield resigning the
seals, the Duke of Bedford accepting them, and Lord Sandwich's
appointment as First Lord — Correspondence of the Duke, the Earl,
and Lord Anson on the occasion— Lord Sandwich's pressing letters,
desiring Anson to consider himself, in all respects, as in his place —
Anson's marriage with the Lord Chancellor's daughter — Lord
Hardwicke's letters to him on the occasion — His anxiety and affec-
tion for Lady Anson, on the score of her health — Difficulties of
Lord Sandwich at Aix-la-Chapelle— Suggestion of the Duke of
Cumberland with regard to the establishment of a Marine Corps-
Conclusion of the war — Lord Vere, in the absence of Sand-
wich and Anson, appoints a commander-in-chief- He resigns both
the Admiralty and Navy— The first visitation of the dock-yards by

XXxii CONTENTS.

the Board— unsatisfactory state of— An act passed for consolidating
the laws relating to the Navy— apparent severity of— Question re-
specting a sentence of transportation — legal opinion of— Lord Bar-
rington's motion for providing seamen for the Navy dropped— Old
Horace Walpole's story— Change in the Board of Admiralty, Lord
Sandwich dismissed by Newcastle's intrigues, and Lord Anson
appointed First Lord.

Chap. VL— THE SEVEN-YEARS' WAR. . p. 2.10

Vigorous preparations for war— Duplicity of the French— Establish-
ment of a Marine Corps under the immediate command of the
Admiralty— The late King's address to the marines— A fleet under
Boscawen sent to America— French fleet puts to sea— Two of their
ships taken by Howe and Andrews— Remonstrance of the French
—Their ambassador recalled— A fleet prepared and placed under
the command of Sir Edward Hawke— Duke of Cumberland and
Anson visit the fleet- latter hoists his Hag in the Prince— Discus-
sion in the Cabinet as to Hawke's instructions— Copy of instruc-
tions from the Lords Justices— Sails and captures many of the
enemy's ships— Secret information from the King at Hanover-
Threats of invasion by the French— march down troops to the
coast— Howe sent to protect Guernsey and Jersey — attacks and
takes Chaussc— War at length proclaimed by England— then by
France— Admiral Byng sent with a fleet for the relief of Minorca-
engages Galissonniere, and retreats to Gibraltar— Public clamour
against him— recalled— sent a prisoner to Greenwich Hospital —
Change in the administration— Pamphlets for and against Byng—
for, by Dr. Johnson, and against, by Mallet, assisted by Lord
ILudwicke — is sent to Portsmouth — tried and condemned to deatli
—Mistaken proceedings to obtain the King's mercy— Voltaire and
Richlicus letters— Opinion of the Judges decides Byng's fate —
His gallant behaviour previous to and at his execution — Inscrip-
tion on his tomb.

Chap. VH.-EXPEDITIONS TO THE COAST OF

FRANCE p. 281

Resignation of the ministers — The King lor two or three months his
own minister— Various applications — One made to Anson — Lord
Hardwicke's advice upon it — Various parties applied to — Duke of

CONTENTS. XXXIU

Newcastle, Fox, Lord Mansfield, Lord AValdegrave— The King's
observations to the latter — Lord Hardwioke sent for— Succeeds, and
relates his proceedings to Lord Anson — Commanders appointed to
the Channel fleet— Mr. Pitt's plans of annoying the French coasts
—First expedition against Rochefort fails— Boscawen sent to North
America — Retakes Louisbnrg and Cape Breton— Sir Edward
Hawke defeats an intended expedition of the enemy — Several
expeditions against the French coast — Lord Anson hoists his flag,
and takes command of the grand fleet— Howe and the Duke of
Marlborough's proceedings against St. Maloes — Third expedition-
Destruction of Cherbourg— Fourth expedition— Disastrous result
at the Bay of St. Cus— BriUiant single actions.

Chai>. VIIL— SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. . p. 320

Preparations for the campaign of 1759- Threats of the invasion of
England, Scotland, and Ireland— iMeasures taken to meet it —
Thurot escapes from Dunkirk — takes Carrickfergus — is met by
Elliot, who captures his three frigates — Thurot killed in the ac-
tion— Rodney attacks Havre — Anecdote of Rodney— Boscawen's
action with the fleet under M. de la Clue — defeats it — De la Clue
wounded, and dies — The glorious defeat of Conflans' fleet by the
gallant Sir Edward Hawke — Extract of his letter to the Due d'Ai-
guillon — Joy of the nation — Hawke receives the thanks of the King,
and a pension of 2000/. a-year on the Irish Establishment— Re-
ceives also the thanks of Parliament — Hawke no friend to the line-
of-battle — Expedition against Quebec — Sir Charles Saunders ap-
pointed to command the fleet, and General Wolfe the army —
Jealousy of the army on the appointment of the latter — Operations
on the St. Lawrence — Quebec taken — Wolfe killed— Noble con-
duct of Saunders on reaching England — Praise of Wolfe by Pitt
in proposing a public monument — also of Saunders by Pitt and
Walpole— Rewards to officers, by appointing generals and colonels
of marines— Capture of Martinique — Gallant conduct of Admiral
Pocock in the East Indies.

Chap. IX.— CONCLUSION OF THE SEVEN-YEARS' WAR-
DEATH OF GEORGE IL, AND OF LORD ANSON, p. 3G0

The disposition of the fleet for the year 17f)0 — High state of the
navy as to ships, officers, and men — The several flag-officers era-

XXxiv CONTENTS.

ployed— Hawke and Boscawen relieve each other— Death of Bos-
cawen, and character —Capture of the Island Dumet — Anson's
mstructions toHawke respecting Belleisle— Death of George II.—
Keppel's expedition against that island — its capture — Affairs of
North America— Byron sent to demolish the works of Louishurg

Chevalier de Levis appears before Quebec — General Murray goes

out to attack him— is obliged to retreat — The fleet arrives, and
Levis raises the siege— Montreal taken by General Amherst—
French power annihilated in Canada — Overture of peace from
France— treacherous intrigue of, with Spain— Mr. Pitt's noble con-
duf-t—resigns in disgust — Declaration of war against Spain — The
■war prosecuted with vigour against these combined powers — Dis-
astrous war for Spain — Her register ships taken— The Havannah
taken, with fourteen sail-of-the-line— Manilla taken, and ransomed
— Disasters of the French, in the capture of Martinique, and seve-
ral frigates, privateers, and merchant-ships— Both powers humbled
and sue for peace— Preliniiiuiries signed in November, 1702, and
proclaimed in London in February, 1763— Death of Lord Anson—
Letter of the Duke of Newcastle on this occasion.

Chap. X.-AN SONS CHARACTER ILLUSTRATED, p. 392

Professional character— Conduct in the civil department of the Navy
—Improvements in the 7nai!meZ of the Navy — Moral character
resembled that of Lord Howe— Peculiar habits— Character illus-
trated by his correspondents. Captains Bennet, Piercy Brett,
Cheap, Denis, Philip Saumurez : Mr. Legge, M. Hardenberg,
Lord Sandwich, Lord Chatham— The late King's mark of attention
to Lord Anson's memory.

SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

Introduction \). -ill

Section 1. Navies of England, France, Russia, United

States, &.(• p. 'I '25

Section 2. Manning the Navy p. 45 7

Sections. Health of the Navy p. 171

THE LIFE

OF

GEORGE LORD ANSON.

CHAPTER I.

ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY.

Genealogy of the Anson family— Mistake respecting his education-
Rises in the service by his own exertions and good conduct — iMrst
found serving in the fleet under Sir John Norris— English, Russian,
and Danish fleets in the Baltic— Anson appointed to the Hamp-
shire—to the Montague— in Lord Torrington's engagement— Made
Commander— Captain of the Scarborough— Sent to South Carolina
—Peace with Spain— Returns to England— A great favourite with
the settlers of Carolina— Testimony of Mr. KiUpatrick— His cha-
racter by Mrs. Hutchinson— Appointed to the Squirrel, and sent to
Georgia and Carolina— Spanish depredations in the West Indies-
Spanish inhumanity— Inquiry of a Committee of the House of
Commons— Case of Captain Jenkins— a doubtful one— Spanish
retaliation— Declaration of War— Anson appointed to the Centu-
rion, and sent to the coast of Africa— then to Barbadoes— Recalled
for a special service— Two expeditions proposed— Anson's squad-
ron appointed— The second expedition abandoned— Instructions to
Anson of 31st January not delivered till the 28th June— Invalids
embarked in lieu of seamen and marines — Impolicy and inhu-
manity—Remonstrance of no avail — Various delays — Sails-
Spanish squadron— disasters of— Character of Sir Charles Wager-
Anecdote — Anson's instructions.

1697 to 1740.

William Anson, Esq., of Lincoln's Inn, an eminent
Ijarrister in the rei^-n of James I., purcliased the
mansion of Shughorough in the comity of Stafford.

B

2 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

To him succeeded his son William, and subsequently
his grandson, William Anson, Es([., who died in
1720, leaving two sons and a daughter, namely —

1. Thomas, his successor at Shugborough, who
died without issue, in 1773.

2. George, the celebrated circumnavigator, who,
lor his services, was created, in 1747, Baron Anson,
a title that became extinct at his death, which hap-
pened on the 6th June, 1762 : he was united to Eli-
zabeth, daughter of Philip first Earl of Hardwicke,
but had no issue.

3. Janetta, died in 1771, having married Sam-
brooke Adams, Esq., of Sand)rooke in the county of
Stafford. The only surviving issue of this marriage
was George Adams, Es(|., who, inheriting the pro-
perty of both his maternal uncles, assumed the
name and arms of Anson. Thomas, his eldest son
and heir, was created, in 1 806, Viscount Anson of
Shugl)orough and Orgrave in the county of Stafford,
and ]3aron Soberton of Soberton in the county of
Hants; he died 31st July, 1818, and was succeeded
by his eldest son, Thomas A\^illiam, the third viscount,
who, in 1831, was advanced to the dignity of Earl
of Lichfield, the present possessor of that title.

George Anson, the second son of AVilliam Anson,
th(! subject of this memoir, was born in the parish of
Colwich the 23rd A])ril, 1697; but where he re-
ceived his education, in what shi]> he first went to
sea, and under what captain, none of the existing

1697.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 3

generation of his family appear to have any know-
ledge. In tlie biographical dictionaries it is stated
that he received his nautical instruction on board
some ship of war, from ]\Ir. William Jones, the
father of the celebrated Sir William Jones, who
was a schoolmaster in the navy ; and Sir John Shore
(afterwards Lord Teignmouth) repeats this in his
"Life of Sir William Jones." Speaking of the
father, his lordship says, " From his earliest years
Mr. Jones discovered a propensity for mathema-
tical studies, and, having cuhivated them with
assiduity, he began his career in life by teaching
mathematics on board a man-of-war ; and in this
situation attracted the notice and obtained the friend-
ship of Lord (Mr.) Anson. In his twenty-second
year IMr. Jones published a treatise on the art of
navigation, which was received with great approba-
tion. He was present at the capture of Vigo, in
1702, and, having joined his comrades in quest of
pillage, he eagerly fixed upon a bookseller's shop
as the object of his depredation ; but, finding in it no
literary treasures, which were the sole plunder that
he coveted, he contented himself with a pair of
scissors, which he frequently exhibited to his friends
as a trophy of his military success, relating the anec-
dote by which he gained it. He returned Avith the
fleet to England, and immediately afterwards esta-
blished himself as a teacher of mathematics in Lon-
don, where, at the age of tAventy-six, he published

b2

4 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

liis Sj/nopsh- Palmeriorum Matheseos — a decisive
proof of liis early and consummate proficiency in his
favourite science."

Tiiis may be all correct as to IMr. Jones, but is
impossible to be so as regards jMr. Anson ; and it is
rather surprising that Lord Teignmouth should not
have seen this. Mr. Jones was born in 1 680, and con-
secpiently had left the navy and was settled in Lon-
don in 1706, when George Anson was only nine
years of age ; Ijut, as he immediately established him-
self in London on the return of the fleet from Vigo,
Anson could then have been no more than five or six.
It is always desirable, where it can be done, to trace
back to early youtli the education and character
of every one w ho, like Anson, may have had the good
fortune to rise to the highest eminence in liis profes-
sion ; for it has generally been found, that traits of
tlic future admiral are observable in the character of
the ini<lshipman ; — the inclination of the tree from the
l^ending of the twig. No record was formerly ke})t
in the Admiralty of the services of young gentlemen,
who entered the navy, until they had served the re-
quired time and passed the necessary examinations,
to render tliem eligible for a lieutenant's connnission.*

* After a (lilifTcnt search nt Somerset House, it appcnrs that the
name of Guorsje Alison is first found, as vohinleor, in the books of
the Rul)y, in January I 71 -J; Iroiu the Ruby to the Monmouth, and
Worn this to the Hampshire, where he received his anting order as
heutenant. As Captain Peter ChamberUiin commanded all these
ships (the Ruby from 170G to 1712), it is extremely probable that An-

1715,] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 5

But, ^\hatever Anson's education may have been, and
under whomsoever brought up, he rose by his own
exertions and good conduct, like St. Vincent and
Howe, to the height of his profession — Admiral of
the Fleet, First Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty,
a Privy Counsellor, and a peer of the realm. That
he did so rise, appears from various quarters, and re-
ceives coniirmation from a memorandum on the first
commission he ever received, written by George
Parker, Esq., youngest son of the Chief Baron Parker,
which was put into the hands of his son William
(the present Sir William Parker) on his first enter-
ing the navy. It is as follows : " Lord Anson, our
relation by marriage, set out without the least patron-
age, and worked his own way to a peerage and the
First Commissioner of the Admiralty, — an example
of encouragement worthy of your attention."

It appears that Anson, in his nineteenth or twen-
tieth year, had qualified himself and passed the neces-
sary examinations to render him eligible, for a lieu-
tenant's commission, and was serving in the Hamp-
shire, a frigate in the Baltic fleet, under the command
of Admiral Sir John Norris. This fleet had been
augmented to eighteen sail of the line, besides frigates
and small vessels, in consequence of the Swedes, then
at war with Russia, having threatened to capture,
and having actually captured, the merchant-vessels

son entered the service under lliis officer, who, in 1720, was wrecked
in the Milford frigate, off the coast of Cuba, when he and nearly the
whole of the crew perished.

6 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

of England and Holland trading to St. Petersburgh,
under pretext of their carrying to that port warlike
stores and ammunition. The Swedes at this time
had twenty-four sail of the line, two of them
three-deckers of 110 guns each. Charles XII.,
whose courage and resolution might properly be
termed rashness, and his military measures indiscre-
tion, had found the means, on his return from his
signal defeat, imprisonment, and romantic adventures,
to keep up this fleet, so wholly disproportionate, in
every respect, to the resources of his country ; \^'hose
low ebb, however, did not prevent liim from obtain-
ing whatever money he wanted from his exhausted
subjects ; as Voltaire says, " he was blamed, admired,
and assisted." It seems never to have occurred to
him, that such a fleet was an unnatural excrescence —
a fungus -without root ; that " ships, colonies, and
conmierce," of the first two of Avhich he had few, and
of tlie last little or none, were the mutual support
of each other ; and that, witht)ut them, a duraljle
naval force could not be kept up. The lapse of a
few years fully ])roved this ; and Sweden has now
some four or live rotten hulks of 74 i»'nns, none of
Avhich are ever likely to go to sea ; a frigate or two,
one steam-vessel, and some eighteen or twenty gun-
boats.

To put down these depredations, on the part ot
Sweden, on neutral commerce, Sir Jolm Norris pro-
ceeded to the Jjaltic. In July, 1710, he fell in with
and joined a Muscovite s(j[uadron of seven sail of ships

1716.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 7

of Aviir, off the Island of Dago ; and next day found
himself in company with the whole fleet of nineteen
sail, commanded by Admiral Count Apraxin, under
whom was serving the Tzar Peter, with his flag
flying, as Vice- Admiral of the Blue. The combined
fleets of England and Russia entered Revel ; Sir
John asked permission to wait on the Tzar, who re-
ceived him in the flag-ship of the admiral. " I made
him," says Sir John, " what compliments I could,
and was received Avith great civilities. He has since
been pleased to come on board my ship, where we re-
ceived him with such salutes as the fleet has always
paid to princes. He is pleased to be very curious in
his inquiries, and there is not a part of our ships he
is not desirous of examining. The improvements he
has made, by the help of English builders, are such
as a seaman would think almost impossible for a
nation so lately used to the sea. They have built
three sixty-gun ships, which are every way equal to
the best of that rank in our country."

The two fleets were here joined by the Danish
squadron, and all three put to sea, forming a line of
battle, as well as they could in the then low state of
naval tactics and signals, even in our own navy. The
compliment of placing the Russians in the centre
was paid to Peter the Great, the English taking the
van and the Danish the rear, while a few Dutch
ships of war, and a portion of the English, were de-
spatched for the protection of the trade up the Baltic.

8 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

The Swedes, on hearing Avhat was taking i)lace, made
the best of their way to Carlscrona; and the Swedish
monarch was apprized that if an English sliip was
molested the admiral would immediately order re-
prisals to be made.

It was a fortunate circumstance for a young man
in Anson's situation to have had so favourable an
opportunity of taking a part in these transactions,
though he mi^-ht not have learned much in naval
manoeuvres ; but he was still more fortunate in an-
other respect : an invaliding vacancy occurred for a
lieutenant's commission in the Hampshire frigate, in
which he was serving, and into which Sir John
Norris cave Anson an actinc; order which was
confirmed at home. In 1717 he was appointed
lieutenant of the JMontague, in which ship he had the
good fortune to share in the action of Sir George IJyng
(afterwards Viscount Torrington) with the Spanish
fleet of twenty-seven ships of war, besides a nundier of
bombs and fire-ships, commanded by Don Antonio
Castancta, with four rear-admirals under him. Sir
George fell in with and chased them all day and
through the night. The Spaniards having detached six
of the fleet, Sir George ordered Captain Walton of
the Canterbury, with five sail, to pursue them. The
laconic account of his proceedings is admirable.
" Sir, Ave have taken and destroyed all the Spanish
ships and vessels Avliich were upon the coast, the
number as per margin. I am. Sec. G. ^^^'llton." Sir

1724.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 9

George Byng, in coming up with the rest of the
Spanish fleet off Cape Passaro, commenced a vigor-
ous attack on the Spanish admiral, Avhoni he captured,
tofjether with a rear-admiral and five sail of the line
and two frigates. The Spanish admiral's ship, the
Royal Philip, of 74 guns and 650 men, soon after
the arrival of the prizes in PortMahon, hlew up, and
every soul on board perished. Thirteen ships escaped,
of which three were either taken, sunk, or wrecked.

Anson remained in the IMontague until he was
made commander into the Weazle sloop on the 19th
of June, 1722, in which ship he was actively and
successfully employed the remainder of that year in
the North Sea, capturing a number of smugglers
from the ports of Holland, laden chiefly with brandy
and other contraband s-oods. From tlie Weazle
he became captain of the Scarborough on the 1st
February, 1723, and was ordered to fit her for im-
mediate service at sea.

In the month of March, 1723-4, the Scarbo-
rough was ordered to South Carolina, with instruc-
tions to protect the trade generally against pirates,
who were committing depredations on the coast
of tliat new settlement, to grant convoys to and
from the Bahamas, and to prevent all illicit com-
merce Avith the young colony. He was also to
communicate with the governor, and to assist when
necessary in the protection of the settlement, keeping
a vigilant look-out on fSpanish cruisers, who were

10 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. L

directed, by the neigh])ouring governments, to mo-
lest and impede the progress of our several establish-
ments on that part of the coast of America, of which
Spain was exceedingly jealous, more especially with
regard to Georgia, which bordered on their posses-
sions in Florida. In the commencement of the
year 1726, matters had assumed the appearance of
direct hostilities on the part of Spain ; and her con-
duct went so far that, although in the peace of 1721,
Spain had made an absolute cession of (libraltar and
]\'Iinorca to Great Britain, it was ascertained that, in
1725, a private engagement had been entered into
between Spain and the Emperor of Germany, in
which the recovery of those two places, by force of
arms, had l)een stipulated, in case the King of Eng-
land should refuse to restore them amicably, accord-
ing to a solemn promise, which it was asserted had
been made by George I. to the Spanish ambassador
in London. The parliament, however, was too sen-
sibly alive to the importance of the fortress of Gib-
raltar, to listen for a moment, when the thing was
mentioned, to its abandonment on any terms. On the
contrary, the ministry sent out innnediately a squad-
ron under Sir Charles Wager, to join the ships that
were already tliere under Admiral Hopson. The
junction was effected just in time, when the Conde
de las Torres, with an army of fifteen to twenty
thousand men, was encam])ing on the plain before
St. Koch, with an intention of taking it by storm.

1728.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 11

The reinforcement thrown in by this fleet rendered
such ail attempt hopeless, and the Count, after a
few months' ineffectual siege, entered into preli-
minaries with the governor ; and the following year
a general peace ensued. In this futile attempt the
Spaniards are said to have lost 3000 men, killed
and wounded ; the English about 300. That strange
madman, the Duke of Wharton, had joined the
Conde on this service.

" Wharton, the scorn and wonder of our days,
Whose ruling passion was a lust of praise.''

This man, having wasted a large estate, turned
papist, attached himself to the Pretender, and, in one
of his mad frolics, had joined the army under de las
Torres.

While these transactions were going on in Europe,
Anson received orders, on the coast of Carolina, to
burn, sink, and destroy all Spanish ships ; but it does
not appear that any of tliem came within his station ;
and the only assistance, he was called upon by the pre-
sident of the province to afford him, was that of
being instrumental, by means of his boats, in seizing
a rebel of the name of Smith, who was instigating
the settlers to assemble in a riotous and tumultuous
manner, with the design of subverting the govern-
ment. He delivered this man to the judicial autho-
rities, and tranquillity was immediately restored.

A vacancy having occurred in the Guarland frigate
by the death of the captain, Anson removed himself
into her, and sent home the Scarborough, which was

12 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. L

in want of repair. In the year 1728 Captain War-
ren, Avho had been sent in the Solebay to the West
Indies with the preliminaries of peace, called, on
his return, at Carolina ; and here commenced that
friendship l)etween him and Anson wliich ceased only
with the death of AVarren in the year 1752. ThouG;h
peace was concluded, it was not before the 5th July,
1730, that Anson received orders to return to Eng-
land.

His popularity among the settlers of South Caro-
lina was very great. They gave his name to districts,
towns, and mines; and we still find, on our maps,
Anson County — Anson Ville — Anson's Mines. It
is not improbable that while on this station he may
have possessed some property, either by purchase or
by grant. A letter addressed to him in London,
3rd October, 1747, when he was a member of the
Board of Admiralty, by a JiMr. Killpatrick, proves
Avith what affectionate regard he was considered by
the inhabit.'mts of Carolina. The writer asks for no-
thing, but merely sends the translation of some work
for his Ijrother, Thomas Anson, Esq.

"The ])resent intrusion of which I am guilty, and
Avliich your Lordship's goodness will pardon, is en-
tirely owing to my being one of the many witnesses
of your mo.st benevolent and amiable disposition in
America, l^efore your merit had attained that just
elevation, which all good men Avho truly know you,
unfeignedly rejoice in. I cannot deny that ihere
is some appearance of confidence in this address, but

17'29.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 13

your Lordship's justice will acquit me of any ex-
cessive assurance, Iroui a recollection that, where your
condescension and affability made you very generally
accessible, my reserve prevented me from testifying-
that high esteem in person^ which, upon my integrity,
I ever consciously preserved for your just, honour-
able, and amiable demeanour among us. This, my
Lord, cannot be the language of adulation ; it was
the incontestable sense of a province,

" Your Lordship will observe how I have disposed
of some of my many too-frequent disengagements
from a more profitable employment," &c. &;c. : and he
concludes by an assurance that " My greatest plea-
sure and ambition will be always to approve myself,
with the utmost respect and deference,

" Your Lordship's, &c.
(Signed) " Jas. Killpatrick."

But the following character, given by a lady (Mrs.
Hutchinson) of South Carolina, and extracted from
a long letter written to her sister in London, and
afterwards printed, proves the favourable light in
which he Avas viewed by the settlers in that colony.
At this period he must have been about thirty-two
years of age : —

" Mr. Anson is not one of those handsome men,
whose persons alone may recommend them to the
generality of our sex, though they be destitute of sense,
good nature, or good manners ; but, nevertheless, I
think his person is what you would call very agreeable.

14 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

He has good sense, good nature, is polite and well-
bred ; free from that troublesome ceremoniousness
wliich often renders many people^ who may perhaps
rank themselves among the most accomplished, ex-
tremely disagreeable. He is generous without pro-
fusion, elegant without ostentation ; and, above all,
of a most tender, humane disposition. His benevo-
lence is extensive, even to his own detriment. At
balls, plays, concerts, &c., I have often the pleasure of
seeing, and sometimes of conversing with, Mr. Anson,
who, I assure you, is far from being an anchorite,
though not what we call a modern pretty fellow,
because he is really so old-fashioned as to make some
profession of religion : moreover, he never dances,
nor swears, nor talks nonsense. As he greatly ad-
mires a fine woman, so he is passionately fond of
music ; which is enough, you will say, to recommend
him to my esteem ; for you know I never Avould allow
that a character could be complete without a taste
for that sweet science.

" i\Ir. Anson's modesty, inoffensive easy temper,
good nature, humanity, and great probity, doubtless
are the antidotes that preserve him from the poison-
ous breath of calunmy ; for, amidst all the scandalous
warfare that is perj)etually nourished here, he main-
tains a strict neutrality, and, attacking no party, is
himself attacked by none.

" But I would convince you that all I have already
said, or shall li(?reafter say, of Mr. Anson, is not
merely paiu'gyrical. I will give you an account of

1733.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 15

his faults, too, as well as of his virtues ; for I have
nowhere said he is an angel. In short, it is averred,
that he loves his bottle and his friend so well, that
he will not be very soon tired of their company, espe-
cially when they happened to be perfectly to his taste,
which is pretty nice as to both : moreover, if fame
says true, he is very far from being a woman-hater,
and that now and then his mistress may come in for
a share of him.

*' ' His heart, his mistress, and his friend did share ;
His time, the Muse, the witty, and the fair.' ''

Such was Captain Anson in his younger days.
On his return from America he was not suffered
long to remain idle. The Guarland (so spelt) being
ordered to be paid off, he received a commission, in
February, 1731, to command the Squirrel, in which
he was employed on the home station ; and, in
August of the same year, was removed from her into
the Diamond, a ship of 40 guns, which, soon after the
signing of the treaty of peace, between Great Britain
and Spain, concluded at Seville, was also paid off.
He was reappointed to the Squirrel in the spring of
1733, and ordered to prepare forthwith for sea, intel-
ligence having 1)een received from Georgia of the
intention of the Spaniards to attack that province.
His instructions were to proceed to South Carolina
for information, and, if the intelligence were true, to
call to his assistance the ships stationed at Virginia,
New York, and New England. In August, ] 734,

16 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

he reports his having cruised along the coast of
Georo-ia, caUine- at the several settlements as he
])asse(l along, and found the inhal)itants under no
jipprehension of being disturbed by the Spaniards.
In the month of June, 1735, he arrived at Spithead,
and paid off the Squirrel ; when, for the first time,
during nineteen years since he received his first com-
mission, he was allowed to remain between two and
three years on shore.

The ])eace, however, which was concluded with
Spain, might be considered as little better than a hol-
low truce. The depredations and insults, which the
Spanish Guarda Costas had long been in the habit of
committino- on our trade in the West Indies, were
still continued, and, as might naturally be expected,
retaliation was resorted to by the commanders of
British ships, whenever an ecpiality of force encou-
raged it. This state of things went on for several
years, and the Spaniards, not satisfied by plundering
our connnercial vessels, were loudly accused of mal-
treating the crews. Every arrival from that cpuirter
brought complaints of atrocities committed by the
Spaniards against I5ritish subjects, some of which
were revolting to humanity. A general feeling of
indiirnation was roused in the ])ul)lic mind, and peti-
tions from the merchants were poured into the House
of Commons. Representations were made to the
Court of Madrid, which affected to scud out such
orders to the West Indies, as would i)ut a stop to the

1738.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 17

grievances coiiipluiiied of; but there was little sin-
cerity in that Court, and accounts continued to be re-
ceived of the Spaniards persisting to search British
ships, under pretext of having on board contraband
jToods, and of treating the men in a cruel and barbar-
ous manner. At length the British Government
ordered four ships of 20 guns, and two sloops,
to the West Indies, to be employed solely in the
protection of our trade. It would not appear, how-
ever, that this small force was at all adequate to pre-
vent the Spanish depredations in those seas, on the
Spanish IMain, and on the eastern coast of America.
They continued to the year 1738, when the House of
Commons determined to investigate the matter of com-
plaint minutely, and to ascertain the exact number
of British ships that had Ijeen seized and plundered,
from the Treaty of Seville up to that time, specifying
the names of tlie ships and masters, their estimated
value, from whence trading, and where taken; stating
also the extent and nature of the barbarous treat-
ment practised against their niasters and crews.

A circumstance was brought to light in the exa-
minations that took place before the committee of the
House of Commons, appointed to inquire into the
Spanish abuses, which created a deep feeling of in-
dignation in the country. Captain Jenkins, master
of the brio- Rebecca of Glasgow, stated that, after
the people of the Spanish Guarda Costa had mal-
treiited his crew, they wantonly and brutally cut off

c

18 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

one of his ears, the captain of which put it into his
hands, and tokl him in the most insolent manner to
take it home and make a present of it to the king
his master, whom, if he had him there, he wouhl
treat in the same manner. In addition to this savage
act he was tortured in the most cruel manner, and
threatened with immediate death. Being asked in
the committee what his thoughts were in finding
himself in the hands of such harbarians, he replied,
'' I recommended my soul to God, and my cause to
my country." This representation made by Jenkins,
the sight of the ear, which he produced, and his
account of the indignity which, in his person, had
been insolently offered to the sovereign of Great
Britain and the whole nation, filled the House witli
horror and indignation. Whether Jenkins's story
was true or false, it was entertained by the House of
Commons, and the report of it was received with uni-
versal indignation l)y the people of Great Britain.
Jenkins certainly brought his ear home and exhi-
bited it. Coxe,* however, is induced to l)elieve, with
Tindal, that " Jenkins lost his ear, or part of his ear,
on another occasion, and pretended it had been cut
off ]jy a Guarda Costa." What(^ver the case may
liave been, it occurred so long back as the year 1731,
and was only brought forward in Parliament, in the
year 1738, on occasion of these proceedings relating to
the Spanish depredations ; it seems therefore to have

* Memoirs of Sir Robert Walpole.

1739.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY, 19

made no impression at the time when it was stated
to have been committed. Burke called it " the fable
of Jenkins's ears," and Pope thus alludes to it —

" The Spaniards own they did a waggish thing,
Who cropp'd our ears, and sent them to the king."

The Spaniards, however, were not behind-hand
with us in making their people believe an equally in-
credible story against our English captains. " An
English captain, after having, by an act of perfidy,
invited two Spanish gentlemen on board his ship,
kept them two days fasting, to extort from them a
ransom ; but this expedient not succeeding, he cut
off the ears and nose of one of them, and compelled
him, with a knife at his throat, to swallow them, — a
story which the Spaniards had a right to make use
of by way of retaliation, and they did make use of it
to some purpose."

These excesses, true or false, and the discussions
in parliament respecting them, but more especially
the breach by Spain of a convention which had been
agreed upon, raised such a flame in the nation, that
the result was, the issue of letters of marque and re-
prisal on the 21st July by the Admiralty; and on
the 19th October, 1739, war was declared in due
form against Spain. The declaration of war 'Svas
received l)y all ranks and distinctions of men with a
degree of enthusiasm and joy, which announced the
general frenzy of the nation,"

Previous to this event, but not before a strong

c 2

20 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

probability of its speedy occurrence, Captain Anson,
on the 9tli December, 1737, Avas appointed to the
command of the Centurion, a ship of 60 guns, and
sent to the coast of Africa, with instructions to pro-
tect our merchants engaged in the gum-trade at
Portendic from the constant interruptions and em-
barrassments thrown in their way by the Frencli ;
and which are continued periodically and frequently
to this day ; and here he prevented the slaughter of
some native Mahomedans by a French ship of war,
just as she was commencing a fire upon them. lie
was also instructed to visit the several tradini*- sta-
tions and forts along the coast ; and, having so done,
to proceed to Barbadoes, where he might expect to
receive further orders. These orders Avere to recall
him forthwith. The Ministry had resolved, at once
to strike a blow against Spain, both at home and in
her foreign possessions ; and, as that nation was known
to draAV its princi]tal resources, for enabling its go-
vernment to carry on the war, from their several
settlements in the West Indies, the South Seas, and
Manilla, the administration decided on sending out
two expeditions, to annoy the enemy at the same time
in their South American possessions, and at Manilla,
which Avere not only considered as of tlie first import-
ance, but also the most vulnerable. For this purpose
tAvo otlicers Avere selected, A\'ho Avere deemed most
competent for th(; eOicient execution of tins duty,
to take command of the naval jiart of th(!se expedi-

1739.J ADVANCE3IENT IN THE NAVY. 21

tions ; the one was Captain George Anson, the other
Captain James Cornwall — both highly-esteemed offi-
cers, and the latter of whom, Avhen subsequently com-
manding the JMarlborough in the year 1743, gal-
lantly fell, having had both his legs shot off.

The first of these projected expeditions was in-
tended to be under the command of Anson, who
arrived opportunely at SjHthead on the 10th Novem-
ber, 1739, Avhere he found a letter addressed to him
by Admiral Sir Charles Wager, ordering him
to proceed immediately to the Admiralty, He was
there told that the squadron, to the command of
which he would be appointed, was to take on
board three independent companies of one hundred
men each, and Bland's regiment of foot, the colonel
of which would himself embark wdth it ; — that the
object was to attack and carry Manilla; — that
a second squadron was intended to be sent round
Cape Horn, into the South Seas, range along the
western coast of South America, attacking the enemy
in those parts, and attempting to take or destroy the
Spanish settlements on that coast ; then to cross the
Pacific, and form a junction with the former squa-
dron at or near Manilla; refresh and refit, and wait
further orders. It is difficult to suppose that Sir
Charles Wager could have been any party to so
absurd a scheme — absurd even in our time, much
more so when, after Magellan, one man only, the
renowned Drake, had passed into and crossed the

22 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. 1.

Pacific Ocean. In the course of a week Anson re-
ceived an order to take under his connnaud the fol-
lowing ships : —

Shiiis. Guns. Men. Comraauders.

The Centurion CO 400 George Anson.

Argyle (changed for Gloucester) 50 300 Richard Norris.

Severn 50 300 Hon. E. Legge.

Pearl 40 250 Matt. Mitchel.

Wager 28 160 Dandy Kidd.

Tryal sloop 8 100 Hon. J. Murray.

Two pinks, as victuallers.

This squadron Anson was ordered to victual and
])repare for sea ; but in January following he was again
sent for to the Admiralty, and told by Sir Charles
Wager, that the expedition to r>Ianilla was laid aside.
Anson, as may be conceived, was mortified exces-
sively at this intelligence, until Sir Charles further
acquainted him, that the other part of the plan was to
go forward, and that he and the squadron which had
been intended for the eastern, should be employed on
the western expedition.

On the 10th January, 1740, he received his com-
mission a])pointing him commodore of the squadron
above mentioned, but he was not to Avear a hrumi
pendant, nor to have a captain under him. Delighted
with this command, he forlhAvith set about its e(|uij)-
ment, the victualling and manning of the ships, with
the greatest alacrity ; and \vas in a very short time
so far advanced that, with the exception of a i^w
seamen, and the marines or soldiers to be embarked,
he was ready to put to sea the moment he should

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 23

receive his final orders. These orders, which, as it
afterwards appeared, were dated the 31st January,
Avere not delivered to him till the 28th June. They
were given by the Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of
State, signed by the King, and accompanied with an
additional instruction, dated 19th June, from the
Lords Justices, the King having departed for Ha-
nover; and, as Sir Charles Wager had informed
him, that an order Avas despatched to Sir John Nor-
ris, to spare him, from the fleet under his command,
the number of seamen he was short in the squadron,
amounting altogether to nearly three hundred, he
had no doubt of jjeing able to put to sea forthwith.

With this view he proceeded to Portsmouth, Avhere,
to his surprise, he was told by Sir John Norris
that he could not have a single man, as he was in
want of men for his own fleet. The order was re-
peated to Admiral Balchen, who had succeeded Sir
John Norris, who said he could spare him only one
hundred and seventy ; and of these thirty-two were
received out of the hospital ; thirty-seven, with three
oflicers, from Lowther's regiment ; and ninety- eight
were soldier-marines ; and these were all he ever got
toAvards completing his squadron. Moreover, instead
of Bland's regiment, with three independent compa-
nies of one hundred men each, as land forces, it was
noAv announced that five hundred invalids would be
sent to him, collected from the out-pensioners of Chel-
sea College. It Avas in vain to remonstrate against

24 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

this change, to represent the impolicy and inhumanity
of sending such men on such an expedition, who, from
their age, wounds, or other infirmities, were utterly
unfit to bear the rigours of a passage round Cape Horn.
Sir Charles Wager readily joined in the opinion, that
invalids were in no way proper for the intended ser-
vice, and solicited strenuously to have them changed ;
hut he was told that persons, who were supposed to
he better judges of soldiers than he or ]\Ir. Anson
could be, thought them the fittest men that could be
employed on this occasion. The feelings of these
excellent judges are not to be envied, when they
were afterwards made acquainted Avitli the fact, that
not one of these unfortunate individuals, who went
on the voyage, survived to reach their native land —
every man had perished.

It Avas not till the 5th August that these unfortu-
nate beings were collected at Portsmouth, and ordered
to embark ; but, instead of 500, no more than 259
made their appearance on board ; " for all those''
(says the writer of the voyage) " who had limbs and
strenirth to walk out of Portsmouth, deserted, leavin<r
behind them only such as were literally invalids, most
of them being- sixty years of age, and some of them
upwards of seventy." " Indeed," he says, "it is
diihcult to conceive a more moving scene than the
embarkation of these unhapj»y veterans : they were
themselves extremely averse to the service they were
engaged in, and fully ai)prize(l of all the disasters

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 25

they were afterwards exposed to ; the apprehensions
of which were strongly marked by the concern that
appeared on their countenances^ which was mixed
with no small degree of indignation, to be thus hur-
ried from their repose into a fatiguing employ, to
which neither the strength of their bodies nor the
vigour of their minds, AA^ere any way proportioned ;
and where, without seeing the face of an enemy, or
in the least promoting the success of the enterprise
they were engaged in, they would in all pro])ability
uselessly perish by lingering and painful diseases ;
and this, too, after they had spent the activity and
strength of their youth in their country's service."*

By imposing these decrepit and miserable objects
on the commander of such an expedition, Anson
must have felt himself extremely ill-used, and nothing
but that feeling of duty and propriety in an officer
not to decline any service, to which he has been ap-
pointed, could have prevailed on him to continue in
it under such circumstances. But other mortifica-
tions were in reserve. To supply the place of the
240 invalids who had deserted, there were ordered
on board his ships 210 marines detached from differ-
ent regiments, all raw and undisciplined men just
raised, with nothing more of the soldier about them
than their regimentals, nor even so far trained as to
be permitted to fire ; and still less were they ac-
quainted with the miseries and inconveniences of a

* Anson's Voyage round the Vv'^orld,

26 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

landsman's life at sea. The last of these embarked
on the 8th of August, and on the 10th the squadron
(h'opped down to St. Helen's, ready for a start the
moment the Avind was fair. Here, however, another
cause of delay occurred ; the squadron was ordered
to put to sea with Admiral Balchen's fleet, consisting
of sixteen ships of war and one hundred and twenty
sail of merchantmen and transports ; but, on the 9th
September, Anson was directed to proceed with his
own squadron only; and again, on the 12th, he re-
(leived further orders to take the St. Alban's and
Turkey fleet, the Straits and i\merican traders, at
Torbay and Plymouth, and proceed with them as far
as their several courses lay together. At length, on
llie 18th September, he weighed, and was fortunate
.;nough to clear the Channel in four days.

These vexatious and prejudicial delays, both with
regard to the manning of the ships and their subse-
<|uent detention, were in no Avay attributable to the
Achniralty. Sir Charles Wager was equally eager
witli Anson to expedite the departure of the squad-
ron, Avell knowing, as it afterwards appeared, that the
particulars of its strength and destination had reached
the S})anish settlements on the Avestern coast of
America, even before it left St. Helen's. The Spa-
nish Government, as might have been foreseen, had
provided and sent out a strong squadron of six ships
of war under Admiral Pizarro, four of them of the
line, to intercept Anson on his passage to Cape
Horn ; but the fate of this squadron was almost as

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 27

disastrous as that of Anson. In attempting to double
Cape Horn, they were driven by a storm to the
eastward, and dispersed altogether; three of them
reached La Plata after many perils ; two, with the
loss of half their crews, and the third, the Esperanza
of 50 guns, and 450 men, of which only 58 remained
alive, while a whole regiment of foot she had on
board perished except 60 men. One of the five was
never heard of, and supposed to have foundered at
sea ; and one was wrecked on the coast of Brazil.

The calamities that attended Anson's squadron,
after passing through the Straits of Magellan at an
improper season of the year, Avere unquestionably
owing, in a great degree, to the delay in leaving
England ; but many of them would have been
avoided, had this passage then been as well under-
stood as now, when the smallest ships of war, mer-
chantmen, and whalers go round the Cape or throuo-h
the Straits, at all seasons of the year. The ships of
Anson were, however, most wretchedly Uianned ; and
Sir Charles Wager, an excellent seaman, and a man
of good sound sense, could not contend with the Se-
cretary of State and their Excellencies the Lords
Justices, who appear to have taken entirely upon
themselves the setting forth of this expedition. An-
son, when at Spithead, ventured to send on shore two
invalid officers, who from age and infirmity declared
themselves incapable of doing any duty : he imme
diately received an order, by direction of the Lords

28 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

Justices, that they should again be received on board,
and that no more should be dismissed.

Had Sir Charles Wager been a younger man,
and possessed of that energy and vigour that is re-
quired from the head of so large and important a
department, he might have succeeded in taking the
equipment of the squadron out of the hands of their
Excellencies, who could not be supposed to know
much of the details of sea affairs ; but, being in the
seventy-sixth year of his age, that firmness of cha-
racter, which he once possessed, he could hardly be
expected to retain. He had served at sea upwards
of fifty years, was fifteen years a Lord of the Ad-
miralty, and nine years First Lord, having, in 1733,
succeeded Lord Viscount Torrington in that situation.
He died in 1743, leaving behind him the reputation
of an excellent officer and an honest man, who, with-
out having had the opportunity of performing any
brilliant exploit, had done much good, been employed
on varied services, and risen to the top of his pro-
fession solely and entirely by his own merits, unas-
sisted by any ])owerful influence. A curious instance
is mentioned by Walpole of his inflexible character,
Avliich he maintained to the very close of his ex-
istence.

"The day before the Vreslminster petition, Sir
Charles "Wager gave his son a ship, and the next
day the father came down and voted against him.
The son has since been cast away, but they concealed

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 29

it from the father, that he might not absent himself.
However, as we have our good-natured men too on
our side, onfe of his ow-n countrymen went and tohl
him of it in the House. The ohl man, who looked
like Lazarus after his resuscitation, bore it Avith
great resohition, and said, "he knew tvhy he was
tohl of it ; hut wdien he thought liis country in danger
he would not go away ;" and Walpole adds, with one
of his usual sneers, " It is unlucky for him not to
have lived when such insensibility would have been
a Roman virtue."*

The following instructions, signed by the King,
ought to have been printed at the head of the authen-
tic account of the voyage, especially as it was said
by some that Anson had exceeded his instructions in
burning Payta, and by others that he had failed in
the execution of part of them. They are here given
from the originals in the State Paper Office^ not
being found in the records of the Admiralty.

(Signed) " George R.

" Instructions for our trusty and luell-beloved George Anson,
Esq., Commander in Chief of our Ships desicjned to be
sent into the South Seas in America. Given at our
Court at St. James's the 31st day of January, 1739-40,
in the thirteenth year of our reign.

" Whereas we have thought proper to declare war against
the King of Spain, for the several injuries and indignities

* Walpolu's Letters to Sir- Horace Mann, vol. i. p. 87.

30 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

pfFcred to our crown and people, which are more particu-
larly set forth in our declaration of war ; and whereas,
in pursuance thereof, we are determined to distress and
annoy the said King of Spain and his subjects, in such
manner and in such places as can be done with the greatest
prospect of success, and the most to the advantage of our
own subjects ; we have thought fit to direct that you, taking
under your command our ships hereafter mentioned, viz. :
the Centurion, the Argyle, the Severn, the Pearl, the Wa-
ger, and the Tryal sloop, should proceed with them accord-
ing to the following instructions.

" You are to receive on board our said ships five hundred
of our land-forces, and to proceed forthwith to the Cape
de Verde Islands, and to supply your ships with water and
such refreshments as are to be procured there ; and you are
from thence to make the best of your way to the Island of
St. Catherine, on the coast of Brazil, or such other place on
that coast as you may be advised is more proper, where you
are again to supply your ships with water and any other
necessaries you may want that can be had there. And when
you have so done, you are to proceed with our ships under
your command into the South Sea, either round Cape Horn
or through the Straits of Magellan, as you shall judge
most proper, and according as the season of the year and
^vinds and weather shall best permit.

" When you shall arrive on the Spanish coast of the South
Sea, you are to use your l^est endeavours to annoy and dis-
tress the Spaniards, cither at sea or land, to the utmost of
your power, by taking, sinking, burning, or otherwise de-
stroying all their ships and vessels that you shall meet with,
and particularly their boats, and all embarkations whatsoever,
that they may not be able to send any intelligence by sea
along the coast of your ))eing in those parts.

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 31

" In case you shall find it practicable to seize, surprise,
or take any of the towns or places belonging to the Spaniards
on the coast, that you may judge worthy of making such an
enterprise upon, you are to attempt it ; for which purpose
we have not only ordered the land-forces above mentioned,
but have also thought proper to direct that an additional
numljer of small arms be put on board the ships under your
command, to be used, as occasion may require, by the crews
of the said ships, or otherwise, as you shall find most for our
service. And you are, on such occasions, to take the opi-
nion of the captains of our ships under your command at
a council of war ; of which council of war, in case of any
attack or enterprise by land, the commander of our land-
forces shall also be one ; which said land-forces shall, upon
such occasions, be landed according to the determination
of the said council of war ; and, when on shore, shall be
under the direction and conduct of the commanding officer
of our land-forces, subject, however, to be recalled on board
by any future determination of a council of war. And, as it
will be absolutely necessary for you to be supplied with pro-
visions and water when and where they can be had, you will
inform yourself of the places where that can be most conve-
niently done ; and, as we have been informed that the coasts
of Chili, and particularly the island of Cliiloe, do abound
with provisions and necessaries of all sorts, you are to call
there for that purpose.

" As it has been represented unto us that the number of
native Indians on the coast of Chili greatly exceeds that of
the Spaniards, and that there is reason to believe that the
said Indians may not be averse to join with you against the
Spaniards, in order to recover their freedom, you are to
endeavour to cultivate a good understanding with such In-

32 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

dians as shall be willing to join and assist you in any attempt
that you may think proper to make against the Spaniards
that are established there.

" You are to continue your voyage along the coast of Peru,
and to get the best information you can whether there be
any place, before you come to Lima, that may be worthy
your attention, so as to make it advisable to stop at it ; but
if there be no place where any considerable advantage can
be expected, you are then to go along the coast till you
come to CalaO;, which is the port of Lima, taking or destroy-
ing all embarkations whatsoever that you shall meet with.

" As soon as you shall arrive at Calao you shall consider
whether it may be practicable to inake an attempt upon that
place or not; and if it shall be judged practicable by a
council of war, to be held for that purpose, with the strength
you have with you, to make an attack U])on that port, you
are accordingly to do it ; and if it shall please God to bless
our arms with success, you are then to endeavour to turn it
to the best advantage possible for our service.

'• And whereas there is some reason to believe, from pri-
vate intelligence, that the Spaniards in the kingdom of Peru,
and especially in that part of it which is near Lima, have
long had an inclination to revolt from their obedience to the
King of Spain (on account of the great oppressions and
tyrannies exercised by the Spanish viceroys and governors)
in favour of some considerabh; ])erson amongst themselves,
you are, if yt)u should find that there is any foundation for
these reports, by all j)ossiblc means to encourage and assist
such a design in the best manner you shall l)e able : and in
case of any revolution or revolt from the obedience of the
King of Spain, either amongst the Spaniards or the Indians
in those parts, and of any new government being erected by

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 33

tliem, you are to insist upon the most advantageous condi-
tions for the commerce of our subjects to be carried on with
such government so to be erected ; for which purpose you
shall make provisional agreements, subject to our future
approbation and confirmation.

"But, in case you should not think proper to attack
Calao, or should miscarry in any attempt you may make
against that place, you are then to proceed to the northward
as far as Panama ; but, as there are many places along the
coast which are considerable, and where the Spanish ships,
in their passage between Panama and Lima, do usually stop,
it will be proper for you to look into those places, and to annoy
the Spaniards there as much as it shall be in your power.
And, if you shall meet with the Spanish men-of-war that
carry the treasure from Lima to Panama, you are to endea-
vour to make yourself master of them.

" When you are arrived at Panama, you will probably have
an opportunity to take or destroy such embarkations as you
shall find there ; and, as the town itself is represented not to
be very strong, you are, if you shall think you have sufficient
force for that purpose, to make an attempt upon that town,
and endeavour to take it, or burn and destroy it, as you shall
think most for our service.

" And, as you may possil)Iy find an opportunity to send
privately, overland, to Portobello or Darien, you are by that
means to endeavour to transmit to any of our ships or forces
that shall be on that coast an account of what you have done
or intend to do. And lest any such intelligence should fall
into the hands of the Spaniards, we have ordered you to be
furnished with a cipher, in which manner only you are to
correspond with our admiral or the commander-in-chief of

D

34 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

any of our sliips that may be in the northern seas of Ame-
rica, or the commander-in-chief of our land-forces.

*' As we have determined to send a large body of troops
from hence as early as possil)le in the spring, to make a de-
scent on some part of the Spanish West Indies ; and as we
shall have a very considerable fleet in those seas, in case it
should be thought proper that any part of those ships or
troops should go to Portobello or Darien vnih a design to
send the said troops overland to Panama or Santa Maria,
you are then to make the best disposition to assist them by
all the means that you shall be able in making a secure set-
tlement, either at Panama or any other place that shall be
thought proper ; and you are, in such case, to supply them
with cannon from the ships under your command (if neces-
sary), or with anything else that can be spared without too
much weakening the squadron ; and if the land-forces on
board our said ships should be wanted to reinforce those that
may come overland to the coast of the South Sea, you may
cause them to go on shore for that purpose, with the appro-
bation of the proper officers.

'" When you shall have proceeded thus far, it must, in a
great measure, be left to your discretion, and that of a coun-
cil of war (when, upon any difficulty you shall think fit to
call them together), to consider whether you shall go farther
to tlio northward, or remain longer at Panama, in case the
place should have been taken by our forces, or you can any
way hear that any of our forces may be expected on that
side from the north side. But you will always take parti-
cular care to consider of a proper place for careening of the
shijis, and for suppl_ying them with pro\'isions either for their
voyage homeward or for their continuing longer abroad.

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 35

" In case you shall be so happy as to meet with success,
you shall take the first opportunity, by sending a ship on
purpose, or otherwise, to acquaint us with it, and with every
particular that may be necessary for us to be informed of,
that we may take the proper measures thereupon.

"■ If you shall find no occasion for your staying longer in
those seas, and shall judge it best to go to the northward as
far as Acapulco, or to look out for the Acapulco ship, which
sails from that place for Manilla at a certain time of the
year, and generally returns at a certain time also, you may
possibly, in that case, think it most advisable to return home
by the way of China, which you are hereby authorized to do,
or to return home by Cape Horn, as you shall think best
for our service, and for the preservation of the ships and
the men on boai'd them.

" Whenever you shall judge it necessary for our service
to return with our squadron to England, you may, if you
shall think it proper, leave one or two of our ships in the
South Sea for the security of any of the acquisitions you may
have been able to make, or for the protection of the trade
which any of our subjects may be carrying on in those
parts."

D-2

36 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. I.

Hardwicke, C. by the LORDS JUSTICES.

Wilmington, P.

Dorset. ^71.. , r • r r^

T> T Additional Jastructums for Georqe

Richmond, Lennox, •' -^

and AuHiGNw Anson, Esq., Commandcr-ia-Ch'iofof

Montagu. His Majesfijs Ships to be sent into

Devonshire. the South Seas in America. Given

HoLLEs Newcastle. „^ Whitehall the UJth day of June,

1 740, in the fourteenth year of His

R. Walpole. Majesty s reiyn.
Cha. Wager,

" Whereas His Majesty was pleased to sign certain in-
structions, bearing date the 3 1 st day of .January, 1739-40,
directed to you, we have ordered the same to be herewith
delivered to you, and have thought fit also to give you these
additional instructions for your conduct.

" His Majesty having been pleased to suspend your sailing
from England till this time, when the season of tlie year
will permit you to make your intended voyage directly to
the South Seas in America (which at some ])articular sea-
sons is extremely difficult, if not impracticable), you are now
to proceed forthwitli, with His Majesty's ships under your
command, directly to the South Seas, either by going round
Capo Horn or through the Straits of Magellan, and to act
according to the directions contained in His Majesty's in-
structions to you. Hut you arc to regard that part of the
said instructions whereby you were ordered (in case you
shniild be too late for your passage to the South Seas) to
proceed directly to the River Plata, and there to remain till
the season of the year sliould permit you to go with safety
to the South Seas, to be at present out of the question, and
of no force. And whereas you arc directed Ijy His Ma-

1740.] ADVANCEMENT IN THE NAVY. 37

jesty's instructions to cause the land-forces, which arc to go
on board His Majesty's ships under your command, to be
put on shore, on one particular occasion, with the approba-
tion of the proper officers, you are to understand it to be
His Majesty's intention that the said land-forces are in no
case to be put on shore, unless it shall be previously ap-
proved by a council of war to be held for that purpose.

" Whereas a letter written by the Governor of Panama to
the King of Spain has fallen into the hands of some of his
Majesty's officers, which letter contains very material ad-
vices relating to the situation of the Spaniards, and to the
keeping of their treasure in those parts, a copy of the same
will, by our order, be herewith put into your hands ; and
you are to have a regard to the intelligence therein con-
tained in the execution of the orders given you in his Ma-
jesty's instructions.

" In case of your inability, by sickness or otherwise, to
execute his Majesty's orders, the officer next to you in rank
is hereby authorized and directed to take upon him the
command of his Majesty's ships that are to go with you ;
and to execute the orders contained in your instructions, as
if they were directed to himself."

38 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

CHAPTER II.

THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.

Expedition sails and arrives at Madeira — Early appearance of sick-
ness— St. Catharine's — St. Julian — Strait of Magellan — Tremen-
dous storm — Scurvy — Socoro — Juan Fernandez — Arrival of the
Tryal and Gloucester — Beauty of the island — Recovery of the sur-
viving part of the crews — Number dreadfully reduced — Several
prizes taken — Arrives off Paita — Attacks and burns the town —
Anson's conduct towards his prisoners — to some young ladies —
Good result of it — Anson's generosity — Proceeds to the coast of
California — Measures to intercept the Acapulco ship — Bad condi-
tion of the Gloucester — Removes her men and stores, and sets fire
to her — Dreadful condition of Centm-ion from scurvy — The island
Tinian — Beauty and fertility of — Centurion driven out to sea —
Transactions thereupon — Returns — Men healthy — Proceed to Ma-
cao— Ship refitted — Sails to look out for the Galeon — Meets, fights,
and captures her — Carries her into China — Transactions there —
Parallel of Anson's voyage with Drake's — Some remarks on scurvy,
and on the defective state of nautical science — Shipwreck of the
Wager — Disa^jters which befel the commander and oflicers— and
also those of the mutinous crew — Act to continue the crews of
ships wrecked, Sec, on full pay and under martial law.

1740 to 1744.

By liaviniL^- charge of the convoys, and owing to the
long continuance of contrary Avinds, the passage to
Madeira Avas prolonged to forty days, which is usually
made in ten or tAvelve. At this island iVnson re-
mained aljout a week, taking in wine and other re-
freshments ; and here Captain Norris re(|uested per-
mission to resiirn the connnand of the Gloucester,
and return to England for the recovery of his health.

1740.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 89

which gave a remove to the rest of the captains, and
the command of the Tryal to Lieutenant Cheap.
On the 3rd November Anson left JMadeira, and on
the 16th discharged one of the Pinks, at the request
of the master, who stated that the time of the charter-
party Avas arrived. On the 20th of that month the
first mention occurs of that dreadful sickness, of the
continuance and fatal effects of ^vhich there is no pa-
rallel in the annals of navigation. It is stated that
" the captains of the squadron represented to the
commodore that their ships' companies were very
sickly, and that it was their own opinion, as well as
their surgeons', that it would lead to the preservation
of the men to let in more air between decks ; for their
ships were so deep, that they could not possibly open
their lower ports. On this representation the com-
modore ordered six air-scuttles to be cut in each
ship, in such places where they would least weaken
it." On the 21st December they reached tlie island
of St. Catharine's on the coast of Brazil. On their
passage thither a number of men died of fever and
dysentery, and eighty sick were landed there from
the Centurion alone ; and as many, in proportion,
from the rest of the squadron. The ships were
all now smoked, cleansed, and washed with vine-
gar, their sides and decks caulked, and new stand-
ing-rigging set up. These operations, with wood-^
ing and watering, occupied a month. A melancholy
proof of the unhealthiness of this anchorage, or

40 LIFE OF LORD ANSON, [CH. II.

perhaps of the rapid progress of a disease already
caught, ^^'as afforded on ascertaining, when the tents
were struck, that no less than twenty-eight of tlie
Centurion's men had died, and the number of sick, in
the same interval, increased from eighty to ninety-
six ; but it is too obvious that the seeds of the disease
had been sown, from the day that the miserable in-
valids had inhumanly been forced into a service, for
wliicli they were utterly unfitted.

Port St. Julian was appointed as the first rendez-
vous, in the passage to which the Pearl parted company
in a violent gale of wind, and the Tryal lost her
mainmast. On the 18th January the Pearl joined,
and the commodore learned from the commandini;
officer that he had buried Captain Kidd on the 31st
of the preceding" month ; that he had seen, on the
10th, off Pepys' Island, five large ships, and, thinking
them to be those of Anson, ran within gun-shot
before he discovered his mistake, Avhen he stood away
and Avas chased the '^^•llole day, but towards evening
they hauled to the southward. This was afterwards
ascertained to be Pizarro's S(juadron.

On the 19th they reached St. JuHan's, and tlie
commodore despatched an officer to examine and re-
])ort on the salt-pond described by Sir John Nar-
borough : he jjrought bark a very bad sample; and
all ihat the boats could procure during their stay
was about forty bushels. It was here decided, at a
council of war, in the first place to attack Valdivia ;

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 41

that the rendezvous was to be off the island of So-
coro, each ship to continue cruising off the south end
of that island fourteen days, and, if not joined by the
rest of the squadron, to make the best of her way to
the island of Juan Fernandez. " On the 7tli March,'
says Anson (in Iiis official report), '^I entered the
Straits La IMaire with a favourable gale and fine
weather ; but had no sooner got through the Straits
than I met very hard gales of wind from the high
lands of Terra del Fuego; insomuch, that I was
obliged to reef my courses, which continued reefed
fifty-eight days."

This is all that Anson says in his 'report' of pro-
ceedings ; but Mr. Robins dwells on the fine wea-
ther of the Straits and the open sea before them "till
we arrived [should arrive] on those opulent coasts
where all our hopes and wishes centered; and Ave
could not help flattering ourselves, that the greatest
difficulty of our passage was now at an end, and that
our most sanguine dreams were upon the point of
beini]j realised; and hence we indulo-ed our imairina-
tions in those romantic schemes, which the fancied
possession of the Chilian gold and Peruvian silver
might be conceived to inspire." *** " Thus animated by
these delusions, we traversed these memorable Straits,
ignorant of the dreadful calamities that were then
impending, and just ready to break upon us; igno-
rant that the time drew near when the squadron
Avoukl be separated never to unite again, and that

42 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

this day of our passage was the last cheerful day that
the greatest part of us would ever live to enjoy."

The description of the storm, which kept the Cen-
turion's courses reefed for " fifty-eight days," is
wrought up to the highest pitch of the subhnie and
terrific. Even Mr. Pascoe Thomas, the schoolmaster,
^vho is not gifted with much power of imagination,
says, tliat until the 25th May " we had nothing but
the most terrible and dreadful storms that I believe
it is possible for the mind of man to conceive, and
far beyond my capacity to describe in such a lively
manner as might seem to render them present to the
view of the reader in their true colours. . . . The ship
rolled almost gunnel to continually ; the sails were
almost always splitting and blowing from the yards ;
the yards themselves frequently breaking ; the shrouds
and other rigging cracking and flying in pieces con-
tinually ; and, what added to our misery amidst those
amazing and terrifying scenes, we made very little
Avay to the Avestward and northward."* In these
tremendous gales of wind, accompanied ^v'lih sleet
and snow, driven sometimes to the southward, and in
all directions except the right one, the Centurion lost
sight of the Gloucester, Wager, Tryal, and Pink ;
the Severn and Pearl, having parted in the middle of
these gales, were never seen again, which was also
the case of the Wager. The wreck of this ship,

* " Voyage to the South Seas, and round the World."

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 43

and the varied adventures and misfortunes of her
crew, form a distressing and interesting episode, and
are in perfect unison Avith those that befel the Centu-
rion and the rest of the squadron ; but further notice
of these missing ships will be taken hereafter.

Anson, in his report of 31st March, mentions, for
the first time, his '' men falling down every day with
scorbutic complaints ;" but on the 8th IMay, he says,
" he had not men able to keep the deck, sufficient to
take in a topsail, all being violently afflicted Avith the
scurvy, and every day lessening our number by six,
eight, and ten." In the narrative of the voyage it is
stated that " m the month of JMay our sufferings
rose to a much higher pitch than they had ever yet
done, whether we consider the violence of the storms,
the shattering of our sails and rigging, or the dimi-
nishinii' or Aveakening of our crcAV by deaths and
sickness, and the probable prospect of our total de-
struction." It is then stated that, in the month of
April, no less than forty-three of the creAV died of the
scurvy on board the Centurion ; and that, in the
month of I\lay, there perished nearly double that
number; " and," the narrative continues, " as Ave did
not get to land till the middle of June, the mortality
Avent on increasing, and the disease extended itself
so prodigiously, that, after the loss of aboA^e tAA^o hun-
dred men, we could not at last muster more than six
foremast-men in a Avatch capable of duty."

Commodore Ansoii, or rather I\Ir. Robins, de-

44 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. U*

scribes tlie general symptoms of scurvy to be, large
discoloured spots dispersed over tlie whole surface of
the body, swelled legs, putrid gums and, above all,
an extraordinary lassitude of the whole body, espe-
cially after any exercise, however inconsiderable;
and this lassitude at last degenerates into a prone-
ness to swoon on the least exertion of strength, or
even on the least motion. He says also that this
disease is usually attended with a strange dejection
of the spirits and Avith sliiverings, treml)lings, and
a disposition to be seized with the most dreadful
terrors on the slightest accident ; that whatever dis-
couraged the people or damped their hopes added
vigour to the distemper and usually killed those Avho
were in the last stages of it. " So that it seemed
as if alacrity of mind and sanguine thoughts were
no contemptible preservatives from its fatal ma-
lignity." It was observed that wounds, which had
been healed many years, broke out afresh by this
dreadful disease. A remarkable instance occurred
in one of the invjilids, who had been wounded more
than fifty years before at the battle of the Boyne ;
his Avounds assumed the appearance of never having
been cured, and, what is more iistonishing, the cal-
lous of a liroken bone, which had been com})letely
formed for a long time, v.as found to be dissolved !
He mentions others who, though confined to their
hammocks, would eat and drink lieartily, were
cheerful and talked with seeming vigour, and yet^

1741.] THE VOYAGE HOUND THE WORLD. 45

on being the least moved, even in their hammocks,
have immediately expired : some, confiding in their
apparent strength, died in the act of getting out of
their hammocks ; several who were able to do some
trifling duty dropped down instantly while in the
execution of it, many having perished in this manner
during the course of the voyage.

On the 8th JMay Anson arrived off the ishmd of
Socoro, the first rendezvous, where he hoped to have
fallen in with some of his dispersed squadron, but,
after cruising for many days, and none of them
appearing, the gloomy suggestion occurred to him
that they had all perished. The land Avore a tre-
mendous aspect ; the Cordilleras of the Andes Avero
covered with snoAV ; the coast rocky and barren, and
being utterly unknown to them, and the Avesterly
gales prevailing, they continued for a fortnight in
imiiiinent peril of the loss of the ship and of their
lives. By this time the scurvy had destroyed a great
part of the crew, and almost all the remaining part
were so much affected with it, that they could aa ith
great difficulty Avork the ship. All the various dis-
asters, fatigues, and terrors that here befell them,
continued to increase till the 22nd May, Avhen the
fury of all the storms seemed to combine in one tre-
mendous hurricane, that threatened instant destruc-
tion to the ship ; but this Avas the last effort of this
stormy climate. Anson having in vain spent a fort-
night in expectation of the other ships, the deplor-

46 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

able situation of his own left no further room for de-
liberation, and he determined therefore to steer for
the island of Juan Fernandez.

It was resolved, he says, if possil)le, " to hit the
island on a meridian." Being nearly on the parallel
on the 28th May, they expected to see it. Anson
himself was strongly persuaded that he did see it on
the morning of that day ; but the officers, believing
it to be only a cloud, and that they were too far to
the westAvard, it was decided, after consultation, to
stand to the eastward in the parallel of the island ;
the consequence Avas that, in two days, they made
the high land of the Cordilleras of Chili, covered
with snow, just at the moment they ex])ected to see
the island of Juan Fernandez. This mistake was
attended with a most fatal result, "for," says the
narrative, " the mortality amongst us was now in-
creased to a most dreadful degree, and those who
remained alive were utterly dispirited by this new
disappointment, and the prospect of their longer con-
tinuance at sea." They were in fact nine days in
regaining the westerly distance which they had run
down in two. " In this desponding condition, with
a crazy ship, a great scarcity of fresh water, and a
crew so universally diseased, that tlu^re were not
above ten foremast-men hi a watch capable of doing
duty, and even some of these lame and unable to go
aloft — under these disheartening circumstances we
stood to the westward ; and on the 9th June, at day-

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 47

break, we at last discovered tlie long-wished-for
island of Juan Fernandez. In consequence of the
error of standing east instead of west " we lost,"
says the narrator, " between seventy and eighty of
our men, whom we should doubtless have saved, had
we made the island that day (28th May), which, had
we kept on our course a few hours longer, we could
not have failed to have done."

On making this island, we are told that, " out of
two hundred and odd men, which remained alive,
we could not, taking all our watches together, muster
hands enough to work the ship on an emergency,
though we included the officers, their servants, and
the boys. In wearing the ship in the middle watch,
we had a melancholy instance of the almost int;re-
dible debility of our people ; for the lieutenant could
muster no more than two quartermasters and six
foremast-men capable of working, so that, without
the assistance of the officers, servants, and the boys,
it might have proved impossible for us to have
reached the island, after we had got sight of it — to
so wretched a condition was a sixty-gun ship re-
duced, which had passed the Straits La Maire but
three months before with between four and five hun-
dred men, ahnost all of them in health and vigour."
As they approached the island and discovered the
hills crowned with woods, and between them the
finest valleys, clothed with most beautiful verdure,
and watered with numerous streams and cascades,

^.8 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

it is not difficult to imagine with wliat eagerness
and transport the suffering crew viewed the shore.
" Those only," says ]\Ir. Ro])ins, " who have en-
dured a long series of thirst, and who can readily
recall the desire and agitation which the ideas alone
of springs and brooks have at that time raised in
them, can judge of the emotion with which we eyed
a large cascade of the most transparent water, which
poured itself from a rock near a hundred feet high
into the sea, at a small distance from the ship. Even
those amonir the diseased who were not in the last
stages of the distemper, though they had been long
confined to their hammocks, exerted the small re-
mains of strength that was left them, and crawled up
to the deck to feast themselves with tliis revivinir
prospect."

The Centurion had scarcely dropped anchor Avlien
the Tryal sloop made her appearance. A few men
were sent to assist her to an ancliorao;e. Captain
Saunders, her commander (who had su'eceeded Com-
mander Kidd), waiting on the Connnodore, informed
him that, out of his small complement of one hundred
men, he had buried thirty-four ; and those that re-
mained were so universally alUicted with the scurvy,
that only hhnself, his lieutenant, and three of his
men, were able to stand by the sails. It was the
16th before the tents on shore could l)e prepared for
the reception of the sick, Init on that and two follow-
ing days they were all on shore, amounting to a

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 49

liuiidred and sixty-seven persons, besides at least a
dozen who died in the boats on their being exposed
to the fresli air. To carry these poor creatures in
their liammocks to the tents, over a stony beach,
was a work of great fatigue, in which Anson, with
his accustomed humanity, not only assisted with his
own Labour^ but obliged his officers, without distinc-
tion, to lend their helping hands.

Twenty days elapsed, notwithstanding all the re-
freshments of vegetables of various kinds, tish, and
fresh meat of goats, whicli abounded on the island,
before the mortality had tolerably ceased ; and, " for
the first ten or twelve days, we buried rarely less
than six each day, and many of those Avho survived
recovered by very slow and insensible degrees." On
the 21st June a ship was discovered from the heights,
Avliich turned out to be the Gloucester. The Com-
modore immediately ordered his boat to her assist-
ance, laden with fresh water, fish, and vegetables,
which Droved a most seasonable relief, for her crew
were reduced to a most distressful situation. " They
had already thrown overboard two-thirds of their
complement, and of those that remained alive scarcely
any were capable of doing duty, except the officers
and their servants." The situation of this ship was
most deplorable : with all the assistance that Anson
could afford her in provisions and ^vater, by boats
and men, and all the attempts that were made, she
could not be brought into the bay for a whole fort-

£

50 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

night. Even after this, she disappeared for the
space of a week, and every hope of her safety va-
nished : however, she again approached, and the
Centurion's long-boat was again sent off with a supply
of water and provisions. " Had it not been for this
last supply by our long-boat, both the healthy and
diseased must have all perished together for want of
water ; and these calamities were the more terrifying,
as they appeared to be without remedy ; for the
Gloucester had already spent a month in her endea-
vours to fetch the bay, and she was now no further
advanced tlian at the first moment she made the
island." In siiort, she once more disappeared, and
did not get to an anchor till the 23rd July. Her
crew were now reduced to less than fourscore.

On the 16th August they were joined by the
Anna pink, the crew generally in good health, the
mystery of which was soon solved on its being made
knoAvn that she had been in harbour since the middle
of INIay, within the ishmd of Incliin, Avhere, by re-
cruiting the people with vegetables and fresh provi-
sions, the survivors were soon restored to perfect
health. The bread and other articles of food, which
had been put into the Anna pink, were of the greatest
possible use to the three ships which were now col-
lected at Juan Fernandez.

To men who, by their sufierings, had been reduced
to the verge of death, and who had not set foot on
land for the space of more than one hundred days,

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 51'

Juan Fernandez appeared like, — what it has been
described — an earthly paradise. The woods, the
groves, the aromatic shrubs, the limpid streams, the
great variety of vegetable productions, of indigenous
growth, as well as the remains of cultivation, all
conspired to make the crew not only forget their
long suffering, but to instill into the minds of the
most reduced a hope of speedy recovery. Thomas
indeed speaks of the appearance of the island
and its productions in terms of unqualified rap-
ture, and thinks " there can scarce anywhere be
found a more happy seat for the IVIuses, and the
flights of fancy, or pleasures of the imagination ;"
so that poor Selkirk did not find it to be that
barren and desolate abode which has been supposed
and described. From the detailed description which
the narrative of the voyage, as well as Pascoe Tho-
mas, gives of the plants and animals fit for the suste-
nance of man, Selkirk must have lived in a state of
luxury. In addition to the numerous fruits and
vegetables, seals and sea-lions abound, the flesh of
which is good and palatable, and that of the goats,
Avhich were numerous, is described as excellent.
Selkirk says that, when he caught more of these ani-
mals than he wanted, he slit their ears and let them
go ; and it is stated in the narrative that the first
goat killed by Anson's people had his ears slit, which
made them conclude that, " although thirty-two
years must have passed over his head, he had once

E 2

52 LIFE OF LOUD ANSON. [CH. II.

been in Selkirk's liunds." " It was indeed an animal
of a most venerable aspect, dignified with an exceed-
ing majestic beard, and with many other symptoms
of antiquity."*

About the beginning of September, after a resi-
dence on the island of 104 days, the exact number
the Centurion had previously been at sea from St.
Julian, the ships were ready to proceed, the sickness
had entirely ceased, and those men that remained
alive had recovered their usual health and strength ;
but they Avere a lamentable fraction only of the ori-
ginal crews which had left England. The Centu-
rion had buried two hundred and ninety-two, and
had now left two hundred and fourteen. The Glou-
cester had lost the same number as the Centurion,
and had only eighty -two remaining alive. The Tryal
had buried forty-two, and had thirty-nine remaining
alive. " The havoc of this disease had fallen still
severer on the invalids and marines, than on the
sailors ; for on board the Centurion, out of fifty in-
valids and seventy-nine marines, there remained only
four invalids, including officers, and eleven marines ;
and on board the Gloucester, every invalid had pe-
rished ; and out of forty-eight marines only two
escaped. From this account it appears that the
three ships together departed from England with nine
hundred and sixtv-one men on board, of whom six

* Byron, on liis voyaj^o vouiul the world, foiuul numerous goats on
the adjacent island ol Massaiucro, ■with slit cars.

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. ^3

hundred and twenty-six were dead before tliis
time."

A man, less gifted with the equanimity and
steady perseverance which strongly distinguished
the character of Anson, must have quailed at the
reflection, that the whole of the surviving crews,
which were now to be distributed among three ships,
amounted to no more than three hundred and
thirty-five men and boys, a number l^arely sufficient
for the mere navigation of the three, with the utmost
exertion of their strength and vigour ; and that he
might have to encounter the whole or part of Pi-
zarro's squadron, Avith Avhose disasters he was yet
unacquainted. As to attacking any of the Spanish
possessions, that was now wholly out of the question,
and even the Acapulco ship might be found too
powerful for his reduced and nearly helpless squa-
dron. To reflect on these matters must have griev-
ously distressed the mind of such a man as Anson ;
to return home, without effecting any part of his
instructions, would be still more grievous ; but the
cup of bitterness was full to the brim, when the
thought occurred of "leaving our enemies to tri-
umph on the inconsiderable mischief they had re-
ceived from a squadron, whose equipment had filled
them with such dreadful apprehensions ; though
the causes of our disappointment, and their security,
were neither to be sought for in their valour nor our
misconduct."

.54 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

Under painful reflections of this kind, unaccompa-
nied however with anything like despondency, pre-
parations were made for leaving Juan Fernandez,
under the following disposition — the Tryal to pro-
ceed off Valparaiso ; the Gloucester to cruise off the
hish land of Paita, where, at a certain fixed time, she
would be joined by the Centurion and the Tryal.
This latter ship fell in with, and captured, the Nues-
tra Senhora del Monti Carmel, with twenty-five
passengers on board. The Centurion on her cruise
fell in with another prize of the Tryal, called the
Arranzuga, of 600 tons l)urthen ; and, as the
Tryal herself, on joining, was found to have sprung
all her masts, and was in so leaky a state as with
difficulty to be kept afloat, Anson ordered her stores,
guns, and ammunition to be put into her prize, and
commissioned the latter as a frigate in his Majesty's
navy, under the name of the Tryal's Prize ; and, the
crew being transferred to her, the Tryal was scuttled
and sunk. The Centurion chased and captured an-
other Spanish ship of 300 tons, called Santa Theresa
de Jesus, with forty-five hands, and ten passengers,
four men and three women, born of Spanish parents,
and three black female slaves attending them ; the
ladies were a mother and two daughters, the eldest
about 21, the youngest about 14. Not knowing
but that they had fallen into the hands of some Buc-
caneers, whom they had been taught to consider as
the most terrijjle and brutal of human kind, these

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 55

ladies became excessively alarmed. The singular
beauty of the youngest served to increase their alarm.
On being boarded by an officer, they concealed
themselves, and Avith difficulty Avere prevailed upon
to appear before him, who assured them they had
nothing to fear ; that they would experience the most
honourable treatment from the Commodore.

As soon as Mv. Anson was made acquainted with
the circumstance, he gave immediate directions that
these ladies should remain on board their own ship,
with every convenience they had hitherto enjoyed,
without the slightest molestation from any quarter ;
that the pilot, the second in command, should stay
with them as their guardian and protector. Beau-
tiful as the youngest lady \viis described to him, Iiq
declined seeing her, but desired that they would rest
assured of his protection, and that so long as they
remained in his custody all their wants should be
supplied. " By this compassionate and indulgent
behaviour of the Commodore, the consternation of
our female prisoners entirely subsided, and they con-
tinued easy and cheerful during the whole time they
were with us."

In proceeding to join the other two ships off Paita,
the Centurion fell in with a ship, which was chased
by the boats, and taken possession of. She was
called the Nuestra Senhora del Carmin, manned with
forty-three seamen, and had on board a valuable
cargo, Avhich, with the ship, Avas estimated at 400,000.

56 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IL

dollars. She had left Paita the preceding day, and,
from the information obtained, Anson determined to
attack that town, and take it by surprise ; — to
demand from the governor a ransom for the public
j)roperty deposited there, which he knew from his
prisoners to be considerable, and to spare the poor
inhabitants the distress that an attack must occasion
them. The idea of returning to Europe, with the
pitiful spoils of a few merchant-vessels, was too
humiliating to ])e endured for a moment ; and, re-
duced as his scpiadron was in ships, and infinitely
more in men, he fully resolved on attempting some-
thing, that might justify the government for having
fitted out so large a squadron, though so inadequately
manned, even if disease had not thinned their ranks.
Lieutenant Brett was appointed to command this
enterprise, for which the eighteen-oared barge and
two pinnaces, with fifty-eight picked men, Avere de-
spatched, Avell provided with arms and ammunition.
Landing in the darkness of the night, the shouts, and
clamours, and huzzas of threescore British seamen,
on shore for the first time in an enemy's country,
joined by the noise of their drums, and favoured I)y
the night, had augmented their numbers, in the opi-
nion of the enemy, to at least three hundred men.
The first step was to surround the governor's house,
in order, if possible, to secure him, conformably with
Anson's instructions, while Lieutenant Brett marched
to the fort, \vhich, after two or three random shots.

1741.] THE VOYAGE HOUND THE WORLD. 57

was already abandoned ; he then proceeded to the
custom-house, to get possession of the treasure which
was lodged there. The inhabitants, being in bed
Avhen the place was surprised, had mostly run away
without giving themselves time to put on their clothes.
" In this precipitate rout the governor was not the
last to secure himself; for he fled betimes, half-
naked, leaving his wife, a young lady of about seven-
teen years of age, to whom he had been married but
three or four days, behind him; though she too was
afterwards carried off in her shift by a couple of sen-
tinels, just as the detachment ordered to invest the
house arrived before it."

In the morning, as the Centurion approached the
bay, Anson had the pleasure of seeing the English
flag flying in the fort, and soon after one of the boats
came off laden with dollars and church-plate. While
the collecting and shipping of treasure and other valu-
ables were going on, the enemy, with some two hun-
dred horse, were collected on a hill contiguous to the
town, apparently well trained, being furnished with
trumpets, drums, and standards, but they never once
ventured to leave the crest of the hill, Anson sent
several messages to the governor by those few inha-
bitants who had remained in the town, desiring him
to come and treat for the ransom of the town and
merchandise, intimating that, in order not to distress
the inhabitants, he would be satisfied with a supply
of live cattle and a few necessaries for the use of the

58 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

squadron ; but he remained stubborn, and refused to
send any answer ; so that at length Anson caused
him to be informed that, if he would not condescend
to treat for the ransom of a place, fully in his posses-
sion, he should set fire to the town. On the third
morning the boats were employed in l)ringing off the
most valuable part of the effects that remained, when
the Commodore sent orders to Lieutenant Brett to
set the town on fire, with the exception of two
churches situated at a short distance, after which to
come on l)oard with all hands. This order was forth-
with executed, and Paita, with all its treasures that
could not be carried off, was consumed and left a
heap of ruins. The narrative says, "The wrought
plate, dollars, and other coin, which fell into our
hand, amounted to upwards of 30,000/. sterling,
besides several rings, bracelets, and jewels, whose
intrinsic value we could not determine." It was
afterAvards stated at IMadrid, that the value of the
merclian(]ise destroyed was estimated at a million
and a half of dollars.

Among the prisoners taken in the Centurion's
prizes were some persons of considerable distinction,
particularly a youth of about seventeen years of age,
son of the vice-president of the council of Cliili. The
barbarity of the Buccaneers had filled the minds of
all these people with the most terrible ideas of Eng-
lish crueUy,and they were at first dejected and under
great horror and anxiety. This youth in particular,

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 59

having never before been from home, lamented his
captivity in the most moving manner, the loss of
his parents, his brothers, his sisters, and his native
land, of all of which he Avas fully persuaded he
had taken his last farewell. Anson, with that
kindly disposition so conspicuous in his character,
exerted his best endeavours to efface these inhuman
impressions the prisoners had conceived of them ;
" always taking care that as many of the principal
people among them, as there was room for, should
dine at his table by turns ; and giving the strictest
orders too that they should at all times, and in
every circumstance, be treated with the utmost de-
cency and humanity. The youth above mentioned,
having been nearly two months on board, had so far
conquered his melancholy surmises, and had con-
ceived so strong an affection for Mr. Anson, that it
seemed doubtful whether he would not have preferred
a voyage to England in the Centurion to being set
on shore at Paita."

But the p-ratitude of the mother and the vounsr
ladies taken in the Maria Theresa was most marked.
Though the two daughters were esteemed handsome,
and the youngest celebrated for her uncommon
beauty, Anson abstained from visiting them, perhaps
not venturing to trust himself within the influence of
such charms, after a period of ten months, during
which he had not set eyes upon a female face. But
it appears he had another and more generous mo-

60 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IL

tive — to prevent the breath of slander from their own
coiintrjanen affecting the character of these ladies, he
resolved on prohibiting all intercourse ^^ith them,
either by himself or his officers. This behaviour to
the Avomen was considered, by a Jesuit prisoner of
some distinction, to be so extraordinary, and so ex-
tremely honourable, that he doubted whether the
reijard due to his own ecclesiastical character would
be sufficient to render it credible. The ladies, how-
ever, Avere so sensible of the obligations they owed
Anson, for the care and attention with Avhich he
had protected them, that they absolutely refused to
go on shore till they had been permitted to wait on
him, on board the Centurion, to return their thanks
in person- We have heard a great deal of the con-
tinence of Scipio Africanus, when that conqueror of
Spain refused to see a beautiful princess that had
fallen into his power. If Anson, under the circum-
stances of the times and country, be denied the meed
of praise bestowed on the Roman general, as an
example of stern Roman virtue, he was amply repaid
for his generosity and humanity to his prisoners, by
their cordial and ijrateful remembrance of his treat-
ment, which Avas applauded and circulated through
every corner of Spanish America. Nothing could
surpass the kindness and attention bestowed by the
Spaniards on the shipwrecked officers of the Wager,
— Captain Cheap, the Hon. George Byron, and Lieu-
tenant Hamilton. — All their necessities were cheer-

1741.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 61

fully supplied, and whatever money tliey stood in
need of was advanced to them ; and even to this day
the name of Anson is held in the highest respect in
the Spanish provinces of America, while the fate of
Paita is forgotten, or, if remembered^ is so chiefly to
reprobate the obstinacy of its governor.

Scarcely had the Centurion left Paita to proceed
to the westward, when jealousy and angry feelings
broke out between that part of the crew whicli re-
mained on board, and those Avho were engaged in
the attack upon that town ; the one claiming
the plunder, on account of the fatigues and dangers
they had undergone ; the other urging that they
would have been equally ready to have taken an
active part, had it been left to their choice. Plere
again we have an instance of the extreme generosity
of Anson. On being informed of this dispute, he or-
dered all hands on deck, told them that, however
praiseworthy the conduct of those on shore had been,
yet they must be aware that, without the presence of
the ship to convey them thither and receive them
afterwards, they could have done nothing, and that the
plunder must therefore be impartially divided among
the whole crew, in proportion to each man's rank and
commission •, " And," says he, " to prevent those who
had been in possession of the plunder from mur-
muring at this diminution of their share, and as an
encouragement to others who may hereafter be em-

62 LIFE OF LOED ANSON. [CH. II.

ployed on like services, I give my entire share to be
distributed among those who have been detached for
the attack on the place."

The next day (18th November) the Centurion fell
in with the Gloucester, who had taken two small
prizes, the one containing treasure to the amount of
12,000/., the other of 7000/. From one of the
prizes, information was obtained that an attack had
been made on Carthagena, and had failed, which
rendered the project of co-operating with the forces
on the other side of the isthmus of Panama_, as
directed by the instructions, unavailable. It was
resolved therefore to proceed to the coast of Cali-
fornia, to cruise for the IManilla galeon, which was
bound to the port of Acapulco. The two ships pro-
ceeded to Quibo, near Panama, to take in Avater,
having first emptied the two prizes, the Solidad and
San Theresa, and set fire to them. Two others were
still preserved, which, with the Centurion, Gloucester,
and Tryal, made up a squadron of five ships, with very
inadequate crews, it is true, but all in good health.
At Quiljo they got an abundant sup[)ly of turtle, suf-
ficient to last the crews of all the ships four months ;
and it is ol)serve(l that, in the seven months from
their leaving Juan Fernandez to their anchoring in
the liarbour of Checiuetan, they buried no more, in
the whole squadron, than two men — '"a most incon-
testabl<3 proof," says the narrator, " that the turtle

1742.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 63

on which Ave fed for the last four months of this term,
was at least innocent, if not something more."

It is unnecessary to dwell on the anxious watch-
ings, the judicious measures, and the incessant atten-
tion of every one in this little squadron to discover
and attack the Acapulco galeon on her putting to
sea ; but four months having passed away from the
time of leaving Qui1)o, there remained but six days'
water on board ; they therefore put into the harbour
of Chequetan, about thirty leagues to the westward
of Acapulco. Here they obtained both wood and
water, and such provisions of fish, guanacos, and
whatever else the country afforded, that by the end of
April they were prepared for the prosecution of their
voyage across the Pacific; first, however, having
cleared the three prizes, the Carmel, the Carmin, and
the Tryal Prize, which being rather an encumbrance
than of any probable utility, all three were scuttled ;
and, on the 28th April, the Centurion and the Glou-
cester proceeded on their voyage to the westward,
having first landed their prisoners near Acapulco,
amounting to fifty-seven persons.

" On the 15th June," says the Commodore, in his
official report, " the Gloucester found her mainmast
sprung at the head, which, upon examination, was dis-
covered to be entirely rotten. On the 29th July, the
Gloucester carried away her foretopmast, and fore-
yard. My ship's company are now miserably afflicted
with the scurvy, the ship very leaky, the men and

64 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

officers tliat were well being only able to make one
spell at the pinnp." This is all that Anson says of
the second attack of this afflicting malady, but, coming
from the Commodore, it speaks volumes. The nar-
rative enters more into detail. The ships' crews
had, from the time of leaving Juan Fernandez till
their departure from the coast of IMexico, enjoyed an
uninterrupted state of health ; but they appear to
have been fully aware that nothing but a short
passage across the Pacific could secure the greater
part of their remaining crews from perishing by the
return of the horrible disease. And as, after seven
weeks at sea, they were still no nearer the trade-wind
than when they first set out, they had but too much
reason to conclude that the passage would prove at least
three times as long as they at first expected; "and
consequently we have the melancholy prospect either
of dying by the scurvy, or perishing with the ship
for want of hands to navic;ate her." On the 2Glh
July, after the disasters of the Gloucester's masts,
Captain jMitchell hailed the Commodore, to say the
ship had no less than seven feet water in the hold.
A Ijoat was sent on board, when it appeared, from
the report of the officer, that, considering the leaky
state of the ship, and the distresses of her people,
nothiuii- was left but to remove the whole of her
crew into the Centurion, and to destroy the Glou-
cester. Of that crew, in fact, there remained alive
no more than seventy-seven men, eighteen boys,

1742.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.

05

and two prisoners, officers included; and that, of
this whole number, only sixteen men and eleven boys
were capable of keeping the deck, and several of these
very infirm.

The removal of these poor people, and of such of
the stores as could most easily be got at, gave full
employment for two days. Three or four of the sick
died while in the act of hoisting them into the Cen-
turion. To prevent the ship from falling into the
hands of the enemy, on being abandoned, Captain
Mitchell set fire to her; she burned fiercely the
whole night, and about six the following morning a
black pillar of smoke was observed, which shot into
the air to a very considerable height ; a small report
Avas heard at the same time, and she blew up and
disappeared. Thus perished his Majesty's ship the
Gloucester. Anson's squadron, of five ships when it
left the coast of Mexico, was now reduced to a single
ship, containing the crews of the whole. Tiie storm
that had proved so fatal to the Gloucester, it was
found, had driven the Centurion four degrees to the
northward of her course ; several days of calm suc-
ceeded, and they were entirely ignorant whether they
were to windward or leeward of the Ladrone Islands.
The number of deaths had now become extremely
alarming, no day passing in which they did not bury
eight or ten and sometimes twelve of the crew.
Pascoe Tiiomas gives a most melancholy picture of
their condition, aggravated by the additional number

F

66 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

of the diseased men received from the Gloucester.
"The dirt, naiiseousness, and stench ahiiost every-
where intolerable, more people daily disa])led by the
disease, no sign of land, very little wind, and that not
fair, very bad provisions and water, and the ship very
leaky."* The appearance of an island afforded a
momentary consolation, and a boat was speedily sent
to examine it : all was barren, a dreadful disap-
])ointment to the sick, tending to destroy their hopes,
and increase the horrors of the disease.

At length, on the 28th August, they approached
Tinian, one of the Ladrone Islands. A proa being
observed, the pinnace was sent towards the shore
with Spanish colours flying, on which the proa made
towards her ; the latter had on board a Spanish Ser-
jeant and four Indians. From this officer they
learned that the island produced various kinds of
vegetables and fruits, sweet and sour oranges, lemons,
limes, cocoa-nuts, and the bread-fruit ; that there
was plenty of water, and a vast number of cattle,
hogs, and poultry running wild; that it served, in
fact, as a kind of provision-store for the Spanish
garrison at the neighbouring island of Guam. Such
an account was of course received with inexpressible
joy. Some Indians on shore were employed in
jerking beef, and a bark was at anchor to receive it.
The Indians, however, decamped, but their huts and
a large storehouse were taken ])ossession of, which

* Voyage to the South Seas.

1742.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 67

spared the Centurion's people tlie time and trouble
of erecting tents. The store was converted into
an hospital for the sick, who now amounted to
one hundred and twenty-eight; many of them so
very helpless as to require being carried from the
boats on the shoulders of the less infirm to the hos-
pital, " in which humane employment the Commo-
dore himself, and every one of his officers, were en-
gaged, without distinction ; and, notwithstanding the
great debility and the dying aspects of the greatest
part of our sick, it is almost incredible how soon they
began to feel the salutary influence of the land ; for
though we buried twenty-one men on this and the
preceding day, yet we did not lose above ten men
more, during our whole two months' stay here ; and
in general our diseased received so much benefit
from the fruits of the island, particularly the fruits of
the acid kind, that, in a week's time^ there were but
few who were not so far recovered as to be able to
move about without help." That this public and
strong testimony to the infallible cure of scurvy, by
the use of vegetable acids, should have Iain dormant
for thirty years, till revived by Cook, is indeed a la-
mentable proof, among many others, of the tardy
adoption of useful discoveries.

Towards the middle of September, the convales-
cents were sent on board the ship ; but the Commo-
dore, who was himself ill of the scurvy, had a tent
erected for him on shore, where he meant to stay

F 2

68 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IT.

a few days for the recovery of his health. On the
23rd September, a furious storm drove the Centurion
from her anchors, and forced her out to sea, while
]Mr. Anson, many of the officers, and a great part of
the crew, amounting in the whole to one hundred
and thirteen persons, were left behind on the island.
This catastrophe appeared to forbode equal destruc-
tion to those left on shore, without the means of es-
caping, and to those on board the Centurion, utterly
unprepared as they were to struggle against the fury
of the seas and winds.

The gloomy reflections which must have occupied
the thoughts of all left on this island, unfrequented
as it was by European shipping will readily be ima-
gined. The melancholy prospect of spending the re-
mainder of their days there, or still worse, the possi-
Ijility of the governor of Guam overpowering them,
and removing theui to that island, as prisoners for
life, could not be concealed : and the worst of all was,
that the want of connnissions, or any document to
show who they were (all the papers being in the Cen-
turion), would afford the Spaniards a sufficient i)re-
text for treating them as they did that gallant old
seaman, John Oxenham (the contemporai-y and rival
oF Sir Francis J^rake) and his conn-ades, whom
they hanged as pirates. Anson, with all his coolness
and fortitude, no doubt had his share of uneasiness,
on account of the precarious situation in which they
were placed, but, it is stated, he always kept uj) his

1742.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 69

usual composure and steadiness. He had, in fact,
from the moment the ship was driven to sea, con-
ceived a project by which, let the worst happen, they
would he liberated. His plan was to lengthen the
Spanish bark he had detained, about twelve feet,
whicli would give her tonnage and capacity enough to
carry them all to China. He told the people that, in
the execution of this, he should share the fatiirue and
labour Avith them, and that he should expect no more
from any man, than Avhat lie himself was ready to
submit to ; Ijut that no time was to be lost. They
accordingly set about the task, and, in the progress
of the Avork the ingenuity of the carpenters, smiths,
sailmasters, &c., was put in requisition to supj)ly
those necessary articles that were canied out to sea
in the Centurion.

While thus employed, an incident occurred that,
for the first time, shook the firm nerves and over-
whelmed the steady mind of Anson with poignant
grief. One day some of the people suddenly called
out, '•'A sail!" Every one immediately, elated
with joy, concluded it to be the Centurion, just
emerging above the horizon ; a second sail was an-
nounced ; this destroyed their first conjecture. Anson,
eagerly turning his glass towards the spot, saw at
once they were only two sailing-boats: the thought
immediately occurred to him that the Centurion was
gone to the bottom, and that these were her two
boats^ bringing back the surviving part of her crew;
and this sudden thought acted so powerfully on his

70 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH, II.

feelings, that, in order to conceal liis emotion, it is
stated, he instantly, and without speaking a word to
any one, retired to his tent, where he passed some
bitter moments in an agony of grief; firmly believing
that the ship was lost, that most of the people had pe-
rished, and that every hope had vanishea, which, until
now, he had continued to cherish — that he should yet
do something which might contribute to his own ho-
nour and his country's service. He found himself, in
some respects, like his predecessor Drake, of whom
it is said, after his failure in Panama, that " He saw
that all the good which he had done, in this voyage,
consisted in the evil he had done the Spaniards, afar
off, whereof he could present but small visible fruits
in England."

They were soon however discovered to be two of
the country boats pursuing their course to one of the
islands ; and the work was resumed and went on with-
out further interruption. A difficulty, however, pre-
sented itself, when the vessel was nearly completed,
that had not occurred to any of them before. Little
at this time was known of the geography or hydro-
gra])hy of this })art of the Pacific, and the dishearten-
ing discovery was made, that they neither had qua-
drant nor compass on shore. Lieutenant Brett had
borrowed the Commodore's pocket-compass, and it
had gone with him in the Centurion. However, in
runnnaging a chest belonging to the Spanish vessel,
a miserable small compass was found, and, a few
days alter, a quadrant turned up among some lumber

1742.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 71

that had been thrown overboard belonginf^ to the
dead; but, having no vanes, it was useless. Here
again fortune was favourable ; in the drawer of an
old table were discovered some vanes that could be
adapted to it. Thus, then, they were furnished with
the means of ascertaining their latitude and regu-
lating their course, which put an end to anxiety on
that score.

Nineteen days had now elapsed since the depar-
ture of the ship, when, on the 11th October, one of
the men from a hill discovered and recognised the
Centurion at a distance, on which he hallooed out
with great ecstasy to his comrades. The ship, the
ship I which being rapidly passed to the Commo-
dore, who was busily employed, he, "on hearing
this happy and unexpected news, threw down his
axe with which he was then at work, and, by his joy,
broke through, for the first time, the equable and
unvaried character which he had hitherto preserved.
The others who were with him instantly ran down
to the sea-side, in a kind of frenzy, eager to feast
themselves with a sight they had so ardently wished
for, and of which they had now for a considerable
time despaired."

The ship being now refitted, and water and pro-
visions, Avith fruits and refreshments of all kinds,
which abounded on the island of Tinian, taken on
board, they put to sea on the 21st October, and
steered the proper course for Macao, where they ar-
rived on the 12th November, after a voyage of above

72 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

two years, more productive of disastrous events, and
of human misery with loss of life — of disappointed
hopes, endured with patience, firmness and perse-
verance— than any naval expedition ever encoun-
tered, either hefore or since this memorahle one of
Commodore Anson.

It would be out of place here to notice (what was
not then so generally known as noio) the account
given of the proneness to falsehood, the duplicity and
knavery, of the Chinese, which not only pervade
eveiy department of the government, but also, na-
turally enough, infect the people generally. These
are the ruHng vices of this extraordinary people,
the offspring of excessive timidity, progressively
descending from the Great Emperor himself down-
wards to the very lowest official, who wears a badge
of the government. Yet this great empire, equal in
extent to all Europe, and far exceeding all Europe
in its myriads of population, has, with all its vices
and defects, survived all ancient dynasties, has cer-
tainly continued some 4000 years unchanged, (pro-
bably many more.) and is likely, if not disturbed and
convulsed by foreign interference, to remain in its
unchanged state for as many years to come. By the
novelty of a British ship-ol-war, by the firmness of
her captain, by a judicious display of her ])ower,
mixed occasionally with a few threats of the probable
necessity of having recourse to the use of it, and
moreover by an early insight into the real character
of the people, Anson succeeded in procuring the

1743.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 73

means for the refitment of his ship, for replenishing
his stores and provisions, and, in short, for obtainin:^
everything that he required. He also succeeded in
getting a small reinforcement of his crew, having en-
tered twenty-three men, a few of them Dutch, and
the rest Lascars.

On the 19th April the Centurion left JMacao roads,
ostensibly for Batavia, on her way to England, but
in reality to endeavour to intercept the Acapulco
ship, expected to arrive about this time at IManilla.
There never perhaps was a stronger instance of
firmness of purpose, on the part of the commander,
coupled with a conviction of the reliance to be placed
on the bravery and fidelity of British seamen, than
that displayed in the resolution here taken by Anson,
who thus gives, in his report to the Admiralty, the
actual state of his crew. " The number of men I
liave now borne is two hundred and one, amongst
which are included all the officers and boys which I
had out of the Gloucester, Tryal Prize, and Anna
pink, so that I have not before the mast more than
forty-jive able seamen." But these forty-five were
a host against five or six hundred Spaniards, known
to be about the usual number of the crew of one of
their galeons, — and they proved themselves worthy
to be thought so ; — for, not to deceive his men, An-
son, on gaining the sea, considered it right to as-
semble and address the crew, and to tell them plainly
that he meant to cruise off Manilla for the tivo
galeons, which he knew would speedily arrive there.

74 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

He told them he should choose a station where he
could not fail of meeting Avith them ; and, though
they were stout ships and fully manned, yet, if his
own people behaved with their accustomed spirit, he
was certain he should prove too hard for them both,
and that one of them, at least, could not fail of be-
coming his prize. This plain address of the Commo-
dore was received with extreme delight, and. accord-
ing to the custom of British seamen, was expressed
by three strenuous cheers, with a declaration from all,
that they were resolved to succeed or perish, when-
ever the opportunity presented itself. After all the
miseries sustained by these brave men — after they
had seen so many hundreds of their companions pe-
rish— can moral fortitude surpass this ?

On the last day of J\Iay the Centurion arrived on
the cruising-ground, and the people were daily look-
ing out, with anxious expectation, for the approaching
crisis, till the 20th June, when they were relieved
from this state of suspense, by the appearance of a
large ship standing towards them. It was the galeon
with Spanish colours flying, and the standard of
Spain hoisted at the main-top gallant mast-head.
Anson in his official report says, " On the 20th
June I got sight of her and gave chase, she bearing
down upon me before the Avind ; when she came
witiun two miles she brought to, to fight me. After
engaging her an hour and a half within less than
pistol-shot, the admiral struck his flag at the main-
top-mast head ; she was called the Nuestra Senhora

1743.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 75

del Caba Donga, Don Geronimo Montero, admiral ;
had forty-two guns, seventeen of which were brass,
and twenty-eight pateraroes ; five hundred and fifty
men, fifty-eight of whom were slain, and eighty-
three wounded. Her masts and rigging were shot
to pieces, and one hundred and fifty shot passed
through her hull, many of which were between wind
and water, which occasioned her to be very leaky.
The greatest damage I received was by my fore-
mast, mainmast, and bowsprit being wounded, and
my rigging shot to pieces, having received only fifteen
shot through my hull, which killed sixteen men and
wounded fifteen. I was under great difiiculty in na-
vigating two such large ships, in a dangerous and
unknown sea, and to guard four hundred and ninety-
two prisoners."

Thus fell to the Centurion this rich prize, amount-
ing in value to nearly a million and half of dollars.
The transport of joy is not to be described on havino-
at last, after so many disasters and disappointments,
accomplished one great object of their wishes — but
that joy had nearly been damped by an incident of a
most fearful character. Scarcely had the galeon
struck, when one of the lieutenants came hastily to
Anson, and, whispering in his ear, told him that the
Centurion was dangerously on fire near the powder-
room. This appalling intelligence was received by
Anson (just as a similar incident was, afterwards, by
Lord HoAve in the Princess Amelia,) without any ap-
parent emotion, and he gave his directions with the

76 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

greatest composure, desiring that care should he taken
not to alarm the people, or throw them into a state
of confusion; and hy this judicious conduct and the
proper orders forthwith given, the means taken for
extinguishing the flames happily succeeded. It ap-
peared some cartridges had hlown up, and set fire to
a quantity of oakum, the smoke and smother of which
gave the apprehension of a more extended and mis-
chievous fire than it really was.

The circumstance of the prisoners heing consi-
derahly more than douhle the numher of his own
people^ gave Anson some uneasiness as to the dis-
posal of them ; the only secure means appeared to he
that of putting them down into the hold, which was
carried innnediately into effect, with regard to all
except the officers and the wounded, every precaution
heing taken, at the same time, that the hatchways
should he left open to admit as much fresh air as
possihle. To each man was allowed a pint of water
a-day, \vhich was all that could he spared lor the
voyage to Canton. The narrative says these poor
fellows " Avere strangely metamorphosed hy the heat
of the hold ; for, when they were first taken, they
were sii>htlv rohust felloM's ; but when, after above a
month's imprisonment, they were discharged in the
river of Canton, they were reduced to mere skeletons;
and their air and looks corresponded nuich more to
the conception formed of ghosts and spectres, than to
the figure and appearance of real men."

The second visit of the Commodore with his prize

1743.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WOULD. 77

puzzled the Chinese not a little. They did not un-
derstand on what principle a ship-of-war went round
the world, seeking ships of other nations in order
to seize them. Unacquainted as they were with in-
ternational law, their own laws and sense of jus-
tice admitted of no such license. Anson's own ac-
count of his proceedings is as follows : — " Finding
I could not obtain the provisions and stores to enable
me to proceed to Europe, I was under the necessity
of visiting the vice-king, notwithstanding the Eu-
ropeans were of opinion that the emperor's duties
would be insisted upon, and that my refusing to pay
them would embarrass the trade of the East India
Company ; not knowing what means they might
make use of, when they had me in their power, I
gave orders to Captain Brett, whom upon this occa-
sion I liad appointed captain under me, that, if he
found me detained, he should destroy the galeon, (out
of which I had removed all the treasure, amounting
to one million three hundred and thirteen thousand
eight hundred and forty-three pieces of eight, and
thirty-five thousand six hundred and eighty-two
ounces of virgin silver and plate,) and proceed with
the Centurion without the river's mouth, out of gun-
shot of the two forts.

" Contrary to the general opinion of the Europeans,
tlie vice-king received me with great civility and po-
liteness, having ten thousand soldiers drawn up, and
his council of Mandarins attending the audience, and

78 LIFE OP LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

granted me everything I desired. I had great reason
to be satisfied with the success of my visit, having
obtained tlie principal point I had in view, which
was establishing a precedent upon record that the
emperor's duties and measurage had not been de-
manded from me, by which means His Majesty's
ships will be under no difficulties in entering into
any of the Emperor of China's ports for the future."*

Anson here contents himself with giving merely
the result of his visit ; he says nothing of the many
excuses, lies, and evasions he was subject to, and that,
after all, it was the incident of a fire, which threatened
to destroy a great part of the city, being stopped by
the exertions of the Commodore and his boat's crew,
who pulled down the contiguous houses, that procured
him an interview for which he had hitherto striven in
vain. He was received with great pomp and nmch
civility, but his many grievances were listened to in
silence ; and when Anson told him ho waited only
for a license to ship his provisions and stores, to en-
able him to leave the river, and make the best of his
way to England, the viceroy replied, that the license
should be issued forthwith, and everything was or-
dered on board the following day.

When all was ready, and the merchants of Macao
had concluded their bargain for the galeon, at the
j)rice of six thousand dollars, on the 15th December
1743, the Centurion got under weigh on her return

* Anson's Official Report,

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 79

to England, and, having wooded and watered in the
Strait of Sunda, touched at the Cape of Good Hope,
and on the 15th June, 1744, came safe to an anchor
at Spithead. Fortunately for Anson he escaped the
last of the many perils which had so frequently beset
him, by favour of a fog, having run through a French
fleet cruising in the chops of the Channel. " Thus,"
says the narrator, " was this expedition finished,
when it had lasted three years and nine months,
after having, by its event, strongly evinced this im-
portant truth — that, though prudence, intrepidity, and
perseverance united, are not exempted from the blows
of adverse fortune, yet, in a long series of transactions,
they usually rise superior to its power, and in the
end rarely fail of proving successful." This remark
is certainly just, and no parallel is to be found, in the
history of navigation, to the voyage of Anson, unless
it be that of Sir Francis Drake, which comes nearest
to it, and in some respects is perhaps still more ex-
traordinary. He left England with five ships, his
OAvn the Hind of 100 tons, the second 80, the third 30,
a fly-boat 50, and a pinnace of 15 tons. He lost, or
broke up, or left behind hini, all but his own ; plun-
dered the Spaniards on the western coast, proceeded
nearly to 50° N. to look out for a north-east passage
into the Atlantic, crossed the Pacific, proceeded round
the Cape of Good Hope, and, after an absence of two
years and ten months, reached England with only his
own ship and about 50 men out of 160.

80 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

Tliougli it is pleasing to reflect tliat many of the
painful incidents recorded in this memorable voyage
can never again occur, yet it may not be deemed irre-
levant to offer a few observations on two of the main
points which fall Avithin its scope. The first is, on
the extraordinary mortality of the seamen and the
cause thereof; the second, on the defective state of
navigation and nautical science recorded therein.

1. As this extraordinary mortality occurred in
every one of Anson's ships, (even in the Severn and
Pearl that were driven back to Rio de Janeiro,) it is
obvious that the cause of the disease was general,
and that it was less owing to any defect in the ships,
their condition, or the regulations observed in each,
than to the unfortunate and, it must be added, the inhu-
man circumstance of putting on board such a number
of invalids, pensioners of Chelsea Hospital, every one
of Avhom perished in the course of the voyage. Dis-
eased, old, and infirm, at the very commencement of
the voyage, these poor creatures were obliged to re-
main l)elow, with the ports shut in, with little or no
fresh air, and what there was infected and polluted by
their own lireath — their food salt provisions, their
beverage spirituous li(|uors, a scanty su])ply of water,
and less of vegetable matter — no wonder that fever and
dysentery should have made a dreadful havoc among
them even before their arrival at St. Catharine's.
Here however every precaution was taken to abate the
sickness — decks scraped, ships thoroughly cleaned.

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 81

smoked between decks, and every part well washed
with vinegar — " for correcting," as the narrative
says, " the noisome stench on board, and destroying
the vermin ; for, from the number of our men, and
the heat of the climate, both these nuisances had in-
creased upon us to a very loathsome degree."

Thus early was laid the foundation of that more
horrible disease, the scurvy, which first made its ap-
pearance in April, when otf Cape Horn, where the
highly heated atmosphere was suddenly changed to
severe cold, by the foggy, snowy, and tempestuous
weather which they met with off that cape, and which
increased the sickness to a frightful degree. Leaving
the mild and pleasant weather met with in the Strait
Le JMaire, the general opinion was that the re-
mainder of the voyage, within the Tropics and
across the Pacific, would be free from any further
attack of scurvy. The surgeon Avho, Mr. Pascoe
Thomas says, Avas vain and pragmatical, pronounced
the scurvy to be owing to the coldness of the climate,
having destroyed the tone of the blood and made it
unfit for circulation. Unfortunately however for his
theory, it was afterwards found that, in the warm
climate, the symptoms were more alarming, and
the progress of the disease more rapid and fatal ; on
which the doctor came to the more rational conclu-
sion, that the grand cause was long continuance at
sea, and that the shore only could effect a cure.
It is well known that the very sight of land affords

G

82 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

a momentary relief to the sufferer in scurvy. One
of Captain Back's men, reduced to the last extre-
mity, fancied that if a piece of earth could be pro-
cured, the odour of it would be of benefit: with
some difficulty a clod of frozen moss was obtained
from Southampton island, and the poor fellow died
in the belief that it did him good. It is on record
that when the Raisonable, Captain Fitzherbert, was
removed from Halifax to Barbadoes in 1779, the
crew being dreadfully afflicted with scurvy, of which
numbers died, one of the men, who had suffered
from it severely a long time, requested he might be
buried up to the neck in fresh earth ; his wish was
complied with, and he not only felt instantaneous
relief, but, to the surprise of all, very quickly reco-
vered.

But to return to Mr. Robins, who seems to think
that this disease has no cure. He says, that " al-
though uncommon pains were taken in cleansing and
sweetening the ships, yet neither the progress nor
the virulence of the disease were thereby sensibly
abated," and he therefore comes to the conclusion,
" that in some cases both the cure and prevention of
this disease is impossible to be effected by any ma-
nagement, or by the application of any remedies
which can be made use of at sea."

Fortunately however the fallacy of this general
conclusion was proved, some thirty years afterwards,
by the wise and judicious precautions of the cele-

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 83

brated Cook ; but several years more were suffered to
elapse before this dreadful disease disappeared ; be-
ing at length not only prevented, but effectually cured,
by the general introduction of citric acid, or lemon
juice, into the navy, which has in all cases of its
occurrence proved to be an universal specific.

This voyage estal^lished the fact, which future voy-
ages have abundantly confirmed, that the scurvy re-
gards not climate, and that it is equally common and
fatal in the frigid as the torrid zones. Back's people,
officers and men, shut up for many months in "thick-
ribbed ice," with all the means and appliances to boot,
suffered most dreadfully from this fearful scourge ;
and Captain Legge of the Severn, who just looked
at Cape Horn and was driven back to Rio de Ja-
neiro, says, " I had not above thirty men, myself,
lieutenants, officers, and servants included, that were
able to assist in working the ship ; all of us so weak
as hardly able to walk the deck."* Pie left Eng-
land, he says, with 430 men; he since buried 291 ;
among whom were the captain, lieutenant, and en-
sign of invalids ; and of 144 living on his reaching
Rio de Janeiro, 114 were sick and unable to stir.

2. With regard to the second point, Anson was
considered fully competent to all the practical parts
of nautical science, and to the use of all the instru-
ments then in use, with which he had taken care

* Official Report.

g2

84 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cH. II.

to provide himself. The Honourable Edward Legge
too, captain of the Severn, was an able and intelligent
officer, of superior education ; and yet the narrative
affords many instances of singular mistakes in the
position of the ships, which could hardly happen,
at the present day, to the most ordinary masters of
merchant ships. The Centurion, for instance, hav-
ing passed the most w^estern part of Terra del Fuego,
and proceeded, as was supposed, as far as ten de-
grees to the westward of it, the Pink made a sig-
nal of seeing land a-head, at two miles' distance, to
the imminent peril of losing the whole squadron
on Cape Noir; "so that," it is said, "in running
down by our account about nineteen degrees of
longitude, we had not really advanced above half
that distance/'

Again, the Centurion in standing for the island of
Juan Fernandez, in order to save time, steered a
course " to hit it upon a meridian," but not finding
it, the next thing was " to make it on a parallel of
latitude ;" and to this end, the course steered was
direct east, which brought her to the coast of Chili,
and by this unfortunate mistake eleven days were
lost in getting ])ack to the island, and, what was
more deplorable, " betAveen seventy and eighty men"
perished. Captain Legge also, after doubling Cape
ITorn, steered as he thought for the island of Chiloe ;
but, to his astonishment, found himself on the wrong
side of South AnuTJca, having the high land of Pa-

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 85

tagonia to the westward of him, and being twelve
degrees out of his longitude.

For the errors in the reckonings of the Centu-
rion and the Severn, some allowance is due to the
long continuance of boisterous weather, the irregu-
Larity of the currents, and the foggy and clouded
atmosphere in the neighbourhood of Cape Horn.
The reflecting quadrant of Hadley had been in use
ten years, but the limb had not l)een extended to
the sextant; chronometers were not known. Tlie
lunar tables of Meyer and the theory of the moon
by Newton, Haliey, and Flamstead, Avere familiar to
astronomers, but had not been practically applied to
the purposes of navigation. To the Rev. Doctor
IMaskelyne, the astronomer royal, a most excellent
and economical public servant, the seaman is in-
debted for the " Requisite Tables" and various rules
and examples for deducing the longitude froiri the
distance of the sun and moon, or of the moon and a
fixed star, commonly known under the name of
Lunar Observations. ]\Iany years however elapsed
before the method, thus made easy, became generally
practised. The captains of ships trading to the
East Indies were among the first to adopt it. The
officers of the navy were slow to follow the ex-
ample.*

* The Lion of 64 guns, ^vhich carried Lord Macartney's embassy
to the Court of Pekin in 1792, may be quoted as an instance of this.

86 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II

Now, however, with the assistance of chronometers
and of lunar observations, the navigator of the pre-
sent day can never mistake his position : there is no
excuse left for ignorance. Every midshipman in the
navy must indeed now make himself acquainted with
both, before he is qualified to receive a lieutenant's
commission ; but as it is generally many years, after
his examination, that he is fortunate enough to ob-
tain a commission, and as young men are but too
frequently apt to throw behind them the knowledge
they acquired for a particular purpose, it would be
well if they were required to show, at the time when
the commission was to be received, that they had not
forgotten what they once learned ; and it would be
no disparagement to the lieutenant, were he required
to give proof of his competency to conduct the navi-
gation of a ship, before he is advanced to the rank of
commander, and not, as Lord Howe judiciously re-
marked on the case of Captain Williamson, to leave
the navigation of the ship " to the errors in his

Sir Erasmus Gowerwas an officer of high and deserved rcinitation in
the service. He had the choice of his four Heutenants, and two if
not three midshipmen were made acting-Ueutenants in the course of
the voyage ; he had a master of distinguished skill in navigation, and
twenty midshipmen. It was a time of profound peace, and yet there
was not an oflicer in this ship, save one, Mr. David Atkins, the
third heutenaiit (who nobly sacrificed himself in the North Sea, to
save his admiral, when the St. George and Defence were lost), capable
of taking and working a lunar distance. There are four admirals now
living (then midshipmen), Ommanney, Warren, Lord MarkKer, and
Sir Robert Bromley, who can attest this statement.

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 87

Maaters reckoning," — " a minute," says his Lord-
ship, " of admonitory benefit for young captains, who
often think that point of their examinations, when
passing for a lieutenancy, is no longer to be regarded
after obtaining independent commands."

But something more is required from a naval offi-
cer in command, whether of a fleet, a squadron, or
single ship, than the recollection of the scanty know-
ledge put in requisition at his passing for a lieute-
nant. It is not enough that he should make him-
self acquainted thoroughly Avith the theory and
practice of navigation : the various situations into
which he must be thrown, in his intercourse Avith
foreign nations, render it highly expedient he should
possess a knowledge of their maritime laws, customs,
and language. The French language in particular,
being so generally spoken, ought to form a part of
tlie studies of every midshipman, and also of an exa-
mination, when he passes for a lieutenant's commis-
sion. The laws and usages, the best system of dis-
cipline, and the code of instructions in the British
navy, should be familiar to him as household words.
An admhable system of gunnery, of the laws of pro-
jectiles, of mechanic powers, and a course of mathe-
matics, are now taught on board the Excellent in
Portsmouth harbour ; and the limited few, who are
fortunate enough to be admitted to the benefit of
such instruction, ought not to receive any promo-
tion unless they afford satisfactory proof that it has

88 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

not been thrown away upon them. If such a ship
as the Excellent, ^ritli her establishment, was afloat,
and made a sea-going ship, it might probably be
considered as an improvement of the plan, more
particularly in all that relates to gunnery, which,
both as to theory and practice, is every day rising
more and more in importance, and in the know-
ledge of Avhicli we ought at least to keep pace with
other nations.

Having touched, in another place, on the propriety
of refreshing the knowledge acquired as a midship-
man, at a future period, it has been objected by some,
(probably not of the wisest) that an examination
into the qualification of a lieutenant, or commander,
would be derogatory to officers of those ranks in the
service. It was not thought so however in the earlier
periods of our naval history. In a series of ancient
records in the Admiralty, called *' The King's Col-
lection," it appears that in 1674, when Prince Ru-
pert was lord high admiral, a resolution Avas taken
that all captains should, before appointed to the com-
mand of sixth-rates, be examined by the Trinity
House touching their qualifications as masters, and
briuix from them certificates of their being able to
take the charcje of them as masters, and this notwith-
standing they had the command of ships of bigger
rate before, &c.

In 1G92, when the Earl of Pembroke was at the
head of the Admiralty, the rule was renewed, that

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 89

all commanders of sixth- rates should first pass then'
examination as masters; and in 1697 when the Earl
of Orford was first Lord of the Admiralty, masters
were abolished from fire-ships and sixth-rates, and
lieutenants allo^red in their room, and the captains'
commissions were masters and commanders ; and
by minute of 4th February, 1697, it was resolved,
*' That, for the future, all commanders of fire-ships
and sixth-rates have their commissions as onasters
and commanders, and have no masters." These
commissions, after maintaining their ground near
a hundred years, were changed to commanders
only.

The shipwreck of the Wager, the last of Anson's
missing ships, and commanded by Captain Cheap, is
an episode in the voyage, which differs from the
calamities of the other ships, by uniting crime Avith
misfortune. This ship, in steering a course for Val-
divia, the first place marked out for attack, struck
on a sunken rock, and soon after bilged ; her com-
mander, in his exertions to get clear of it, fell down
the after ladder, and dislocated his shoulder : she
drifted near the shore, and the crew were saved.
Several, however, persisted in remaining on board,
got to the spirit-room, and made themselves so drunk,
that some of them tumbled down between decks
and were drowned. The boats were sent to brins:
them off, but no efforts could prevail on these deluded
people to quit. They Avantonly fired two shot from

90 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

a four-pounder, pointed at the tent in which they
knew their commander resided. At last, as the ship
was going to pieces, the refractory part of the crew
landed ; but the ship being lost, the authority of the
officers was at an end, the people were nuitinous,
frauds and thefts were committed, feuds and con-
tests prevailed.

In this state of insubordination, the captain pro-'
posed to fit up the boats and to leave this desolate
shore, proceeding to the northward to Chiloe ; but
the majority were resolved to take the contrary
direction, to lengthen the long-boat, to pass through
the Strait of Magellan, and along the coast of Ame-
rica to the Brazils. The captain adhered to his own
plan, but acquiesced in lengthening the long-boat. A
great part of the crew were very much embittered
against him, and their hostile feeling was aggravated
by an unhappy accident. A midshipman of the name
of Couzens, the foremost in all the refractory proceed-
ings of the crew, was constantly in brawls with thC:
officers, and had treated the caj>taiii hiiuiself Avilh
great insolence. Among others he insulted the
purser \vhile delivering out provisions near the cap-
tain's tent ; the purser, enraged at his scurrility,
called out " 3Iutmi/ !'' adding, '^ The dog Jiaa pis-
tola ;" and then he fired a pistol at Couzens. The
captain on this rushed out of his tent ; and, not
doubting that Couzens had fired the })istol, as the
commencement of a nmtiny, shot iiim instantly in

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 91,

the head, and he died of the wound a few days after-
wards.

Tlie long-boat was completed about the middle of
October, when the crew, suspecting it to be the inten-
tion of the commander to defeat their favourite pro-
ject of passing the Strait, made use of the death of
Couzens as a ground for depriving him of his com-
mand, under pretence of carrying him a prisoner to
England, to be tried for nmrder. When all was
ready, however, to put to sea, they released him from
custody, gave him, and those who chose to take their
fortunes with him, the yawl and the barge. The
Wager left England Avith a crew of one hundred and
sixty men, besides her share of invalids, of whom
there remained alive near one hundred and thirty at
the time of the wreck ; above thirty had since died
at this place ; and the number that went off in the
long-boat and cutter amounted to near eighty ; so
that there remained lA'ith the captain nineteen per-
sons, which were as many as the yawl and the barge
could well carry.

It was on the IStli October, five months after the
shipwreck, that the long-boat, converted into a
schooner, weighed and stood to the southward, giving
to the captain, the lieutenant of marines, and surgeon^
who were standing on the beach, three cheers at
their departure. On the 29th January following
they reached Rio Grande on the coast of Brazil ;
and having, by various accidents, left about twenty of

92 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. II.

their people on shore at the different places where
they touched, and having lost a greater number Ijy
hunger during the course of their navigation, there
were no more than thirty of them left, Avhen they
arrived at the port above mentioned. It was two
months subsequent to the departure of the mutineers
before the captain and his party could put to sea in
the barge and yawl, on account of the extreme violence
of the Aveather, during which time they received a
great part of their support from a straggling canoe
or two of Indians, which now and then brought them
a supply of lish.

On the 14th December, Captain Cheap and his
people embarked in the two boats, and proceeded to
the northward ; but the wind soon began to blow
hard, and the sea to run so high, as to oblige tliem
to throw the greatest part of their provisions over-
board to avoid immediate destruction. A fortniirht
after this another dreadful accident l}efel them,
the yawl having sunk at an anchor, and one of the
men being drowned. The barge was incapable of
carrying the whole party, -when, melancholy to relate,
they were reduced to the hard necessity of leaving
four marines behind them on that desolate shore.
They struggled on with various disasters, obliged to
seek a precarious subsistence on the shore, till about
the end of .January, when, after three unsuccessful
attempts to double a headland called Cape Tres
Monies, they resolved to return to Wager Island,

1744,] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 93

where tliey arrived about the middle of February,
quite disheartened and dejected by reiterated disap-
pointments, and ahnost perishing with hunger and
fatigue.

Here they met with a seasonable relief, by finding
several pieces of salt beef that had been washed out
of tlie ship ; and very shortly two canoes of Indians
came to the spot, among whom was a native of
Chiloe, who agreed to convey the captain and his
people in the barge to that island, in consideration of
having her and all that belonged to her for his pains.
Accordingly, on the 6th March, the eleven persons,
to which the party was now reduced, embarked in
the barge on this new expedition ; but a few days
after this, the captain and four of his officers being
on shore, the six men who, together Avith an Indian,
remained in the barge, carried her off to sea, and
never returned. Thus were left on shore Captain
Cheap, IMr. Hamilton, lieutenant of marines, the
Hon. Mr. Byron and JMr. Campbell, midshipmen, and
Mr. Elliot, the surgeon. " One would have thought,"
says the narrative, " that their distresses had, long
before this time, been incapable of augmentation;
but they found, on reflection, that their present situa-
tion was much more dismaying than anything they
had yet gone through, being left on a desolate coast
without any provision or the means of procuring
any ; for their arms, ammunition, and every conve-
niency they were masters of, except the tattered

94 LIFE OF LORD ANSON, [CH. II.

habits they had on, were all carried away in the
barge."

In the midst of their despondency the canoe of the
Indian, who had been fishing, and who had under-
taken to carry them toChiloe, returned ; but this man,
on finding the barge gone and his companion with
her, took it into his head that his countryman had
been murdered ; and it required some time before
he couhl be convinced of the truth of their story.
Being once satisfied, he procured several canoes from
his neighbours, and they again set out for Chiloe.
Soon after their departure, Mr. Elliot, the surgeon,
died, so that their number was now reduced to four.
These, after a complicated passage by land and water,
arrived in the beginning of June on the island of
Chiloe, where they were received by the Spaniards
with great humanity. " Thus," says the narrative,
" above a twelvemonth after the loss of the Wager,
ended this fatiguing peregrination, Avhich, by a variety
of misfortunes, had diminished the company from
twenty to no more than four, and those too brought
so low that, had their distresses continued ])ut a few
days longer, in all probability none of them would
have survived." They were first sent to Valparaiso,
thence to St. Jago, where they continued above a
year, when they were exchanged and sent to Europe
in a French ship.

Captain Cheap, on his arrival at Landernau in
France, writes to Anson, the 12th December, 1745,

1744.] THE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 95

in very indignant terms, at the conduct of his men,
Avhom he upbraids as poltroons.* He says, " Some
time before we left Chili, the Jesuits offered us what
money we wanted, and said it was by order of their
general at Rome. I do not know from what quarter
the credit came : however, we took no more than
we wanted to pay off a debt we had contracted with
one of the supercargoes of the ship, which was nine
hundred pieces of eight."f

Thus, then, in this disastrous expedition, the de-
struction of human life in the Wager greatly exceeded
that in any other ship of the squadron ; one hun-
dred and twenty-six men having fallen victims in a
crew of a hundred and sixty, without taking into
account the number of invalids that were put on
board in addition to her complement ; all of whom
perished in every ship which composed Anson's

* It was in consequence of the mutinous and bad conduct of the
shipwrecked seamen of the Wager, that Anson, in 1 748, when he had
the management of the Admiralty, in the absence of the Duke of
Bedford and Lord Sandwich, got an act passed (21 Geo. II.) for "ex-
tending the discipline of the navy to the crews of his Majesty's ships,
wrecked, lost, or taken, and continuing to them their wages upon cer-
tain conditions."

t Byron relates, that two or three days after their arrival at St.
Jago, Campbell and he were invited by the president to dine with
him, and to meet Admiral Pizarro and all his officers, and, though
without proper clothing, they could not refuse. The next day the
first lieutenant of the admiral's ship came and offered them two
thousand dollars, with a compassionate feeling, and without any
view of ever being repaid : they accepted from this noble and gene-
rous Spaniard six hundred, and insisted on his taking their draft on
the English consul at Lisbon.

96 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IL

squadron. Amidst so few survivors, it is remark-
able enough that one of tlie seamen, l)y name
George Gregory, lived to the age of 109 years,
liaving died at Kingston the 13th February, 1804,
without liaving known a day's illness since he went
to sea in 1714.

1744.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 97

I CHAFfER III.

WAR WITH FRANCE AND SPAIN; AND THE SCOTCH

REBELLION.

Receipt of intelligence from Anson — His arrival — His first request
refused — Mr. Corbett's advice to him — Declines his promotion to
the flag— Change of Administration — Appointed to the Admiralty
— Character of the Duke of Bedford, Lord Sandwich, and Mr. An-
son— Preparations for commencing hostilities — French fleet in the
Channel — Sir John Norris sent to oppose it— A storm and its
etfects — Action of Lion and Elizabeth — The young Pretender em-
barks for Scotland — Intelligence of the Rebels from Mr. T. Anson
^Anson left alone in the iVdmiralty — Bedford and Sandwich both
ill — Singular complaint of the latter — Dangerous interference of
the Crown with the jurisdiction of the Admiralty, by commanding
a court martial — Result of that court martial — A writ of capias
issued against the members — Their resolutions against Judge
Willes — He demands and obtains an apology — His character* —
Activity of cruisers— Capture of Louisburg—Tlie case of Admiral
Vernon — is ordered to strike his flag — is summoned to attend the
Admiralty — is struck off the list— Proceedings on this transaction —
Satirical letter of Mr. Legge— Several brilliant actions between
single ships.

1744 to 1746.

The anxiety felt by the family of Anson, during the
long time in which no tidings of him had reached
England, was relieved by the arrival of Captain Saun-
ders and some of the other officers whose ships had
been destroyed, and w^ho had taken their passage in a
Swedish vessel from Canton. Mr. Thomas Anson,

H

9Q LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH.III.

liis brother, acknowledges the receipt of his letters,
with the view of their meeting him on his passage
home. "They give us," he says, "infinite delight,
though they abound wath very just complaints of
disasters and disappointments. The public had
given you immense w^ealth, and seems concerned to
find the recompense falls so short of the dangers,
toils, and merits of the service.* But if you can
content yourself with the nobler rew^ard of reputation
and fame, rest assured, my dear commodore, of as
large a share as you can wish or imagine to yourself.
The captains of your squadron have been sought for,
and pointed out in public places as a spectacle ; most
graciously received at the Admiralty, and promised
what ships they would ask for ; Lord Winchelsea,
who is at the head of it (your friend Corbett secre-
tary), declaring that they w^ould confirm whatever
Anson did. This I mention that, in case you have
a mind to make any new ofiicers, or advance any that
are made, the least pretence may probably suffice."

Whether Mr. Thomas Anson mistook Captain
Saunders, or this officer, as naval officers sometimes
do, considered as promises what were only meant as
expressions of approbation, it is certain that Commo-
dore Anson, on his arrival, did not find matters at
the Admiralty wearing so smiling an aspect as his
brother had described. In reply to his letter of the

* Anson had not captured the Spanish galleon when his letters
wore written from Canton.

1744.] FRENCH WAR SCOTCH REBELLION. 99

14tli June, from St. Helens, announcing his arrival,
and transmitting an account of the transactions at
Canton, including that of the capture of the Acapulco
ship, the secretary coolly acknowledges the receipt,
adding that he had communicated it to their lord-
ships, " and I take" (the secretary takes !) " the
opportunity of wishing you joy on your arrival in
England." And this was all, — chilling enough it
must be admitted, — in reply to a man who, for four
years nearly, had suffered more hardships than had
fallen to the lot of almost any human being; but
Anson was not a man of nuich punctilio, and wrote,
in a quiet manner, another letter " to their Lord-
ships," stating the circumstances under which he had
made his first lieutenant, Brett, acting captain of the
Centurion, in his absence to wait upon, and arrange
important matters with, the viceroy of Canton, and
requested his commission might be confirmed. He
was told he had no power to make such an appoint-
ment, and of course that it could not be confirmed.

Just at this time (the 19th June) a promotion of
three rear-admirals was made, of whom Anson was
one ; and he was informed by letter^ which enclosed
his commission, that the king had been pleased to
raise him to the rank of rear-admiral of the blue.
As no further notice had been taken in favour of his
lieutenant and friend, Brett, he at once returned the
commission of rear-admiral of the blue, expressing
his concern to find himself under the necessity of

H 2

100 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

declining that mark of regard, which his Majesty
had been pleased to bestow ii}3on him, and which
he found he could not accept with honour.

This high feeling will perhaps be considered to
have led him rather too hastily to adopt, and to act
upon, such a resolution ; but it brings to one's recol-
lection a somewhat similar proceeding on the part of
Sir George Rooke, when Prince George of Den-
mark, the Lord High Admiral, refused to promote
his captain, Wishart ; with this difference, however,
in the two cases, that Rooke only threatened to retire
from the service, unless he carried his point (which
he did), whereas Anson sent back his commission at
once, which the board did not condescend to restore
to him, though, at the very same moment, they pro-
moted Brett to be a captain, without taking the least
notice of it to Anson. Nay, on the very day that
Brett's commission was dated, Anson received the
following letter from I\lr. Corbett, the secretary of
the Admiralty, full of good sense and of friendly
counsel, no doubt ; but it came too late.

" Dear Sir,

" Though the ffivins: advice is tlic most hazardous
office of friendship, it is (in proper season) the sincerest proof
of it. It is from that motive I address this letter to you —
the first occasion you have ever given me for it in a course
of more than twenty years' happiness of your acquaintance.
"The conduct you have shown in a late perilous expedi-
tion— the happy completion of it villi so much judgment

1744.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 101

and resolution — has distinguished your character in an un-
common manner^ and make you regarded as one of the
ablest to serve and support your country.

" Is it possible for one of such excellent endowments to
justify so tenaciously an act, irregular, unnecessary, unpre-
cedented, as to make the confirmation of it a condition of
your continuance in the service, and of your acceptance of
the late mark of his Majesty's regard for you?

" The reason you urge for insisting on the commission
you gave, constituting a captain under you in the Centurion,
is, ' that it has ever been your opinion, a person entrusted
with command may and ought to exceed his orders, and
dispense with the common rule of proceedings, when extra-
ordinary occasions require it.'

" Your opinion is very just. When a commander finds
his orders or instructions insufficient, and he can do liis
country better service by violating or exceeding them, it
indicates a great mind to judge and make a successful use
of such occasions.

"But the application of this rule does not avail here.
You are named to go with a squadron upon a distant expe-
dition, without any captain under you in your own ship. You
accept the command on those terms, and serve all the time
accordingly. But after the Avhole expedition is at an end,
and not one ship left with you but your own, nor any other
service to be performed, but to return home, you appoint a
captain under you.

" Do any of those extraordinary occasions appear here,
wherein common rules of proceedings should be dispensed
with ? Does a journey of a few hours to an audience of the
vice-king at Canton come up to it ? The precaution you
took, before setting out, to secure the king's ship, and the
treasure, in case any accident happened to your person, was a

102 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

prudent and necessary measure ; but the trust was condi-
tional, and to take place upon an inability to act yourself,
which did not happen.

"If what I have been saying, dear sir, has any tone of
conviction, you will no longer insist on an act your good
sense must condemn, when you consider that the Lords of
the Admiralty have a true regard for you, are much con-
cerned for the temper you are in with them, and would
gratify you in anything that consisted with reason and the
rules of their office. They have given you proofs of it. You
took the galleon into the king's service, and they have con-
firmed the officers you appointed to her; and yet there
seemed as much reason to commission any common mer-
chant ship ; for she never was to serve as a man of war
against the enemy, which is the only reason of putting prizes
into commission. I am well assured that the captain you
contend for would be provided for to his satisfaction, as well
as others who have served with you in the voyage, and are
under your protection.

" In the present case the Lords of the Admiralty had no
precedent — would you make one ? It cannot be defended.
The moment it is admitted, the Admiralty is no longer
master of any rule or order, but every commodore who goes
abroad without a captain may appoint one as soon as he is
clear of the land of England, and insist upon it from the
precedent.

" An admiral of great rank in the Mediterranean wanted
a- second captain : his reasons were specious ; he had a very
large fleet under his command, and the assistance only of
one flag-officer, who was infirm ; himself was next in post
to the only admiral who is allowed two captains. But as
the establishment did not allow it, it was not granted, and
not being granted, was not assumed.

1744.] FRENCH WAU — SCOTCH REBELLION. 103

" The late Lord Torrington, under whom we both served,
and now revere his memory, in his expedition to Sicily, gave
a commission to a person to be a lieutenant, contrary to
rule. Lord Berkeley, being then at the head of the Admi-
ralty, would not confirm it. In ten years after. Lord Tor-
rington coming to the head of the Admiralty, and being
solicited to continue the commission, refused it, saying, he
would never ratify any act of his own, which he was con-
vinced to be wrong. This is one of the many things I have
admired in him: moderation and obedience to laws and
rules of government are truer characteristics of a great mad
than defending singular opinions.

" I will trouble you no more, but to leave it to your consi?
deration which is most praiseworthy — to give up a hasty
resolution which (as far as I can hear) all your brothejr
officers condemn, as all must who deal sincerely with you ;
or, in a sullen fit, to fly in his Majesty's face, give matters
for pleasure to his enemies, and throw yourself out of a
service you have been bred to, and in which you have so
well succeeded,

" I am, with, most sincere regard and esteem,

'' Dear Sir,
" Your most obedient and most humble servant,

(Signed) " Thos. Corbett.*

"Admiralty Office, 25th June, 1774."
"George Anson, Esq."

It would appear that the Board of Admiralty,
however, took sufficient time to determine in what
manner to act ; for it was not till eight days after

* Anson's Collection of M.S. Letters, No. 152.

104 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

Anson had returned his commission, that they came
to the resolution to accept, or rather to cancel,
it. This bold and novel proceeding of cancelling a
commission, which the king had been pleased to
order, is thus entered on the minute-hook of the Ad-
miralty : "Saturday, the 30th June, 1744. — The
Eight Honourable the Earl of Winchelsea, Mr.
Cockburn, Dr. Lee, Sir Charles Hardy, IMr. Phil-
lipson. A letter from Admiral Anson, dated the
22nd instant, was read, enclosing his commission of
rear-admiral of the blue, and representing his con-
cern to find himself under the necessity of resigning
the same, because a commission he had given to
Captain Brett, to command the Centurion under him,
was not confirmed. Resolved, that the said com-
mission be cancelled."

Lord Winchelsea had the reputation of being a
very upright and honest man ; but he certainly did
not act towards Anson with that generosity which,
if not guided, as in all probability he was, by the ad-
vice of a set of incapables, he Avould in this case have
shown to such a man, under such circumstances. He
had only two naval officers at the Board, Sir Archi-
bald Hamilton and Sir Charles Hardy (the elder),
men of little or no experience, and of as little re-
putation in the service, but both respectable men,
the latter of whom died in the Admiralty the same
year, before the end of which he would have licen
turned out ; and as to the la?/ lords, Mr. Cock-

1744.] FRENCH WAR— SCOTCH REBELLION. 105

burn, Dr. Lee, Lord Baltimore, and Mr. Phillip-
son, who ever knew anything about them? By
such a set, however, was a gallant officer sacrificed,
and actually placed on half-pay as a captain, who
had performed a voyage of nearly four years' dura-
tion, whose unparalleled perseverance and sufferings,
whose courage and constancy in meeting and over-
coming difficulties, had gained him the applause
and admiration not only of his countrymen, but of
all Europe.

But a better feeling was evinced towards this ill-
used officer by the secretary of state, to whom also,
as having through him received his instructions from
the king, he had reported his proceedings. The
Duke of Newcastle, in acknowledging the receipt of
them, says :

" Whitehall, June 15, 1744.
"" Captain Anson — Siu,

" I received this morning, by Lieutenant Dennis,
the favour of your letter of yesterday's date, with the agree-
able news of your success in taking the great Acapulco ship,
and of your safe arrival at Spithead, after the many fatigues
and dangers that you have gone through in the course of
your expedition.

" I laid it immediately before the king ; and have the
satisfaction to acquaint you that his Majesty was pleased to
express his great approbation of your conduct ; and to give
you leave to come immediately to town as you desire. As
I hope very soon to have the pleasure of seeing you, I shall

106 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IIL

only add the assurances of my being, with the greatest truth

and regard. Sir, &c.

" HoLLES Newcastle.

" P.S. — I am extremely obliged to you for your goodness
to Mr. Keppel and Mr. Carpenter.

" I will not fail to mention to his Majesty your recom-
mendation of your lieutenant, Mr. Dennis, whom I will also
recommend to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.

" Give me leave very particularly to assure you, that I
take a great part in the good fortune and in the honour you
have acquired for yourself, and the service you have done to
your country."*

There were others, also, who knew how to appre-
ciate the merits of Anson. Winchelsea and his
board were turned out in the month of December,
1744. The Duke of Bedford succeeded to the ad-
ministration of naval affairs, and this distinguished
circumnavigator was selected by his grace to become
a member of his board ; and, to make amends for the
injustice done to him by a former Board, on the 20th
April in the following year, Mr. Anson obtained two
steps of rank at once, by being appointed Rear-admi-
ral of the JFhite. Lord Sandwich was selected by
the duke as second to himself, being an intimate
friend, and a clever intelligent man. The other two
naval officers were the Rear-Admirals Lord Vere
Beauclerc and Lord Archibald Hamilton. The
former had seen very little service as a captain, and
had been one of the members of Sir Charles Wager's

* AduiiruUy Record^;.

1744.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 107

board ; the latter, a member of the last board, had
seen just as little, and was upwards of seventy years
of age. Tlie remaining two lay members were Legge
and Grenville, both men of considerable ability, par-
ticularly the former, and both competent to undertake
the civil department, and to transact the business, of
the Admiralty in the House of Commons. Anson
might therefore be considered a great acquisition, as
he very soon proved himself to be, to the Duke of
Bedford's administration. The characters of the three
leaders have been drawn, but with no friendly hand,
by their contemporary, Horace Walpole, whose in-
consistency, dishonest partiality, and proneness to
sarcasm, render his otherwise pleasant writings liable
to be viewed with suspicion, and to be taken with
great allowance.

*' The Duke of Bedford was a man of inflexible
honesty, and good- will to his country : his great eco-
nomy was called avarice : if it was so, it was blended
with more generosity and goodness than that passion
will commonly unite with. His parts were certainly
far from shining, and yet he spoke readily, and, upon
trade, well : his foible was speaking on every sub-
ject, and imagining he understood it, as he must
have done by inspiration. He was always governed ;
generally by the duchess, though unmeasuraljly ob-
stinate when once he had formed or had an opinion
instilled into him. His manner was impetuous, ot
which he A\'as so little sensible that, being told Lord

108 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

Halifax was to succeed him, he said, 'He is too
warm and overbearing ; the king will never endure
him.' If the Duke of Bedford could have thought
less Avell of himself, the world would probably have
thou2;ht better of him."

" His friend. Lord Sandwich, was of a very dif-
ferent character ; in nothing more than in the flexi-
bility of his honesty. The Duke of Bedford loved
money to use it sensibly, and with kindness to others :
Lord Sandwich was rapacious, but extravagant when
it was to promote his own designs. His industry to
carry any point he had in view was so remarkable,
that for a long time the world mistook it for abilities ;
but as his manner was most awkward and unpolished,
so his talents were but slight, when it was necessary
to exert them in any higher light than in art and
intrigue. The king had never forgiven his indecent
reflections U})on the electorate,* when he was in
opposition, and as soon as ever he found his ministers
would permit him to show his resentment, he took
all occasions to pay his court to them by treating
Lord Sandwich ill, particularly by talking to Lord
Anson before him on all matters relating to the

* His indecent reflections were these. On the debate in the
House of Lords on the Hanover troops, he made a comparison be-
tween taking the Hanoverians into the pay of En<;land, and the
French taking the troops of the Duke John Frederic into their pay
in 167'2; and used these words— "That little prince would have
duped Louis XIV. ; but he treated him hkc a little prince, and would
not accept his troops but upon his own terms."

1744.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 109

fleet."* And yet, be it observed, Lord Sandwich
alone negociated and signed the treaty of peace at
Aix-la-Chapelle. The present Lord HoUand, the
editor of the " I\Iemoirs," observes, in a note, that
he (Lord Sandwich) was first lord of the Admiralty
in Lord North's administration,! and says — " Our
author disparages his abilities : he was a lively, sen-
sible man, attentive to business, and not a bad speaker
in Parliament." His lordship might have added,
his voyage round the IMediterranean proved him to
be a scholar, a man of just observation, cultivated
intellect, and vigorous mind.

''Lord Anson," says Waipole, "was reserved and
proud, and so ignorant of the world that Sir Charles
Williams said, he had been round it, but never in it.
He had been strictly united with the Duke of Bed-
ford and Lord SandAvich, but not having the same
command of his ambition that he had of his other
passions, he had not been able to refuse the offer of
the chancellor's (Hardwicke) daughter, nor the di-
rection of the Admiralty." He admits that " Lord
Anson, attentive to, and generally expert in maritime
details, selected with great care the best officers, and
assured the king that, in the approaching war, he
should at least hear of no courts-martial."

Mv. Anson was " reserved," it is true, but not
" proud." Every part of his conduct towards his

* Walpole's Memoirs of the last Years of George II.

t He was First Lord of the Admiralty three different times.

110 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

equals and inferiors, and of theirs towards him,
strongly contradict his being proud ; and the bon mot,
as it was considered to be, of Sir Charles Hanbury
Williams, was a greater compliment to the admiral
than proljably was intended : his life had been passed
in his profession, and not in what is usually called
'* the world." With regard to Lord SandAvich,
Walpole had a feeling of rooted and bitter dislike.
" Lord Sandwich," he says, " had been hoisted to
the head of the Admiralty by the weight of the Duke
of Bedford, into whose affection he had worked him-
self by intrigues, cricket-matches, and acting plays."
..." When the court was at Hanover, Lord Sandwich
had drawn a great concourse of the young men of
fasliion to Huntingdon races, and then carried them
to Woburn to cricket-matches made there for the
entertainment of the duke."

It might have suggested itself to a candid man,
that cricket-matches, and races, and plays, are not,
in a moral point of view, more reprehensible, per-
haps much less so, than the secret employment of
writing libels and lampoons in a solitary closet, to
be sealed up in a chest till the death of the author
of them shall shield him from personal responsibility.
It is well known that Lord Sandwich was a man of
elegant manners, passionately fond of music, and
that the parties, which were held twice a year at
Hinchingbrook, were chiefly entcrtaini.'d with musical
recreations, scenes from operas, and oratorios, at

1744.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. Ill

which the most approved artistes of the day were
eiip-ased to assist ; but to which elegant amusements
Walpole does not appear to have been invited ; and
this alone was quite enough for such a cynic, first to
misrepresent, and then to condemn them.

When, in his posthumous memoirs, he sometimes
condescends to bestow on Anson " faint praise," it
is ahvays accompanied with a sneer ; to hate him it
was enough that he was the friend of Sandwich ; but
there was another and a 2;raver cause of his dislike
and abuse of him, which never ceased until, nor even
after, his death. This great intriguer is said to
have laid a scheme for marrying Anson to one of the
Duke of Bedford's daughters, in which he was dis-
appointed by the noble lord choosing for himself,
and taking to wife the chancellor's daughter, an
union that brought down on ])oth families the venom
of his libellous pen — as keen and satirical as that of
Voltaire, and in humble imitation of it ; but Vol-
taire had the manliness to face the public in his
satires, while living, which Walpole was afraid to
do, and hoarded them up till after his death.*

* His letters addressed to George IMontagu, nephew of the second
Earl of Halifax, a young man about town with two or three sinecures,
published only in the year 1818, are so scurrilous and indecent, re-
specting Anson, Lord and Lady Hardwicke, and many other public
characters, that it may be said of him (barring the opprobrious epi-
thets) what Dr. Johnson said of Bolingbrooke — "Sir, he was a scoun-
drel and a coward ; a scoundrel for charging a blunderbuss against
religion and morality ; a coward because he had not resolution to
fire it off, himself,;^but left half a crown to a beggarly Scotchman to

112 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

The time was most important, and the situation of
public affairs most serious, when the formation of the
new Board of Admiralty was established. France
was then busily employed in negociating a new family
compact with Spain, in which an alliance with that
power, offensive and defensive, was stipulated to be
perpetual ; and one of the articles of the treaty was,
that no peace should be concluded wdth England
until Gibraltar should be restored to the crown of
Spain. The treaty was signed at Fontainbleau ;
war Avas declared, and active preparations made by
the two allied powers to equip such a navy as would
infallibly, in their opinion, give them the uncontrolled
command of the JMediterranean. Considerable fleets
of French ships of war were, at the same time, pre-
paring in the ports of Brest and Rochfort ; and the
grand olyect of these two allied powers seemed to be
nothing less than to wrest from England her che-
rished tenure of the " sovereignty of the seas."

But they had also another object in view, and this
was the re-establishment of the exiled family of the
Stuarts on the throne of Great Britain. An active
correspondence was carried on with the Scotcli and
English, the Jacobites being very numerous among
the former, and more so than they were expected to
be found in the hitter. One part of the plan was to

draw the trigtrer after liis death." Any one desirous of sceinf^ Wul-
pole's character laid bare and stripped to the very skin, will find it in
the Quarterly Review, vol. xxvii.

1745.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 113

throw a French army into England, from Dunkirk,
to be escorted across the Channel by the united fleets
of Brest and Rochfort, on the supposition that, from
the number of our squadrons employed in the Medi-
terranean, the West Indies, and other foreign sta-
tions, we had no force at home equivalent to theirs, or
capable of obstructing their passage. The Pretender
was of an age which unfitted him to join in the
enterprise ; but he sent an instruction for his son
Charles Edward to hasten from Rome to Paris_, and
proceed from thence, as his substitute, on this mo-
mentous expedition. Twenty thousand men were
j-eported to have encamped at Dunkirk, commanded
by Count Saxe : and the English people of that day
looked towards Dunkirk with the same kind of
anxious feeling as that with which, more than sixty
years afterwards, they regarded the army encamped
at Boulogne, and the boasted flotilla under Napo-
leon Buonaparte, both of which proved to be equally
impotent, and, as such, they equally failed.

The French fleet, of about twenty sail-of-tlie-line,
was under the conmiand of M. de Roquefeuille, an
old and experienced oflicer, and that of England,
amounting nearly to tlie same number, was com-
manded by Sir John Norris, an able and active
admiral, who had under him the Rear-Admirals
Sir Charles Hardy and Martin. Sir John was or-
dered to repair to the Downs, for the purpose of
drawing the French fleet into the narrow part of

I

114 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

the Channel, this being the best station to prevent
them passing to the northward unobserved in thick
weather, as they might be able to do lower down
to the westward. In the early part of Feljruary
the French fleet was seen off Plymouth, standing
up Channel, and vast preparations were imme-
diately made, along the coasts of Kent and Essex,
to oppose any attempt to land in those counties.
Indeed one burst of loyalty seemed to pervade the
whole kingdom, and addresses poured in from all
quarters, professing attachment to the throne and the
Protestant succession.

M. de Roquefeuille, having first sent his cruisers
to look into the English ports, and finding no ships
of war either at St. Helen's or Spithead, stood boldly
up Channel and came to anchor t)ff Dungeness. On
this being reported to Sir John Norris, he imme-
diately got his fleet under way, and worked down
Channel, against a westerly wind, till within two
leagues of the French fleet ; but, the tide setting
stron"' aii'ainst him, he was oblii>'ed to anchor. The
French showed no disposition to engage ; on the
contrary, having made preparations, in order to take
advantage of the turn of the tide in their favour,
a signal was thrown out for every ship to make the
best of her way to Brest; and to cut or slip tlieir
cables in order to lose no time in getting under
sail. A gale of wind shortly sprung up from the
north-west, increasing to a storm, by \\hich the

1745.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 115

enemy's ships were dispersed, many of them reach-
ing Brest in a very shattered condition. Sir John
Norris, finding it impossible to come up with any of
the enemy's ships, Avhich invariably outsailed ours,
and considering it not only useless, but inexpe-
dient, to expose his fleet to the storm, returned to
the Downs.

The violence of the tempest reached Dunkirk,
where many of the transports with troops already on
board, and others Avith stores and ammunition, foun-
dered at their anchors in the road, and a great number
of lives were lost. So calamitous, indeed, were the
disasters sustained, that the camp broke up, the young
Pretender returned to Paris, and the dread of an inva-
sion at once ceased. The French, too, noAv seemed
to have abandoned the cause of the young adventurer,
at least to have withdrawn the encouragement they
had before given to the project ; but Prince Charles
was determined, at all events, to try his fortune ; he
w^rote letters to his friends in Scotland, explaining
his design, and appointing the place at which it was
his intention to land. An Irishman of the name of
Walsh, a mercliant at Nantz, furnished for this object
a small armed vessel, and raised for the Pretender's
use about 2000/., besides arms for a couple of thou-
sand men. The old Scotch Marquis of Tullibardine,
who called himself the Duke of Athol, Sir Thomas
Sheridan, and a few others, embarked with the young
Pretender ; and this pigmy expedition set sail on the

i2

116 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IIL

4tli July, 1745. They were joined off Belleisle by
the Elizabeth, a French ship of war of sixty-four
guns, the captain of which had orders to escort them
to the Western Islands of Scotland ; and this was
the only naval assistance given to this bold and en-
terprising young man.

Anson, being now one of the Commissioners of the
Admiralty, had interest enough to get his old lieu-
tenant, Piercy Brett (now a captain, though he had
failed in making him so), appointed to the Lion, of
lifty-eight guns and four hundred and forty men.
Havino- the o-ood fortune to fall in with this escort.
Captain Brett ran his ship close alongside the Eliza-
beth, and conmienced the attack within pistol-shot.
The engagement, however, lasted five hours, by
which time the Lion's rigging was cut to pieces, her
mizen-mast shot away, and all her lower and top-
masts wounded ; and in this state she lay as a log-
on the water. The Elizabeth, having suffered less in
her rigging, was able to set sail enough to carry her
off, l)ut her hull was so shattered, and she was alto-
gether so much damaged as with difliculty to reach
Brest. A smaller vessel, in which the young Pre-
tender AA^as, attempted at first to rake the Lion, but
was soon beaten off by her stern-chasers ; and towards
the close of the action she made off with all the sail
she could carry. This gallant encounter cost the
Lion iifty-five men killed, and one hundred and seven
wounded, seven of whom died siiortly after the action.

1745.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 117

Captain Brett and all his lieutenants were wounded,
and the master had his right arm shot off. It was
iifterwards ascertained that the captain and sixty-four
men of the Elizabeth were killed, and one hundred
and forty wounded. The frigate pursued her voyage,
and Prince Charles reached the coast of Lochaber,
^vhere he and his attendants were landed.

The young Pretender was strongly advised by his
adherents in Scotland to relinquish his enterprise for
the present ; but he was self-willed, and resolved at
once to carry his plans into execution. Accordingly
he hoisted his standard on the 12th August, to which
many of the disaffected clans repaired. On this in-
telligence reaching London, the most vigorous mea-
sures were put in execution to stay the rebellion, and
at all events to prevent its extending to England ; of
■which the government had great fear, more espe-
cially after the unexpected defeat of the British
forces at Prestonpans. Admiral Vernon, who had
gained such general and deserved reputation at Porto
Bello, was appointed to command in the Downs,
with a powerful squadron, to watch the motions of
the French at Dunkirk and Calais, and to send de-
tachments into the North Sea to intercept any supplies
that might be sent for the use of the rebels in Scot-
land. The frio;ates and smaller vessels thus detached
were very active, capturing and destroying transports
that were conveying succours to the young Pre-
tender's partisans in the north. It was here that

118 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

Howe was first brought into notice. He commanded
the Baltimore sloop, and, in company with the
Greyhound frigate, had a smart action Avith two
French frigates, in which he received a wound in the
head that at first was supposed to be fatal ; but he
was only stunned, or, as Captain Noel, who went on
board the Baltimore to see him, says in his despatch,
" he was a little disordered." Our two ships, whose
masts were wounded, and their sails and rigging cut
to pieces, were unable to follow the enemy, who, as
usual, took advantage of their crippled state, and
went off. With regard to the proceedings of these
rebels after they had the temerity to enter England,
Admiral Anson was duly apprised by his brother,
Mr. Thomas Anson. Extracts of his last three let-
ters will here sufhce :

Ith December. — " I fancy there has been a general panic
about London, upon the rebels seeming to make a point
that way ; but it appears that they understand their business
better, and yesterday morning, about eight o'clock, marched
out of Derby and lay at Ashburn and the adjacent villages,
A person I sent to reconnoitre brought an account, that
about ten this morning he saw, at three-quarters of a mile's
distance, the whole body pass along a valley at the other
side of Weaver Hills, the road to Newcastle or Leek, for
they might turn either way. All the most credible accounts
agree that the number of the rebels does exceed seven thou-
sand— three or four thousand good troops, the rest rabble
and boys. The Pretender's son, who Avas generally in the
rear, before the army was so near them, has since inarched

1745.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 119

at the head. He is something under six feet high^ wears a
plaid^ walks well^, a good person enough, but a melancholy
aspect, speaks little, and was never seen to smile — so much
for rebels and armies ! My situation is still the same —
between two fires — and the prospect, I fear, does not mend
upon us."

9^^ December. — "Your letter, which I have just received,
would have been a seasonable consolation if I had not been
all this day in good spirits upon finding that we are now
fairly quit of the rebels, without any apprehensions of their re-
turn. They marched out of Leek yesterday morning for Con-
gleton and Macclesfield, and are probably returning by the
same route they came. The duke, I am told, has put himself
a leur trousses with three thousand foot and five regunents of
horse and dragoons, and will take up his quarters at Will
Mills, at Leek to-night, as the Pretender did two nights ago.

" The rebels were greatly exasperated at their reception
in Derby ; their leader was observed to be much more
gloomy than usual ; their ladies wept ; and their whole body
marched out with visible dejection and despair. Their be-
haviour since has been much fiercer, and at Ashburn, and
on their way to Leek they have plundered and ravaged,
murdered two or three people, and wounded others, so that
their name is in horror and detestation. Their cruelty will
probably increase, if they have time to exert it, which I
fancy the Duke will not give them ; and perhaps some of
Mr. Wade's troops are within reach. What this gang of
rapparees, by no means formidable in themselves, but from
the panic they have spread, have already done, I need not
observe : but it will surely be lasting matter of wonder and
of reproach."

iMh December. — •' I have just received a letter from

120 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

Jones, the postmaster of Stone, dated this day, 5 o'clock,
in which he says they had, at that minute, an account that
the rebels marched out of Preston yesterday, and that our
horse marched in that afternoon, and it was thought would
he up with them by noon to-day. He encloses a letter from
Will Mills to me, which is as follows : —

" ' I hope we shall hear no more of the rebels in these
parts. The duke and his army were at Wigan last night.
The rebels are in the utmost distress, have neither shoes
nor stockings, nor any hope of getting any, not able to
march, and dwindling aAvay every day. A detachment of
light horse and some hussars are pursuing them at the head
of the duke's army. On Thursday an aide-de-camp of
Wade's came to the duke, at Macclesfield, to inform him
that Wade had detached a large body of horse to intercept
them towards Lancaster, and that Oglethorpe, with another
body of horse and the royal hunters, were at their heels
pursuing them. I hope they will soon give a good account
of them, for they were greatly dispirited on their return to
this place.' *

" Leek, Saiiirday Morning.''

This letter concludes IMr, Anson's correspondence
on the subject. It is well known that the cavalry
of the Duke of Cumberland got up with the enemy's
rear-o-uard at the villaiie of Clifton, near Penrith, and
after a skirmish compelled them to retire. At Car-
lisle they left a garrison and most of their cannon,
the main body entering Scotland in two columns.
Tlie duke, as soon as his battering-train could be

♦ Anson's Collection of MS. Letters, Nos. 21, 22, and 23.

1745.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 121

brought up, bombarded the city, and soon silenced
the fire of the rebels, who, on tlie 30th December,
were glad to surrender at discretion.

Just at this important period, Admiral Anson was
left almost alone in the charge of the Admiralty.
The Duke of Bedford was laid up with the gout, and
Lord Sandwich was taken dangerously ill in Bir-
mingham, where he was visited by Lord Halifax,
who writes to JMr. Anson, " that his fcA^er had left
him, but with great weakness and lowness of spirits ;
strength and spirits, he doubted not, would return
soon, but he had been dangerously ill, almost beyond
hope." " I am extremely concerned," says Mr. An-
son to his brother, " both in public and private re-
spects, that the Board is so indisposed at sucli a
juncture. Heaven restore and preserve it ! "

The effect of this illness on the mind and spirits
of Lord Sand\^'ich, as described in a letter from Lord
Halifax to Admiral Anson, is so extraordinary, in a
man of such powerful intellect and bodily strength,
as to deserve recording. It is dated Birmingham,
13th December, 1745:—

" I came here in great haste (before my last march to
Stafford), having been informed my good friend Lord Sand-
wich lay dangerously ill of a fever here ; and indeed I found
him very much out of order. He was once blooded, and
they hoped the complaint was removed, but I was sensible
it lay heavy on his spirits. When I returned here two days
afterwards, the fever was entirely removed; but still his

122 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

spirits were as low as ever, nor has it been in my power, by
any means, to recover them, though I think I have used all •
and if anybody could have given him ease, he told me it
would have been myself. The concern I undergo upon this
occasion is beyond what I can express, and the long and
uninterrupted course of our friendship makes it impossible
for one man to feel more for another than I do for him.
The terrible lowness of his spirits makes him take such
strange notions into his head as are not to be accounted for,
and by force of reason impossible to be removed. He fan-
cies that the expense attending his new commission, though
not amounting to 200/., has utterly ruined him, and that he
is undone in his circumstances, though, even by his own
account, they appear noways unpaired. These ill-founded
notions are continually preying upon him ; he figures to
himself the miseries of poverty and distress, and his disposi-
tion is as much affected by them as if they really existed.
No weakness of mind, no want of judgment, appears in his
conversation on any point, but that single one of his circum-
stances, which possesses him in such a manner as harasses
him to death. Though he has draughts upon the bank and
draughts upon his agent, he expresses himself in the most
extreme want of money, and lie has had from me all the
cash I could spare ; but nothing alleviates his complaint.

..." Lady Sandwich is here with my lord. I was in
hopes her company might in some degree relieve him ; but
I do not find it to be the case. The physicians prescribe
nothing at jircsent, unless it Ije a little bark, and seem to
think that time alone can give strength and cure. I am
sure I need not hint to you that it is proper you should keep
secret the exact state of my poor lord's health. Tiiis weak-
ness is, I dare say, the effect of the fever ; but I should be

1745.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 123

sorry anybody but yourself should know to what excess it is
carried. God grant that I may be soon able to give you a
better account of him ! I ought to make many excuses for
this letter. &c. &c.

(Signed) "Dunk Halifax."*

Though everything was going on well, as far as
the Admiralty was concerned, though the navy had
not as yet any great exploit to boast of either at
home or abroad, yet this illness of the second on the
list of the Lords Commissioners, and the absence of
the first lord at Woburn, threw a heavy responsibility
on Anson, though the junior lord, except one, of the
Board ; and so tenacious were some of the others of
their authority, as seniors, that Anson frequently
found himself thwarted in the measures which he
conceived best to be pursued for the king's service,
and which he was desired by the Duke of Bedford to
pursue ; he was in fact the only efficient naval
member of the Board. Lord Sandwich, however,
speedily recovered, but found it advisable to remain
for a while at Hinchingbrook, from whence, in a
letter of 25th ]\Iay, 1746, addressed to Admiral
Anson, is the following passage, relating to a most
important subject : —

'' I like the Duke of Newcastle's letter about the
court-martial very well, and imagine you Avill take
care to be constantly putting liim in mind that his
Majesty has promised that proper methods will be

* Ansons Collection, No. 184.

124 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cH. III.

taken for preventinc^ anything of the like nature for
the future ; for, if this opportunity to establish our
jurisdiction is not made use of, I fear it may be a
long time before another will offer."

This mention of the court-martial, and the pre-
servation of the jurisdiction of the Admiralty, allude
to a matter of some delicacy, in which Anson ac-
rjuitted himself with great judgment, and. as one well
versed in the powers and authorities vested in the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. On these
powers and authorities he rightly conceived that the
king, on the prayer of the House of Commons, had
encroached. The nation, always jealous of the honour
and character of the British navy, were clamorous
against the Admirals Lestock and Matthews for their
failure in the engagement of the French fleet off Tou-
lon. As such occasions always supply matter for some
member or other of the House of Commons to move for
immediate inquiry, without giving time to the proper
department to take such steps as the subject may re-
quire, so, in the present instance, a motion was nuide
for certain officers being examined at the bar of the
House, relative to the conduct of these two admirals,
and of others in the fleet ; in consequence of which,
the House came to the resolution of addressing his
Majesty on the subject, praying that he would be
graciously pleased to give directions that a court-
martial should be held, in the most sjieedy and solemn
manner, to inquire into the conduct, &:c. &c. ; to

1745.] FRENCH WAR — SCOTCH REBELLION. 125

Avhicli his Majesty gave a gracious reply, and issued
his commands to the Board of Admiralty, to order a
court-martial to be assembled accordingly.

This proceeding, though so very unusual, and
striking at once at the authority of the Admiralty, in
whom alone the power was vested, was nevertheless
complied with ; but Admiral Anson felt it his duty
to wait on the Duke of Newcastle, and humbly to
remonstrate against such interference on the part of
his jMajesty, and to request he would submit to the
king the injurious consequences that would result to
his Majesty's naval service, should so unusual a stretch
of authority unhappily be brought into a precedent.
The king and his minister could not but see at once
how necessary it was to maintain inviolate the juris-
diction of the Admiralty, as by law established, and
by royal patent confirmed ; and no instance of such
interference has ever since occurred.

The result of this trial is well known. Admiral
]\Iatthews was cashiered and rendered incapable of
any farther employ in his Majesty's service ; and
Vice-Admiral Lestock was acquitted of all and every
part of the charge. Eleven captains were tried, of
whom two only were acquitted ; three others were
cashiered, but restored to the service; two were
dismissed, and declared unfit for further employment ;
one cashiered and mulcted of a year's pay, but re-
stored ; one dismissed and placed on half- pay ; one
died on his passage home ; and one deserted into
Spain, and v»'as no more heard oh

126 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

A very extraordinary circumstance occurred with
regard to the meml^ers of this court-martial, which
shows that it is not the Lords of the Admiralty alone
who are tenacious of their privileges. While the
court was sitting, the president was arrested by virtue
of a writ of capias, issued from the Court of Common
Pleas, in consequence of a verdict obtained by Lieu-
tenant George Fry of the marines, against Sir Cha-
loner Ogle, Perry JMayne, and others, for alleged
false imprisonment and ill-treatment in the West
Indies, by means of an illegal sentence passed by a
court-martial, of which they were members. The
court, now sitting, highly indignant that their pre-
sident. Perry Mayne, should, at such a moment,
be arrested, entered into certain resolutions, con-
taining disrespectful language against the Lord Chief
Justice Willes, which were submitted to the Lords
of the Admiralty. Their proceedings were sent by
the Admiralty to the minister, accompanied with a
request that they might be laid before the king, and
received in reply a notification "that his Majesty
expressed great displeasure at the insult offered to
the court-martial, l)y which the military discipline of
the navy is so much affected ; and his Majesty will
consider what steps it may be advisable to take on
the occasion,"

Chief Justice Willes was not a man to suffer the
dignity of his court to be thus infringed, and his au-
thority called in question ; and no sooner did he
hear of the resolutions that had been sent to the

1745.] FRENCH WAR SCOTCH REBELLION. 127

kino-, than lie caused warrants to be issued to take
each individual member of the court-martial into
custody ; determined, as he said, to assert and maintain
the authority of his office. The members, being
advised of the strict legality of this proceeding of
the judge, and that, from his character, he was likely
to carry it to the utmost extent, thought it best to
send him a submissive apology, which was drawn
up in the following terms, and signed by the pre-
sident and all the members : —

" As nothing is more becoming a gentleman than to ac-
knowledge himself to be in the wrong, as soon as he is sen-
sible he is so, and to be ready to make satisfaction to any
person he has injured ; we, therefore, whose names are
underwritten, being thoroughly convinced that we were
entirely mistaken in the opinion we had conceived of Lord
Chief Justice Willes, think ourselves obliged in honour, as
well as justice, to make him satisfaction as far as it is in our
power. And, as the injury we did him was of a public
nature, we do in this public manner declare, that we are now
satisfied the reflections cast upon him in our resolutions of
the 14th and 21st May last were unjust, unwarrantable, and
without any foundation whatsoever ; and we do ask pardon
of his lordship, and of the Court of Common Pleas, for the
indignity offered both to him and the court."

r „. It may be doubted whether, at this day^ any chief
justice of the Court of Common Pleas would, for
such an offence, unintentional probably, and at any
rate provoked, have exacted such an apology, or that
any body of naval officers, assembled to perform a

128 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IIL

public duty, would have submitted to make one of
so humiliating a nature ; more especially to such
a man as Judge Willes, whose moral character
and conduct were very far from being spotless.
" He was not wont to disguise any of his pas-
sions. That for gaming was notorious ; for women
unbounded. There "was a remarkable story current
of a grave person's coming to reprove the scandal he
gave, and to tell him that the world talked of one of
his maid-servants beine" with child. Willes said,
'What is that to meV The monitor answered,
' Oh ! but they say it is by your Lordship.' ' And
what is that to you?' "*

But, after all, was it legal to issue a warrant to
take into custody judges, that were actually sitting on
a trial affecting the lives of several persons? If so,
would it not have been equally legal to arrest Chief
Justice Willes while sitting on the judgment-seat,
and in the midst of a trial, in virtue of a writ of
capias issued by the Court of King's Bench ? The
same protection surely is due to the judges, forming
a court-martial, and trying a prisoner, as to a judge
of the Court of Common Pleas ; but it is a question
that is not likely to be mooted in our days, the judges
being more prudent and better mannered than Judge
Willes appears to have been.

In the year 1745, while the land-forces of Great
Britain were employed in putting down the RebelHon,

* Walpolc's Monioirs.

1745.] FRENCH AND SPANISH WAR. 129

which had created a greater degree of alarm among
the people, than the ])uny efforts of the few followers
of the young adventurer might have been expected
to produce, the navy was by no means inactive.
The exertions of its officers and men were ge-
nerally crowned Vvdth success, not only in the North
Sea and the Channel, but along the whole coast of
France, the Mediterranean, the West Indies, and
America, and though no general actions were fought,
the enemy's fleet not daring to show themselves out
of their ports, yet several single and well-fought
engagements took place, many convoys were dis-
persed, and numerous ships of immense value cap-
tured, to say nothing of the brilliant exploits of pri-
vateers, who brought into the kingdom a great ac-
cession of wealth. Lord Anson had, moreover, the
gratification of receiving from his friend, Commodore
Warren, an account of his successful attack on Fort
Louisbourg, the garrison of which surrendered by
capitulation, after a short resistance, on the 27th of
June. The French colours being hoisted on the
fortress as a decoy, whenever a sail appeared in the
offing, were the means of enticing many valuable
prizes into the harbour, and others were taken in
those seas by his Majesty's cruisers and privateers,
whose united caro-oes are said to have amounted in
value to more than one million sterling ; that alone
of one single ship, the Notre Dame de Delivrauce,
was estimated at 600,000/.

K

-\

130 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

The news of the reduction of the hnportant position
of Louisbourg, which may be said to command the
gulf and entrance into the River St. Lawrence,
occasioned universal joy in England. It was on this
occasion that the Duke of Newcastle is reported to
have run to the king, not merely to announce to him
the acquisition of this important fortress by his vic-
torious arms, but also to give him information of a
geographical discovery he had made, that Cape Breton
was an island. Commodore ^^'^arren had been as-
sisted by detachments of troops from the colonies
under Governor Shirley and William Pepperell, esq. ;
and his Majesty was so well pleased with their
conduct, that he conferred on each the command of
a regiment, with the rank of colonel, and created
the latter a baronet of Great Britain. Commodore
Warren was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral
of the Blue.

A circumstance occurred in the early part of 1746,
which must have occasioned much pain to Anson :
the part he had in it, or the advice he gave on the
occasion, cannot be known, nor is it of any conse-
quence it should, as an act of the Board of Admiralty
is always considered to be the act of each individual
member. The affair alluded to is one of great
harshness, and indeed of injustice, for it can be
looked upon in no other light, inflicted on a brave
officer, for such Admiral Vernon undoubtedly was.
He had just been promoted to the rank of Admiral

1745.] FRENCH AND SPANISH WAR. 131

of the White, and was ordered to hoist his flag on the
2nd August, 1745 ; to repair to the Downs, and take
the command of that part of the Channel and of the
North Sea, where he was indefatigable in making his
arrangements, which were approved by the Admiralty.
His correspondence with the Board, and with the
officers of all ranks under his command, was however
generally peevish and querulous ; indeed, he appears to
have been of a very unhappy temper, not only dissatis-
fied with every one about him, but with himself, and he
frequently hinted to the Board an intention to resign.
At length, without any apparent reason, he writes to
the first lord of the Admiralty, to desire he may be
relieved in his command ; and the Board, on the day
following, the 26th December, sent down hy express
the following not very usual order to strike his flag
and come on shore.

" Whereas you have been appointed by us to command
a squadron of his Majesty's ships in the Downs, in order to
observe and watch the preparations and motions of the enemy
at Dunkirk, and the neighbouring^ ports of Flanders and
France, and to prevent their sending any succours from
thence to his Majesty's rebellious subjects in Scotland; as
also to guard the coasts of this kingdom from any attempts of
the enemy to land there with an armed force ; and whereas
since our appointment of you to the command of that ser-
vice, you have in several letters expressed to us your dislike
and dissatisfaction %vith the situation you are placed in, and
an inclination to resign your command, which uneasiness and
desire of resigning you have again repeated to us, in your

k2

132 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

letter of yesterday's date, we have taken the same into our
consideration, and do, in regard to your so often-mentioned
desire of laying down your command, and that there is an
experienced officer upon the spot to succeed you in it, sig-
nify hereby our consent thereto, and therefore do require and
direct you to deliver up the command of all his Majesty's
ships, and also of all other ships and vessels employed in his
Majesty's service, and that are under your orders, to Vice-
Admiral Martin, and to give him either such original orders
as are in your hands unexecuted, or else attested copies of
the same ; and having so done^ you are to strike your flag,
and come ashore, for which this shall be your warrant.

Given, &;c., 2Gth Dec, 1745.

To Admiral Vernon, Bedford,

Downs. Sandwich,

Anson, &c.
Per express at i past 8 o'clock P.M.

That they should remove liim from his command
is by no means surprising. His sell-conceit, his
querulous disposition, his want of temper, and his
abusive language, addressed through the secretarj^
rendered him unfit for such a connnand ; and as all
this ^vas known to the Board, by his own publication of
his quarrels and litigious conduct in the West Indies,
the surju'ise is that they ever thought of a])pointing
Inm. The extraordinary letter he addressed to the
secretary of the Admiralty in June, 1744, might 1)0
deemed (juite sufficient to disqualify him for such
an olhce of trust and confidence. He says in this
letter, " Your First Commissioner must either have

1745.] FREiNCH AND SPANISH WAR. 133

informed his IMajesty that I was dead, or have htid
something to my charge ;" and he concludes it thus :
*' I have thought proper to remind their lordships I
am living, and have, I thank God, the same honest
zeal reigning in my breast, that has animated me on
all occasions, to approve myself a faithful and zealous
subject and servant to my Royal JMaster ; and if the
First Lord Commissioner has represented me in any
other liglit to my Royal ]\laster, he has acted with a
degeneracy imbecoming the descendant from a noble
father, whose memory I reverence and esteem, though
I have no compliments to make to the judgment or
conduct of the son." His appointment, after this,
bespeaks at least the good nature and forbearance of
the son, the Duke of Bedford.

That unfortunate irritability, which was the ul-
timate ruin of this brave officer, would not allow
him to remain quiet on the present occasion. Plis
propensity for writing and indulging in intemperate
and abusive lano;uae:e ag-ainst the Board seemed to be

Coo

more congenial with his feelings ; nor did he stop
here. To give the greater publicity to his grievances,
and at the same time a vent to his angry and im-
petuous temper, he published two anonymous pam-
phlets, in which were inserted the official letters he
had received from the Secretary of State, as well as
those from the Lords of the Admiralty, together with
his own voluminous correspondence, in which he
goes out of his way to combat their opinions, passing

134 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. Ill*

strictures on tlieir acts, and giving liis own notions in
opposition to theirs, on matters that had no relation
to his command. This seems to have been con-
sidered so outrageous a breach of confidence, that the
Board directed their secretary to call upon him to
avow or disavow his being the author of the said
pamphlets. The letter of Mr. Cleveland was cer-
tainly not couched in such courteous terms, as Avere
calculated to soothe the irritable feelings of this gallant
officer, who saidrhe disdained to answer a question
that no one had any right to put to him, and that he
should answer it, if at all, to the Board of Admiralty.
He was accordingly summoned to appear before the
Board, which he immediately did ; and in con-
sequence thereof the following proceeding took place.

" At a meeting at the Admiralty-office, the 10th of April,

1746, in the evening,

" Present — His Grace the Duke of Bedford ; Earl of
Sandwich; Rear- Admiral Anson; Mr. Grenville; Mr,
Legge ; Lord Barrington.

" Admiral Vernon attending, was called in ; and his
Grace the Duke of Bedford acquainted him, that the Lords
had taken notice of some things that had passed, and, as
First Lord, he spoke to hun as the mouth of the Board,
who represented the Lord High Admiral. That, upon
seeing two pamphlets published in print, called ' A Speci-
men of naked Truth, from a British Sailor,' and ' Some sea-
sonable Advice from an honest Sailor to whom it might have

concerned, for the service of the C n and C y,' they

had ordered their secretary to write to him, to know Avhcther

1746.] FRENCH AND SPANISH WAR. 135

he was the publisher of them, or knew anything of their
publication ; and, as he had given no negative answer thereto,
they now demanded from him a plain and categorical an-
swer, whether he was the publisher of those pamphlets, or
whether they were committed to the press by his direction,
consent, or knowledge ? Mr. Vernon replied, that he had
always a great honour and veneration for his Grace ; allowed
his Grace was right in saying he represented the Lord High
Admiral, but that he was mightily surprised at such ques-
tions, which were upon a matter of a private nature ; and
that, as he thought he had the liberty of a subject, he did
not look upon himself obliged to answer them ; that he had
pleasure in saying he had always served as a faithful servant
of the crown, and, as an officer, was always ready to obey
their Lordships' commands.

" Upon which his Grace replied that he was sent for as
an officer, and that he spoke to him the sense of the Board
in telling liim that, as he did not deny the questions put to
him, wth relation to the publication of the aforesaid pam-
phlets, they could not but look upon him as the publisher
of them. To which Mr. Vernon replied, that he was sur-
prised his Grace should ask such a question, and then with-
diew.

"Friday, 1 Ith April, 1746.
" Present — The same Board as on the preceding day.

" His Grace the Duke of Bedford acquainted the Lords,
that he had attended the King this morning, and had in-
formed his Majesty of what had passed between them and
Admiral Vernon, with relation to the publication of two
pamphlets, entitled ' A Specimen of naked Truth, from a
British Sailor,' and ' Some seasonable Advice from an honest

136 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

Sailor, to Avliom it might have concerned, for the service of
the C n and C y/ and what had passed at his attend-
ance here last night thereupon, and signified his Majesty's
pleasure that the said Vice- Admiral Vernon* should be struck
ofT the list of flag-officers.

" Resolved^ that the same be done."!

Strict justice may have required that such conduct
should not be passed over without some severe cen-
sure, reprimand, or a resolution never to be again
employed, such as a court-martial would probably
have inflicted, if one could have been held. Some-
thing of this kind might have answered every pur-
pose, without adopting so harsh and severe a punish-
ment as that of removing his name from the list.
The Board might have left him to the effect of that
clever and biting "' Letter," occasioned by his " Spe-
cimen of Naked Truth,'" supposed to have been
written by Mr. Legge, one of the Lords of the Ad-
miralty, which, together with his conduct while in
the DoAvns, completely demolished that pretension
to popularity which the affair of Porto Bello had
conferred on him. "The brave conqueror of Porto
Bello" (says the letter-writer) " Avith sLr ships only ;
he that had destroyed the forts of Carthagena, and
given us a holiday for an affair tliat, 1)y the next ex-
press, put us all in mourning, we could not think sub-

* He was promoted to the rank oi Admiral in April, 1745.
t " Minute Book" of the Admiralty.

1746.] FRENCH AND SPANISH WAR. 137

ject to any meanness either of heart or temper. In
short, we could hardly alloAv you the common imper-
iections of human nature. At the last general elec-
tion, you might have been member, I believe, for
almost half the boroughs in England. It was a kind
of petty treason to give ear to the least insinuation to
your disadvantage, which would, at that time, have
been more severely resented in most public compa-
nies than disaffected expressions against his Majesty
liimself. You cannot be insensible, Sir, that Ave
carried you in our pockets upon medals ; that we had
you chased on the heads of our canes ; that a print of
you, either from copper or wood, was seen in every
liouse ; that we formed societies in your name, and
that even the ladies wore you in their fans and snuff-
boxes : nay, we had like to have made an annual fes-
tival on your birthday, equal to Gunpowder Treason,
or King Charles' Restoration ; and we were one year
so zealous in the affair, that we kept two days, upon
a presumption that we were wrong in the first of
them. All these are matters, I doubt not, concern-
ing which you have taken care to have good informa-
tion."

After this sarcastic display, which is nevertheless
true, the letter-writer goes on to show him how the
mighty are fallen — how his vanity, his ostentation_, his
bad temper, his rigour both to officers and seamen in
the West Indies, his general rough behaviour, had
alienated men's minds ; and that the king's service had

138 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

been more than once retarded, and a general odium
brouglit upon those engaged in it, through the
haughty and insulting carriage of him who ought to
have conciliated all parties. He tells him the Duke
of Bedford was willing, perhaps, to see if his merit
would at last shine without his foible ; " but if, upon
this trial, you appeared again haughty, self-sufficient,
uncommunicative, irregular, did it become the dig-
nity of the honourable Board to continue you in com-
mand ?" But, towards the conclusion, he says : " I
can with pleasure reflect, after all, that JMr. Vernon,
notwithstanding his weaknesses, cannot fail of making
a consideral)le figure in English history : yes, the
inflexible patriot, the undaunted, unwearied officer,
the blunt honest man, will be remembered with
honour, in spite of those frailties that were a bar to
his being always employed."

This brave descendant of the ancient and honour-
able iiimily of the Vernons, after his disgrace, lived
generally in great retirement, very rarely attending
his duty in the House of Commons, where he had
made himself exceedingly disliked, as "a silly
brawling admiral." It does not appear that he made
any attempt, by submitting his case to the king, to
be restored to the service, but retired to his seat at
Nacton, in Suffolk, where he died at an advanced
age, on the 30th October, 1757.

Though the French gave our brave fellows no
opportunity, in the course of the year 1746, to dis-

1746.] FRENCH AND SPANISH WAR. 139

tinguisli themselves in any general action, yet, in
single engagements, both by king's ships and pri-
vateers, several gallant exploits were performed.
Among others Mr. Legge mentions two in a private
letter to Anson, of the 1st May. "The king," he
says, " has been spoken to in relation to Captain
Phillips, w4io retook the Solebay, and is so well satis-
fied with his behaviour, that he gives us leave to
reward him as we think proper. He cut the Solebay
out of St. Martin's Road ; there were on board her
two hundred and forty men, and he had but one
hundred and thirty himself, with fifty of whom he
boarded her, and brought her out ; and, in all re-
spects, the action seems to be as gallant as one need
wish to see in a summer's day. Phillips himself is very
desirous to be made a captain in the king's service.
But this, we suppose, you wall have great objection
to, as well as we have. Medals and money, we
think, should be given liberally, and should be glad
of your thoughts, and his Grace's, if with you, upon
this subject." The recommendation of the duke and
Anson was, that a purse of 500 guineas should
be given, and a gold medal of the value of 200
guineas, Avhich the king immediately sanctioned.

In the same year, however, JMr. Brown, the master
of the Shoreham, having been placed in the com-
mand of a small privateer of two guns and twelve
swivels, engaged for five or six hours a privateer of
Bilboa, of ten guns, eighteen swivels, and seventy-

140 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. III.

eiglit men, of whom forty-six were killed; all his
ammunition being spent, he took her by hoarding.
Mr. Brown, for his gallant behaviour, vras promoted
to the rank of commander, and appointed to command
a sloop of war.

The other action which ]\Ir. Legge mentions in
the same letter is a remarkable one. "Captain
Molineux Shuldham (afterwards Lord Shuldham),
who was taken in the Blast bomb, is just re-
turned from Spain, and has been at the Board this
morning. Nothing certainly was ever braver than
his own and his men's behaviour. He was attacked
by two privateers, each of which had more men than
himself. His own complement was one hundred and
eio-hteen, out of which forty-five were killed, and
only twenty-two left unwounded. He received three
M'ounds himself, and was left for dead upon the
(piarter-deck. He was cruelly used by the captains
of the privateers, kept naked in the sun for two days,
though covered with wounds, in hopes it would kill
him ; and indeed the governor of the Havanna seemed
so sensible of this brutality, tluit, as Sbuldham says,
he did his utmost to make amends by his treatment ;
lie sent for the captains of the privateers into Shuld-
ham's presence, and offered to inflict any punishment
u])on them he should name. But Sliuldham had so
much generosity as to desire none. Upon all these
accounts (and, into the bargain, he being a clever
fellow), we hold him worthy of a post-ship, and pro-

1746.] FRENCH AND SPANISH WAR. 141

pose to take the first opportunity of giving liini one,
if the duke and you approve.'"*

The duke and Anson did approve, and ordered a
captain's commission to he forth^vith made out for
him.

In this year several actions were fought singly
and successiidly by his Majesty's ships of war with
those of the enemy of suj)erior force in guns and men,
in which the great disparity in the numhers of killed
and wounded, in flivour of the British, clearly pointed
out the superior skill of the Latter in gunnery and
seamanship. The Defiance, for instance, captured the
Ambuscade, of forty guns and three hundred men,
having killed and wounded twenty-six of the enemy ;
the Defiance had one killed and three wounded.

The Portland, Captain Stevens, of fifty guns, after
a close engagement of two hours, captured L'Au-
guste, of fifty guns and four hundred and seventy
men ; killed fifty and wounded ninety-four. The
Portland had five killed and thirteen wounded.

The Nottingham, Captain P. Saumarez, of sixty
guns and four hundred men, had an obstinate engage-
ment of two hours with the IMars, of sixty-four guns
and five hundred men ; killed twenty-three men and
wounded nineteen, having only three killed and nine
wounded. ^lany other similar instances occurred in
the course of the year 1746.

* Anson's Collections, No. 2 70. He adds in a P.S., ''I have just
lieanl Ihc Duke of Newcastle say, it is a shame if Phillips is not made
captain of the Solebay. So probably the king is inclined that way."

142 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

CHAPTER IV.

BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY.

Order in Council for improving the building of Ships— Mode
of promoting Admirals — Situation of old Captains — Orders in
Council for their relief, by appointing them retired Rear- Admirals
— Objectionable clause in the order — First established uniform —
The year 1747 glorious for the British Navy — Duke of Bedford's
opinion regarding the distribution of the fleet — Lord Sandwich's —
Lord Anson's disposition of it — his information of two squadrons of
the enemy about to sail — Makes preparations to intercept them —
Determines to hoist his flag — Selects Rear-Admiral Warren for
his second — Letter of the Duchess of Bedford — Falls in with, at-
tacks, and takes six French ships of war — Admiral Warren pur-
sues the rest — Great rejoicings on this first victory — Congratulations
from Duke of Bedford and Lord Sandwich — Fox's squadron falls
in with and captures a large portion of the St. Domingo fleet —
Rear- Admiral Hawke appointed to command a squadron to inter-
cept that of M. Letendeur — Engages and takes five sail of the line
and one fifty out of the eight — His account of the action — Captain
Fox's conduct brought befoi-e a court-martial — is dismissed his
ship, and never after employed — Numerous captures made, and
several single actions fought — M. de Conflans taken by Captain
Shirley — his unfounded charges against that officer — Captain
Shirley's exposure of them — Relative ranks of army and navy
settled — Boscawen sent to India with a large force of ships and
troops — Unsuccessful attempt on Pondicherry — Hears of the peace,
and returns to England.

1746 to 1749.

Anson's active measures for preparing the fleet
for sea, and his great desire for introducing an im-
proved class of ships, and also for bettering the
condition of the old captains of the navy, soon
showed themselves by two important Orders in coun-
cil^ both of which could only have emanated from him.

J746.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 143

whom experience had taught to feel the evils which he
was anxious to remove. The first memorial of the
Board relates to the building of ships. It states that,
on examining the methods of building ships of the
royal navy, the Lords of the Admiralty found that no
establishment or regulation had been made since the
year 1719, and that those regulations had been long
since discontinued, and, instead thereof, ships had
been built according to particular schemes or propo-
sitions, without any standard or uniformity, those of
the same rate being often of unequal dimensions, so
that the stores and furniture of one would not fit an-
other of the same class, a matter of infinite inconve-
nience in point of service,* as well as the occasion of
extravagance in point of expense ; that they likewise
found several complaints that the scantlings of the
ships are not so large and strong as they should
be, and that the ships themselves are crank, and heel
so much in blowing weather, as not to be able to
open their lee-ports, at the same time that ships of
other nations go upright, with all their batteries open,
and ready for action. It states that,

*' These and other defects showed the necessity of
establishing a fixed standard for building the ships
of the royal navy, and that, thereupon, they gave
orders to Sir Jacob Acworth, surveyor of the navy,
and also to the masters shipwrights of his Majesty's

* Lord Nelson most deeply felt, and frequently complained of this
great inconvenience.

144 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

dock-yards, and likewise to some eminent ship-
buiklers on the river Thames, to take this matter
into their consideration, and to propose and kay be-
fore the Lords Commissioners their several opinions
in writing, of such a system or establishment lor
building a ship of each rate, as might amend and
rectify the present mistakes and errors therein, and
contribute towards obtaining all the proper advan-
tages and qualities that are essential to the making
them good ships of war; which they having ac-
cordingly done, the said Lords Commissioners thought
it proper, in the next place, to refer all the said re-
ports to Sir John Norris, admiral of his IMajesty's
fleet, directing him to summon such of the flag-offi-
cers as were not in service at sea, such commissioners
of the navy as have been commanders at sea, such
captains as have served as commodores, and such
other senior captains as should be thought fit, and to
meet togetlier and examine the said reports, as ^vell
as some other propositions of the same nature."

It then goes on to state, that "having finished
their deliberations with great judgment and exact-
ness," they submitted several propositions to the
Board, which are not here necessary to enumerate
or detail. The propositions were approved, and, in
consequence of this business-like memorial, a better
class of ships Avere introduced into the navy, but still
imperfect, as the first, that were built and ready four
years afterwards, were discovered to be, representa-

1746.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 145

tions having been made by several captains that they
did not steer so easy nor sail so well as was ex-
pected ; and therefore, on the 5th July, 1750, another
memorial from tlie Board was presented to the Lords
Justices (the king then in Hanover), stating that,
being on the point of ordering three ninety-gun
ships, one eighty, one seventy, and two of sixty
guns, they pray to be allowed to make such varia-
tions in the scheme of 1746 as may be thought ne-
cessary to improve them as ships of war.

The second memorial to the King in Council re-
garded promotion and retirement of flag-oflicers. It
was intended to be an act of grace and favour in be-
half of the veteran captains of the navy, who had
long suffered, both in point of honour and emolument,
by being passed over in the promotion of flag-officers ;
while their names were kept at the head of the effi-
cient list of captains, with the scanty allowance of the
half-pay then established, which, to the seniors, was
10*. a day. At that time brevet promotions of flag-
officers appear to have been unknown, and seniority
wholly disregarded.* When one or two admirals
were required to be added to the list of flag-officers,
the Board looked down the list until they arrived
at one whom they considered the best entitled to
receive the rank, and who was accordingly selected ;
undoubtedly the most effectual mode to obtain good

* The edition of the printed instructions brought out this year
(1747) says, "No brevet commission shall be allowed."

L

146 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

and efficient flag-officers. Thus, for instance, a pro-
motion of three rear-admirals took place in 1744,
when Isaac Townsend, with fifty captains standing-
above him on the list, was selected, Henry Medley
with fifty-one, and George Anson with fifty-five
above him; the last, however, did not then take
place, as has been seen.*

It will readily be supposed that so great a number
of officers thus passed over, and left to subsist on the
miserable pittance of half-pay, and, (what was far
more grating and offensive to their feelings,) all hope
of advancement cut off, with a mark, as it were, set
upon their names, could not remain tranquil and in-
different under their grievances, but that frequent
memorials and remonstrances must have been sub-
mitted to the favourable consideration of the Lords
of the Admiralty, though hitherto, as it would appear,
without success. Now, however, that a flag-officer
of higli reputation in the service had become an influ-

* At this time the total number of flag-officers on the list was so
small that selection was indispensable. They were—

1 Admiral of the Fleet.

3 Admirals of the White.
3 Admirals of the Blue.

2 Vice- Admirals of the Red.

2 Vice- Admirals of the White.

1 Vice- Admiral of the Blue (the unfortunate Bynp;).

9 Rear- Admirals, 3 of each colour.

— Making a total of

21
The number of captains on the list was 209, so that about one-
fovu-th of Ihe whole had been sot aside at the time of the above-men-
tioned promotions.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 147

ential member of the Board, it may be supposed that
Anson must have received, both in person and in
writing, many touching appeals to his humanity, his
justice, and love of the service, and many pressing
entreaties for his powerful interest in their behalf.
Be this as it may, the interference, from whatever
quarter it proceeded, was successfully employed to
a certain extent, as will appear from the following
order in council :

" At the court at Kensington, the 3rd day of June, 1 747,
" Present — The King's most excellent Majesty in Council.
" Wliereas the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
have represented to his Majesty at this Board, that, upon the
promotion of admirals, it hath frequently happened that
several old captains have been superseded by junior captains
being made flag-officers over their heads, and though there
hath not been any particular charge of misbehaviour or
neglect of duty against the said old captains whilst in service,
yet, from their great age and other infirmities, it hath been
judged proper for his Majesty's service to promote junior
captains to the rank of admirals, as being more active and
capable of discharging the great trust reposed in them;
that, as this has been the occasion of great discontent and
complaint amongst such old captains, who think some regard
ought to have been paid to the length of their services, and
who only desire that, if they are not thought proper to be
put into actual service with fleets under their command,
they may, however, retire with honour, and have a competent
subsistence in their old age, — the said Lords Com-
missioners therefore thought it proper to take the case of
the said old captains into their consideration, and have

l2

148 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cil. IV.

thereupon prepared and laid before his Majesty a proposal
for removinj^ the grounds of all such discontents and com-
plaints amongst the said captains, and for preventing the
same for the future ; and whereas the Lords of the Com-
mittee of Council (to whom his Majesty had referred the
consideration of the said proposal) have this day made their
report to his Majesty upon the same : — His Majesty was
thereupon pleased, by and with the advice of his Privy
Council, to order, as it is hereby ordered, that, at the next
promotion of flag-officers, such captains in the navy, who,
notwithstanding their seniority, shall happen to be set aside
l)y such promotion, as well as those who have been already set
aside by any former promotions, as also those who shall at any
time or times hereafter be set aside by future promotions, be
appointed by commissions from the Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty to be rear-admirals in general terms, without
expressing any squadron or division of colours used in the
fleet ; and that they shall be esteemed as superannuated
sea-ofiicers, and placed for the rest of their lives on the
ordinary estimate of the navy, with a pension equal to the
half-pay of a rear-admiral ; provided that all such captains
shall have served at sea since the commencement of the
present war with Spain, and that they do make application
to the said Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, by
petition for such commission t)r pension ; but in case they,
or any of them, shall not think fit to make such applications,
that they shall, nevertheless, continue to receive half-pay as
captains according to their seniority; and provided also, that
no captains who have civil employment, or are upon the
establishment of Greenwich Hospital, or command any oi
his Majesty's yachts, shall have the benefit of this estal)lish-
ment, but shall be considered as to their right to half-pay

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 149

wlien they are out of employment as captains only accortlinjj^
to their seniority. And the said Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty arc to take care that his Majesty's pleasure
hereby signified be duly complied with.

(Signed) W, SnARrE.

Tliis generous and munificent act, as it no doubt mis
intended to be, contains within it the same kind of
vicious restriction which has affected all future orders
in council on brevet promotions. The exception made
in the present instance excluded more than one-
half of those for whose benefit it appeared at first
sight to be intended — " His Majesty is pleased to
order that, at the next promotion of flag-officers,
such captains of the navy, Avho, notwithstanding
their seniority, shall happen to be set aside by such
promotion, as well as those avIio have been already
set aside by any former promotions, and also those
who sliall at any time or times hereafter be set aside
by future promotions, shall be appointed, by com-
mission, rear-admirals in general terms." Nothing
could be more liberal or gracious than this ; hut the
deadly clause which follows withers the apparent
liberal intention : — "provided that all such captains
shall have served at sea since the commencement of the
present war with Spain." The effect of this will be
apparent from the very next promotion of flag-
officers, which took place the same year, when nine *

* This is a very unusual number, but none had been made for three
years, and they were wanted, as six of the nine were immediately em-
ployed. In these six were Hawke, Knowles, Forbes, and Boscawen.

150 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

captains were promoted to active flags, and nineteen
only made retired rear-admirals, out of upwards of
fifty standing on the list of captains.

It appears from a letter of Legge, one of the
junior lords of the Admiralty, to ]Mr. Anson, that
the obnoxious clause was inserted by him. He says,
" Nothing is yet finished with regard to your scheme
of the superannuation, though the whole is fixed and
waits only one council to execute. I have, with
much difficulty, so far got the better of our noble
friend's implicit tenderness (which I think highly
commendable in him) to length of service, or, in
other words, to seniority of inexpei'ience, as to limit
the retrospect of that plan to those who have served
since the commencement of the war with Spain, and
to carry the prospect of it as low down as the taking
in of Boscawen."*

About the same time the Board of Admiralty
decided to give an established uniform to naval
officers ; one account says, blue with white collars,
cuffs, and facings, selected by the king, and taken
from the Duchess of Bedford's riding-habit. But no
order in council was issued, as has since been usual, nor
was it gazetted ; and there is some reason to believe
that the general adoption of it was confined, or
nearly so, for some time afterwards, to flag-officers
and ca})tains. It is stated, on what appears good au-
thority, that when it had reached the wardroom, there

* Anson's Collection, No. 280.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 151

was but one uniform coat to be put on by any of the
lieutenants, when sent on duty to other ships, or on
shore : that the colour of the breeclies was still left
to the f^mcy of each, and Avas generally black or
scarlet. JMajor Rennell, in a letter to a friend, says,
" Before Anson's time (it is said) the lieutenants of
the navy on the Mediterranean station purchased
the soldiers' old coats at Gibraltar and IMahon^ and,
trinuning them Avith Hack, Avore them as a uniform.
Sixty-tAVO years ago (in the year 1759) I saAV a
master of a man-of-AA^ar, aa^Iio Avore a red coat so
trimmed, and thought himself very smart. Perhaps it
was one of the lieutenants' old coats, as they then
wore blue uniforms."

Another account seems to upset the story of the

Duchess of Bedford's riding-habit, and that the

uniform originated in the foUoAving manner. In a

letter from Captain Keppel to Captain P. Saumarez,

dated London, 25th August, 1747, is the folloAving

passage : — " Tim Brett tells me you have made a

uniform coat, &c., after your OAvn fancy ; my Lord

Anson is desirous that many of us should make coats

after our own tastes, and then that a choice should

be made of one to be general, and if you AviU appear

in it here, he says he Avill be ansAverable your taste

Avill not be amongst the worst." What the uniform

selected Avas does not appear, nor can any order in

council be found either in the Council Office, or in

the Admiralty.

152 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

Tlie year 1747 was the most glorious for the
character of the British navy that had occurred since
the commencement of the war in 1744. In fact, no
brilliant achievement had been performed, and the
few opportunities that occurred were neither satis-
factory to the nation, nor honourable to the parties
engaged ; for instance, the disgraceful affair of
Matthews and Lestock, of which the only good
result was bringing forward one of the bravest, tlie
most active, and distinguished officers in the king's
service. Captain (afterwards Sir Edward) Hawke.
Lestock's subsequent failure before L'Orient had cast
a gloom over the nation, and still more so the cowardly
conduct of Commodore Mitchell, who, with four sail-
of-the-line and a large frigate, actually ran away from
M. de Conflans, with two ships-of-the-line, a 54 and
44 gun ship, having besides with him a convoy of 60
sail of merchant-ships. It was small satisfaction to
the country that he was rendered incapable, by court-
martial, of ever serving again. Equally disgraceful
was the conduct of Conmiodore Peyton in the East
Indies, who declined meeting M. La Bourdonnais,
and suffered him to blockade Madras, and to exact
from the inhabitants a ransom ofabouthalf a million
sterling. These unfortunate failures, Avith some minor
captures of our convoys, tended to dispirit and to
Aveaken, in the puldic mind^, that confidence which
had hitherto been placed in the navy.

A brighter view, however, opened upon the nation

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 153

in 1747. The disasters of one set of officers had
stimulated others to wipe off the national disgrace.
Besides, a few years' practice at sea had improved
both officers and seamen in their professional duties ;
and the encouragement given to the one by pro-
motion^ and to the other by the Large sums of prize-
money they looked to receive, particularly from
captures of Spanish ships, quickened their zeal, and
witli it their love for the service. Most of the
officers who were Avith Lord Anson round the
world had been promoted, were employed in the
command of ships, and had distinguished themselves,
which, in the situation he now held, must have been
peculiarly gratifying, and the more so, as to him
had been consigned the responsibility and the
labouring oar at the Board, the Duke of Bedford
being confined at Woburn Abbey, and Lord Sand-
wich at Aix-la-Chapelle, whither he had been sent
to negociate, on the part of England, a general peace.
But as, in the mean while, one more campaign at
the very least might be expected. Lord Anson Avas
naturally anxious to ascertain, from his two absent
colleagues, tlieir respective opinions regarding the
disposition of the fleet, more particularly on the home
station. The following letter explains the views of
the Duke of Bedford on this subject: —

" Dear Sir — I am very glad to find that, when you
waited upon the king, to receive his pleasure about the de-
serters, he gave you an opportunity of discoursing with him

154 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

with relation to our naval strength at home ; and I entirely
agree with you in what you said to his Majesty on that subject.
You know my opinion has long been that we ought to unite all
the ships cruising to the westward, whether in the Bay, off
the Isle of Bas and St. Malo's, or off Cape Clear, into one
squadron ; and I am the more strongly confirmed in that
opinion at present, because, by the sending away so great a
force to America as is now designed to be put under the
command of Admiral Lestock, we are incapacitated from
dividing our force to the westward, which, when collected
toe-ether, is not more than sufficient to withstand the Brest
and Rochfort fleets, if united with that of Ferrol. I am,
moreover, confident that these are the sentunents of his
Majesty, as well as of the ministers, who, I think, very
justly agree that no little agreements oi making prizes on the
enemy ought in any measure to be put in competition with
the keeping an ascendancy over them in the Channel.

" Dear Sir, yours, &c.
(Signed) " Bedford."*

Lord Sandwich writes as follows : —

" You desire my opinion with relation to the recalling the
ships that are now out to refit and recruit their men. I
must own that till I hear of the arrival of the St. Domingo
fleet I shall not be entirely easy without we have a sufficient
force cruising to intercept them ; nor do I think the time
that it will be necessary for Mr. Boscawento remain on that
service so great, that it can in any material degree delay the
refitting the ships, as he will probably not be able to keep
the sea much longer than till the ships now in hand arc
despatched. I think, indeed (if it was practicable for our

* Anson's Collection, No. 70.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 155

orders to take place, which I greatly doubt), it might be a
prudent measure for Mr. Boscawen to send Lord George
Graham with the Nottingham, Eagle, Maidstone, and two
or three of the cleanest of his squadron, on this service, and
return with the remainder himself to Spithead ; but, as I
have already said, I think the intercepting the Domingo
fleet too great an object not to be very seriously attended to,
as I can never think there is any danger of an insult in our
Channel, notwithstanding the present division of our force.
There are at least eleven ships-of-the-line ready for im-
mediate service, exclusive of four ninety-gun ships, which
might be manned out of the frigates upon any alarm.
Other things will be dropping in every day ; the Sunderland
and Falkland particularly may be expected every hour ; and
as this strength is in reality a force of eighteen or twenty sail
of ships, and the enemy must see it greater, as they cannot
know the direct condition of some of our ships, which, though
we reckon nothing, must appear to them in a different light
(I mean such as the Royal Sovereign, Sandwich, Princess
Royal), I cannot conceive the enemy will ever think of an
attempt in this part of the world, or that it can be dangerous
to leave some ships out to perform this important service,
particularly as it must, in my opinion, be over, one way or
other, in ten days or a fortnight ; and, by immediately re-
calling them, we shall fall into the same trap which has,
during the whole war, been so successfully laid for us, o^
giving way to every sudden alarm, and by that means have
missed every advantage fortune would have thrown in our
way. This is my real opinion of our present situation ; but
I am so little positive or confident of my own judgment, that
if, on considering this matter more fully, you and the Duke
of Bedford are of a different sentiment, and think it will be

156 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH, IV.

right to recall our force from the westward immediately, I
shall have no difficulty to give up my opinion to those who,
I am sure, must know much better than myself ; and I shall
never intimate to any person whatever that I was of another
sentiment, because I think every act of this consequence,
one way or other, ought to be considered as the act of the
whole ; and you may be assured, however you determine, it
will have all the support I am able to give it.

" I am, &c.

" Sandwich."*

Anson, on the receipt of these two opinions, de-
cided on steering a middle course, by calling in a
portion of the western cruisers to watch the ports of
Brest and Rochfort, leaving a suflScient number to
intercept the expected convoy. In the expediency of
this measure he was further confirmed, in the early
part of 1747, by intelligence that the French, not-
withstandino- the ill success which had attended
D'Anville's expedition to North America the pre-
ceding year, were fitting out a s(|uadron to reinforce
that which remained there, Avith a view to recover, if
possible. Cape Breton, the key to their settlements on
the river St. Lawrence. It was also understood that
a second squadron was in readiness to proceed as a
reinforcement to M. Dupleix, whose success in the
East Indies had inspired the French with hopes that,
by sending out a strong detachment of ships, troops,
and stores, he would be enabled to complete the con-
* Anson's Collection, No. 345.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 157

quest of the whole of the British settlements on the
coast of Coroniandel. The command of the first
squadron was given to M. de la Jonquiere, Chef
d'Eacadre, and of the second to M. de St. George.
The ministry had also received information that, in
order to ensure their safety and that of their convoys
as far to the southward as Cape St. Vincent, the two
squadrons would sail together, calculating that, from
their knowledge of the weakness of our naval force on
the home station, they would he superior to anything
that could be sent out to intercept them. It was
considered of the greatest possible importance to
defeat these two objects of the enemy, intended to
reinforce their squadrons on two distinct stations,
where they were already more than equal to ours.
Anson resolved, therefore, to fit out a fieet forth-
with, the connnand of which, with the approba-
tion and desire of the Duke of Bedford, was to be
taken by himself; and he appointed his friend.
Rear- Admiral Warren, as his second. Among the
ships called in from their cruising-ground, to be
employed on this service, were the Defiance, of
sixty guns, commanded by Captain F. Grenvillc, the
brother of Geori>-e Grenville, one of the Lords of the
Admiralty, and the Bristol, of fifty guns, commanded
by the Hon. W. Montagu, brother of Lord Sand-
wich. Whether it was owing to the repugnance
felt by these gentlemen to serve in a fleet, instead of
cruising alone, or whether, froni the mistaken zeal

158 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

and undue interference of their friends at the Board
of Admiralty unsought for, does not appear, but an
intrigue was discovered to be carrying on by certain
members of that Board, with the view of preventing
these two ships from joining Anson's squadron, the
more absurd, as it coukl not escape detection, and couhl
not, by any possibility, be carried into effect. The
following letter, which Lord Anson received, when
his flag was flying at Plymouth, from the Duchess of
Bedford, fully develops this intrigue : —

« Sir,

" As the Duke of Bedford cannot write himself, and has
an affair of some consequence to impart, that he does not
care to trust to any other secretary, I am obliged to
trouble you with this letter.

" The night after you left London Mr. Gremille came
to the Duke, and after some other discourse brought in the
Defiance and Bristol being put under your command, and
seemed uneasy lest his brother should be baulked of the
favourite voyage by your detaining him in the western squad-
ron, and likewise seemed fearful that, if he proceeded on it,
detached from you, the admiral's eighth share might (in
case of any accidents happening to you) be claimed by your
representatives. The next morning Lord Vere came to him,
and mentioned, with some concern, Mr. Grenville's un-
easiness, and very fairly owned to him that he had advised
you to take them under your command. The Duke desired
him to explain this matter, and satisfy Mr. Grenvillc, wliich,
he thought, would have put an end to the whole affair ; Ijut,
contrary to his expectations, Lord Barrington came to him
just before dinner, and told him that, notwithstanding all

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 159

Lord Vere had said, Mr. Grenville was still uneasy, to which
the Duke answered that no alteration could be made ; in
consequence of which, before Lord Vere left the Board, an
order was directed for putting the ships under your com-
mand. Lord Barrington returned in the afternoon, and,
without communicating anything to Lord Vere, brought an
order in his pocket, which he desired the duke to sign, to
put the ships under your command, with an injunction, not
to keep them above seven days after you were out of the
Channel. This order was treated with the contempt it
deserved, and absolutely refused to be signed, as highly in-
jurious to you, and what they should deserve to be hanged
for, if it was done. Upon this Lord Barrington produces the
order you will have received. This, together with another
transaction that has happened since, convinces the duke of
the combination Mr. Grenville and Lord Barrington are in,
to carry their favourite points by any means whatsoever, by
endeavouring to trepan him to sign an order, which none of
his friends could have justified him for doing.

" I am very much yours, &c.
" Saturday night." " G. Bedford.*

This extraordinary proceeding on the part of the
junior members of the Board of Admiralty, in the
absence of the three principal ones, is such as
could not be tolerated for a moment ; and the
Duke of Bedford was not tardy in marking the
indignity put upon himself and his Board, for
in two months after the transaction a new patent
came out, in which the name of Wellbore Ellis,
Esq., was substituted for that of George Grenville.
* Anson's Collection, No. 72.

160 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

Captain IMontagiie, of the Bristol, after Anson's action,
was found at Madeira by Rear-Admiral Boscawen
on his way to India, from whence he thus writes to
Lord Anson : —

" Captain Montague of the Bristol joined me the day
before I anchored here. I have had much trouble with him,
and been obliged to confine him, at the desire of the go-
vernor of this place,, he having put up a paper at the Custom-
house that he would beat one of the captains of the Indiamen
wherever he met him ; and, at the same time, telling every-
body he would put him to death ; and, upon inquiry, I
found the captain of the Indiaman to blame in nothing but
want of spirit, for suffering himself to be insulted without
haviner in the least ofl'ended."*

This extraordinary conduct, and the numerous
complaints made against him, appear to have es-
tranged Lord Sandwich from him altogether, Avho
writes as follows to Lord Anson : —

" My brother's general behaviour, and his particular con-
duct to me, affects me so much that I cannot write upon it
with any degree of connexion. I find that mild treatment
will not save him, and indeed I think, at the same time, that
nothing will. Thank God, the world can have no reproach
to throw upon me on his account, and, what is still a more
sensible satisfaction to me, I have nothing on that score to
reproach myself with ; and it is with great grief I add, I fear
it will not be long before that will be my only satisfaction
as to what regards him. ... I cannot conclude this disa-
greeable subject without returning my most sincere thanks
* Anson's Collection, No. 88.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 161

for the many acts of friendship 1 have received from you, as
well as for your favours to my brother, which I am sure were
upon my account, as I know you are too good a judge of
mankind to have done them on his.' *

On the 9th April,
sailed from Plymouth
under his orders : —

1747, Vice-Admiral Anson
with the following s(|uaclron

Commanders.

f Vice-Admiral Geo. Anson.
ICaptain Bentley.
( Rear- Admiral P. AVarren.
t Captain West.

Hon. Captain Boscawen.
Captain Watson.
Captain Harrison.
Captain Norris.
Captain Grenville.
Captain Saumarez.
Captain Brett.
Captain Hanway.
Captain Barradel.
Captain Denis.
Hon. W. Montagu.
Captain Finclier.
Captain J. Montagu.

* Mad as this unfortunate young officer was, and by which epithet
he was known in the service, it is but justice to add that, in the ac-
tion about to be mentioned, he conducted himself with great gallantry
and zeal. When the Bristol, of fifty guns, bore down upon and began
to engage the Invincible, of seventy-four guns, Captain Fincher of
the Pembroke hailed the Bristol, and requested Montagu to put his
helm a starboard, or the Pembroke would run foul of him—" Run

foul of me," says Montagu, " and le d d ! neither you nor any

man breathing shall come between me and my enemy." He next

M

Ships.

Guus.

Men.

Prince George

■ '

. 90

770

Devonshire

•

. 60

535

Namur . .

.

. 74

650

Princess Louisa

. CO

400

Monmouth .

.

. 64

480

Prince Frederick

. 64

480

Defiance

. 60

4 00

Nottingham

. CO

400

Yarmouth .

. 64

480

Windsor

. 60

480

Falkland .

. 50

300

Centurioii .

. 50

375

Bristol .

. 50

300

Pembroke .

. CO

400

Ambuscade

. 40

250

Falcon sloop.

Vulcan fire-ship.

162 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

On the 16tli May, Captain Denis, of his Majesty's
ship Centurion, arrived at the Admiralty, with the
following despatch from Vice- Admiral Anson, giving
an account of his having, on the 3rd May, fallen in
with and engaged the combined squadrons.

" In my former letter," the admiral says, " of the 2nd
instant, I observed to you that I had sent the Inverness and
Falcon sloop to cruise off Rochefort to watch the motions of
the enemy, and that I had directed their commanders, if they
met the French fleet in their way thither, or should discover
them comings out of the harbour, to inform themselves of the
course they were steering, and then return immediately to
acquaint me with it, falling in with me separately, the one in
latitude 44° 30', and the other in that of 45° 20'.

" The next morning at day-break I made the signal for
the fleet to spread in a line abreast, each. ship keeping at the
distance of a mile from the other, that there might not re-
main the least probability for the enemy to pass by us undis-
covered. At seven o'clock Captain Gwyn of the Falcon
sloop returned, and informed me that he had seen the French
fleet the day before, at four o'clock, bearing S.E. by S. four
or five leagues from him ; that it consisted of thirty-eight
sail, nine of which were large ships, and had the appearance
of men-of-war, the rest merchant-men under their convoy,
and that they were all steering to the westward.

" Upon this intelligence I put abroad the signal for calling
in all cruizers, and made sail immediately for the S.W. in
order to cut them off. At half an hour after nine, the

engaged the Diamant, of sixty-six guns, and, after an action of more
than an hour, completely dismasted her, when she struck. The
slau<^htcr in this ship was immense.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 163

Namur made a signal for seeing a fleet in the S.W., which
was also seen soon after by the man at the Prince George's
mast-head bearing S.W. by S., Cape Finisterre at the same
time bearing S. J E., distant twenty-four leagues. I then
made the signal to chase with the whole fleet, and by noon
plainly discerned the chase to be a French fleet ; that nine
of the ships had shortened sail, and were drawing into a line
of battle a-head, three of which appeared to be smaller than
the others, and that the rest of the fleet, whom I judged to
be under their convoy, were stretching to the westward with
all the sail they could set.

" At one o'clock I made the signal for the line of battle
abreast, and in half an hour afterwards for the line a-head.
About three I made the signal for the ship in the van to
lead more large, in order to come to a close engagement
with the enemy ; who, getting their fore-tacks on board, and
loosing their top-gallant-sails, convinced me that their sole
aim was to gain time, and endeavour to make their escape
under favour of the night, finding themselves deceived in our
strength ; upon which I made a signal for the whole fleet
to pursue the enemy, and attack them, without having any
regard to the line of battle.

" The Centurion having got up with the sternmost ship of
the enemy about four o'clock, began to engage her, upon
which two of the largest of the enemy's ships bore down to
her assistance. The Namur, Defiance, and Windsor, being
the headmost ships, soon entered into the action, and after
having disabled those ships in such a manner that the ships
astein must come up with them, they made sail a-head to
prevent the van of the enemy making an escape, as did also
several other ships of the fleet.

" The Yarmouth and Devonshire having got up and en-

M 2

164

LIFE OF LORD ANSON.

[CH. IV.

gaged the enemy, and the Prince George being near the
Invincible, and going to fire into her, all the ships in the
enemy's rear struck their colours between six and seven
o'clock ; as did all those that were in the line before night.
I brought to at seven, having ordered the Monmouth, Yar-
mouth, and Nottingham to pursue the convoy, who then
bore W. by S. at the distance only of four or five leagues, so
that I am in hopes of having a very good account of them.

" The Falcon sloop (which I had sent after the convoy
during the action, with orders to make signals to the other
ships) returned to the fleet the next day with the Dartmouth
Indiaman. I have taken in all six men-of-war and four In-
diameUj of which are the particulars as under : —

Guns.

M. le Jonquiere, chef

d'Escadre,
M. Hoguart,
M. M'Curty,
M. Salesse
M. St. George,
M. Beeard,
M. Cellie,

M. de Santons, ( India-
M. Macon,
M. Pinoche,

Le Serieux .

. 6G

Le Diamant .

. 6G

Le Rubis

. 52

La Gloire

. 44

L'Invincible .

. 74

Le Jason .

. 54

Le Philibert .

. 30

L'Apollon

. 30

La Thetis .

. 20

Le Dartmouth

. 18

Bound to Quebec.

men.

Bound to the
East Indies.

" The Ruby had struck several of her guns into the hold,
having all the guns and stores on board for a new frigate at
Quebec. I have put the prizes into a condition to proceed
with me to Spithead, and am in hopes that I shall arrive
there in a few days ; but it has taken up so much of our
time, together with shifting and distributing our prisoners,
that I have not hitherto been able to get a perfect .iccount
of the killed and wounded on cither side. Our loss is not

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 165

very considerable, except that of Captain Grenvillc, who
was an excellent officer and is a great loss to the service in
"•eneral. Captain Boscawen was wounded in the shoulder
by a musket-ball, but is almost recovered.

"To do justice to the French officers, they did their duty
well, and lost their ships with honour ; scarcely any of them
striking their colours till their ships were dismasted. M.
St. George kept his colours flying some time after the
General had struck. The Serieux and Diamant were with
great difficulty kept from sinking, which could not have been
prevented without throwing great part of their guns over-
board, as well as many chests of small arms intended for the
expedition. The French general, M. de la Jonquiere, is
wounded in two places, the captain of the Gloire killed, and
the second captain of the Invincible had his leg shot off.

" I am, &c.

(Signed) "Anson."*

The French in this unequal combat fought most
gallantly. Their loss, as afterwards ascertained,
was about seven hundred in killed and wounded^
that of the British about five hundred and twenty.
No one could doubt the issue, with so great a supe-
riority over the enemy both in ships and men ; but
the neat manner, in which the Avhole Avere swept
into the toils, reflects credit on the seamanship
and discipline of the British ships ; and great merit
is due to Anson for so promptly annulling the signal
for the line a-head, the moment he observed the
French making sail, and for throwing out that for a
general attack, without regard to the line of battle.

* Admiralty Records.

166 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

When the commander of the Invincible, which
struck to the Prince George, came on board that ship,
the manner in which he approached the vice-admiral,
to deliver up his sword, made a favourable impression
on Anson and his officers. He said, with a placid
and undisturbed countenance, " IMonsieur, vouz avez
vaincu V Invincible et la Gloire vous suit ;"* an
epigrammatic compliment, as true as it is pointed,
and said in a manner highly characteristic of this
brave and gentlemanly officer, between whom and
Anson commenced a friendship and an intimacy, alike
honourable to both, which ceased only with the death
of Anson.

Anson must have felt a high gratification in seeing
liis old ship the Centurion, now commanded by her
former lieutenailt, lead to the attack, and bravely fol-
lowed up by his two old proteges, Piercy Brett and
Philip Saumarez, ably assisted by his friend Rear-
Admiral Warren. The detached ships, under the
last officer, picked up three of the enemy's ships of
war, the Vigilante and Modeste, of 22 guns each, and
the Dartmouth, of 18 guns ; besides capturing the
remainder of the India squadron that were not in the
action. They also captured six others of the con-
voy. The treasure found in the squadron amounted
to about 300,000/., besides stores of all kinds, of

* Most of the accounts give this address to M. La Jonquiere, but
the wounds of this officer prevented him from going on board the
Prince George.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 167

very great value. The money, on the arrival of the
ships at Portsmouth, was put into twenty waggons,
conveyed to London, and taken in grand military
procession through the streets of the city to the
Bank, amidst the acclamations of many thousand
persons. The houses were illuminated, and bonfires
in every street. The Duke of Bedford says, " You
will easily believe no one in this town did with
greater joy receive tlie news of your great success
against the French than myself; and universal, I
may say it is, as I am just come home through
illuminated streets and bonfires. The king told me
this morning at his levee that I had given him the
best breakfast he had had this long time, and I think
I never saw him more pleased in my life. He has
ordered Captain Denis a reward of 500/. for bringing
this welcome news."*

Lord Sandwich from the Hague, says, " Dear Sir,
though I am in hopes in a very few days to have
the great satisfaction of seeing you in England, yet
I cannot think of losing a moment to express my
joy on account of your success, which I have so much
cause to be pleased with, for the service it will do to
the public ; though I cannot help owning that I
almost feel that to be an inferior consideration, and
that my chief happiness arises from the credit you
will have done yourself in this glorious affair. No-
body can be more clear than I am in opinion that

* Anson's Collection, No. 73.

168 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

there is no mark of distinction that you have not long

ago merited."*

Some of the writers on naval history observe that,
considering the disparity of force, it was not an event
that called for bonfires and illmninations ; but the
circumstances of the time fully justified these re-
joicings. The navy had as yet done nothing effect-
ually in the war, and, as before observed, the
unfortunate affair of Matthews and Lestock had cast
a gloom and despondency over the nation. There is
in the character of Englishmen however an elasticity
that easily elevates, and as easily depresses, their
spirits. The army under the Duke of Cumberland
mie:ht be beaten, as it sometimes was, without
affecting the nation generally, or extending be-
yond political parties; but any disaster or failure
befalling the navy, Avas always productive of intense
national feeling. No wonder then, that, after the
failure of the Mediterranean fleet, the capture by
Anson of a Avhole squadron, and the complete defeat
of two expeditions, should call forth an ebullition of
public joy. It was the first general action, except that
of Matthews and Lestock, and the first victory gained
in the war ; and it is an old saying, that the first
blow is half the battle. Like the first victory of Lord
Howe, it inspired the navy, and animated the nation.
Whim the vice-admiral Availed on the King, he
met Avith the most cordial reception, and his INIajesty

* Anson's Collection, No. 350.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 169

said to him, in the most gracious manner, " Sir, you
have done a great service. I thank you ; and desire
you to thank, in my name, all the officers and private
men for their bravery and conduct, with which I am
well pleased." On the 13th June his Majesty was
further pleased to create Vice-Admiral Anson a peer
of Great Britain, by the title of Lord Anson, Baron
of Soberton, in the county of Hants ; and Rear-
Admiral Warren was honoured with the military
Order of the Bath.

Captain Fox of the Kent, of seventy-four guns,
with a squadron consisting of one sixty-four, two
sixties, one fifty, one forty-four, and the Pluto and
Dolphin, fire-ships, which had been prepared by
Anson for the express purpose of intercepting the
San Domingo convoy, received information that it
had left the West Indies under a convoy of four ships
of war, commanded by M. Bois'de la IMothe. On
the 20th June, when in lat. 47° 18' N., about sunrise.
Fox got sight of the convoy he had been so long
cruising for, consisting of at least one hundred and
twenty ships. Captain Fox crowded all sail he could
carry, and stood directly for the ships of war, which,
as it afterwards appeared, consisted of one of seventy-
four guns, one of sixty-four, one of fifty-four, and one
of thirty-six guns. Our ships, being foul, sailed so ill,
that night was approaching before Fox could get with-
in two leagues of M. du Bois de la Mothe's squadron,
which guarded the rear of his convoy. The next day

170 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

the chase was renewed, and a favourable breeze
springing up about five in the evening, Fox was
fast coming up with the enemy, which, being per-
ceived, they set all sail, and made off, leaving the fleet
of merchant ships to shift for themselves. They
therefore dispersed, and had not the weather become
thick, the greater part of them would, in all pro-
bability, have been taken. As it was, the number
captured by Fox's squadron was forty-five, and the
ships left with Rear-Admiral (now Sir Peter)
Warren picked up four: the rest got into the
different ports on the coast of France, and De la
Mothe and his squadron arrived safe in Brest. This
valuable capture was laden with sugar, indigo,
cotton, coffee, and hides, their aggregate tonnage
being estimated at 16,051, and manned with 1197
seamen ; the loss of which to France, with other
captures made by the detached squadron of Anson,
under Admiral Warren, could not have been less
than a million sterling.*

Soon after the return of Admiral (now Lord)
Anson, information was received at the Admiralty of
a large fleet of merchant ships, pi-eparing to sail
from Basque Roads for the West Indies, under
convoy of a strong squadron of ships of war, com-

* The net sum to be divided among the captors, as appears by an
account (in the Anson Papers) kept by Mr. (afterwards Sir Philip)
Stephens, is 755,896/., of which the eighth is 94,487/., and of this sum
Anson's account is credited with 62,991/.. apd Warren's with 31,496/,

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 171

manded by M. de Letendeur. Orders were imme-
diately issued to prepare a sufficient force to inter-
cept this convoy, and that active and gallant officer.
Rear- Admiral Hawke, was directed to hoist his flag
in the Devonshire, of sixty-six guns, and take the
command of the squadron, which consisted of four-
teen sail of the line, besides frigates. Hawke at
this time was an officer not much known, and from
the year 1734, when he was made captain, had chiefly
remained on shore until, in 1743, he was appointed
to the Berwick, of seventy-four guns, and ordered
to join Admiral Matthews. It therefore occasioned
a good deal of surprise in the service, that so important
a command should be given to so young a flag-officer,
and one who had so little distinguished himself;
but Anson had noted the character and conduct of
the man, though the public had not, for his gallant
bearing and brilliant success in the action of Matthews
and Lestock, in 1744, in which so many officers were
disgraced. In the course of that action the El
Poder, a Spanish ship, of sixty-four, had driven one
of our ships out of the line, which Hawke, in the
Berwick, perceiving, bore down upon her within
pistol-shot, poured into her a broadside with such
effect, that in a few minutes afterwards she struck,
and was taken possession of by the Berwick, in the
face of both the fleets, — the only capture that was
made on that day ; but a melancholy fate attended the
El Poder. Being dismasted, and unable to follow the
Britibli fleet when they wore, she was retaken by the

172 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

French squadron, while she had on board a lieutenant
and twenty-three men, belonging to the Berwick : to
prevent her falling again into the hands of the
English, the French set her on fire, and abandoned
her; and she blew up in the night. In the first
Supplement to the Gazette no mention is made of
the Berwick, or of the name of Hawke ; it stated
only that a ship of Navarre, of sixty-six guns, was
obliged to surrender ; and that of 900 men, only the
captain and 200 were saved, when she was ordered to
be burnt. In the subsequent Gazette, containing
IMatthews' despatch, nothing more is said of the
Poder, except that Captain Hawke, of the Berwick,
left her, but could not get his lieutenant and twenty-
three men out of her ; his first lieutenant having done
all he could to persuade the men to quit her, but in
vain.

If, for the moment, Anson caused some displeasure
in the appointment of such a man, he obtained great
credit for having got together this powerful squadron
in so short a time, it being completely fitted and ready
for sea the first week in August. On the 9th of
that month, the rear-admiral put to sea from Ply-
mouth, and lost no time in getting into a position,
which appeared to him best calculated to intercept
the enemy's fleet, which, however, did not leave
Rochelle Road until the 8th October. Tliere is in
Hawke's narrative of his rencontre with the enemy,
something so nuich more clear and circumstantial,
than is usually the case in the description of naval

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 173

battles, that no abridgment could be made without
destroying in some degree its interest ; and no apo-
logy therefore is necessary for giving it m extenso.

" At seven in the morning of the 14th October, being in
the latitude of 47° 49' N. longitude, from Cape Finisterre
r 2' W., the Edinburgh made the signal for seven sail in
the south-east quarter. I immediately made the signal for
all the fleet to chase. About eight we saw a great number
of ships, but so crowded together, that we could not count
them. At ten made the signal for the line-of-battle a-head.
The Louisa, being the headmost and weathermost ship, made
the signal for discovering eleven sail of the enemy's line-of-
battle ships. Half an hour after. Captain Fox in the Kent
hailed us, and said they counted twelve very large ships.
Soon after 1 perceived the enemy's convoy to crowd away
with all the sail they could set, while their ships of war
were endeavouring to form in a line astern of them, and
hauled near the wind, under their topsails and foresails, and
some with top-gallant sails set. Finding we lost time in
forming our line, while the enemy was standing away from
us, at eleven made the signal for the whole squadron to chase :
half an hour after, observing our headmost ships to be within
a proper distance, I made the signal to engage, which was
immediately obeyed. The Lion and Princess Louisa began
the engagement, and were followed by the rest of the
squadron as they could come up, and went from rear to van.
The enemy having the weather-gage of us, and a smart
and constant fire being kept on both sides, the smoke
prevented my seeing the number of the enemy, or what
happened on either side for some time. In passing on to
the first ship we could get near, we received many fires at
a distance, till we came close to the Sevcrne, of fifty guns,
which we soon silenced, and left to be taken up by the

174 , LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

frigates astern. Then perceiving the Eagle and Edinburgh
(who had lost her fore-topmast) engaged, we kept our wind
as close as possible, in order to assist them. This attempt
of ours was frustrated by the Eagle's falling twice on board
us, having had her wheel shot to pieces, and all the men at
it killed, and all her braces and bowlines gone. This drove
us to leeward, and prevented our attacking Le Monarche,
of seventy-four, and the Tonnant, of eighty guns, within any
distance to do execution. However, we attempted both,
especially the latter. While we were engaged with her, the
breechings of all our lower-deck guns broke, and the guns
flew fore and aft, which obliged us to shoot a-head, for our
upper and quarter-deck guns could not reach her. Captain
Harland in the Tilbury, observing that she fired single guns
at us, in order to dismast us, stood on the other tack, be-
tween her and the Devonshire, and gave her a very smart
fire. By the time the new breechings were all seized I
was got almost alongside the Trident, of sixty-four guns,
whom I engaged as soon as possible, and silenced by as
brisk a fire as I could make. Just before I attacked her,
observing the Kent, which seemed to have little or no
damage, at some distance astern of the Tonnant, I flung
out Captain Fox's pendant, to make sail a-head to engage
her, as I saw it was in her power to get close up with her,
she being somewhat disabled, having lost her main-topmast.
Seeing some of our ships at that time not so closely engaged
as I could have wished, and not being well able to distin-
guish who they were, I flung out the signal for coming to a
closer engagement. Soon after I got alongside, within
musket-shot of the Terrible, of seventy-four guns, and 700
men. Near seven at night she called out for quarter.

" Thus far I have been particular with regard to the share
the Devonshire bore in the action of that day. As to the

1747.1 BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 175

other ships, as far as fell within my notice, their commanders,
officers, and companies behaved with the greatest spirit and
resolution, in every respect like Englishmen. Only I am
sorry to acquaint their Lordships that I must except Captam
Fox, whose conduct on that day I beg they would give di-
rections for inquiring into at a court-martial.

"Having observed that sis of the enemy's ships had
struck, and it being very dark, and our own ships dispersed,
I thought it best to bring to for that night ; and seeing a
great firing a long way a-stern of me, I was in hopes to have
seen more of the enemy's ships taken in the morning ; but
instead of that,. I received the melancholy account of Cap-
tain Saumarez being killed, and that the Tonnant had
escaped in the night by the assistance of the Intrepide,
which, by having the wind of our ships, had received no
damage that I could perceive. Immediately I called a
council of war.

" As to the French convoys escaping, it was not possible
for me to detach any ships after them at first, or during the
action, except the frigates, and that, I thought, would have
been imprudent, as I observed several large ships of war
among them ; and, to confirm me in this opinion, I have
since learned that they had the Content of sixty-four guns,
and many frigates from thirty-six guns downwards ; however,
I took a step which seemed to me the most probable to in-
tercept them ; for, as soon as I could man and victual the
Weazel sloop, 1 detached her with an express to Commo-
dore Legge (Leeward Islands).

" As the enemy's ships were large, except the Severne,
they took a great deal of drubbing, and lost all their masts,
excepting two, who had their foremasts left : this has
obliged me to lay by these two days past, in order to put

176

LIFE OF LORD ANSON.

[CH. IV.

them into a condition to be brought into port, as well as our
own, which have suffered greatly.

" I have sent this express by Captain Moore of the De-
vonshire, in the Hector; and it would be doing great injus-
tice to merit not to say that he signalised himself greatly in
the action."

The following are the lists of the two squadrons
engaged in the action : —

Devonshire . . .

ENGLISH.

( Rear-Admiral Hawkel
(Captain Moore J

Men.
550

Guns.
60

Kent ....

Captain Fox .

. 480

64

Edinburgh . . . .

Captain Cotes

. 480

70

Yarmouth .

Captain Saunders

. 500

64

Monmouth .

Captain Harrison

. 4S0

70

Princess Louisa .

Captain Watson .

. 400

GO

Windsor . . . -

Captain Han way .

. 400

60

Lion ....

. Captain Scott .

. 400

60

Tilbury ....

, Captain Harland .

. 400

60

Nottingham . .

. Captain Sauraarez

. 4 00

60

Defiance

. Captain Bentley .

. 400

60

Eagie ....

Captain Rodney .

. 400

60

Gloucester .

. Captain Durell

. 300

50

Portland . . .

, Captain Steevens
FRENCH.

. 300

50

5890

854

Le Ton n ant . .
L'Intrcpidc .

Jlen, Oiins.
. . . . 822 801

. . . , G86 74!

, Escaped.

Le Terrible . .

. . . . C86

74^

Le Monarchc

. . . . 686

74

Le Neptune .
Le Trident . .

. ... 686
. . . . 6j0

74
64

. Tal;cn.

T^p T*(in(^piix .

. . . . 650

64
50

Lc Severnc .

. . . . 550

554

r^^

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 177

The loss sustained by the enemy was said to
amount to nearly eight hundred men in killed and
wounded, and Captain de la Fromentiere of the
Neptune was killed. Our loss was one hundred and
fifty-four men killed, among whom fell the gallant
Captain Saumarez of the Nottingham, an officer most
deservedly lamented, and 1)y none more so than by Lord
Anson, whose lieutenant he was in the Centurion ; the
number wounded amounted to five hundred and fifty-
eight. " It reflects the highest honour," says one his-
torian, " on that nobleman, that all the officers formed
under his example, and raised by his influence, ap-
proved themselves, in all respects, worthy of the
conmiands to which they were preferred ; and it is
not a little remarkable that, of the fourteen captains
commanding the line-of-battle ships in this action,
two were in succession made conmiissioners of the
dock-yard at Chatham, and ten arrived at the rank of
admirals " — a rank, as it has been observed, which, in
those days, was conferred generally by selection, and
for meritorious conduct and good service.

On the 31st October Rear- Admiral Hawke, with
his squadron and prizes, arrived at Portsmouth. He
was honoured by the King with the military order of
the Bath, and when he waited on his ]\Iajesty, he
met with a most gracious reception, and high com-
mendations for his gallant conduct.*

* An amusing circumstance occurred when Lord Chesterfield read
Hawke's despatch to the King, At that passage where it is said.

N

178 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

Lord Sandwich, on sending to Anson his congra-
tulations on Hawke's success, says — "You may
easily believe me when I tell you it is with the
utmost pleasure that I congratulate you upon the
fresh success of our fleet under the command of Rear-
Admiral Hawke ; besides the advantage this great
stroke will give to us in our pubhc affairs, the credit
and reputation it will give to our marine cannot but
afford me a most thorough satisfaction ; for it is
impossible for any one to have the prosperity of a
profession more sincerely at heart than I have of that
of which you are so deservedly considered as the
chief director ; and to Avhose knowledge and ability
the world is very ready to attribute the different
figure that the English fleet has made in the last
years from what it did in the beginning of the war."*

In a subsequent letter, he says—" I am sorry to
hear of Captain Fox's acquittal : surely Admiral
Hawke could never have accused him so publicly
without reason ; and I can easily see, if he was guilty,
that his going off unpunished will do mucli hurt to

*' As the enemy's ships were large they took a great deal of drubbinf^,''
the King stopped him, and asked what was the meaning of the word
drubbing ? Just then, the Duke of Bedfurd entering the closet, the
earl begged to refer his Majesty to his Grace, who understood it per-
fectly. The reason of the reference being explained, the Kinglaushod
most heartily, and said he now knew very well what driMing meant.
The Duke, but a little time before, had ^fracas on the race-course at
Lichfield, in which he was roughly handled, but rescued by the timely
interference of Mr. Rigby.

Anson's Collection, No. 357.

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 179

the service, which always gives me concern ; for I
can very sincerely declare, that the prosperity of your
profession is, and always has heen, my favourite
object."

Admiral Lord Anson, equally alive to the honour
of the profession, had ordered a court-martial on
Captain Fox, which sat on the 25th November to try
him on a charge, " That lie did not come properly into
the fight, nor do his utmost to engage, distress, and
damage the enemy ; nor assist his Majesty's ships
which did." The fact was proved ; but his defence
was, that his first lieutenant and master asserted that
the Kent's signal was out to come to the admiral's
assistance ; and on this he left the Tonnant, the ship
he was then engaging. The signal was, in fact, for
close engagement, but the officers of the Kent might
have mistaken it, which was no unusual case at this
time from the defective state of our signals.* The
court were of opinion that the charges Avere proved ;
that he was guilty of having backed hi« mizen-top-
sail : they acquitted him of cowardice ; but because
he paid too much regard to the advice of his officers,
contrary to his own better judgment, they sentenced
him to be dismissed from the present command of the
Kent. Though he had always maintained the cha-
racter of a good and brave officer, he was never after-

* Keppel, however, who was on the court-martial, in a private let-
ter to Anson, says, he believes the first lieutenant and the master to
be great scoundrels, and did all they could to ruin Fox, who, he fur-
ther says, *' was in the hands of two damned bad fellows, I really
heheve."

n2

180 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

wards employed, and died a superannuated rear-
admiral in the year 1763.

The year 1747 closed with the arrival in the Eng-
lish ports of several captured ships of war, sloops
cliiefly, numerous privateers, and merchantmen of
the enemy. The Russel and Dartmouth fell in with
and captured a large Spanish ship, the Glorioso, of
seventy guns and seven hundred men, his own crew
heing only four hundred, of whom twenty were on
the sick list, and unable to come to quarters.

Sir Edward HaAvke w^as again despatched^ in
January, 1747-8, with a squadron consisting of two
ships of seventy-four guns, three of sixty, and four of
fifty guns. On the 31st January, two of them, the
Nottingham of sixty, and the Portland of fifty guns,
were sent by the rear-admiral to chase a large ship,
the former of which came up Avith her, and began a
close and running engagement, wdiich lasted nearly
six hours, "when, after the Portland got up, she struck
her colours. She proved to be the IMagnanime of
seventy-four guns and six hundred and eighty-six
men, forty-five of Avhoni were killed and one hun-
dred and five wounded. The number killed in the
Nottingham was sixteen, and wounded eighteen; in
the Portland four were Avounded. This noble prize
Avas added to the British navy, and became the
favourite ship of Lord Howe, under Avhose command
much valuable service AA^as rendered to the country in
the seven years' Avar.

In April of this year, another isquadron Avas sent

1748.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 181

out, ill Avliicli were six sail-of-tlie-line of Dutch ships,
stipuhited for by Lord Sandwich, and ordered to join
ours intended for the western squadron, under the
command of Sir Peter Warren ; but, shortly after their
leaving the port, his Majesty having informed his Par-
liament that preliminary articles for a general peace
had been signed at Aix la Chapelle, a vessel of war
Avas fortlnvith despatched, with directions for Rear-
Admirals Hawke and Warren to return into port.

On foreign stations the British flag had no rival,
and our colonies were everywhere free from insult.
The Company's settlements in India must, however,
be excepted. Here, sometimes from a superiority of
force, sometimes from ill management on our part,
the French were either triumphant, or contrived to
neutralise our exertions. Sir George Pococke was
sent Avith a squadron to the East Indies, where
he did nothing. Peyton having left IMadras to the
mercy of the enemy, was superseded and sent
home with disgrace by Commodore Griffin. This
officer, immediately on his arrival, blockaded Poii-
dicherry ; the reduction of this settlement being the
principal object which his armament, joined to the
ships left by Peyton_, was intended to accomplish ;
it failed, however, and all he could do was to protect
the British settlements from falling into the hands of
the French. On reaching England, in 1748, he
was brought to a court-martial for misconduct before
Pondicherry ; and for not endeavouring to do his

182 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV*

utmost to bring the French squadron to action off
the coast of Coromandel ; sentenced to be suspended
from his rank and employment as a flag-officer (being
now vice-admiral of the Blue) during his Majesty's
pleasure ; but was soon after restored.

Lord Anson therefore, towards the end of 1747,
on consultation with the Duke of Bedford, resolved
to prepare and send out to India an expedition of
such magnitude, as should insure a preponderating
influence over any enemy in that quarter, regain
Madras, and drive the French out of Pondicherry.
In the choice of an officer, to be recommended to the
King for the command of the expedition, he could not
for a moment hesitate. It fell on one, of Avhose gallant
conduct and vigorous exertions Anson had himself
ocular proof, Avlien the former was in command of the
Namur in the action oif Cape Finisterre. This officer
was Rear- Admiral the Hon. Edward Boscawen ; yet,
in appointing him, the shaft of malice was levelled at
Anson in secret, for it never saw the light till two ge-
nerations had passed away, when it appeared in the
IVIemoirs of Horace Walpole. This caustic and not
very scrupulous Avriter states, that, in 1751, when
Anson was first lord of the Admiralty, ** Admiral Bos-
cawen was on the very worst terms with him, who had
carried off all the glory of the victory at Cape Finis-
terre, though Boscawen had done the service, and
whom he suspected of having sent him on the im-
practiculjle expedition to Pondicherry on purpose to

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 183

ruin him." It is hardly necessary to say that this
sarcastic sentence is wholly unfounded, and contains
as many lies as lines. An armament of six sail-of-
the-line, four of tifty guns, and five or six smaller
vessels, as a reinforcement, with above five thousand
land-forces, under the command of a young rear-
admiral, was a signal mark of distinction, and was so
considered. But ignorance, coupled with malevolence,
is always ready to pervert the best intentions.

It is not necessary here to enter into any particu-
lars of the unsuccessful result of this expedition. No
blame whatever Avas imputed to the admiral ; on the
contrary, having landed at the head of the troops and
trained seamen, he is said to have shown himself as
skilful a general as lie had before proved himself an
able sea ofiicer. When compelled to retreat, from
circumstances he could not have foreseen, he brought
off his people so ably, that the enemy, numerous as
they Avere, never endeavoured to molest them. The
fact Avas, that having fought his Avay Avithin a mile of
the place, it Avas found to have been insulated by an
inundation that rendered a nearer approach impos-
sible ; and the harbour Avas too shallow to admit of
the squadron bombarding the town Avith any effect.
The sieg-e lasted for tAvo months, during Avhich time

"&

the loss of the British land-forces amounted to 757
soldiers, 43 artillery, and 265 seamen.

Soon after this event, intelligence was brought to
India of the general peace Avliich had been concluded

184 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

at Aix la Cliapc41e ; in consequence of wliich Fort St.
George at IMadras Avas delivered up, and taken pos-
session of by Mr. Boscawen, who remained to see
every other stipulation on the part of the enemy
complied with according to the articles of the treaty.
This delay, hoAvever, was the cause of a most melan-
choly disaster. On the 13th April, 1749, a tre-
mendous hurricane was experienced on the coast of
Coromandel. The Namur was at anchor in the
road of Fort St. David when it commenced ; at seven
in the evening she put to sea, and, unable to resist
the storm, foundered, and went down in nine fathoms
water. The admiral himself was fortunately on
shore, and about twenty of her crew sick in the
hospital. Captain Marshall, the third lieutenant, the
captain of marines, the surgeon, purser, chaplain,
boatsAvain, and about forty seamen, Avere all that
Avere saA'^ed out of a crew of nearly six hundred men.
The Pembroke and the Apollo, hospital-ship, AA'ere
lost the folloAving day, Avith the greater part of their
creAVS. The admiral, having concluded his arrange-
ments, embarked for England on the 9tli October,
1749, and arrived at St. Helen's on tlie 14tli April
folloAvina', Avhen he Avas ordered to strike his Hair
and come on shore ; and, in 1751, Avhen Lord Anson
Avas appointed first lord of the Admiralty, he selected
him as one of the naval members of his Board.

Among the numerous captures made by single
ships in the year 1747, was one that occasioned more

1747.] DRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 185

trouble and consideration than the subject connected
with it required. The Dover, commanded by Cap-
tain Shirley, when bet^veen Ushant and Belleisle,
fell in with the Renommee, of thirty- two guns, and
three hundred men, having lost her fore-topmast,
sprung her mainmast, and much of her rigging cut
by the Amazon, (which had engaged her the day
before,) and after a short action wdtli the Dover,
he struck, having sixteen men killed, and between
thirty and forty wounded, besides losing four killed
and eight wounded in the action with the Amazon ;
the Dover had one killed and eight wounded. In
this ship was M. de Conflans, going out as governor
of St. Domingo. The conduct of this person, who
figured in the future w^ar as a naval officer, afforded,
on the present occasion, a most unfavourable contrast
with that amiable and brave man, St. George.
Though the capture of the squadron which this gallant
officer commanded, had blighted his prospects, de-
stroyed his hopes, and ruined his fortunes, or, as he
says in his letters to Anson, " Ayant tout perdu hormis
I'honneur," he bore his misfortune bravely, never
murmured at his fate, but made himself so agreeable
to Anson and all the officers of the Prince George,
while he remained a prisoner on board, that every one
took an interest in him. " Pour moi," he writes,
" qui y perds plus que personne au monde, et c\ qui il
ne reste que I'honneur, j'avoueray a toute I'Europe
que j'ay trouve dans IM. L'Amiral Anson, le vain-

186 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

queur la plus genereux, le plus compatissant et I'amy
le plus respectable et le plus sensible."

When Anson had obtained leave for him to
return to France, on his parole, he urged in such
strong terms his wish to see London, that the noble
Lord obtained permission for him to do so, introduced
him to his colleagues at the Admiralty, to the
ministers, to the club at White's, and even procured
for him an interview with the King ; in short, every
body was delighted with M. St. George, and he was
not unirrateful. His account of the treatment he had
met with, and that of the French prisoners generally,
of the good feeling of the English towards France,
and the great desire that the negotiations then
pending might be successfid, tended very much to do
away a suspicion, which lurked in the cabinet of Ver-
sailles, that England was not in earnest. Sir Joseph
Yorke, and Mr. Thomas Anson, who met with him at
that court, had strong proofs of this. Long after tlie
peace he was anxious that Lord Anson should visit
Paris, that he might have the opportunity of showing
him the same kind of civility Avliich he had received
in London.*

* One of his letters, written in English, announcing his intention
of re-visiting London, is here given as a curiosity.

" My Lord,

" 1 am in great hopes, and in greater desire of crossing the sea in
the beginning of May, expressing, first, to pay my most humble
respects to my Lady Anson, and to have the honour of getting ac-
quainted with the respectable consort of the dearest of my friends,
and most generous of conquerors. Second, to give due thanks to your

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 187

To return to M. Conflans. This officer thoup-lit
fit to bring a charge of ungentlemanlike treatment,
and something worse, against Captain Shirley, which

Lordship for so many proofs of generosity, and to cultivate that happy
friendship that begun so far from om- native countries, and that will
be certainly evei'lasting. Third, to pay a very agreeable visit, of
which I am, with all my heart, in debt with your beloved and dear
brother, Mr. Anson, or on the Thames, or on the Trent borders, also
to your very gentile and amiable nephew, my Lord Parker, and to
your good friend, Mr. Mytton.

" These are indeed three very agreeable objects for my crossing
the sea with pleasure ; to which I will add, to see so many lords,
that your friendship have procured me the honour of knowing in my
little stay at London, namely, your brethren, Lords Duncannon and
Barrington, and those which I had the honour of seeing in the famous
and respectable club of Weight (White's).

" But I hope principally that under the happy auspices of your
charming brother-in-law (now I may say my friend, Mr. Le Colonel
York, an able statesman, and as busy in his great mmisterial em-
ployments, as he is amiable in the society of the ladies), I will have
the honour of presenting my most humble respects to ray Lord Hio-h
Chancellor.

" I dare not say that, in my heart, a very flattering aim would be,
if by your friendly assistance I may have the honour of bowing
myself again before one of the greatest and the most gracious mo-
narchs in the world, to give his Majesty my most humble thanks for
the great honour that he bestowed upon (I dare not say) me, but upon
the friends and the prisoner of the valiant and generous Lord Ad-
miral Anson, his beloved subject, and the man that gives most
honour by sea to his glorious reign. Adieu, my Lord. I hope that
your Lordship will understand my English, because my letter is the
expression of the heart, and the heart's tongue is to be understood
well everywhere, but mostly by so good and so generous friends. The
dear Colonel wrote for getting me a room in the Pall Mall, the nearest
to my Lady Anson and your Lordship. I am in expectation of seeing
you, and with great respect to you both,

" M> Lord, your most humble servant,
" and everlasting friend,
" Paris, 18th Avril, 1749." " St. George.*

* Anson's Collection, No. 418.

188 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

he transmitted to the Duke of Bedford. The Duke
writes from Woburn the following letter to Lord
Anson, dated 7th October, 1747 :—

" My dear Lord,

" I send you enclosed (which I desire you will com-
municate to the Board) the copy of a letter I have received
by this post from the Chevaher de Conflans, who was taken
prisoner by Captain Shirley in the Dover, and brought into
Plymouth. The rank and character of M. de Conflans in the
French navy is so well known, that I own it gives me infinite
concern to receive a complaint from a man of his figure, against
a man of quahty, a captain of one of the king's ships, for un-
gentlemanlike behaviour to him and the rest of the French
officers after they were taken prisoners. I beg this affair may
be inquired thoroughly into, in order, not only to make all
possible reparation to M. de Conflans, but also to clear the
officers of the navy, and the nation in general, from any
aspersions, that the brutal and unofficerlike behaviour of
this man might otherwise cast upon them. I will write by
to-morrow's post to the Duke of Newcastle, to beg the
favour of him to apply to the king for M. de Conflans,
his equipage, and the commission officers of the frigate,
having leave to return to France upon their parole. I
think the behaviour of the French to the Captains Keppel
and Lisle, and the rest of the officers of the Maidstone and
Severn, very justly entide their officers to a like return of
civility and politeness from us. I will by the first oppor-
tunity acquaint M. Conflans with what I have done, and I
doubt not but that, in the mean time, the Board will indulge
him in everything that is reasonable an officer of his rank
should ask. I believe the First Lieutenant of the Dover is

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OP THE NAVY. 189

one Mr. Thomas Lempriere^ of whom I have always heard
a very good character, and who may possibly be able to
g-ive some light into this affair."*

The Duke of Bedford lias in this letter expressed
a pro})er feeling towards the treatment of officers of the
enemy, who have been unfortunate like M. de Con-
flans ; but he appears at the same time to have been
a little too severe, as well as too hasty, in passing
condemnation on Captain Shirley. Lord Anson had
already called upon this officer to ex2)laintlie conduct
imputed to him by M. de Conflans, and received from
him the following account, which proves how very un-
worthy the Frenchman was of the favour which the
Duke had obtained for him. Captain Shirley says ; —

" Dover, Plymouth, 11th October, 1747.
" Your Lordship's generosity and goodness, which were
so beautifully expressed in your favour of the 6th instant,
gave me the utmost astonishment and joy. Your friend-
ship, my Lord, in giving me an opportunity of vindicating
my character (which was so basely aspersed), shall be always
acknowledged with the utmost gratitude and thanks.
Neither could I before be in the least insensible of your
Lordship's esteem for our family, having already so bounti-
fully bestowed it on me, and can only wish it may be in my
power to merit a continuance, since it is impossible I should
ever be able to repay it. I must now beg your Lordship's
patience, and leave, to trouble you with a detail of the usage
M. Conflans met with (which he calls ill-treatment), and
which, I assure you, on my honour, is fact.

* Anson's Collection, No, 81.

190 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

" When the Renommee struck, they called out to us that
she was sinking, and desired us to hasten our boats on board,
which we did. The first boat brought on board M. Con-
flans, the captain of the ship, and his brother, with two or
three more officers, when M. Conflans complained of a
wound that he had received in the hip. I immediately led
him aft to the lieutenant's cabin ; and as soon as I could
get my own cabin up, and things a little to rights below,
got all the officers and him down into my cabin, and put
M. Conflans into my own bed, where he lay till we came in
here. All the time he was on board he never would eat at
my table, where all the other officers did, but ate always in
the state-room. His own cook dressed his dinner, which
consisted of soups, and which he chose, on account of his
wound : this was dressed chiefly by his own surgeon, though
once my surgeon was called on a consultation, who assured
me that the skin was not raised, and that he had often seen
a greater contusion from a blow at cudgels. I ordered my
servants to supply his cook with everything he asked for,
and when the fowls grew short, I ordered that none should
be killed but for his use.

" I should first have mentioned to your Lordship that we
had no sooner shifted our prisoners than the wind began to
blow very hard, which continued for some days. We
separated from the prize, and had not an opportunity of
sending for his clothes ; but as soon as we joined her again,
I got them all on board the Dover, and sent the officers on
l)()ard the prize to search for whatever belonged to them.
They found the greatest part; but, before we had taken
possession, their own people had broken open and plundered
their chests, and as their number was greater than ours
considerably, we had not an oi)portunity of searching them

1747.] BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 191

till they were going on shore, being obliged to put them all
down in the hold; and then, Avhat we found belonging to
the officers, distributed amongst them. In short, I believe
I may venture to say, that less plunder (in regard to clothes)
was never known than in this ship. Nay, every ounce of
plate belonging to M. Conflans, &c., I took care to secure
for him ; and I must beg leave to say that I don't believe
he lost sixpence, except the merchandise he was carrying
abroad as a venture, which I looked upon as the ship's
cargo. The captain and other officers, whom he told your
Lordship were also robbed and ill used, are so far from
thinking so, that when I acquainted them with what M.
Conflans had reported to your Lordship, they were as much
surprised as myself. Had I treated him even as he repre-
sented, I could hardly think myself culpable, as he was
never genteel enough to show me his commission, nor pro-
duce it, though I often asked for it. That your Lordsliip
may have an idea of M. Conflans' honour and integrity, I
must beg leave to mention, that the evening he came on shore
here;, I provided him lodgings and everything necessary for
his reception. He at first, indeed, made a little bustle
against my officers, who, he said, wanted to search his chests
and trunks when coming on shore ; but on my assuring him
they would come on shore unmolested, he thanked me,
embraced me, and begged my friendship ; and the very next
day, or the day after (as I suppose) wrote to your Lordship
a downright falsehood.

" I am sorry I have not the honour of being better known
to your Lordship, but I flatter myself, if your Lordship vnW
be kind enough to inquire into my character, you will find
me at least a charitable man, and above a mean and base
action. I am afraid I have already intruded too long on

192 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IV.

your Lordship's patience, and shall therefore only beg leave
to add, that I am, with the greatest respect, &c.

(Signed) " W. Shirley."*

Thus the Duke's interposition in fjxvour of an un-
deserving object was premature and ill bestowed. On
his departure he wrote a letter of thanks to Lord
Anson for the civilities he had received ; in it he ob-
serves— " La fa^on noble et genereuse, my lord, avec
laquelle vous pensez, me fait oublie entierement les
procedez du Capitain Shirley, que j'attribue asa jeu-
nesse et a son pen d'experience." M. de Conflans was
doomed, however, twice afterwards, to suffer the mor-
tification of being annoyed by the British navy — once
in being stopped on the high seas by Captain P. Denis,
of the Centurion, when carrying out intelligence to
the French colonies of the cessation of arms, and a
second time, by suffering a complete defeat, in 1759,
when Hawke drove him to take shelter among the
rocks, and destroyed half his fleet.

Lord Sandwich estimated more correctly the posi-
tion of this chevalier.

''Hague, 28th November, 1747.
"My dear Lord — I have heard by accident that the
French demand the release of" M. Conilans, in virtue of the
cartel of Frankfort, as he is a lieutenant-general in the King
of France's service. As I have always at heart everything
that concerns the interest of your profession, I cannot hut
express my apprehension lest jou should not consider that

* Anson's Collection, No. 397.

1748.1 BRILLIANT EXPLOITS OF THE NAVY. 193

affair with sufficient attention ; for if you yield the point, I
think we should, for the future, be obliged to restore,
upon the footino; of the cartel, all officers in the French
fleet of any rank ; for it is, I believe, certain, that M. Con-
flans' rank as lieutenant-general is either a consequence of
his rank in the fleet (which in France, you know, is ascer-
tained with the land-service, as I hope it will be with us),
or of his being governor of St. Dontiingo, which is the same
thing, those governments being always given to sea-
officers."*

Speaking, in another letter, of comparative rank
in the two services, he says : — " I hope that mat-
ter does not sleep, as I am sure it will do great
good to the service, and I think this is the time we
ought to push any of our purposes, as I flatter myself
we are generally in favour, and consequently more
likely to succeed now than hereafter." It may here
be mentioned that Anson had this point settled by
Order in Council of 10th February, 1747, and it
still continues without alteration ; the Order, howr
ever, was not published till the 5th March, 1748.

'^ Anson's Collection, No. 359.

O

194 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH.

CHAPTER V.

CONCLUSION OF THE WAR.

The duties of First Lord executed by Anson — Lord Vere's interfer-
ence and incapacity^ — Rules of precedence at the Board — Change
of the Board in consequence of Lord Chesterfield resigning the
seals, the Duke of Bedford accepting them, and Lord Sandwich's
appointment as First Lord — Correspondence of the Duke, the Earl,
and Lord Anson on the occasion — Lord Sandwich's pressing letters,
desiring Anson to consider himself, in all respects, as in his place —
Anson's marriage with the Lord Chancellor's daughter — Lord
Hardwicke's letters to him on the occasion — His anxiety and affec-
tion for Lady Anson, on the score of her health — Difficulties of
Lord Sandwich at Aix-la-Chapelle — Suggestion of the Duke of
Cumberland with regard to the establishment of a Marine Corps —
Conclusion of the war — Lord Vere, in the absence of Sand-
wich and Anson, appoints a commander-in-chief — He resigns both
the Admiralty and Navy — The first visitation of the dock-yards by
the Board — unsatisfactory state of — An act passed for consolidating
the laws relating to the Navy — apparent severity of — Question re-
specting a sentence of transportation — legal opinion of — Lord Bar-
rington's motion for providing seamen for the Navy dropped — Old
Horace Walpole's story — Change in the Board of Admiralty, Lord
Sandwich dismissed by Newcastle's intrigues, and Lord Anson
appointed First Lord.

1748 to 1755.

In the frequent al)sence of the Duke of Bedford, from
indisposition, and of Lord Sandwich, first at the
Hague and then at Aix-hi-Chapelle, negociating a
general peace, it has ])een seen that Lord Anson was
obliged to take upon himself nearly the sole charge

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 195

and responsibility of the duties of the Admiralty,
thoiip'h his name stood below that of Lord Vere Beau-
clerc in the patent; but he was particularly and
frequently requested to do so, both by the noble duke
and the earl. There was indeed good reason why it
should be so. Lord Vere had seen little or no ser-
vice since he was made a captain, at twenty-one
years of age, and probably in the whole course of his
life never saw a shot fired in anger. It is true he
commanded a frigate in the Mediterranean station
for three or four years, but appears to have been
employed chiefly in carrying despatches from Lisbon
to the Mediterranean, and from the latter to the former,
or wherever they were required to be sent ; and,
being one of the squadron under Sir Charles Wager,
he was once sent with that admiral's compliments of
excuse to the Grand Duke of Florence, for not
having waited on him himself.

Whether he was for this, or some similar service,
placed as a junior lord of the Admiralty, when
Sir Charles Wager was at the head of the board
in 1738, his naval biographer has not stated ; but
he resigned his situation in 1742, and was re-
appointed, under the Duke of Bedford, in 1744.
In 1745 he was raised to the rank of Rear- Admiral
of the Blue, and, in 1749, threw up his situation
at the Admiralty, and, at the same time, or shortly
after, his commission in the navy, when he was
created a peer of Great Britain. It is probable,

o 2

19C LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH.V.

tlierefore, that lie owed his advancement rather to
his heing the son of the Duke of St, Alban's, than
to any service he had performed in the navy.

It is evident, however, from the corresjjondence of
Lord Sandwich with Anson, that the latter was very
materially interfered with by Lord Vere, who pre-
sumed on his seniority at the Board. It was of no
avail that Anson was selected as the advising naval
lord ; or that, in the civil department of the service,
seniority at that time went for nothing; the seats at
the Board were taken according as the names stood
in the patent, which continued to he the rule until
the Whig administration, under Lord Grey, adopted
a new one, which gave to the first lord of the Ad-
miralty the privilege, if necessary, to settle the pre-
cedence at the Board ; and this probably is the right
course, as the principal or advising naval lord must
necessarily be next the first, Avhatever his rank may
be.*

* We have a memorable illustratiou of the old rule when Sir
George Cockburn was appointed to the Admiralty : coming in with
two others, he stood, as a matter of course, nearly the last in the
patent — in fact, all but the junior lord — whereas Sir George War-
render, having remained at the Board till he had seen out all his old
colleagues, stood at the head ; but Sir George Cockburn was the first
or advising lord. When Sir James Graham came to the Admiralty,
he wished to keep Sir Henry Hotham, who, under the old rule, would
have stood second in the patent, or immediately after the first lord ;
but, on being told that Lord Grey had recommended Sir Thomas
Hardy, junior to him, to stand first, Sir Henry, being a high-minded
but rather punctilious officer, |dcclined a seat at the Board. Thus
Anson, though junior to all but one, was considered, in fact, after
Lord Itundwich, as the leading member of the ]]o:ud.

J 748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 197

On the 8th Februaiy, 1748, an event occurred
which caused a change in the Board of Admiralty,
somewhat, tliough not materially, affecting the po-
sition of Lord Anson. The Earl of Chesterfield
suddenly and unexpectedly notified to the minis-
ter his intention of resigning the seals as secretary
of state. " The whole affair," Avrites Baron Clarke
to Lord Sandwich, " occasions great confusion, and
many people have been talked of to succeed, though
no one to any purpose but your lordship and Mr.
Fox ; and, it is said, the Duke of Bedford is fixed
upon as one who will prevent any mischief from de-
termining in favour of either of the competitors ;" and
he adds, " I don't apprehend anything in favour of
Lord Anson in prejudice to you on this occasion ; but,
if you are not immediately declared the head of the
Board, the world will think you are neglected ; and
who knows what may happen in a month or two?"*
I\Ir. Fox Avas not supposed to have any chance.
Lord Anson tells Lord Sandwich that " the Wal-
polean party, who gain strength daily, neither love
him nor you ; and I think ]\Ir. Fox, whose ability
and credit in the House of Commons are great, will,
in my private opinion, push both the brothers (Duke
of Newcastle and Pelham) whenever he sees a fair
opportunity, for he does not Avant ambition, nor any
qualities that are necessary to raise a man in this
country to the height of power." f

* Lord Sandwich's Collection. t lb.

198 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V-

To which Lord Sandwich replies — " I agree with
you in what you say about this gentleman, that he
does not want ambition or any qualities to raise a
man in our government ; but that is not enough, as
I am sure he wants many qualities necessary to main-
tain himself after his rise^ so that it would be much
more easy for him to pull down than to build : how-
ever, I hope we shall put ourselves out of his reach."*

Lord Sandwich was no less in disesteem than Fox
with the Pelliams. His friend, Baron Clarke, tells
him in plain terms he must always bear this in view :
" You are looked upon as a man of too much weight
and consequence to be left at liberty near the throne.
This is no flattery of mine, as will be obvious when I
tell you that, of late, it has been the echo from their
dependants and table-deckers, that Lord Sandwich is
a great young man, and no doubt will make a great
figure in the government; but it seems rather too
soon for him to be setting up for himself, and making-
parties of his own."'!'

The acceptance of the seals by the Duke of Bed-
ford put an end to the expectations of all the candi-
dates. His Grace, on the 12th February, kissed
hands as secretary of state, and a new patent was
ordered, appointing Lord Sandwich first lord commis-
sioner of the Admiralty. On the same day his Grace
acquainted Anson with what had taken place. " The

* Lord Sandwich's Collection of MS. Letters,
t Lord Sandwich's Collection.

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 199

die," he says, "is at last thrown, and I have this
morning kissed the king's liand in the closet for the
seals, and the king puts Lord Sandwich in my place
at this Board. The tiling was going, I was afraid,
to take so wrong a turn with regard to Lord Sand-
wich, that I began to be afraid lest he should be
passed over in the change Lord Chesterfield's resig-
nation must have occasioned. I was called in unex-
pectedly into the king's closet, and, I can assure you,
was under no small concern at the task his IMajesty
has ordered me to undertake. But I hope, Avhen the
peace is made, to have as good success in getting
Lord Sandwich appointed my successor for the seals,
as I have now the satisfaction to see him established
at the head of this Board."*

On the 14th Lord Anson Avrites to Lord Sandwich
as follows : —

" Of Lord Chesterfield's resignation, and what has hap-
pened since, the particulars you will have from Legge, to
whose friendly aid you are much obliged, although you have
not attained the office your friends wish to see you in. It
was owing in a great measure to the Duke of Bedford's
firmness and Legge's management that a disagreement did
not happen in the administration, which, at this time, might
have been fatal to this country. The dispositions of people
in general here are much changed since you left us ; all now
seem inclined for peace : indeed the raising of eleven mil-
lions for next year is greatly dreaded, as it will shoAv to
the whole world how near this nation is of becoming bank-

* Anson's Collection of MS. Letters, No. 84.

200 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. Y.

rupt ; and the citizens, being likely to be losers by the pre-
sent loan to the government, have changed their note from
war to peace. I therefore hope that, when you have got
your troops in the field, and have put on your whiskers, some
good occasion will happen of treating for a peace in earnest :
it is certainly the thing wished for universally ; and if it is
not brought about I fear there will be much ill blood in
Parliament next session,

" Your Lordship will easily conceive how disagreeable my
situation must be, upon the Duke of Bedford's removal and
your Lordship's absence, to act under Lord Vere, who, I
find, is determined to continue at the Board, and seemed to
be pleased with the change, as he imagines your continuance
there will not be long. Be assured, my dear Lord, that,
except in ceremony and correspondence, at both of which I
am extremely awkward, no man living can be more sincerely
your friend. (Signed) "Anson."*

His Lordship, however, having acted a part in tlie
drama, of which Lord Sandwich seems not to be
aware, gave to his friend, on the following day, a
full and particular account, showing how matters of
this kind Avere then managed.

" Fehniary 15, 1748.
" My dear Lord — As your Lordship is now in posses-
sion of the Admiralty, where no man can wish you more
satisfaction than I do, nor bo more desirous of being an
assistant to you, you will permit me to talk very freely with
you upon the subject of it, and explain to you the disagree-
able situation your absence places me in, as I find, from

* Lord Sandwich's Collection of MS. Letters.

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 201

talkinjT with Lord Vere, that he Intends to continue till you
return to take possession ; and indeed I think he will then
quit it with a much better grace than he would leave it with
now ; besides that, in the mean time, he may make his conti-
nuance at the Board serve many good purposes of his own,
and make as much a cipher of me as he pleases, which you
will easily imagine must be very disagreeable to me, after
the share the Duke of Bedford has allowed me in the direc-
tion of affairs afloat, and the success which has attended his
Grace's administration of naval affairs in every branch of the
department. Besides, I think the world will see me in a
very disadvantageous light, and think me acting out of cha-
racter.

" I don't mention this to place any difficulties in your
Lordship's way, but that you may give me your advice and
assistance, which I never stood more in need of than at pre-
sent, for I had not the least idea that Lord Vere would con-
tinue when the Duke of Bedford left the Board, from many
hints that he himself at times has let drop ; but the appre-
hensions of losing a shilling will quiet his resentment or his
ambition. He has been in my way ever since I came into
the world. Two years ago I endeavoured to shove him be-
fore me, but there was no moving him from the earth to
his proper element ; and to continue now In his rear, both at
land and sea, I own I cannot well endure." *

His Lordship then proceeds, in the same letter, to
relate the manner in Avhich the new arrangement
was brought about.

" It was not known that Lord Chesterfield Intended to
quit the seals, with any certainty, until the Thursday before

* Lord Sandwich's Collection.

202 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

it happened, when he declared he would resign on Saturday
morning. The Duke of Newcastle had invited the Duke
of Bedford and myself to dine with him upon the Thursday,
when he announced what had passed between him and Lord
Chesterfield, and that the king had declared he would not
have your Lordship, nor Mr. Pitt, nor the solicitor-general,
as secretary of state. What operations had occasioned this
extraordinary declaration I am entirely ignorant ; but some
of your enemies had been busy at work : that the seals were
not designed for you appeared clearly.

" I staid till the Duke of Bedford was gone, when, being
left alone with the Duke of Newcastle, I told his Grace I
thought you would have great reason to complain of all your
friends, if you were passed by on this occasion, and therefore
proposed, if you could not get the seals, that they should be
given to the Duke of Bedford, and your Lordship to take his
place at the Admiralty. He asked me, very earnestly, whe-
ther the Duke of Bedford had said anything to me upon it.
I told him, ' No.' He then asked me if I thought the Duke
of Bedford would accept the seals. I then declared that it
was my opinion his Grace would decline no trouble, how-
ever disagreeable to him, that would serve you, and show
the friendship he had for you.

" I was obliged, on account of my health, to go for Bath
the next morning ; but I thought it very proper in me to let
the Duke of Bedford know all that had passed between the
Duke of Newcastle and myself, and pressed him very ear-
nestly not to suffer your opponents to triumph over you.
So the affair stood when I left London, and the success of
it cannot give you more pleasure than it has done me, —
bemg, my dear Lord, «Scc. " Anson."*

* Lord Sandwich's Collection oi' MS. Letters.

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 203

On the 5th IMarch Lord Sandwich writes thus to
Lord Anson, from the Hague : —

"My dear Lord — You will easily conceive my satisfac-
tion on the receipt of the news contained in the last three
mails from England. I am sensible how much I am obliged
to your Lordship for the great weight of your friendship,
and I readily perceive how much your support has contri-
buted to make the way easy to the height of good fortune to
which I am arrived, which I shall never forget to the last
hour of my life.

" I have very little time to write by this post, but I would
not lose a moment to desire that you would consider yourself
as in effect at the head of the Admiralty ; that you would not
only write to me your sentiments, as to any measures you
would wish to have executed, and when my assistance is
necessary, but that you would always make use of my name
whenever it may be necessary ; and, if you would have any-
thing deferred, desire time to write to me about it, and you
may always depend upon the decision that you tell me is
agreeable to your opinion. I must beg you will suffer every-
thing I do to go through your hands, as it is my meaning to
throw my share of the power, and the direction of the whole,
as much as possible, into your hands."*

This expression of unbounded confidence from the
first lord of the Admiralty could not but be highly
ijratifying to Lord Anson, which is repeated, in still
stronger terms, if possible, in the following extract
from his reply to his lordship's letter of February 15th,
sent from Aix-la-Chapelle, to Avhich place he liad

* Anson's Collection of MS. Letters, No. 369.

204 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [ CH. V.

Leeu removed to carry on the negociations with the
representatives of the several powers ; and this will
account for the delay in answering it.

" Aix-la-Chapelle, March 19, 1748.
" I am sorry Lord Vere remains at the Board, if that
is any way disagreeable to you ; liut I think that, so far from
his being able to make a cipher of you, that you must put
him absolutely in that situation himself. I always told you
that, whenever I got to the head of the Admiralty, it should,
except in the name and show of it, be the same thing as if
you were there yourself ; and I beg of you to consider my
being there singly as an addition to your power. In one of
my last letters to the Duke of Newcastle, I have told him
that, in Admiralty business, he must consider you as one and
the same thing with me, and that I intend to depend entirely
upon your Lordship, and to throw the direction of the whole,
as much as possible, into your hands ; and the next time I
write to Mr. Pelham I will say the same thing. As to
Lord Vere's taking advantage of my absence to forward any
of his purposes, if they are such as are disagreeable to you,
it is very easy to prevent them, by desiring first to know my
opinion ; and if you choose to have anything done that you
had rather not appear in, let me know it privately, and I will
write directly to Corbett (the secretary) to recommend it, as
from myself; but you may be assured I will do no act what-
ever but directly through your hands, which will plainly
show people where the power centres, and, I think, indis-
putably fix you in the entire management of affairs, which
has been always my view, as I am sure it is what is most for
ihe advantage of the service."*

* Anson's Collection of MS. Letters, No. 370.

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 205

Notliiiif^ could be more satisfactory to Lord An-
son than this letter of Lord Sandwich; it set his
mind at ease on tlie eve of a very important event
to himself, — namely, his marriage with Lady Eli-
zabeth, daughter of the Lord Chancellor Hard-
wicke. Anson being one of those quiet plodding men
who look only to their own particular occupations,
and his hands being sufficiently full Avith Admiralty
business, the Chancellor, having "been in the Avorld"
(in which the other was said never to have been),
seems to have thought it right to remind him of two or
tln-ee trifling matters, connected with his intended
new situation in life, which might otherwise have
escaped his notice or his recollection. To prevent,
and also to correct, mistakes, he writes him the fol-
lowing rather curious letter, considering from whom
it proceeds : —

" Poivis House, April 21s^, 1748.
'• My dear Lord — I saw the Archbishop of Canterbury
to-day. who expressed himself extremely concerned that he
had not the pleasure of seeing your lordship when you did
him the honour of calling; upon him yesterday morning. I
have desired the favour of his grace to be here on Monday
at seven o'clock, and must desire that your lordship would
be so good as to let me know the names of any of your
friends, whom I should invite on that occasion. I find by
Mr. Perkins that Saturday evening is fixed for the execution
of the deeds, and hope eight o'clock will be a convenient
hour for you. It is proper and usual that the trustees should
be present, to execute at the same time ; and I must beg
the favour of your lordship to make the appointment with

206 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

my Lord Parker, my Lord Chief Baron, and your brother.
The whole portion shall be paid either in bank-notes, or
in my draft upon the Bank, as you like best.

" I desired Mr. Perkins to mention to your lordship a
mistake which the coach-painter has made in painting the
arms, in which, I fear, he was misled by something that
fell from my wife, I have inquired of the heralds, and also
of the Duke of Dorset, who is very skilful in matters of that
nature ; and they all agree that, upon the marriage of the
daughter of a peer of any rank, one of her father's support-
ers is always put on the woman's side, that is, the sinister
side, of the scutcheon. This is the invariable usage ; and
if the lady's father's supporters differ, as mine do, then the
dexter supporter is always taken. The consequence of this
is, that I must entreat your lordship to give directions to the
painter to turn the sinister supporter into the lion, which I
bear, and at the same time ask your pardon for troubling
you about such a trifle.

" I am, with the most affectionate respect,

" My dear lord, &c., Hardwicke."*

There is a great deal of honest and quiet sim-
plicity in Anson's reply, towards the end of a long
letter on other subjects, to the congratulations of his
friend Lord Sandwich. " I shall say nothing of my
marriage, because all people in that state, at first,
think themselves extremely happy. I own I do, and
therefore think I make you some sacrifice in staying
so long in Holland as I intend ; for I propose to
make my visit tim days, in which time you will hear
all I have to say to you, and deliver me your com-

* Anson's Collection of MS. letters, No. 186.

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 207

mands." And he goes on to say, — " Indeed, you
have almost brought the Admiralty to be a sinecure,
for all our last orders are sent, so that there remains
nothing but to dismantle our ships — a grievous affair
to me, for I shall never live to see so well-disciplined
and complete a squadron as we have to the west-
ward."* He did live, however, not only to see, but
to exercise authority over, a far superior one, mainly
of his own creating.

There is so much real and anxious parental
feeling expressed in the following letter from the
great and good Chancellor to Lord Anson^ that no
apology will be required for its insertion here, in-
timately connected as it is, though not officially, nor
professionally, with the main subject of this Memoir.

" Powis House, Aug. 30th, 1748.
" My dear Lord — After having; so lately given your lord-
ship the trouble of a letter, I should not have repeated it
now, were it not for a piece of intelligence relating to dear
Lady Anson, which we received on Sunday night from
Wrest. It gives me and her mother much concern to hear
that, when Mr. Yorke left her on Tuesday last, she had a
feverish disorder upon her ; and, though that was somewhat
relieved by the account Mr. Anson was so kind as to send
by Wednesday's post, that she had no return of it, yet we
cannot help being apprehensive that it might afterwards
return, and prove an intermitting fever. Your lordship will
excuse the trouble, which the anxiety of a father gives you,
to be informed particularly how she now is ; and it will

* Lord Sandwich's Collection of MS. letters.

208 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

rejoice me much to hear good news of you both. I must
beg a Uttle more of your indulgence, which my knowledge
of her from her childhood induces me to presume upon.
She has great spirits, rather superior to her strength, and is
always inclined to make the best of her case. It is therefore
necessary on such occasions to look a little beyond her own
representations, especially at this time, when she is certainly
mortified at any interruption of the pleasure she had pro-
mised herself in attending your lordship at the Staffordshire
diversions, and may be inclined to exert herself to partake
of them, though at some hazard. I must therefore entreat
your lordship to make use of your authority with her, as I
should without scruple have done mine, to keep her from
going to Lichfield races, in case she should not be perfectly
recovered ; or, if she should appear to be so, to prevail with
her at least not to dance, and to redouble every caution,
both as to hours and the avoiding taking cold. Any fresh
cold caught, heating of her blood, or new flutter of spirits^
may be of very bad consequence, especially as her constitu-
tion seems to have had a disposition that way for some months
past. I know your lordship's good nature and regard for
her will induce you to forgive this freedom, which proceeds
not from the least imagination that all possible care would
not be taken, but from a persuasion that you would like to
be informed from those who have been longest acquainted
with her, and also to be able to make use of my opinion and
influence.

" My wife desires to second this adnce, and joins in our
most affectionate wishes to you both, and in best compli-
ments to Mr. Anson and all friends.

" I am always, &c.

" Lord Anson." " Hahdwickk.*

* Anson's Collection of MS. lotloi*?, No. 1 68.

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 209

The important and harassing business on which
a greater part of Lord Sandwich's time must have
been occupied, the anxiety of mind perpetually preying
upon him, not only to meet the wishes and views of
his employers, but to give to the nation that satisfac-
tion whi^li, divided as parties were for peace and
war, he could scarcely promise himself to be able to
do : — surrounded, moreover, by spies and intriguers,
watching every word that fell from his mouth, and
every act of his life ; — knowing, too, that he had the
most jealous and suspicious minister to serve, and a
sovereign that had taken a dislike to him, for having
uttered, perhaps inconsiderately, an expression of
slight towards one of the little potentates of Germany ;
notwithstanding all these drawbacks on his time and
attention, it is but justice to say that his lordship's
mind was constantly and deeply intent upon the
concerns of the Admiralty. Almost every letter
(and they are numerous) addressed to Lord Anson,
contains somethinii; that regards the naval service.
The following embraces an important suggestion,
Avhich, emanating from a very high, though not a
naval, quarter, Avas so enforced on Anson's mind,
that, at the proper time, he did not fail to bring it
forward, and to carry it successfully into opera-
tion, in such a manner as to establish it on that
permanent footing, which made it " impracticable for
.any ministry afterwards to change it" — it was the
establishment of that excellent and most useful corps,

P

210 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

the Royal Marines, as it now stands, in lieu of those

soldier-marines with which the fleet had hitherto

heen supplied.

" Aix, August 7th, 1748.

" My dear Lord — I have received your two obliging
letters, enclosing a plan for the present disposition of ou/
fleet, which, I am sure, has my entire approbation, as every
thing your lordship judges for the good of the sendee always
will. It is unnecessary for me to trouble you with any
recommendation of my friends, as I see you take the same
care of them as if I myself was upon the spot.

" You don't tell me whether the marines are to be con-
tinued or not. I should think it will be proposed to break
them, at least the greatest part. The Duke of Cumberland
dropped something, when I was at the army, that makes
me think so ; and he added that one reason why he thought
it would be right to do so was, that they were upon a
bad footing, and neither sea nor land forces ; that whenever
they were appointed again, the establishment should be
changed, and the marines be entirely in our jurisdiction.
Would it be impossible to get that matter settled before the
present regiments are broken ? I should tliink that might
be done, as the object of a few independent companies for
the sliips that are still to remain in pay would not be ma-
terial ; and if once you get the establishment (for however
small a number it be) settled as you would have it, it will
be impracticable for any ministry afterwards to change it.
In things of this sort, the first step is in a manner the whole
of the business, and an opportunity ought never to be lost ;
though I am far from saying, with any degree of certainty,
whether an opportunity offers at present or not."*

* Anson's Collection of MS. letters, No. 382.

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 211

It will be obvious that tlie formation of a new
establishment of this important nature would require,
in the first instance, to be discussed in the cabinet ;
and, in the second place, to obtain the sanction of the
king's order in council. Lord Anson, therefore,
considering that the termination of the war was
approaching, did not think the present moment
favourable for augmenting the permanent establish-
ment of a naval force, though he entirely concurred
in the propriety of the measure. He had abundant
reason to know the inefficiency of the present system ;
and with regard to the breaking the marine regi-
ments, he submitted the proposition to Mr. Fox,
then Secretary-at-War, and received from him an
answer, of which the following is a copy : —

" I beheve that the preparing and signing of the warrants
to break the marines is looked upon as a prerogative of the
AdmiraUy of more consequence than I unagined. I assure
your lordship that I have not any the least objection to it
either in form or substance. And therefore recommending,
for the sake of economy, despatch to your lordship, I beg
leave to resign that task to the Admiralty, and to discharge
myself of it.

" I am, with the greatest respect, &c.
" Holland House, 25th Oct. 1748." " H. Fox.*

The peace being now concluded, Lord Anson had
the satisfaction of knowing it from Lord Sandwich's
letter to him of the 19th October, 1748.

* Ansons Collection of MS. letters, No. 164.

p2

212 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

" Give me leave to congratulate you, as I do most sincerely,
upon the news that will be brought to England by our friend
Leveson. I dare say it will please the public ; and I know
your partiality to me is such, that it will be an additional
reason for you to think favourably of the work, by reason of
the share I have had in it. I hope it will not be now many
weeks before I shall have the happiness of seeing you, as I
have leave to be in England by the meeting of Parliament.
God knows it will be a happy day when I can once more sit
down among my friends, and get a little respite from the
hurry and confusion I have been concerned in for these
three years past."*

His lordship however did not take his seat at the
Board till the early part of the year 1749, nor before
his colleague, Lord Vere, had actually, in the
ahsence of both Sandwich and Anson (the latter heing
engaged in conveying his Majesty to Holland), ap-
pointed a commander-in-chief to Barhadoes (Sir
George Pococke), an appointment which was never
intended to be made in time of peace. Lord Sand-
wich says, " I am vexed at the account you give me
of the nomination of the connnander-in-chief at Bar-
hadoes : there would be a certain way of preventing
any such advantage being taken in your absence, if
you were to desire that, whenever any such materiiil
connnissions as those of commander-in-chief were to
be disposed of, IMr. Corbett might be directed to write
to me, to knovv' whether I had any person to recom-

* Anson'a Collection of MS. letters. No. SSC,

1748.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 213

iiieiid; in which Ciise I e^hoiild certainly mention, in
answer, -whomsoever you thought tlie fittest person.
However, I hope tliis will soon be at an end, and
that I shall have the happiness of being Avith you in
a short time in England, where -we vi'ill take care to
settle things at the Board upon sucli a footing, as to
leave no room there for anything to be done contrary
to our incUnation."* Lord Vere left tlie ]>oard in
the course of the year, and his place w^as supplied by
Granville Leveson, Viscount Trentham.

This long Avar, Avith all the continental subsidies,
increased the public debt by about seventy millions.
Tlie nation, how^ever, Avas sufficiently tired of it,
and became at last clamorous for peace ; and, though
the main advantage gained to the country by the pro-
secution of it had been purely naval, and the result
of it, that of reducing the fleets of France and
Spain, the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, notwithstanding,
met Avith almost general approbation. The basis of
that treaty Avas a mutual restitution of all conquests
made since the beginning of the Avar, Avith a release
of all prisoners Avithout ransom.

The king, in his speech, on opening the session in
November, 1748, says, " Whatever the events of
Avar may have been, the bravery of my troops has
distinguished itself, on every occasion, to their lasting
honour ; and our signal successes at sea must ever be

* Anson's Collection of MS. letkn-s, No. 387.

214 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

remembered, to the glory of the British fleet, and
entitle it to the particular attention and support of
this nation. You will further consider that those
brave men who have served well by sea or land, and
cannot now be employed, justly deserve to be the
objects of your favour and protection." Though
there was some slight opposition in the Commons to
the address of thanks, it was carried, as originally
moved for, without a division, and, in the Lords also,
unanimously.

In the early part of 1749 Lord Sandwich took his
seat at the Board ; and one of his first measures was
a visitation of all the dock-yards and other naviil
establishments, which, for many years before, had
been entirely neglected. Indeed there is nothing on
record to show that they had ever been officially
visited by any preceding Board of Admiralty ;* or
even by the Commissioners of the Navy, under
whose control they were more immediately placed :
yet these establishments occasion the great portion
of the expense annually voted by Parliament on the
navy estimates. The object of this first visitation,
by the proper and responsible authority, is fully stated
in the following minute of the Board : —

* Sir Edward Hawke, in 1770 (then first lord of the Admiralty),
being dissatisfied with the reports he received from the surveyor of
the navy and the dock-yards, procured an Order in Council which
directed that, in future, his Majesty's ships and dock-yards should be
inspected by the Board of Admiralty once every two years — they are
now visited annually.

1749.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 215

" Friday, 9th June, 1749-
" Present — Earl of Sandwich, Lord Vere Beauclerc, Lord

Anson, &c.
•^'The Lords, taking into consideration tlie number of
men borne in the several dock and rope -yards, the great ex-
pense attending the same, and that the works are not carried
on with the expedition that might be expected from them,
which must arise from the remissness of the officers
or insufficiency of the workmen, or both, and being deter-
mined, as far as in them lies, to remedy the same, do
judge it expedient forthwith to visit all his Majesty's dock
and rope-yards, to examine into the ability and conduct of
the officers, the sufficiency of the workmen, the condition of
the ships and magazines, together with what works are car-
rying on, that such reformation may be made as shall be
found needful to prevent any unnecessary expenditure of the
public money, to see that the several rules and orders for
the government of the yards are duly carried into execution,
that the ships of the royal navy be kept in constant condi-
tion for service, and that the money granted for keeping up
the same be frugally expended, and that the comptroller of
the navy do attend them in their visitation."

In the minutes of their proceedings it appears, that
they found the men generally idle, the officers igno-
rant, the stores ill arranged, abuses of all kinds over-
looked, the timber ill assorted, that which was longest
in store being undermost, the standing orders ne-
glected, the ships in ordinary in a very dirty and bad
condition, filled with women and children, and that
the officers of the yard had not visited them, which it
was their duty to do ; that men were found, borne

216 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V-

and paid as officers, who liad never done duty as
such, for Vvhich their Lordships reprimanded the
Navy Board through the comptroller ; that the store-
keeper's accounts were many years in arrear, and,
what was most extraordinary, that the Navy Board
had never required them ; in short, gross negligence,
irregularities, waste, and emhezzlement were so pal-
pable, that their Lordships ordered an advertisement
to be set up in various parts of all the yards, offering
encouragement and protection to such as should dis-
cover any misdemeanors, committed either by the
officers or workmen, particularly in employing work-
men or labourers on their private affiiirs, or any
other abuse whatever.*

Everything, in short, appeared to be left to the
resident commissioner, who, on his part, left all
matters to the principal, and they to the inferior,
officers. The members of the Navy Board seem to
have given themselves no trouble about the dock-
yards. Captain (afterwards Admiral) Savage Mostyn,
the comptroller of the navy, nnist have felt himself
in rather an awkward position while the inquiry Avas
going on, and at the public notice above mentioned
being stuck up in the yards. In future years, when
Lord Sandwich was again First Lord of the Admi-
ralty, he cau'sed frequent visitations to be made, and
left a record of them in the Admiralty-office, as an
inducement for subsequent Boards to pursue the same

* Minutes of Lord Sandwich's Visitation.

1749.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 217

practice, which ^^'as partially followed by Lord HoAve,
Lord Spencer, Lord St. Vincent, and is continued to
the present time. From these visitations much good
has resulted, many abuses have been corrected, and a
vast expenditure of money and stores saved to the
public.

The first business in the House of Commons, after
the address of thanks on the Kinji-'s speech, was a
motion for papers relating to the treaty of Aix-la-
Chapelle, which, after a long debate, was lost by 181
against 120. The next question that came before
the Uvo houses of Parliament was of the greatest
importance to the army and navy ; — that of the
IMutiny Bill, brought in by ]Mr. Fox, Secretary-at-
War. Several new clauses were introduced which
met with great opposition ; some of them were car-
ried and others not. On this subject Horace Wal-
pole indulges in a tirade of keen severity. " When
the Duke (of Cumberland) had set himself to restore
the discipline of the army, and bring it nearer to the
standard of German severity, he found it necessary
to reform the military code, that whatever despotism
he had a mind to establish might at least be grounded
in an appearance of law. The Secretary-at-War, with
a few general officers, Avere ordered to revise the
IMutiny Bill, and (if one may judge by their execu-
tion of this commission) to double the rigour of it.
The penalty of death came over as often as the curses
in the Commination on Ash-'Wednesday ; oaths of
secrecy were imposed on courts-martial ; and even

218 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

officers on half-pay were for the future to be subject
to all the jurisdiction of military law. My Lord An-
son, who governed at the Admiralty Board, was
struck with so amiable a pattern, and would have
chained down his tars to a like oar ; but it raised
such a ferment in that boisterous profession, that the
ministry were forced to drop several of the strongest
articles, to quiet the tempest that this innovation had
caused."*

Walpole always exaggerates. The navy has no
Mutiny Bill except for the marines on shore — a corps
not then regularly established — and which, when they
Avere so, is in accordance with that of the army. The
discipline of the navy is maintained by various acts
of Parliament ; and Lord Sandwich and Lord Anson
thought it the proper time, now that the war was
at an end, to have them consolidated into one act
(22 Geo. II.) by a bill which was brought into the
Commons by Lord Barrington, a member of the
Board of Admiralty. It was entitled " A Bill for
amending, explaining, and reducing into one Act of
Parliament, the Laws relating to the Navy," a most
deskable and highly useful measure, which has con-
tinued in full force to the present day, with an
exception to be noticed presently. The principal,
and indeed almost the only, novelties attempted to be
introduced were, first, that of subjecting lialf-})ay
officers to courts-martial, which, after much oppo-

Wulpole's Memoirs.

1749.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 219

sition, and a debate which appears to have lasted
ten or twelve days, was thrown out ; the second was
the administration of an oath of secrecy to the mem-
bers, which was carried, and continues to the pre-
sent time.

With regard to the " ferment in the boisterous pro-
fession," it exploded, if there was any "tempest" to
" quiet," in a single petition, presented to tlie house
by Sir John Norris, signed by three admirals and
forty-seven captains, in which it was alleged that,
if certain clauses were passed, they would greatly
tend to the injury and dishonour of the petitioners
and aU other officers of his INIajesty's navy, as also
to the detriment of his JMajesty's service. It was
strongly contended in the Lords, that courts-martial
should not have the power to inflict any punishment
extending to life and limb — that mutiny even should
be made liable to, and punishable by, the civil magis-
trate. This was a step far beyond that in the petition
of the " three admirals and forty-seven captains," and
speaks not much in favour of the good sense of the
lords who espoused it.

The bill, on which the articles of war are founded,
for the government of the navy, passed, and has not
undergone any alteration in the last ninety years,
with the exception of a modification of two articles,
occasioned by the trial and execution of the unfortu-
nate Admiral Byng. These articles, the twelfth and
thirteenth, which inflict the penalty of death, were
then and afterwards considered so severe that, thirty

220 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

years after the passing of the act, and twenty-two
after Byng's execution, there was added, in the act
of 19 Geo. III. (1779), after the word "death," the
words, " or such other punishment as the nature and
degree of the offence shall he found to deserve."

With regard to the *' penalty of death coming over
as often as the curses in the Commination on Ash-
Wednesday," there is some appearance of truth as
relates to the penal code of the navy, but they were
not first introduced at the time in question. Of the
thirty-six articles of war, nine award the punishment
of death, unqualified by any species of connnutation,
and admittinii' of no mitig-ation ; and twelve with
*' death," qualified by the words, " or such other pu-
nishment as the offence, by a court-martial, shall be
judged to deserve." But_, as happens in the civil
code, the apparent severity is softened down in prac-
tice to a greater degree of leniency, than if a milder
punishment had been aAvarded.

An opinion has sometimes been held by naval
officers that, in those articles which award the pu-
nishment of death, " or such other punishment as the
court shall deem the offence to deserve, or as a court-
martial shall think fit to inflict," a sentence of trans-
portation maybe considered as included; but a mo-
ment's reflection will show that such a sentence
Avould be perfectly illegal. At the time the act was
passed, and until long after, there were no penal esta-
blishments in existence, and the act itself has under-
gone no alteration except that above mentioned ;

1749.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 221

the comnmtation, therefore, or a sentence of banish-
ment, as the law now stands, would be illegal and of
no effect. This was so decided by the law-officers
of the crown in 1808, in the case of a court-martial
on the officers and crew of the Carnation, for striking
their colours to the enemy, and something like it
has very recently been ruled.

As a state of peace is the best time for considering
and maturing any plan that may be proposed for that
most important object — the manning of the fleet —
Lord Barrington submitted a motion to the House
for leave to bring in a bill for providing seamen for
his Majesty's navy, without distressing trade. His
Lordship set out by endeavouring to show that we
ought never, in time of peace, to have less than
20,000 able and expert seamen in pay for the service
of the navy, but that it was not necessary to keep in
commission as many ships as would require that
number : the expedient thought of, he said, was to
keep a less number than 20,000 in /z^// pay, and give
the rest such an allowance as should be thouglit pro-
l)er ; that the intention of his bill was only to have
3000 supernumeraries kei)t in pay for the next year, at
the rate of 10/. per man per annum ; for, as 17,000
Avere voted for the ensuing year, 3000 would just
make up the 20,000 ; and, as these 3000 would only
cost the nation 30,000/. a-year, instead of 156,000/.,
the sum if these men were actually employed, he
thought the expedient, which saves the nation 126,000/.

222 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

a-year, whilst it gives her 3000 seamen, was one that
deserved the approbation of every gentleman who
wished well to his country.

In this, however, his Lordship miscalculated. Lord
Egmont was rather severe on this new expedient.
*' Sir, if one could be allowed, in this age, to borrow
anything from the Bible, I should observe that, when
the devil has a mind to deceive, he always puts on
the appearance of an angel of light ; so, when any
scheme is formed for the introduction of arbitrary
power, the projectors always assume the appearance
of patriots, and affect a serious concern for the safety
of the nation, or for the encouragement of our trade
and navigation." He thought there was a secret
design in the present project ; that these 3000 men
were meant as an addition to the number of the go-
vernment slaves, and as a new number of pensioners,
who were hereafter to be made use of for gaining an
influence in the few remaining cities or boroughs, that
still continue refractory to a minister's conge, d'elire ;
''for," says his Lordship, "we may depend upon it,
that no seaman will be adndtted upon this pension,
who has not a vote in some city or borough ; and
before a new war breaks out, unless it happens very
soon, as it probaldy may, we shall find that, of these
3000 pensioners, there is not so much as one good
seaman amongst them."

Old Horace Walpole (not the memoir-writer) said
that, since and before he was a meniber of that

1749.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 223

august assembly, he made this general observation,
that, either our constitution, our church, or our
liberties being in danger, was the constant cry of
those who were disobliged by, and consequently op-
posed, the administration ; but the cry, he said, at
present, was so void of all foundation, that it was
hardly possible to treat it in a serious manner. " I
shall therefore," said he, " only tell you a story : —

"In King William's time, there was a famous
member of this house, whom you have all heard of,
John How by name, who, having been refused some-
thing which he had not, or, at least, which that wise
prince thought he had not, any title to ask, took it
into his head to set up for a patriot, and to become
a violent opposer of the administration. From
that time this gentleman's continual cry was, ' Our
liberties are in danger, our constitution is to be over-
turned !' and with such exclamations he was always
endeavouring, by his pretended fears, to raise real
apprehensions in the minds of some of the weak men
of that age. At last he was silenced by a story
told to the House by Sir Thomas Lyttleton, which
was this : ' A gentleman of my acquaintance,' says
Sir Thomas, ' was lately travelling in a coach Avith
two ladies who were sisters. One sat very quiet,
without being in the least disturbed ; but the other
was, upon every little jolt, in a fright, and always
crying out, ' O Lord, Sir, we shall be overturned !
for God's sake tell the coachman to drive softly !'

224 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

' What is the matter, Madam V says tlie gentleman ;
*why are you in such a friglit? We have a firm,
easy coach, a plain good road, and a careful, cautious
coachman : tliere is not the least danger.' But all
signified nothing : the lady continued as before. At
last the gentleman asks the other lady — ' What ails
your sister, Madam ? is she usually of such a fearful
temper?' To which the other answered, 'Do not
mind her. Sir ; my sister is really in no fright, only
she thinks she has a very pretty voice, and therefore
takes great delight in hearing herself speak.' "

This stoiy (not altogether inapplicable to the pre-
sent time), Walpole 'said, put the zealous patriot so
much out of countenance, that, for some days, he was
quite silent as to the danger of our liberties. Lord
Barrington's motion was put an end to by the
Speaker's hinting to him, that, as money was to l.te
granted, it ought to have been first resolved on in the
connnittee of supply. And thus ended this singular
"expedient."

After this, very little occurred in either House
of Parliament that could strictly be called Admi-
ralty-business. The usual routine, in time of
peace, consists in preserving the fleet in an ethcient
state, building and repairing ships, keeping up a
due proportion of naval stores, seeing that those
wharfs, jetties, docks, and slips be kept in order,
Avhich nuist always deteriorate in consequence of
other and more pressing kind of labour being de-

1751.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 225

maufled pending a long- \var. In the midst of these
ordinary proceedings an event took place, in June,
1751, which appears to have been wholly unex-
pected. This was nothing less than a partial change
in the administration, which extended to the Board
of Admiralty, and deprived it of the able assist-
ance of Lord Sandwich; but placed, at the same
time. Lord Anson at the head, with two new mem-
bers, William Rowley, Esq., and the Hon. Edward
Boscavi^en, in the room of Lord Sandwich and
Granville Leveson Gower.

Horace Walpole, in liis ]\Iemoirs, never omits an
opportunity of venting his malice against Lord Sand-
wich, and this seems to have afforded him one.
Whether the account he gives, absurd as it is, was
the real cause of Lord Sandwich leaving the Admi-
ralty, it would not now be easy to determine ; but
there is reason to believe it was not. " An incident,"
he says, " contributed to give to the King a new
handle to use Lord Sandwich with indignity : the
Bedfords had transacted a marriage between one of
the duchess's sisters (Lady Elizabeth Leveson Gower)
and Colonel Waldegrave, against the consent of her
lather, Lord Gower ; and Lord Sandwich liad been
so imprudent as to let the ceremony be performed at
his apartments at the Admiralty. The Pelhams,
who always inoculated private quarrels on affairs of
state, despatched my Lord Gower to ask a formal
audience of the King, and com])lain of Lord Sand-

Q

226 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. V.

wich's contributing to steal his daughter. Lord
Gower was a comely man of form, had never had any
sense, and was now superannuated. . . . The King-
entered into his quarrel ; and the Pelhanis, l)y this
artifice, detached him from his family, and persuaded
him that to resign with them would he sacrificing
himself in the cause of Lord Sandwich, who had
offered him such an indignity.

" When Lord Sandwich found his disgrace una-
voidable, and had even got intelligence of the day on
which he was to be dismissed, he endeavoured by his
own solicitations, and ])y the interposition of the
Duke (of Cumberland) to prevail on the Duke of
Bedford to throw up the seals first. This finesse,
which did not succeed, was calculated to prevent the
appearance of the Duke of Bedford's resignation upon
his account, and consequently the new obligations
to be laid upon him by that measure ; governing that
Duke no longer, he chose to be no longer connected
with him ; but Bedford now would neither stay in
nor 2:0 out 1)V his advice.

"On June 13th the Duke of Newcastle wrote to
Lord Sandwich that the King had no further occasion
for his services ; and in the evening sent Mr. Legge to
acquaint the Duke of Bedford witli the dismission of
his friend. . . . Legge having shuffled for some
time between Mr. Pelliam, Pitt, the Duke of Bed-
ford, and Lord Sandwich, and wriggled through the
interest of all into the Treasury, and then to the

r

1751.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 227

treasurership of the navy, he submitted to break his
connexions with the two latter, by being the indecent
messenger of Lord Sandwich's disgrace. . . .

" The Duke of Bedford demanded an audience of the
King, and, among other grievances, spoke warmly
on the dismission of his friend Lord Sandwich, and on
all the treacheries of the Duke of Newcastle, which
he recapitulated, and he concluded by telling the
King that their (Pelham and his brother) persecu-
tions of him and Lord Sandwich arose solely from
their attachment to his son, the Duke (of Cumber-
land) . The King was struck and pleased with this
emonstrance ; agreed to all he had said of the Duke
of Newcastle ; doubted of the facts charged on Mr.
Pelham ; and, with regard to Lord Sandwich, only
said, ' I don't know how it is, but he has very few
friends.' "*

The Duke of Bedford was offered by the King to
be president of the council ; but he declined, and re-
signed the seals. Lord Anson was appointed First
Lord of the Admiralty, and the Admirals Boscawen
and Rowley Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty —
" the latter," says Walpole, " attached to Lord
Granville, the other to nothing but his own opi-
nion."

A great part of this is no doubt true ; but whether
the incident of the marriage had any connexion with

* Walpole's Memoirs.

Q 2

228 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CII. V.

the dismissal of Lord Saudwicli is very dovibtlul —
what shoiihl the King care about Lord Gower's
daughter ? It Avouhl appear rather to have been the
sole contrivance of the Duke of Newcastle to accom-
plish the removal of the Duke of Bedford, which he
had in vain striven for some months to effect through
the Duchess of Yarmouth, who, with himself, was
with the Kinp- at Hanover. He was afraid of moviui!^
the King directly, knowing how desirous he Avas to
have about the throne the hi"hest nobles of the land.
The Duchess was to tell the King of the Duke's
unfitness ; tliat the Duke of Newcastle had declared
he could not go on with him ; that he did not transact
any business — "it is all jollity, boyishness, and
vanity : he persuades himself that riding post from
London to AA^oburn and back again once a-week or
fortnio'ht is doine; a p-reat deal of business." The
King, however, turned a deaf ear to all this ; and,
as the last resort, Newcastle made up his mind to
ask the Kinu' himself to dismiss Sandwich, well
knouino- that the Duke of Bedford would follow
his friend. All this ;uid a great deal more of in-
trigue appears in the Duke of Newcastle's letters
to his brother, J\Ir. IVdham, as publislied by Coxe.

No naval ofhcer could have been chosen more
fitted for the vacant situation than Lord Anson ; lie
having, in fact, carried on the duties of first lord
during tiie preceding live years. In ])oint of talent
and energy, he might perhaj)s be considered iiil'erior

ITjL] conclusion of the war. 229

to Lord Sandwich, but by much his superior in profes-
sional kno\v']edge and sound judgment in naval con-
cerns, as frequently acknowledged by his lordsliip.
As the name of this noble earl will no more appear in
the course of this Memoir, it may be right to say that
both Mr. Pitt and Lord North were so well satis-
fied of his fitness and great ability to fill the situation
of First Lord of the Admiralty, that, in the reign
of George IIL, he was twice appointed to the head
of the naval administration ; and that on the second
occasion he remained as First Lord of the Admiralty
from tlie 12th of January, 1771, to the 30th of
March, 1782, a period of more than eleven years.

230 , LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

CHAPTER VI.

THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR.

Vigorous preparations for war — Duplicity of the Frencli — Establish-
ment of a marine corps under the immediate command of the
Admiralty — The late King's address to the marines — A fleet under
Boscawen sent to America — French fleet puts to sea — Two of their
ships taken by Howe and Andrews — Remonstrance of the French
— Their ambassador recalled — A fleet prepared and placed under
the command of Sir Edward Hawke — Duke of Cumberland and
Anson visit the fleet — latter hoists his flag in the Prince — Discus-
sion in the Cabinet as to Hawke's instructions — Copy of instruc-
tions from the Lords Justices — Sails and captures many of the
enemy's ships — Secret information from the King at Hanover —
Threats of invasion by the French — march down troops to the
coast — Howe sent to protect Guernsey and Jersey — attacks and
takes Chausse — War at length proclaimed by England — then by
France — Admiral Byng sent with a fleet for the relief of Minorca —
engages Galissonniere, and retreats to Gibraltar — Public clamour
against him — recalled — sent a prisoner to Greenwich Hospital —
Change in the administration — Pamphlets for and against Byng —
for, by Dr. Johnson, and against, by Mallet, assisted by Lord
Hardwicke — is sent to Portsmouth — tried and condemned to death
^Mistaken proceedings to obtain tbo King's mercy — Voltaire and
Richlieu's letters — Opinion of the judges decides Byng's fate —
His gallant behaviour previous to and at his execution — Inscrip-
tion on his tomb.

1755 to 175G.

In the year 1755 a fevensli j)eace of seven years
was succeeded l^y the coniinencenient of a seven
years' war, a name by A\'hich it is distinguished in
the history of this country. No sooner had the
King's message been brought beibre the two houses

1755.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 231

of Parliament, stating the necessity of an augmenta-
tion of his forces by sea and land, and of taking such
other measures as might best tend to the general
peace of Europe, than the most vigorous preparations
for war were set on foot. A number of ships were
forthwith ordered to be put in commission, press-
warrants, the certain precursors of hostilities, Avere
issued, Avith the usual proclamation for granting
bounties to volunteer seamen ; and subscriptions were
raised in most of the considerable towns and cities for
bestowing premiums on such seamen and soldiers as
would voluntarily enlist. In fact it was soon disco-
vered that no more time was to be lost in makiuir
every preparation, as the French, with all their sin-
cerity and professions of good faith, with every
solemn assurance of no intention nor desire on their
part to disturb the general peace of Europe, which
had been so happily concluded, were actually strength-
ening themselves, in all their foreign possessions,
and intriguing at home, to embroil us in hostilities.
It was also well ascertained that ships were pre-
paring and troops assembling ready to embark both
at Brest and Roclifort. For some time past they
had been making encroachments on our settlements
of Nova Scotia, and various complaints of tlieir con-
duct had reached England from that quarter.

In this state of things Lord Anson, bearing in
mind the suggestion of the Duke of Cumberland,
conveyed to him by Lord iSandwich in his letter from

232 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

Aix-la-Cliapelle in 1748 (already noticed intlie pre-
ceding chapter), deemed the proper and convenient
time to have now arrived, for phicing, on a fixed
and permanent establishment, a corps of marines to
serve on board his Majesty's ships in lien of those
marine regiments -v^liicli had been dismissed or
broken, as it was termed, at the conclusion of the
last war. It is unnecessary to add that the ])lan suc-
ceeded to admiration, and has undergone no essential
change in the principle up to the present time.

His late ]Majesty, William IV., who Avas himself
a good soldier as well as sailor, had the highest pos-
sible opinion of the good service of the corps of
marines, whether employed by sea or land ; and, on
his visitations of the dock-yards and other naval esta-
blishments, he always had them out to be inspected
by himself. His Majesty was known to possess an
extraordinary recollection of naval and military events,
and of many of the details and circumstances attend-
ing them. On one of his inspections of the royal
marines at AVoolwich, A\hen Lord High Adnnral,
after complimenting the corps on their soldier-like
appearance, and the correct manner in Avhich they
went through the various evolutions in the field, he
said it Avas a great satisfaction to him to reflect that,
on all occasions, the royal marines had particularly
distinguished themselves, and on none more than on
that which he Avould take the liberty to mention to
them, and Avith Avhich, prolaldy, very fcAV of the ofii-

1755.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 233

ceis whom he was then addressing were acquainted.
It was that of the capture of Gibraltar by Sir George
Rooke, in 1704, to which 1800 marines, landed on
the isthmus under the Prince of Hesse, mainly con-
tributed; and who, after the capitulation, were left to
garrison this important fortress. He further observed,
as a remarkable circumstance, that, in the same Ga-
zette (the lO'ili August, 1704) in which the capture
of Gibraltar was announced, was also contained the
first intimation of the victory gained by the Duke of
Marlborough at the battle of Blenheim, comprised in
a short epistle from the Duke, addressed " To my
Lady Ducliess, Avritten on horseback with a lead
pencil."*

The Lord High Admiral was quite correct as to
the Gazette and the marines, wherein they are so
called ; but those who landed at, and afterwards garri-
soned, that important fortress, were the soldier-ma-
rines, or regiments already spoken of, and placed in our
ships of war, to be instructed in seamanship, to make
use of the musket and bayonet in time of battle, and
to assist in operations on shore. These kind of regi-
ments were likewise considered to be, and a motion

* This note was brief, but to the purpose : — " I have not time to say
more than to beg of you to present my humble duty to the Queen, and
to let her Majesty know that her army has had a glorious victory ; Mon-
sieur ToUard and two other generals are in my coach, and I am follow-
ingthe rest. Thebearer, ray aide-de-camp, Colonel Park, Avill give her
Majesty an account of what has passed ; I shall do it in a day or two
by another more at large." — Gazette.

234 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

to that effect was made in Parliament, one of the
means of manning the navy, by their becoming in a
little time fond of the sea-service, and volunteering
to serve as seamen. There were, however, serious
objections to men of this description, who, on disman-
tling the fleet, or paying off a ship, were sent adrift,
as being, according to the Duke of Cumberland's
expression, " neither sea nor land forces."

Lord Anson therefore considered the time now
come for placing the marines on a different and better
footing ; and, with this view, he matured a plan lor
the establishment of this excellent body of men as a
separate corps, entirely distinct from the army, to act
Avith the navy, when afloat, and to be regulated by a
Marine JMutiny Act, when on shore, simihir in its
provisions to that for the army, and, like that, to be
annually submitted to Parliament by the Admiralty ;
in whom all promotion was to rest, and by whom
they were to be governed and distrilnited, being
placed, as expressed in the King's Order in Council,
"under the entire and innnediate command of the
Lord High Admiral."

This order, signed l)y the twenty-four Lords Jus-
tices at the Council Board, is dated 3rd April, 1755 ;
it authorizes a corps of 5000 marines to be raised
and formed into fifty companies, to which officers
and non-commissioned officers aie to be a[)pointed
from other corps, making in the whole 5700, to be
established, as their head-(iuarters, at Portsmouth,

1755.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 235

Plymouth, and Chatham. On the 20th November
of the same year, as ships of war were brought for-
ward for service, thirty additional companies were
ordered to be raised ; and on the 7th July, 1756, to
keep pace with the increasing strength of the navy,
twenty more companies, making one hundred ; and
again, on the 1st March, 1757, the navy still increas-
ing, thirty more companies were added ; and on the 3rd
March, 1759, tliey Avere still further augmented by
one lieutenant, one serjeant, one corporal, one drum-
mer, and twenty-three private men to each company,
making, on the whole, a corps of about 18,000 marines.
The preparations for war went on rapidly. By
the end of April the Admiralty had eleven sail-of-
the-line, fully manned and equipped, which were
put under the command of Admiral Boscawen, one
of the Lords of the Admiralty. He repaired to Ply-
mouth, where he received on board two regiments, and
on the 27th April put to sea, Avith the intention of
taking up a station near the southern point of New-
foundland for the purpose of watching the motions of
the enemy, who, it was no longer doubted, had a squad-
ron ready to proceed to that quarter. Scarcely, indeed,
had he sailed when certain intelliii'ence was received
that a French fleet, consisting of twenty-live ships-of-
the-line^ besides frigates and transports with warlike
stores on board, and four thousand regular troops
under the command of Baron Dieskau, were on the
eve of departure. Every exertion was made to get

236 LIFE OF LOPD ANSON. [CH. VI.

ready and despatch Admiral Hol])ourne, with six sail-
of~the-line and a frigate, to reinforce Boscawen.

Early in May the French Heet put to sea from
Brest, under the command of Admiral Macnamara,
Avho proceeded only as far as Scilly, and returned to
Brest with nine sail-of-the-line, leaving the rest of
the fleet under the orders of M. Bois de la IMotlie.
Boscawen had not been many days off Cape Race,
the southern point of Newfoundland, when he Avas
informed that the French fleet had separated, part
having gone up the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the
rest through the Straits of Belleisle, the thick fogs
that prevail here having kept the former division
from his sight, though it must have passed at no
great distance from him. Two ships, however, that
had parted from the French fleet in the fog, happened
to fall in with Captain Howe of the Dunkirk and
Captain Andrews of the Defiance, who were detached
to look out for the enemy's squadron. One of these
was the Alcide of 64 guns and 4S0 men, the other the
Lys, pierced for 54 guns, but mounting only 22.

Captain Howe made for the Alcide ; and when
Avitliin pistol-shot, having hailed her, he recpiested that
her commander would accompany him to the admi-
ral, tlien in si<j;ht at no creat distance. The French
captain asked him if it was war. Howe repeated his
recpiest, having, it would seem, no positive orders from
the admiral to attack. Boscawen, imagining that
some parley Avas going on, threu' out the signal to

1755.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 237

eno-aire. The decks of the Alcide were crowded with
military officers, and among them Avere several ladies.
Howe took off his hat and requested they would go
below, as his orders were to fire; and, as soon as the
decks were cleared of the non-coml)atants, he poured in
a broadside, which was returned, but in a short time
Captain Houquart struck his colours. The Lys also
struck to Captain Andrews ; she had eight compa-
nies of soldiers on board and about 8000/. in money.
The account of this action is given by Boscawen
in a very vague and unsatisfactory manner, and Howe
scarcely notices it in his log. It would also appear
that the admiral's private account to Lord Anson was
not more intelligible, for, having sent it to his father-
in-law, the chancellor, he returned it with the follow-
ing letter, quite in the doubting style of a lord chan-
cellor : " I return your lordship a thousand thanks
for the communication of the enclosed private letter
from ^Ir. Boscawen. It gives me much concern
that so little has been done, since anything has been
done at all. I apprehend that only two French
ships have been taken, namely, I'Alcide and the
Lys ; but to me the account is so confused that I
cannot say I quite take the detail of it. I hope the
public letter is more clear. What is become of the
rest of the French men-of-war that sailed from
Europe ? for it seems to me the number that Bos-
cawen met, together with those he saw in Louis-
burgh harl)our, do by no means come uj) to the

238 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

number tliat went on to America when Macnaniara
left them." *

The capture of these two ships undoubtedly fell
far short of what the public expected from the
character of Boscawen, and the force he had with
him ; and yet it was hailed with great joy, as the
certain commencement of hostilities, and as an act
that had fairly committed us with the perfidious go-
vernment of France. When news of this action
reached France, they affected great astonishment at
so unexpected an event, complained loudly of the
attack on their ships-of-war, as a breach of national
faith, called us robbers and pirates ; and, after the
usual ebullition of abuse, their ambassador^ JM. de
Mirepoix, was recalled from London^ and M. de
Bussy from Hanover, where he had just arrived, to
attend George II. in a public character. Yet no
declaration of war was issued either on the part of
France or England. An order, however, was given
on our part to stop all French merchant-vessels, and
bring them into port; and it was extended to Ame-
rica. Still it was clear that, for some particular
reason, the French were desirous of avoiding a war
with England. Probably their system of encroach-
ments on our North American settlements, and
their grand plan of uniting Canada and the Mi-
sissii)pi by a line of forts, were not yet sufficiently in
progress to secure them against attack.

* Anson's Collection.

1755.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 239

The English government, however, were quite
satisfied that the present position of the two coun-
tries could lead only to war ; and eighteen sail-of-
the-line were, by the extraordinary exertions of
Anson and the officers selected by hhn, manned and
fully equipped in a very short time, and placed under
the orders of Sir Edward Hawke,* who put to sea
towards the end of July, with the view of intercept-
ing any French ships-of-war that might leave the
ports of the Channel, or the squadron of Bois de
la Mothe, should it return to Europe. It would
appear, however, that England was still doubtful as
to the line to be taken ; for a discussion was held in
the cabinet, as to the nature of the instructions to be
given to Hawke. Lord Waldegrave says the ques-

* In the month of June, on the anniversary of the accession of
George II., Anson went down to Portsmoutli to inspect the fleet
under Sir Edward Hawke, and hoisted his flag in the Prince, of
ninety guns and 700 men, commanded by his friend Captain
Saunders. In this ship a splendid entertainment was given, at which
his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, and great numbers of
the nobility and gentry, with their ladies, were present. A letter of
Lady Anson to the Marchioness Grey is so far valuable, as it leads us
to infer in what a high state of discipline was that gallant command-
er's ship, which he had only commissioned in the preceding March.
She says, " The whole passed a merveille ; the admiration high (and
tve have the vanity to think, _;m60- Our guest had seen ships before,
indeed, but never till now saw a. fleet ; the condition of the ships — the
discipline, men, officers, all so totally diiferent, so military, &c., and,
above all things, astonished at the quietness (a circumstance I have
a notion to have heard was very diff'erent when we were on board Sir
John Norris's ship) at the time of the dinner on board the Prince,
where there must have been above twelve hundred people on board.
No private house, the best ordered, could have been quieter."

240 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VL

tioii was left to a select committee, and gives the
Ibllowiiio- account of their proceedings. He tells us
that " the preparations for war and all mihtary
operations Avere chiefly conducted by the Duke oi
Cumberland, Fox, and Lord Anson. An affair just
now came under their consideration, of the greatest
importance. A powerful fleet was ready to sail
under the comnumd of Sir Edward Hawlve, and
the King trusted to his regency to prepare proper
instructions. Was liawke to have hostile orders ?
If hostile orders were given, must they he unli-
mited ? Ouiiht war to he declared when the fleet
sailed, or were we to commence hostilities with-
out any declaration ? The Duke of Cumberland,
naturally inclined to vigorous measures, seeing the
nation impatient for war, it being also the general
opinion that the enemy Avas yet unprepared, thought
it advisable to strike the blow Avhilst our fury was at
the greatest height : at the same time he was very
sensible that, notwithstanding our very formidable
fleet, we Avere not ourselves in such perfect readiness
as many peojde imagined.

" On the other hand, the Duke of NcAVcastle, Avho
was not fond of danger at a distance, and seldom
grew l;older on its nearer approach, Avas for keeping
off the storm as long as possil)le, and gave his
opinion that HaAvke should take a turn in the
Channel, to exercise the fleet, Avithout having any
instructions Avhatsocver.

1755.] THE SEVEN YEARS* WAR. 241

" The Chancellor had more courage tlian the
Duke of Newcastle ; but, agreeable to the common
practice of the law, was against bringing the cause
to an immediate decision.

" Lord Anson, as usual, said little ; but, as an
admiral, and first lord of the Admiralty, thought it
became him to seem rather inclined to the spirited
side of the question.

" After mature deliberation, it was resolved, tJiat
Haivke should sail icith hostile orders ; hut war ivas
not to be declared. Either extreme," continues Lord
Waldegrave, " had been better than this compromise ;
for it w^as in our power to have remained quiet till we
had been thoroughly prepared for action ; or, if we
were inclined to more vigorous measures, Hawke's
departure might have been deferred a iew days, the
King might have been entreated to return to Eng-
land, and war might have been immediately pro-
claimed on his Majesty's arrival.

" In which case, even our enemies must have
allow^ed that we had acted fairly, and like men of
spirit, who would not bear ill usage.

" Whereas, on the contrary, without previous
notice, we at once commence hostilities ; Hawke, in
pursuance of orders, seizes every trading-vessel
which has the misfortune to meet him ; whereby a
foundation is laid for much dispute and cavilling,
perhaps, also, for a considerable retribution, if the
war should prove unprosperous : and in the mean
time we are called robbers and pirates.*"

Lord Waldegruve's Memoir:

R

242 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VL

Such was the situation of affairs in July, 1755,
when Hawke sailed, under instructions signed by the
Lords Justices, which directed him to intercept and
bring into Portsmouth or Plymouth any ships of war
or merchant-ships he may fall in with ; but, if he hears
that the French have committed hostilities by their
ships of war, or have commissioned privateers, he is
then also to commit hostility against the French, to
take, sink, destroy, &c.

Among the great number of merchant-ships and
privateers that Sir Edward stopped and sent into
port, he captured a French brig from Louisburgh,
having a missionary on board, who had been very
active in fomenting the disturbances in America, on
which account a })rice had been set upon his head
by the English. By this capture many important dis-
coveries of the proceedings of the French, in that
quarter, appeared from the papers which had been
throAvn overboard ; but which, by the weight at-
tached to them having fallen off, were picked up
by one of Sir Edward's ships. One great object
of Hawke was to intercept a strong scpiadron of
French ships of war that had ijeen sent to the West
India colonies in the early part of the year ; but this
squadron having put into Cadiz, and there learned
that the British fleet was looking out for it, that
object was defeated, and Sir Edward Hawke returned
to S]»itliead.

The command of a detachment of this fleet was now
given to Admiral the Hon. John Byng, who hoisted

1755.] THE SEVEN years' WAR. 243

his flfig on board the Ramillies, having under him
Rear- Admiral West in the Buckingham. They
sailed from Spithead on the 14th of October, and on
the 14th November fell in with the Esperance, a
French ship of seventy-four guns, which was attacked
by the Orford, and afterwards by the Revenge, when
she surrendered. She proved to be one of Perrier
Salvert's squadron, commanded by the Comte de
Bouvet, was returning from Louisburgh, and had
only three hundred men on board, of whom thirty
were killed, and nearly double that number wounded.

The Esperance being an old ship, and the weather
becoming extremely boisterous, Admiral Byng, as
soon as it moderated, withdrew her men, and set her
on fire. The fleet returned to Spithead on the 21st
November.

W^hile matters thus remained in doubt and suspi-
cion as to their issue, and no declaration of war pro-
mulgated on either side. Lord Anson received in-
telligence of the secret negociations, carrying on by the
French, from a quarter he perhaps least suspected.
Having sent, as in duty bound, the state and disposi-
tion of the fleet to the King, Avho was then in Hanover,
he received in return the following letter from Lord
Holdernesse, secretary of state, then with his Ma-
jesty :—

"Hanomer, August 3, 1755.

" My dear Lord — I am greatly obliged to your Lord-
ship for the honour of your letter of the 25th past, enclosing,
for his Majesty's information, copies of the names, numbers,

r2

244 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

and stations of his Majesty's ships at home, and under the
command of Sir Edward Hawke, or under orders for other
necessary services. The King has never deviated in his
approbation of the wise measures taken by the Admiralty,
under your Lordship's direction, and expressed himself par-
ticularly satisfied that every branch of service was now so
well provided for by the attention and foresight of the Lords
of the Admiralty.

" I have the King's leave to acquaint your Lordship with
some intelligence of consequence his Majesty has lately re-
ceived : the first is, that the French are endeavouring to
persuade the Danes to fit out a squadron, under pretence of
covering their trade from the insults of the English ; but in
reality to protect French effects under Danish colours ;
whatever may be the reason of it, it is certain the Danes
have augmented the ordinary number of their seamen.
France has likewise been tempting the Swedes to enter into
their maritime views ; and, besides a proposal of the same
sort with that made to Denmark, they are contracting in
Sweden for vast quantities of timber and other materials for
building ships, as also for guns of all sizes and sorts, both
iron and brass. As soon as I learn any further particulars
I shall not fail to send your Lordship notice ; in the mean
time you will })lease to acquaint Sir Thomas Robinson and
the Duke of Newcastle with the substance of this letter. . .
I ever am, &c. &c.

(Signed) "Holdernesse."*

When the court of Versailles had satisfied itself
that Eii^-laml was not to be cajoled by their profes-
sions of a desire to come to an amicable arrangement ;
that the meaning of their courteous conduct towards
J\Ir. Lytlleton, governor of Soutii Carolina, who liad
* Ansuu's Collection, No. 213.

1755.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 245

been captured in his Majesty's ship Blandford, of 20
guns, by a French squadron, and both ship and go-
vernor ordered to be released, was well understood ;
when the French, in short, discovered that England
was not to be duped, she changed her tone, and pub-
licly gave out that, if England did not make proper
satisfaction for the taking of his ships, the King of
France would send, early next spring, an army of
two hundred thousand men to invade the electorate of
Hanover. Nay, they Avent beyond this, and caused it
to be announced that the most vigorous exertions
should innnediately be put in practice, and the most
ample preparations made, not only for the purpose of
taking possession of his Majesty's electoral dominions,
but, at the same time, for the invasion of Great Bri-
tain and Ireland.

The British ministry took this threat as intended in
good earnest, and issued a public notice that, in case the
French attempted to make an hostile invasion of this
country, the inhabitants should cause all horses, oxen,
and cattle to be driven, and removed at least twenty
miles from that part of the coast, Avhere any such
attempt should be made. The King's message, on the
23rd March, 1756, confirmed the notion of invasion
entertained by his ministers. His Majesty informed
the Lords that " the great preparation of land-forces,
ships, artillery, and warlike stores, now notoriously
making in the ports of France opposite to the British
coast, together with the language held by the French

246 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

ministers in some foreign courts, left no room to doubt
of such a design." It was supposed, however, by
some, that the French were prompted to these threat-
ening measures, from the supposed weakness of the
British ministry, and the well-known timidity of the
Duke of Newcastle, then at the head of it. It ap-
peared they were right, and the effect, which the
enemy had calculated upon, was soon obviously pro-
duced. The ministry did not disguise their alarm, the
nation seemed panic-struck, and a general despond-
ency prevailed. There was nothing wanting, however,
to rouse the dormant spirit of the people but a
fonnal declaration of war ; and this was at length is-
sued against France on the 18th May, and followed
by a similar declaration, on the part of France, on
the 18th June following.

In the mean time the French actually marched down
troops to various ports in the Channel, were it only to
show to England that their threat of invasion Avas in
earnest ; they made, at the same time, ostensible pre-
parations for an invasion of Guernsey and Jersey.
The British government sent reinforcements of troops
to these islands, and the French abandoned the at-
tempt. It Avas determined also that an expedition of
ships and troops, on a small scale, should be sent to
that part of the coast of France, to be employed in
the protection of, and to give countenance as well as
assistance to, those Channel islands ; to harass the
enemy's coast and trade ; and to take possession of

1756.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 247

Chaussee and its islets, on which was stationed an
Irish brigade in the service of France. Lord Anson,
ever watchful overtlie character and conduct of officers,
selected Howe to be employed on this service, to
which he was appointed in June, 1756. He hoisted
a broad pendant in the Dunkirk frigate, and Avith
seven smaller vessels under his orders, and four trans-
ports for the conveyance of troops, immediately put
to sea. Having taken on board some troops at Jersey,
he proceeded to the island of Chaussee, summoned the
fort to surrender, which the commandant immediately
complied with, on permission to Ije allowed to retire
with military honours to Granville. To save the ex-
pense of putting the works in repair, and leaving a
large garrison for its defence, Howe blew up the for-
tifications, and, finding that the French had moved
off their troops towards. Brest and the more western
ports, and had abandoned any design they might have
had on our Channel Islands, he returned to Plymouth,
leaving part of his squadron to capture and annoy the
enemy's coasting-trade.

Ample supplies were now granted Ijy Parliament ;
50,000 seamen, including 9000 marines, were voted ;
the greatest exertions were used in the dock-yards, and
large bounties were offered for volunteer seamen. The
army was considerably augmented, and a regiment,
chiefly of foreigners, was raised to be sent to North
America. But that which tended mostly to revive
the spirit of the nation was the change of administra-
tion, that took place towards the end of November,

248 LIFE OF LORD ANSON, [CH. VI.

when the general dissatisfaction, loudly expressed
against the existing ministers, Avas at its height, oc-
casioned chiefly by for their not having taken timely
steps to prevent the invasion of the island of Minorca,
of the preparations for which at Toulon they had
received early information. They had, it is true,
sent Admiral Byng and Rear- Admiral West^ with
ten sail-of-the-line, part of the western squadron in
the command of which both these flag-officers were,
to the Mediterranean, which sailed from St. Helen's
on the 10th April, 1756. The Admiral had been de-
layed just one month after receiving his appointment,
on account of his ships being generally short of their
complements of men. He complained, previous to
his sailing, of his force being unequal to that of the
enemy; but, as there was a small squadron under
Captain Edgecumbe, already in the IMediterranean,
Avhich, Avlien united with that from England, would
make him equal, if not superior, to anything the French
could have at sea in that quarter, it was not deemed
necessary to increase it at home, where the alarm
of invasion Avas still kept u\) by the ministers.
Byng Avas ordered to call at Gibraltar for a detach-
nient of troops equal to a battalion, for the relief of
INIinorca. The engineers there gave it as their opi-
nion, that, " all circumstances considered, it Avould
be extremely djmgerous, if not impracticable, to
throAV succours into Fort St. Phili})." Governor
FoAvke called a council of Avar, A\hich resolved "that
the sending such a detachment \^•ould evidently

1756.] THE SEVEN YEARS* WAR. 249

weaken the garrison of Gibraltar, and be noways
effectual to the relief of JMinorca." But, as IMr.
Edgecumbe's squadron had left its marines at Fort
Philip, the governor gave 232 officers and privates
to act as marines.

Byng wrote a complaining letter, of the 4th JMay,
from Gibraltar to the Secretary of the Admiralty, al-
most anticipating defeat, from the superior strength of
the French ships at Toulon ; in this letter he says, " If I
should fail in the relief of Port Mahon, I shall look on
the security and protection of Gibraltar as my next ob-
ject, and shall repair down here Avith my squadron."
Being joined by the ships under Captain Edgecumbe,
he sailed from Gibraltar on the 8th ]\Iay ; on the 19th
got sight of Minorca ; and on the 20th, the two fleets
formed each their line of battle, the Eng'lish having
the weather- gage. As much has been said of the
inferiority of the British force, it may be right, before
proceeding further, to give their comparative strength,
with the result of the action as to killed and wounded.

BRITISH LINE OF BATTLE.

(Division.) — The Hon. J. Byng, Admiral.

Guns.

Men. ■

Commanders.

Killed.

Wounded,*

Kingston

60

400

Capt. W. Parry

•

0

0

Deptford

50

300

— J. Amherst .

•

0

0

CuUoden

74

600

— W. Ward .

•

0

0

Ramillies

90

750

jHon. J. Byng
[Capt. A. Gardinei

•}

0

0

Trident .

64

500

— Ph. Durell .

,

0

0

Princess Louisa

60

400

— Hon. T. Noel

•

4

13

Revenge

• •

64

500

— F. Cornwall .

,

0

0

250

LIFE OF LORD ANSON.

[CH. VI.

(Division.) — Temple West, Esq., Rear-Admiral.

Intrepid

Guns.
. 64

Men.
500

Captain .

, 64

500

Buckingham

. 68

535

Lancaster .

. 66

520

Portland

. 50

300

Defiance

. 60

400

Commanders.

Capt. J. Young . 9

~ Ch. Catford . . 6

f Rear- Adm. West 1 „
tCapt.Everitt ' "^

— Hon.G.Edgecumbe 1

— P. Baird . . 6

— T. Andrews . .14

Killed. Wounded.
39

Total 834 6205

Guns.

FRIGATES.

Chesterfield 40

Phoenix 20

Fortune 14

Experiment 20

Dolphin 20

43

Men.
250

160

100

160

160

FRENCH LINE OF BATTLE.

Foudroyant

Couronne

Le Redoutable

Le Guerrier

Le Tcmcraire

Le Triton
Le Lion .

Le Content

Le Sage

L'OrphCe

Le Fier

L'ilippopotame 50 550

84
74
74

74

74

64
64

64

64
64
50

950

80O
800

800

800

600
600

600

600
600
550

fM.(

ICar

.deGalissoniere,!
Lieut.-Gen. )
ipt. L'Aiguille I

(M. delaClue 1

(Capt. de Gabanous J

!M. de Glendeves j
Capt. de Marion- (
ville J

r— Villar de la 1
I Brosse, J

i — de Beaumont ]
I de Matrc J

■ — de Mercier .

— de St. Aignan .

( — de SalienGram-j
I raont. J

— de Revert

— de Raimondis .

— de Hervillce.

— de Rochnicre

12

Total 800 8250

8

0

10

0

o
41

30

7

14

20
45

168

10

3

39

43

15

14

7

19

8

9

4

10

181

1756.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 251

FRIGATES.

Guns. Men.

La Jimon 46 300

La Rose 32 250

La Gracieuse 42 250

La Topaze 28 250

LaNymphe 28 250

The French ships always have been, and still con-
tinue to be, better manned, as to numbers, than ours,
and their metal is generally heavier ; but the small
disparity between the two fleets, above enumerated, is
only just as much as a gallant English admiral would
rather wish it to be than otherwise. The clamour
therefore raised against the Admiralty, for sending
out so inferior a force, was far beyond what it
merited. The Admiral's account of the action is
very long, and one of his complaints was that it had
been garbled, and a great part of it omitted in the
Gazette. That which explains the rencontre is as
follows : —

" As soon as I judged the rear of our fleet the length of
their van, we tacked altogether, and immediately made the
signal for the ships that led, to lead large, and for the Dept-
ford to quit the line, that ours might become equal to theirs.
At two I made the signal to engage : I found it was the
surest method of ordering every ship to close down on the
one that fell to their lot; and here I must express my
great satisfaction at the very gallant manner in which the
rear-admiral set the van the example, by instantly bearing
down on the ship he was to engage wiih. his second, and
who occasioned one of the French ships to begin the en-

252 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

gagement, which they did by raking ours as they went down.
The Intrepid, unfortunately, in the very beginning, had her
fore-topmast shot away ; and, as that hung on her fore-top-
sail, and backed it, he had no command of his ship, his fore-
tack and all his braces being cut at the same time ; so that
he drove on the next ship to him (the Revenge), and obliged
that and the ship a-head of me to throw all aback." [These
Avere the Princess Louisa and Trident.] " This obliged me
to do also for a few minutes, to avoid their falling on board
me, though not before we had drove our adversary out of the
line, who put before the wind, and had several shot fired at
him from his own admiral. This not only caused the enemy's
centre to be unattacked, but the rear-admiral's division to
be uncovered for some little time. I sent and called to the
ships ahead of me to make sail and go down on the enemy,
and ordered the Chesterfield to lay by the Intrepid, and the
Deptford to supply the Intrepid's place. I found the enemy
edged away constantly ; and, as they went three feet to our
one, they would never permit our closing with them, but
took the advantage of destroying our rigging ; for, though I
closed the rear-admiral fast, I found I could not gain close
to the enemy, whose van was fairly drove from their line ;
but their admiral was joining them, by bearing away."

This, it must be confessed, is not a very intelli-
gible account, but it shows no want of nerve in Byni^
by detaching one of his ships from the line, because
he had one more in number tlum the enemy ; for,
though the old fighting instructions very cavalierly
enjoin this, yet it was tilways on the understanding
that the combatants should be pretty nearly ship for
ship, on an equality of strength, which was not the

1756.] THE SEVEN YEAUS' WAR. 253

case here. His order for each ship to bear down
and engage her opponent is precisely what Howe
did near forty years after, when this brave officer
had brought his signals to that degree of perfection
which enabled him at any time to change the order
of the fleet, if found necessary ; whereas it is clear
that Byng, amidst that disaster which paralysed his
own and the efforts of three other ships for a time,
had no other means of making his communications
than by calling in and despatching a frigate or
frigates with verbal orders, which caused the delay,
and thereby prevented him from " doing his utmost."
It' was owing to this short delay, and Admiral West's
division having driven the enemy's opposing division
out of the line, which gave to the French fleet the
opportunity of making the best of their way unmo-
lested into the harbour of Port JMahon ; — and Fort
Philip, after the determination of Byng to proceed
with his fleet to Gibraltar, and a brave resistance,
fell into the hands of the enemy.

The first intelligence that reached England of the
failure of Byng's expedition was the copy of a letter
from the Spanish minister at Paris to M. D'Abreu,
the Spanish resident in England, which had been
received from Galissoniere, the French admiral ; it
stated that the English seemed unwilling to fight
him ; that the engagement had not been general, for
the English kept trop serrts ; that two or three
English ships had sheered off; that night separated
the fleets; that he (GaUssoniere) had lost thirty-

254 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

eight men, and had nine officers wounded ; that he
had taken no English ship, but had prevented their
throwing succours into Mahon ; that he had expected
to have been attacked again the next day, but, to his
great surprise, found the English had disappeared.
It can scarcely be believed, if it was not an official
and historical fact, that immediately, on the strength
of this vapouring account from the enemy's admiral
(for no other intelligence had reached England), the
ministry despatched Sir Edward Hawke and Admiral
Saunders in the Antelope frigate to supersede Ad-
mirals Byng and West, and to arrest and bring them
prisoners to England. This feverish and unusual
expedition was at once Byng's condemnation, and it
had that effect on the public mind. In this frigate
was also sent a little cargo of courage, as it was
called, in the persons of Lord Tyrawley, the actual
governor of Minorca, where he ought to have been
on the first appearance of hostilities, and Lord Pan-
mure to supersede General Fowke at Gibraltar.

Public indignation w^as roused at the receipt and
publication of the letter of the French admiral ; but,
on the arrival of Admiral Byng's own despatch_,
which, it is true, as he says, was garbled before it
went to the Gazette, the rage of the people rose to the
greatest height. Poor Byng was burnt in effigy in
all the great towns ; his seat and park in Hertfordshire
were assaulted by the mob, and with difficulty saved.
The streets and sho})s swarmed Avith injurious ballads,
libels, and caricature prints, in some of which was

1756. J THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 255

mingled a little justice on the ministers, who were
accused of neglect in not despatching a fleet sooner,
and an inefficient one when they did. "But," says
Walpole, "if the clamours of the people rose on
the confirmation of this misfortune, so did the
terrors of the administration. The very first ejfifects
of their fear showed that, if they had neglected
]Minorca, they were at least prepared to transfer
the guilt to others. They descended even to ad-
vertise in the Gazette that orders were sent to
every port to arrest Admiral Byng in case he
should not have been met by Sir Edward Hawke.
All the little attorneys on the circuit contributed
to blow up the flame against the admiral, at the
same time directing its light from the original cri-
minals."

On the 26tli July the prisoners arrived at Ports-
mouth. Admiral Byng was immediately committed
to close confinement, and doomed suddenly to ex-
perience a most melancholy incident. His younger
brother, who had hastened down to meet him, was so
struck with the abuse he found wherever he passed,
that he fell alarmingly ill on the first sight of the ad-
miral, and died the following day in convulsions.
" What a cruel star", (says Lady Torrington, his sister-
in-law, in a private note from Southill) " presides over
this family at present. Last Friday night an express
came from Admiral Byng at Portsmouth, to acquaint
me with the melancholy account of Col. E. Byng's

256 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

death, and to desire my leave for liis body to be brought
to Southill, and interred in the family vault. It is some
consolation to hear the admiral makes not the least
doubt but that he shall be able to show, that he has
acted in every respect like an officer. It must have
been a shocking incident to have his brother come to
him on Wednesday and die on Thursday morning."
Byng, however, on recovering from this shock,
expressed no other emotion but that of surprise at the
rigorous reception he had met with, and persisted in
declaring that he had Ijeaten the French, and made
them retire to their port. West, to whose gallantry
Byng had testified, and which was generally reported,
being left at large, proceeded to London, and was
carried to court by Lord Anson. The King said to
West, " I am glad to hear you have done your duty so
well; Iwisli everybody else had." From Portsmouth
Byng, strictly guarded, at once to secure him from the
mob, and inflame their resentment, was transferred to
Greenwich Hospital.* It would appear however that
there was another motive, though a weak one, for his
being so guarded. By a note in Lord Anson's writing,
without date, without place, without address, evi-
dently written in great haste, in answer to a question
put to him (probably by Mr. Fox), it would aj)pear
they were apprehensive he might escape. — "Dear

* The brutal governor of the hospital, Townsend, on his arrival at
night, caused him to bo placed in one of the garrets, in an unfurnished
chamber, save a deal table and a chair, the window barred with iron,
and, it is said, an iron bur across the chimney, to i)revent his escape.

1756.] THE SEVEN YEARS* WAR. 257

Sir," writes Anson, " I am entirely of your opinion
with regard to the securing Admiral Byng in the
Tower, for I do think (from his former situation in
the fleet) he might have a chance to esca])e, if he has
any such intention. A letter is wrote to the Secretary
of War for a strong guard to hring him to town from
Portsmouth." Fowke, in the meiin time, was tried
by court-martial for disobedience of orders in refusing
to send the regiment from Gibraltar, and his sentence
was suspension for one year, for having mistaken his
orders ; but the mol> and the ministers required a
victim, and therefore Fowke was broken Ijy order of
the King.

Next came an address to the King from Dorsetshire,
which was followed by others from seven or eight coun-
ties and great towns, demanding an inquiry into the loss
of jMinorca, and justice on the culpable. But the most
dictatorial was that from the city of London, ' ' to which,"
says Walpole, " the trembling ministers persuaded
the King to pledge his royal word, that he would save
no delinquent from justice, — a most inhuman pledge,
and too religiously kept." Walpole further says,
that " the Duke of Newcastle, with a volubility of
timorous folly, when a deputation from the city had
made re})resentations to him against the Jidmiral,
blustered out, ' Oh, indeed, he shall be tried innne-
diately, he shall be hanged directly.' " Newcastle was
in the habit of uttering foolish things, but Walpole
himself, or some of his city friends, must have said
this for him.

S

258 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

A quarrel l3etvveen Fox and Newcastle broiiglit
the ministry, already unpopular enough, into a totter-
ing and precarious state. The quarrel was increased
by a prevailing opinion that Mr. Pitt was likely to be
taken into administration. But the King disliked
Pitt for the same reason that he disliked Sandwich.
He had not only spoken disrespectfully of Hanover,
but opposed supplies for that country, which made
the king say_, " I am sure Pitt will not do my
business." So unpopular, indeed, had the present
ministry become, that Fox was clear-sighted enough
to discover it could not stand nnich longer, and had
therefore been laying his ground for a retreat, or
at least for a change of situation. There is a note
from him to Lord Anson, which must luive caused
the latter some little uneasiness, in guessing what
was meant therein. It runs thus : —

" My DEAR Lord — When can I see your lordship half
an hour, to tell you a very unpleasant story, which I did not
mention before, because I knew it would not please, and
might embarrass you ? I do assure your lordship I am in all
situations as much at your service, and as affectionately so
as any man in England.
" Whitehall, Oct. 19, 175G." "Yours ever, H. Fox.

Lord Anson could not long be kept in the dark
respecting this " very unpleasant story," even had
he not seen Fox speedily. He would soon have
been informed that Fox, the preceding day, had
sought and obtained an audience of the King. " That

1756.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 259

moment the King was sour, but endeavoured to keep
his temper, yet made no concessions, no request to the
retiring minister to slay." After a great deal of ne-
gociation, scheming, and intriguing by those goingout,
as well as those who wished to come in, the ministers,
finding matters grow worse, decided on retreating, and
the Duke of Newcastle and the Chancellor resigned
on the 19th November ; others scon folloAved, and the
new appointments stood thus : — The Duke of Devon-
shire took the phxce of Newcastle, as First Lord of the
Treasury; the Great Seal was put in commission;
Mr. Pitt was Secretary of State in the room of Mr.
Fox ; Mr. Legge Chancellor of the Exchequer ; Lord
Temple, First Lord of the Admiralty ; and Admirals
Boscawen, West, and Forbes, with Dr. Hay, Elliot,
and Orby Hunter, Lords of the Admiralty.

The change of administration produced two
parties, not only in Parliament, but in the country, —
for and against Admiral Byng. The friends of the
old ministers were clamorous against him, and those
of the new ones equally so against their predecessors,
for having sent him out w\\\\ an inferior force, — for
employing, on such an occasion, an untried admiral
(whose cause they nevertheless affected to espouse),
— and for their delay and gross neglect of sending
succours to Minorca. The press readily caught the
infection, and squibs and pamphlets were written on
both sides. Among others, Doctor Johnson entered
the lists. " The generosity," says Boswell, " with
which he pleads the cause of Admiral Byng is highly

s 2

260 . LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

to the honour of his heart and spirit. Though Voltaire
affects to be witty upon the fate of that unfortunate
officer, observing that he was shot, ^ pour encourager
les autrefi,'' * the nation has long been satisfied
that liis life was sacrificed to the political fervour of
the times." The acute editor of Boswell's " Life of
Johnson " does not entirely agree to this. He says,
" Nothing can be more unfounded than the assertion
that Byng fell a martyr io j)oUtical part y . It is im-
possible to read the trial without being convinced that
he had misconducted himself ; and the extraordinary
proceedings in botli houses of Parliament subsequent
to his trial, prove at once the zeal of his friends to
invalidate the finding of the court-martial, and the
absence of all reason for doing so. By a strange
coincidence of circumstances, it happened that there
was a total change of ministry between his condem-
nation and his death ; so that one party presided at
liis trial, and another at his execution : there can be
no stronger proof that he was not a political martyr."!^
If this were so, what sort of proof would such a cir-
cumstance furnish? But the fact is not quite as
stated. The ministry '\\'as changed the 19th No-
vember, the trial commenced on the SSth December,
the sentence (his condemnation) was not passed till
the 27tli January, and the execution took place on the

* Boswell is mistaken ; the wit was meant as a satire upon the
English people, not on the admiral's fate — a fate which did encourage,
by rousing naval ollicers to a higher sense of responsibility, and to that
spirit and enterprise, revived under an indignant feeling of the sacrifice
made to popular clamour,
t Boswell says the sacrifice was to the " political fervour of the times."

1756.] THE SEVEN years' WAR. 261

14th ]\Iarch ; so tliat one party (the new ministrj^)
presided at his trial, his condemnation, and his execu-
tion.

IMallet, -who was said to he always ready at all
kinds of vrork, whether verse or prose, took the
other side of the question. " Johnson," says Boswell,
" spoke of him with no great respect," called him " a
beggarly Scotchman, ready for any dirty job," said
" he had wrote against Byng at the instigation of the
(old) ministry, and was equally ready to write foi'
him, provided he found his account in it." In his
' Lives of the Poets,' hoAvever, Johnson is rather more
gentle with Mallet. " In the beginning of the last
war," he says, " when the nation was exasperated by
ill success, he AA'as employed to turn the public
vengeance upon Byng, and wrote a letter of accusa-
tion under the character of a °' Plain Man."" The
paper was with great industry circulated and dis-
persed ; and he, for his seasonable intervention, had
a considerable pension bestowed upon him, which he
retained to his death."

This is not probable : the party for Avhom he was
Avriting, being outof office, were, consequently, out of
poAver, and therefore had not the means of granting
pensions. But he may not be far from the truth in
his assertion about jMallet being employed by the old
ministry. There is a letter of the ex-chancellor
HardAvicke to Lord Anson, AAliich connects him Avith
Mallet and his pamphlet. It is as follows : —

262 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VL

« Wimpole, Oct. lOth, 1756.

'' My dear Lord — I have taken the opportunity of the

Marquess of Rockingham's doing me the honour of a visit,

to return (by his servant) to Mr. Cleveland the manuscript

of Mr. Mallet's pamphlet. I had read it quite through,

and, upon the whole, cannot find much fault with it, though

I must own I am not much enamoured with it. But this

entre nous, for authors of this kind must not be discouraged

by too much criticism. However, I have ventured to put

down in the enclosed sheet of paper some remarks and

queries, which I desire your lordship will take the trouble

to peruse, and to consider whether you think any of them

improper, especially in what relates to maritime affairs and

dispositions. Whatever you shall disapprove in this paper

of mine, I desire you will strike out, and then deliver it to

Mr. Cleveland, with my request to him to copy it over fair,

and forthwith send such copy to Mr. Mallet, keeping my

original. My reason (which I will tell your lordship) for

taking this method is, that I am not fond of giving a handle

to be named as a joint author with this gentleman ; but I

have writ him a very civil letter, wherein I have informed

him that he will very soon receive such a paper from Mr.

Cleveland. I have also modestly suggested to him to add

something further, by way of observation and argument,

upon the points of conduct chiefly objected to, for in that

part I suspect the performance to be chiefly deficient.

" Ever yours,

" Hardwicke."*

As cin inquiry into the loss of JMinorcii was called
for in the House of Commons, in which the co'iduct

* Anson's Collection, No, 345.

1756.] THE SEVEN YEAES' WAR. 263

of the Admiralty avouW be investigated, it was natural
enough that Lord Hard"\idcke as former Lord Chan-
cellor, and Anson as late First Lord of the Admiralty,
should interest themselves in preparing for their justi-
fication. That they were busily so employed, appears
from several letters of Lord Hardwicke. Li one he
says, the papers he has perused are long, " but they
show the several intelligences and facts in a clear
light, being divided methodically, and applied to the
different (pestions ; so that they appear to me to
make a complete justification. But," he adds, "it
is necessary that they should be carefully read over
to your lordship, especially to have two or three
things more fully explained relative to the metier of
the Admiralty."

As the time for the debate on the inquiry ap-
proached. Lord Hardwicke thus writes, on 2nd
February, to Lord Anson : — " As Mr. Townshend
has given notice to make his motion the next week,
and, I presume, will do so, if the gout and the frost
will permit ]\lr. Pitt to come doAvn, I take the
liberty of reminding your lordship forthwith to consult
with Mr. Cleveland about the ansAvers to be j^iven
to any objections or observations that may be thrown
out by our adversaries, as to the practicability of
sending part of the western squadron to the ]\Ie-
diterranean in March last. 'Tis possible that tliey
may not hit upon it ; but it is necessary to be pre-
pared with the proper answers."

264 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

It appears, however, that neither the gout nor the
frost prevented Pitt from going down. " Pretend-
ing," says Walpole, " to Avave the care of a broken
constitution, when his country denumded his service,
and_, as a pledge of his sincerity in the scrutiny, he
came to the discussion in all the apparatus of a
theatric valetudinarian. The Aveather was unseason-
ably Avarm ; yet he Avas dressed in an old coat and
Avaistcoat of beaver, laced Avith gold ; over that a red
surtout, the right arm lined Avith fur, and appendant
Avith many black ribands, to indicate his inability of
draAvintr it OA^er his ri^ht arm, which hunir in a
crape sling, but Avliich. in the Avarmth of speaking,
he drcAV out Avith unlucky activity, and lu-andished
as usual ; on his legs Avere riding stockings. In
short, no aspiring Cardinal ever coughed for the Tiara
with more specious debility. This munnnery Avas
covered over Avith candour ; he acquiesced in every
softening term proposed by the advocates of the late
criminals ; his justice shrunk behind the Jipprehen-
sionsof personality ; moderation Avas the sole virtue of
a censor. The loss of IMinorca, he avowed, he
meant to charge on the Avhole government ; for the
whole government could not be punished."*

The issue of this long threatened inquiiy turned
out, in fact, to l)e neither more nor less than a
conqdele justification of the old ministry. Several

* Walpolc's Memoirs.

1757.] THE SEVEN YEARS* WAR. 265

resolutions were proposed, the drift of wliieli was to
show that the former ministers had p-rounds for
believing in the threatened invasion of Great
Britain, rather than a desig-n on IMinorca ; and " the
courtiers," says Walpole, " having, on the last day
of the committee, moved a resolution that no greater
force could have been sent to the IMediterranean
under IMr. Byng, triumph itself blushed at so
palpable a falsehood ; and the victorious majority
shrunk to seventy-eight, many retiring, and many of
the more independent sort joining the minority ;
and," he adds, sneeringly^ " the late cabinet, to
their great disappointment, were forced to sit down
contented, Avithout receiving the thanks of the House
of Commons for the loss of Minorca."

Thirteen years after this (in 1770), when the
Spaniards attempted to bully this country, on the
subject of the Falkland Islands, the great Lord
Chatham, in his splendid speech on that occasion,
said, " Consult the returns that were laid before
Parliament in the year 1756. I was one of those
who urged a Parliamentary inquiry into the conduct
of the ministry. That ministry, my lords, in the
midst of universal censure and reproach, had honour
and virtue enough to promote the inquiry themselves.
They scorned to evade it by the mean expedient of
putting a previous question. Upon the strictest
inquiry it appeared that the diligence tliey had used
in sending a squadron to the IMediterranean, and in

266 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

their other naval preparations, was beyond all ex-
ample."

Thns this part of the business was settled in fa-
vour of Anson and his colleagues ; but not so
the fate of the unhappy Byng. After a long and
close confinement, under pretence that he might es-
cape, a step which it was most unlikely he should
ever have thought of attempting, he was brought
before a court-martial assemljled on board his IMa-
jesty's ship St. George, in Portsmouth harbour, on
the 28th December, 1756, and held every day after-
wards, Sundays excepted, till the 27th January,
1757, inclusive. The Court, consisting of Thomas
Smith, Esq., Vice- Admiral of the Red, President,
three rear-admirals, and nine captains, having agreed
to thirty-seven resolutions, (the last five of wdiich
imputed Ijlame to Admiral Byng,) by the fifth and
final one, adjudged him to be shot to death. These
five, being the most important, were as follow : —

" 33. Unanimously. The Court are of opinion that Ad-
miral Byng (lid not do his utmost to relieve St. Philip's
Castle, in the island of Minorca, then besieged by the forces
of the French Iving.

" 34. Unanimously. The Court are of opinion that Ad-
miral Byng, during the engagement l)etween his Majesty's
fleet under his command, and the fleet of the French king,
on the 20th May last, did not do his utmost to take, seize,
and destroy the ships of the French king, which it was his
duty to have engaged, and to assist such of his Majesty's

1757.] THE SEVEN years' WAR. 267

ships as were ens^aged in fight with the French ships, Avhicli
it Avas his duty to have assisted.

" 35. Unanimously. It appears by the evidence of
Lord Robert Bertie, Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, Captain
Gardiner, and by other officers of the ship, who were near
the person of the Admiral, that they did not perceive any
backwardness in the Admiral during the action, or any
marks of fear or confusion, either from his countenance or
behaviour, but that he seemed to give his orders coolly and
distinctly, and did not seem wanting in personal courage.

" 36. Unanimously. Resolved, that the Admiral appears
to fall under the following part of the 12th article of the
Articles of War^ to wit : * Or shall not do his utmost to
take or destroy every ship which it shall be his duty to
engage ; and to assist and relieve all and every of his
Majesty's ships which it shall be his duty to assist and
relieve.'

" 37. Resolved, as that article positively prescribes death,
without any alternative left to the discretion of the Court,
under any variation of circumstances, that he be adjudged
to be shot to death at such time, and on board such ship as
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty shall direct.
But as it appears by the evidence of Lord Robert Bertie,
Lieutenant- Colonel Smith, Captain Gardiner, and other
officers of the ship, who were near the person of the
Admiral, that they did not perceive any backwardness in
him during the action, or any marks of fear or confusion,
either from his countenance or behaviour, but that he seemed
to give his orders coolly and distinctly, and did not seem
wanting in personal courage, and, from other circumstances,
the Court do not believe that his misconduct arose either
from cowardice or disaffection ; and do therefore unanimously

268 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

think it their duty most earnestly to recommend him as a
proper object of mercy. The sentence was therefore drawn
up and passed accordingly."

The Court, however, with a proper feelino- of
clemency towards the unfortunate prisoner, and as a
relief to their own consciences, addressed a letter to
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, of which
the following is a copy : —

^' We, the underwritten, the president, and members of
the court-martial, assembled for the trial of Admiral Byng,
believe it unnecessary to inform ycur lordships that, in the
whole course of this long trial, we have done our utmost
endeavours to come at truths, and to do the strictest justice
to our country and the prisoner ; but Ave cannot help laying
the distresses of our minds before your lordships on this
occasion, in finding ourselves under a necessity of condemn-
ing a man to death, from the great severity of the Tith
article of war, part of which he falls under, and aaIucIi
admits of no mitigation, even if the crime should be com-
mitted by an error in judgment only, and, therefore, for our
own conscience's sakes, as Avell as in justice to the prisoner,
we pray your lordships in the most earnest manner to re-
commend him to his Majesty's clemency.

The only course for the Lords of the Admiralty to
pursue was such as one might suppose could not
have heen mistaken ; yet, unha])pily, it was so. It
might not have occurred to Lord Temple, or the
other new lords of the Admiralty, hut it ought
not to have been overlooked by Boscawen, avIio,
having had a seat at Anson's Board, and continuing

1757.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 269

under Temple, ought to have known the usual course
of proceeding*. The sentence pronounced on Admiral
Byng was not from a conviction of its justice, but one
that inevitable necessity com})elled the Court to give ;
and all that remained for them to do, under such
unhappy circumstances, and what they did, was to
endeavour to palliate that sentence by entreating their
lordships, in the most earnest manner, to recommend
him to the mercy of his IMajesty. Such a recommend-
ation, from such a (juarter, is seldom disregarded,
and, when suj)ported by the Admiralty to the
throne, never. There was indeed one instance, a
few years back, in which the sovereign resisted the
recommendation of the Lords of the Admiralty to
commute the sentence of death for one of transport-
ation for life ; but, on its being represented to him,
by his ministers, that a refusal of the royal clemency
in such a case was unusual, and would be highly un-
popular, he immediately signed the submisssion for
mercy. But the Admiralty, in the case of Byng,
did not proceed in this manner. They wrote a long
letter to the King, enclosing a copy of the charge de-
livered to Admiral Byng, of the thirty-seven resolu-
tions of the court-martial, and of the sentence, Avith
various other documents ; and they stated to his
Majesty, " that doubts having arisen with regard to
the legality of the sentence, particularly whether the
crime of negligence, which is not expressed in any
part of the proceedings, can, in this case, be supplied

270 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

by implication ; we find ourselves obliged most
humbly to beseech your Majesty that the opinion of
the judges maybe taken whether the said sentence
is legal."

This unfortunate step, quite unprecedented, but
taken with the best intentions, was unquestionably the
cause of the admiral undergoing the extreme sen-
tence of the law. The court-martial expressed no
doubts of the legality of the sentence ; they never
once hinted at the "crime of negligence;" their only
and earnest request was, that, feeling the severity of
a sentence which they were compelled to give, their
lordships should recommend the prisoner to mercy.
But in the application of the Lords of the Admiralty
to the King, the royal prerogative of mercy Avas never
once alluded to ; and all that his Majesty was re-
quested to do, was to submit the case to the twelve
judges, whether the sentence was legal.

It is difficult to conceive why the Lords of the Admi-
ralty should have had the least doubt as to its legality,
or why they adverted to the word " negligence,"
which, as they themselves say, was not expressed in
any part of the proceedings. Being fully acquitted
of cowardice and backwardness, there remained only
'' not dointr his utmost," and for that he was condemned
to suffer death. And why did he not do his utmost?
The Court itself has answered the question in their
twenty-fifth resolution. " Unanimously. The Court
are of oi)inion, that while the liamillies was firing, in

1757.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 271

going down, the Trident, and ships innnediately or a-
head of the Ramillies, proved -dn hnpedimejit to the
Ramillies continuing to go down.'' This impediment
is fully admitted in Resolutions 92, 23, and 24, and
stated as matters of fact. Here then was an opening for
a very different sentence. By an accident over which
the admiral had no control, he was delayed in getting
down close to the enemy, and, in the mean time, as the
enemy had moved off, he was therefore prevented from
" doing his utmost ;" and if, by some mistake or mis-
management, the delay was prolonged a few minutes,
humanity, if no other motive, might have construed
it into an error of judgment, and thus have saved
his life ; and this line would probably have been
taken, had not the Court fully relied on the efficiency
of their earnest recommendation.

The letter from the Admiralty to the King ^ras
dated the 9th February ; on the 16th the King's
Order in Council, with a copy of the opinion of the
twelve judges, dated the 14tli of that month, was
transmitted to the Lords Commissioners of the Ad-
miralty. It was briefly this — "We have considered
the said sentence, together with the 12th article
therein referred to, and are unanimously of opinion
that it is a legal sentence." Signed by the twelve
judges.

This put an end to all further application to the
King from the Lords of the Admiralty, and they w^ere
left to the full benefit of their doubts by the judges.

272 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

who did not condescend to answer the question,
whether, in this case, the " crime of negUgence"
couhl be supplied Ijy implication ?

On the same day, the 16th February, Lord Temple,
George Hay, Thomas Orby Hunter, and Gilbert
Elliot, signed a warrant for carrying the sentence
on Admiral Byng into execution on the 28lli
February. Admiral Forbes peremptorily refused
to sign it. A strong impression was created in
the minds of naval officers of the cruelty of the sen-
tence. Admiral West loudly demanded a revision of
the 12th article ; and though he said he would not
decline immediate service, to which he Avas appointed,
he declared his resolution of resigning unless that
article was abrogated. Mr. Pitt reprobated the 12tli
article for its unjust severity; he called it the mortal
12th article; and yet it had its defenders in the
House of Commons, and was only mitigated twenty-
two years afterwards,* by the addition, after the word
"death," — ^' or to hijlict audi otJier 2)i'-'i^i-d'^''i^€nt as
the nature and degree of the offence ahall he found
to deserve."

An unfortunate series of blunders seem to have at-
tended the case of poor Byng. There is one of no mean
importance, which, however, a])pears to have been
wholly overlooked or disregarded ; at least it was
never once adverted to. His court-martial was com-
posed Avholly of officers who wnvo. not only junior to

* By 19 Geo. III.

1757.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 273

liimseir, but of inferior rank. A full admiral, now-
a-days, would remonstrate on having a vice-admiral as
president of liis court-martial: there is no law against
it, but custom, strong as law, gives him a right to
expect one of a rank at least equal to his own. Every-
body knows there is no such thing as packing a naval
court-martial, but the Lords oF the Admiralty can,
and do, address their warrant for trial to whomsoever
they please, taking care he be of a proper rank.
Thus, on the trial of Admiral Cornwallis, Lord Howe
Avas ordered from his residence on shore.*

"^Miile Mr. Eyng," says Walpole, "was thus
pursued or given up by his countrymen, our enemies
acted a very different part. Voltaire, hearing of the
admiral's trial, sent from Switzerland to the court-
martial a letter Avhicli he had casually received some
time before from Marshal Kichlieu, in which the
latter spoke with encomiums on the behaviour of the

* In the case of Byng no such cave was taken. Mr. Smith, the
second in command, may have been, and is represented as, a good
man ; but the miserable figure he made before the Lords shows
him to have been a weak man, and one unfit to preside on so
important a trial, the issue of which was life or death. Every one
knows the value of an able and sensible president to guide the infe-
rior members rightly, which Smith was obviously not the man to
do. It is true there happened to be but a scanty choice of admirals
at the time. Sir William Rowley was objectionable as having been
one of the Lonls of the Admiralty when Byng was appointed; and
Isaac Townsend was equally objectionable, as the goaler of Byng and
governor of Greenwich Hospital ; there remained then but Admiral
James Stewart, admiral of the fleet, the Hon. Geo. Clinton, and Wra.
Martin,

274 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

English commander; but they who had been so
ready to censure Mr. Byng on the despatch of his
antagonist. La Galissoniere, were far from being
equally forward to give any weight to Richlieu's
testimonial in his favom*."

That copies of these documents fell into the hands
of those who were by no means friendly to Byng,
the following letter of Lord Hardwicke clearly
proves. It is dated the 26th January, when the
court-martial was still sitting : —

" I return your Lordship the enclosed most extraordinary
papers, lest, for want of other copies, you should want them.
If you have other copies, 1 beg they may be returned, for
they are curiosities. I look upon the paper, called Mare-
chal Richlieu's letter, not to be a copy, but an extract only.
It begins abruptly, and, if the beginning had been added, it
would have appeared to be an answer to something, and
to have been solicited, as it certainly was. The words
Je vms assure have the air of an answer. 1 beg your Lord-
ship would get two facts ascertained — 1. Whether these
letters were shown to the King before they were sent back
to Portsmouth? 2. Whether these letters were sent back
to the president of the court-martial open, so that he might
read them and show them ; or sent to him sealed up, di-
rected to Mr. Byng, and only to be delivered to him ?" *

This is ingenious on the part of the late lord
chancellor ; but, whatever the case may have been,
it is certain that Mr. Byng derived no benefit from
this act of generosity on the part of an enemy.

* Anson's Collection, No. 195.

1757.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 275

The following are copies of the letters in question.
That from Voltaire was written in English : —

" Aux Delices, pres de Geneve.

" Sir — Though I am almost unknown to you, I think 'tis
my duty to send you the copy of the letter which I have just
received from the Marishal Duke of Richlieu : honour,
humanity, and equity order me to convey it into your hands.
This noble and unexpected testimony from one of the most
candid as well as the most generous of my countrymen,
makes me presume your judges will do you the same jus-
tice. I am, with respect. Sir, &c.

"Voltaire.

" To the Hon. J. Byng, Esq."

Enclosed Avith this was tlie following : —

" Sir — I am very sensibly concerned for Admiral Byng ;
I do assure you, whatever I have seen or heard of him does
him honour. After having done all that man could reason-
ably expect from him, he ought not to be censured for suf-
fering a defeat. When two commanders contend for victory,
though both are equally men of honour, yet one must neces-
sarily be worsted ; and there is nothing against Mr. Byng
but his being worsted ; for his whole conduct was that of an
able seaman, and is justly worthy of admiration. The
strength of the two fleets was at least equal ; the English
had thirteen ships and we twelve, mmh better furnished and
much cleaner. Fortune, that presides over all battles, and
especially those that are fought at sea, was more favourable
to us than to our adversaries, by sending our balls into their
ships with greater execution. I am persuaded, and it is the
generally received opinion, that, if the English had obstinately

T 2

276 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

continued the enoajjement, their whole fleet woukl have been
destroyed.

" In short, there can be no higher act of injustice than
what is now attempted against Admiral Byng, and all men
of honour, and all gentlemen of the army, are particularly
interested in the event.

''RiCHLIEU."

[Under which is the following note of Voltaire.]

" I received this original letter from Manshal D. de Rich -
lieu the 1st January, 1757, in witness of which I have signed
my name. "Voltaire."

Two questions naturally occur on the perusal of
these letters ; the first is — how came Lord Anson to
get possession of the originals or copies of these let-
ters ? the second — did they ever reach ]\Ir. Byng .^
It is surmised, in one of the numerous publications
at the time, that they were intercepted and opened
by Lord Holdernesse. They do not, however, appear
either in the Secretary of State's or in the State
Paper Oflices. With regard to the second question,
did they ever reach the person to whom they Avere
addressed? the probability is, they did not. Iftliey
had, something would have been said of them in the
course of the trial. They are not found in any of the
papers in the Byng fiimily.

On the day after the condemnation, ]\Ir. Orby
Hunter notified to the House of Commons the sen-
tence pronounced against one. of its members. Tlic
Speaker produced a multitude of precedents for

1757.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 277

expelling a criminal before execution, lest his dis-
o-race should reflect on the House. This occasioned
a debate, in which it was strongly recommended that
an application should be made to the throne for
mercy. Mv. Pitt was in favour of that measure ;
mentioned with disdain anonymous letters that he
had received, threatening him as a favourer of JMr.
Bvno-. ]\Ir. Fox, as one of the old ministry, took a
less amiable part.

It is unnecessary now to go into the long debates
in consequence of Captain Keppel's application in
behalf of himself and some other members of the
court-martial, to be released from the oath of secrecy
which they had taken, representing that the sentence
of death laid heavily on their consciences. On the
26th, Pitt waited on the King, who sent down a
message to the Commons to say, that his Majesty had
respited. the sentence, until he should be informed
what it was, that the member had declared he had
of Aveiglit to say, and which it was proper his
IMajesty should know. After much debating, a bill
was brouirht in to release the members of the court-
martial from their oaths, which was carried by 153
against 23.

On the 1st March it was sent to the Lords, where,
on all occasions, matters are more gravely and tem-
perately discussed, and inquired into in a more busi-
ness-like manner than in the Commons. They com-
menced by a resolution to examine the members of
the court-martial, by putting certain questions to each

278 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VI.

separately, the purport of which was — ''Whether
they knew any matter, previous to the sentence,
which woukl show it to be unjust, or procured l)y
any unlawful means? and whether they thought
themselves restrained by their oath from disclosing
such matter?" In short it appeared that not one of
them, not even Keppel, the original mover, had any
desire for the bill, which was of course rejected with
some expressions of indignation, and after some
cutting reflections on the House of Commons.

After such a termination the friends of Byng
could no longer hope for any mercy. The strange
conduct of the members of the court-martial served
only to strengthen the validity of their sentence, to
nullify their earnest recommendation for mercy, and
to exclude all further solicitation of the King for par-
don. The 14th March was the day appointed for
execution ; and when the fatal morning arrived it was
met by the admiral with more of cheerfulness than
reluctance. For more than seven months he had
suffered all manner of indignities, close imprisonment,
protracted anxiety, and the doubtful issue of life or
death. Now that his fate was decided, he received it
with cahn and dignified composure. Of his approach-
ing death he talked with indifference, and frequently
said he would not suffer a handkerchief over his face,
that it might be seen whether he betrayed any
symi)tom of fear ; and when the moment arrived he
adhered to his purpose.

" He took an easy leave of his friends, detained

1757.] THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. 279

the officers not a moment, went directly to the deck,
and placed himself in a chair with neither ceremony
nor lightness. Some of the more humane officers
represented to him that his face being uncovered
mififht throw reluctance into the executioners, and
besought him to suffi^r a handkerchief. He replied,
with the same unconcern, ' If it will frighten them,
let it be done : they would not frighten me.' His
eyes were bound, and he fell at once."

Lord Holland, the editor of Walpole's Memoirs,
gives in a note the following interesting account of
the execution, which, he says, is from the author's
private correspondence in MS. — " March 17, 1757.
— Admiral Byng's tragedy was completed on Mon-
day— a perfect tragedy ; for there were variety of
incidents, — villany, murder, and a hero. His suf-
ferings, persecutions, aspersions, disturbances, — nay,
the revolutions of his fate, — had not in the least un-
hinged his mind ; his whole behaviour was natural
and firm. A few days before, one of his friends
standing by him said, ' Which of us is tallest V He
replied, ' Why this ceremony ? I know what it
means ; let the man come and measure me for my
coffin.' He said, that, being acquitted of cowardice,
and being persuaded, on the coolest reflection, that
he had acted for the best, and should act so again,
he was not unwilling to suffer. He desired to be shot
on the quarter-deck, not wdiere common malefactors
are ; — came out at twelve — sat down in a chair, for

280 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cH. VI.

he Avoiild not kneel, and refused to have his face
covered, that his countenance might show whether
he feared death ; hut, heing told it might frighten his
executioners, he suhmitted^ — gave the signal fit once —
received one shot through the head, another through
the heart, and felL"

Thus died a martyr to public clamour, excited l)y
a timid ministry, and to one false step taken by the
party Avho professed to be, and actually meant to
he, friendly to him ; whose death can be considered
in no other light than as a judicial murder. On a
monumental tablet over the vault belonging to the
Torrington family, in the church of Southill, in Bed-
fordshire, is the following inscription : —

TO THE PERPETUAL DISGRACE
OF PUBLIC JUSTICE,

THE HONOURABLE JOHN BYNG,

ADMIRAL OF THE BLUE,

FELL A MARTYR TO POLITICAL PERSECUTION,
MARCH 14, IN THE YEAR 17^7,

AT A TIME
WHEN BRAVERY AND LOYALTY AVERE INSUFFICIENT
SECURITIES FOR THE LIFE AND HONOUR
OF A NAVAL OFFICER.

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 281

CHAPTER VII.

EXPEDITIONS TO THE COAST OF FRANCE."

Resignation of the ministers — The King for two or three months his
own minister — Various applications — One made to Anson — Lord
Hardwicke's advice upon it — Various parties applied to — Duke of
Newcastle, Fox, Lord Mansfield, Lord "VValdegrave — The King's
observations to the latter — Lord Hardwicke sent for — Succeeds, and
relates his proceedings to Lord Anson — Commanders appointed to
the Channel Ueet — Mr. Pitt's plans of annoying the French coasts
— First expedition against Rochefort fails — Boscawen sent to North
America— 'Retakes Louisbiirgh and Capo Breton— Sir Edward
Hawke defeats an intended expedition of the enemy — Several
expeditions against the French coast — Lord Anson hoists his ilag,
and takes command of the grand fleet — Howe and the Duke of
Marlborough's proceedings against St. Maloes — Third expedition —
Destruction of Cherbourg— Fourth expedition — Disastrous result

■ at the bay of St. Cus — Brilliant single actions.

1757 to 1758.

In the early part of the year 1757 the war Avas
about to recoiiiiiience on the continent of Europe.
The French had made an irruption into Gerniany,
and threatened Hanover. The Duke of Cumberland
Avas entreated by the King to try his fortune once
more on that broad field ; l)ut he disliked to Ije in
any shape under the control of IMr. Pitt, who Avould
never suffer himself to be controlled. The Duke of
Newcastle, the most unhappy niiin in the world when
not breathing the air of St. James's, assumed this

282 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIL

dislike as a fair ground to intrigue witii Fox for the
dismissal of Pitt ; but the latter stood too firmly
rooted in popular estimation, both out of doors and in
Parliament, to be easily removed. Plowever, both he
and the ministry, shortly after this, either resigned or
were dismissed ; and, " as if to show," says Walpole,
" how long a great nation can carry on itself without
any government, there were no ministers, even amidst
a formidable war, but those baby politicians, the
Duke of Devonshire and Lord Holdernesse."

It required not the assistance even of those " baby
politicians " to enable Great Britain " to carry on
itself." This wonderful and well-organised machine,
the British Constitution, in ordinary times and under
ordinary circumstances, moves on without the ne-
cessity of the constant superintending care of any
ministry; its wheels and springs are so well adapted,
its movements so well adjusted, that, if left to itself,
there is no danger of its stopping : it is damaged only
Avhen some experimental bungler, under pretence of
improving it, undertakes to introduce some new
movement that does not fit, or the displacement of
some old one, which was essential to its regularity.
But as the most perfect machinery, like all other
complicated bodies, is subject to the wear and tear
of time, so the British constitution may occasionally
require the repair of some of its parts, which, how-
ever, is not to l)e intrusted to ;iny rude and inexpe-
rienced hand that may offer itself.

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 283

The King", for two or three months, appears to
have been his ou'n minister. Lord JMansheld as the
Chief Commissioner of the Great Seal, and Legge
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, were the moving
powers, and were for some time engaged in their
endeavours to form an administration. Among
others. Lord Anson had been applied to, indirectlj^,
and submitted, as he was wont to do, the overture he
had received from Legge to his fiither-in-law, Lord
Plardwicke, "who sent him in return the following-
letter : —

" Wimpole, April 9tli, 1757.

" My Dear Lord — I think myself much honom-ed by
your confidential and material letter of yesterday ; for such
I was sure it must be upon opening it, since nothing else
could have drawn so much writing from your lordship.
You have stated the case very clearly, and I apprehend no
difficulty in the only part which your lordship can take
upon the overture that has been made to you. But I
cannot help being a little diverted at their having found out
their great mistake at last ; which, to me, who confess
myself but a poor politician, was as obvious in theory, when
they committed it, as it is now in the event. This made me
say those last words to Mr. Pitt, with which I left him, —
* that, as he was disjyosed to come into the kings service,
and, as a man of sense, if he tcished the end, must natu-
rally icish the means, why would he then make it imprac-
ticable ?' And impracticable he has found it in five
months' time. It is also diverting to see them casting the
blame upon one another ; but I believe there is some truth
in what Mr. Legge insinuated to your lordship, that it was

284 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH, VII.

principally owing to tlie visionary notions of Mr. Pitt; and
I think those visionary notions much consisted in the sup-
port with which he had flattered himself from the tories.
But an opportunity, like time, when once lost, cannot be
recalled ; and the question is, what ought to l^e done, and
can be done in the present circumstances? Charles,*
who came hither last night, tells me that Dr. Warbur-
ton called upon him on Wednesday, and talked the like
style, though without any higher authority than IVIr. Potter.
The Duke of Newcastle, from whom I had a des])atch this
morning by a messenger, informs me that he has had a
letter from Lord Halifax, representing, in very strong terms,
the like overture from Mr. Legge, as has been made to
your lordship. His grace is embarrassed w-hat to do upon
it, and asks my advice. I own the case is difficult and
delicate. The King is certainly angry with him at present
for not joining in this hopeful new scheme, to which there
were a thousand objections. Plis Majesty also suspects him
of beins: iii some kind of negociation with Mr. Pitt and
Leicester-House, for which I am sure there is no ground;
and he has assured the King by a private channel that he
is in no such negociation, nor Mould be in any without his
Majesty's privity. But such assurances restrain nobody
from hearing ; and I think he is at present inclined to see
Legge in such a manner as may be most secure against
transpiring ; and I shall, in my answer, encourage him to
it. I shall at the same time acquaint his grace with as much
as is proper of your lordship's letter ; for I sec no use in
making a secret of your having communicated it to me, and
it will have the greater appearance of openness. I therefore
approve entirely of your lordship's thought of going over

* The Lord Chancellor's son.

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 285

to Claremont, and acciuainting the duke with the whoU; that
was said to you, which, I am sure, he will take very kindly ;
and this is all which you need do, without going farther,
unless he asks any opinion, or desires you to send, or give
some answer to Mr. Leggc.

" The whole plan of the new administration is manifestly
the creation of Mr. Fox, and, I am credibly informed, is
extremely unpopular in the city. Lord Egremont is, I
know, talked of for Secretary of State. He is a man of
sense, but that adds no strength in the House of Commons ;
and the hastening his going out of town does not look like
a present disposition to accept.

" One of the most remarkable parts of your letter is the
discourse which your lordship heard from some of the
duke's (Cumberland) servants. It will be a cm-ious addition
to the extraordinary events of the times, if, after the im-
mediate necessity of the duke's journey has been made the
pretence for accelerating this change, his Highness should
not go at all. I have no notion of any difficulty in getting
to the German army ; but if there are difficulties in forming
it, I mean in making it strong enough, one of the first
mill -stones which this new ministry must take about their
necks must be to make it stronger.

" Most affectionately yours,

" Hardwicke."*

During the long interval, in which negociations for
forming an administration were c^irrying on, the
King's patience was abundantly tried. He sent for
the Duke of Newcastle, who wished to have every-
thing his own way — for Fox, wdio would liaye Pitt

* Anson's Collection, No. iOS.

286 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

and Temple dismissed — for Lord Mansfield, wlio
could make no progress — for Lord Waldegrave, who
consented to accept the treasury temporarily, whose
opinion was taken, and who gave the King the best
advice; recommended Pitt, and told his Majesty that,
though he disliked Hanover, lie would be tractable.
His account of his audience is curious. " His
IMajesty heard everything I said with great patience,
and answered Avith some cheerfulness, that, according
to my description, liis situation was not to be envied ;
but he could answer me, it was infinitely more dis-
agreeable than I represented it; that he believed
few princes had been exposed to such treatment ;
that we were angry, because he was partial to his
electorate, though he desired nothing more to be
done for Hanover than what we were bound in
honour and justice to do for any country whatsoever,
when it was exposed to danger entirely on our
account.

" That we were, indeed, a very extraordinary
people, continually talking of our constitution, laws,
and liberty ; that, as to constitution, he allowed it
to be a good one, and defied any man to produce a
single instance wherein he had exceeded his proper
limits ; that he never meant to screen or protect any
servant who had done amiss ; but still he had a right
to choose those who were to serve him, thougli, at
present, so far from having an option, he was not
even allowed a negative.

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 287

'' ' " That, as to our laws, we passed near a Imndred
every session, which seemed made for no other pur-
pose but to afford us the pleasure of breaking them ;
and, as to our zeal for liberty, it was in itself highly
commendable; but our notions must be somewhat
singular, -when the chief of the nobility chose rather
to be the dependents and followers of a Duke of
Newcastle, than to be the friends and counsellors of
their sovereign."

The King regretted much the loss of Lord Hard-
wicke, who had made up his mind never again to
take office. " Lord Hard wicke/' says Lord Walde-
grave^ " resigned the Great Seal, much to the regret
of all dispassionate men, and, indeed, of the nation in
general. He had been Chancellor near twenty years,
and was inferior to few who had gone before him,
having executed that high office with integrity,
diligence, and uncommon abilities."

To Lord Temple the King had the strongest
aversion, his lordship having a pert familiarity, which
is not always agreeable to majesty ; besides, in the
affair of Admiral Byng, he had used some insolent
expressions, which the King would never forgive.
" He went so far," says Walpole, "as to sketch out
some parallel between the monarch himself and the
admiral, in which the advantage did not lie on the
side of the battle of Oudenarde." He expressed
his dislike to Pitt and Lord Temple in very strong
terms, the su])stance of which was, that " the secretary

288 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

made liim long speeches, which possibly might be
very fine, bi>t were greatly beyond his comprehension,
and that his letters were affected, formal, and pe-
dantic."

" That, as to Temple, he was so disagreeable a
fellow, there was no bearing him ; that, wlien he at-
tempted to argue, he was pert, and sometimes
insolent ; that, Avhen he meant to be civil, he was
exceeding troublesome, and that in the business of
his office he was totally ignorant."

" He made use of a strong expression : ' Tell him
(the Duke of Newcastle) I do not look upon niyself
as king, whilst I am in the hands of these scoun-
drels.' "*

At length Lord Ilardwicke, being called in, suc-
ceeded in forming an administration, of wdiich Wal-
pole, after giving the heads of it, says — " Fox ac-
cepted the Pay-othce, professing great content, and
that he should offend neither in thought, word, or deed.
Both Newcastle and Pitt acted wisely in permitting
him to enjoy this place ; he was tied up from giving
them any trouble ; and, while serving for interest
under Pitt, how much did it exalt the latter ! Yet
the latter, too, took care to deserve his share of the
reproach. Adjusting their list with Lord Ilard-
wicke, Pitt said he missed a very respectable name
there, which he hoped to be placed, greatly : it was

* Lord Wuldegravc's Memoirs.

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 289

Lord Anson's ; and he was restored to the Admi-
ralty— whether with more opprobrium to himself,
who returned to that Board with Pitt's set, aljandon-
ing his own, who had been disgraced with him, or to
Pitt, who restored so incapable an object to a trust
so wretchedly executed, I am in doubt to deter-
mine."

This consistent writer of Memoirs, just two years
before, in 1755, thus records his opinion of the cha-
racter of this incapable object of 1757 — "Lord An-
son, attentive to, and in general expert in, maritime
details, selected with great care the best officers, and
assured the King, that, in the approaching war, he
should at least hear of no courts-martial." And
again, in the same year, he says — " By the beginning
of February, our fleet of thirty ships of the line had
been fitted out with equal spirit and expedition.
Lord Anson had great merit in that province,
where he presided." — So utterly worthless is his tes-
timony.

Walpoie, however, contrived to get general inform-
ation of what was going on in the political world ; but,
in the present instance, it is not necessary to have
recourse to him, as the Ex- Chancellor Hardwicke,
who was sent for by the King, and had the full
arrangement of the new administration, has ac-
quainted Lord Anson with the details of the transac-
tion.

u

290 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

"Fowls House, June 18, 1757.
"My dear Lord, Saturday night, 11 dcloch.

" You will probalily be surprised at receiving this
letter from me by the King's messenger ; but it will make
me more happy than ever I was in my life, if the subject of
it shall be as agreeable to your Lordship as it is to me.
You have heard how the administration projected under Mr.
Fox failed this day se'ennight, in the very moment it was to
have been carried into execution, and he was just going into
the closet to receive the Exchequer- seal. On Tuesday
night the King, by the Duke of Devonshire, ordered me
to attend him on Wednesday morning. T have since had
the honour of several audiences of his Majesty; some of
them most uneasy and painful ones, though without any
anger towards me. My first orders were, for the Duke of
Newcastle and myself to negociate some settlement of an
administration with Mr. Pitt and his friends, under certain
restrictions, from which his Majesty declared he would never
depart. In the course of my audience, I told his Majesty
that I could take no part at all, unless some honourable re-
gard was shown to your Lordship, though I could not just
then point out the particular thing; that I had told the
gentlemen with whom we had conferred the same thing, and
had previously humbly conveyed it to his Majesty.

"In his subsequent discourse the King, in aggravating
the inconveniences that would arise from this new plan, told
me Avith warmth, that resignations had been talked of; that,
in the way we were going, there would be resignations
enough ; that my Lord Winchelsea was in the next room, in
order now to come into the closet to resign. The conve-
nience of this struck mc, but I reserved myself. Some

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 291

minutes afterwards the King read over my list in lieat — ob-
jected to Mr. Legge being made a peer and first lord of the
Admiralty — was determined not to do two great things for
one man at the same time ; and in this he was peremptory.
I then threw your Lordship in his way^ but that I was far
from knowing what the other persons would say to it. His
Majesty answered quick — ' / shall like it extremely.'

"When I stated this to the Duke of Newcastle it made
him most happy ; and I reported it at the meeting of all
four in the evening ; I stated it, as it was in reality, the
King's option. My Lord Bute and Mr. Pitt received it
with the greatest politeness. Lord Bute first broke the ice ;
declared his particular respect for your Lordship, and did
great justice to your character, and merit in your profession;
and declared that he knew those to be the sentiments of the
place to which he belonged. Mr. Pitt said he only waited
to hear what Lord Bute would say, and most readily con-
curred in the same sentiments. In short, it ended so that
all the four plenipotentiaries agreed that your Lordship
should be again at the head of the Admiralty, if the King
continued in the same mind ; and Mr. Legge has his old
office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, which he had pro-
fessed to like better than any other place.

" I have been negociating ever since upon other points,
and have led a most fatiguing life. However at last the
whole was settled, and I carried the King the plan in writing
X this day at noon. The three things which the King had
made his sine qua non were — 1. That he would perform his
promise to make Mr. Fox paymaster. 2. That there should
be no change in the Secretary-at-War. 3. That Lord An-
son should be at the head of the Admiralty. When I told
his Majesty that we had carried all this for him, and that all

u2

292 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

those points were most dutifully yielded up to his pleasure,
I never saw such a change in man. He said at once,
with a gracious smile — ' Then this thing is done ; and,
my Lord, I thank you heartily.' He is in haste to carry it
into execution immediately, and indeed it must he in a few
days.

" I can't send your Lordship the plan, for the King kept
the original, and I have yet no copy. The great lines are —
Mr. Pitt, Secretary of State ; Lord Temple to have a Cabi-
net Council place; the Duke of Newcastle, First Lord of
the Treasury; and Mr. Fox, Paymaster, Thus your Lord-
ship is once more called to this great office by the King's
earnest desire, the united voice of all parties, and the
concurrence of Saville House — though that must not be
talked of. In other circumstances you might possibly not
so well like the company you are to sit with, which are those
who were turned out at Easter. You know that Mr. Pitt
and friends always made restitution their point, and wanted to
provide for those friends who were of that Board, so there
was no possibility of altering that. But I hope, in the present
situation, you will make no difficulty or hesitation about it.
Indeed, my dear Lord, this unexpected event, which I have
used some honest dexterity in bringing about, is the greatest
thing for the King's honour, for the credit of his old admi-
nistration, and for your own honour. It does, by their own
admission, give the lie to all the calumnies that have been
raised ; it contradicts all that had been said upon the in-
quiry ; and confirms the issue of that inquiry to be a total
justification. The King sees it in that light, and therefore
is prodigiously pleased with it. 'J'his is the true light
wherein it is to be seen ; and the unanimity of the Royal
family upon it is a most happy and inviting circumstance;

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 293

and will, I am confident, induce your Lordship to overlook
all other circumstances, which a little time and opportunity
will correct. I have privately laid in with Lcrd j3ute and
Mr. Pitt that some one of their people may be changed upon
being otherwise provided for, and they have agreed to the
reasonableness of this. You know the Duke of Newcastle
had formerly promised Mr. Stanley, who may be useful to
you in the House of Commons ; so will Elliot, who, I dare
say, will in six weeks be as much yours as theirs. Besides,
I am told that Admiral Forbes is likely not to accept, and,
if so, it will mnke room for Sir Edward Hawke, or any
other man we shall like.

" This is the state of the case, and when I look back I
stand amazed at the sudden change. All our friends are in
raptures with it ; the court in general pleased, and the town
more so. It is looked upon as the strongest administration
that has been formed many years, and, by good conduct, may
become so.

" I am glad to hear that the waters have agreed with your
Lordship, but you must interrupt them for a few days ; and,
in obedience to his Majesty's commands, set out immediately,
and be in town as soon as you can without hurting your
health in this hot weather. I am to see the King on Mon-
day, who will ask me if I have sent for you.

"The Duke of Newcastle sends your Lordship his most
cordial compliments and congratulations. Both his Grace
and I, and all your friends, entreat your Lordship to miake
no difficulties, and to let us see you as soon as you can, in
health. The messenger waits, and will bring you a letter
from dear Lady Anson, who knew not one word of this
matter till I had settled it finally with the King this day.
"' Adieu, my dear Lord, &c., &c.

" Hardwicke."

294 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

Thus, then, in July, 1757, we have Lord Anson
restored to his seat at the Board of Admiralty, after
the short administration of less than five months by
Earl Temple, and of three months by the Earl of
Winchelsea.

In the spring and summer of this year, as in the
last. Admirals Boscawen, West, and Brodrick had
the command of the Channel fleet alternately, to
cruise off Brest and in soundings, to watch the
enemy's movements, distress his trade, and to inter-
cept any supplies or reinforcements that might be
sent out from Brest to the colonies. Their navy had
been very nmch reduced by the preceding war, and
their ships in commission and ready in the western
ports were barely sufficient to escort their convoys ;
but it did so happen, that our cruising squadrons
could not, Avitli all their vigilance, prevent M. Bois
de la Mothe from slipping out of Brest with a squad-
ron of ships of war and transports, carrying rein-
forcements and supplies for Louisbourg, where he
arrived in safety.

A reinforcement of four ships of the line was im-
mediately sent out to Admiral Holborne at Halifax.
His fleet, now consisting of nineteen sail-of-the-line,
two of fifty guns, and some frigates, proceeded to
block up the French in the harbour of Louisbourg, but
having arrived twenty leagues from the port, on the
night of the 24th September, it blew a perfect hurri-
cane, which continued to the middle of the following

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 295

day, when, most fortunately, it veered round to the
north, or the whole fleet^ then close in with the rocky
shore of Cape Breton, would in all probability have
been doomed to destruction. As it was, the Tilbury
was Avrecked, and the captain and most of her crew
perished. Many of them were obliged to throw their
guns overboard, and in others, some of the seamen
were lost. Twelve or thirteen ships of the line were
dismasted, and otherwise so disabled that the admiral,
after collecting his shattered squadron and ascertain-
ing their damages, sent those that were in the
worst condition to England under Sir Charles Hardy
and Commodore Holmes, and repaired with the rest
to Halifax. The French did not escape the effects
of the storm. Several of them suffered so severely
as to make it necessary to send them home, and such
as escaped capture by our cruisers arrived at Brest in
a very shattered state.

Mr. Pitt, however, nothing daunted by this disaster,
though the nation was dissatisfied as if the admiral had
been the cause of them, desired Anson to get the ships
speedily repaired, and others brought forward, to be
employed in active operations at home, it being his in-
tention that, in conjunction with the army, they should
direct their united forces against the ports and towns
of the French coast. The plan proposed had a double
object in view : the one was to demolish the enemy's
naval arsenals, by blowing up the fortifications,
docks, basins, and other public works, and to destroy

296 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIL

or capture his shipping, and by so doing put an end
to the vapouring threat of their invasion of England
or Ireland by this retaliation on his own coast. The
other, to create a diversion in favour of the King
of Prussia and the Duke of Cumberland, by alarm-
ing the French for the safety of their coast and
harbours, and thereby inducing them to AvithdraAv
a portion of their continental army for the more im-
portant service of protecting their own shores, or at
least to prevent them from sending reinforcements.
He concluded with an earnest desire, that Lord
Anson would have a sufficient fleet ready at Spithead,
with the least possible delay, and recommend an
officer to command the naval part of the expedition,
whom he considered most eligible for such a service.
He at once named Sir Edward Hawke, and forth-
with put him in communication with Mr. Pitt.
Vice-Admiral Knowles and Rear-Admiral Brodrick
were placed under his command. The fleet consisted
of sixteen sail of the line, two frigates, five sloops,
two bombs, two fire-ships, and a number of trans-
ports, having on board about 7000 land forces, the
command of which was given to Sir John IMordaunt.
Under him was General Conway, second in com-
mand, then Cornwallis, Howard, and Lieutenant-
Colonel \^^olfe, Avho contracted a friendship with
Howe, the captain of the IMagniinime, which AVal-
pole describes as " like the union of cannon and gun-
powder."

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 297

A joint instruction from ]\Ir. Secretary Pitt to Sir
Edward Hawke and Sir John IMordaunt directed
them to '' attempt, as for as shall be found practica])le,
a descent on the French coast, at or near Rochefort,
in order to attack, and if practicable^ by a vigorous
impression, force that place ; to burn and destroy,
to the utmost of their power, all shipping, docks, ma-
gazines, and arsenals that shall be found there, and
exert such other efforts as shall be judged most pro-
per for annoying the enemy." The fleet left Spit-
liead on the 8th September, and on the 22nd an-
chored in Basque Roads. On the folloAving day a
detachment under Vice-Admiral Knowles, in the
Neptune, Avith the IMagnanime, Barfleur, America,
Barford, Royal William, and Alcide, together with the
transports, were ordered to attack and get possession
of the Isle d'Aix, as a stepping-stone to Rochefort.
The IMagnanime was selected to lead. Howe stood
direct for the fort, reserving his fire till he came
within forty yards of it, when he l)rought up Avitli a
spring on his cable, and opened so tremendous and
well-directed a fire, that in less than half an hour
the enemy were driven from their guns and surren-
dered at discretion.

The next step taken by Sir Edward Hawke was to
cause the coast of the mainland to be reconnoitred,
and soundings taken, in order to secure a safe land-
ing and protection for the troops ; and, after maturel}^
considering their report, " I was of opinion," says

298 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH.VIL

the admiral, " that they might land." A discussion,
hoAvever, arose as to the expediency of landing at the
fort of Fouras, and marching thence upon Rochefort.
As some difference of opinion seemed to prevail, Sir
John JMordaunt proposed a council of war to assemble
and determine it. In the mean time, while this was
going on, the French were assembling a force at
Rochefort and making preparations for receiving the
attack. The council decided that the landing could
be effected. The fort of Fouras, however, was stated
as a formidable object, and that large ships could not
approach sufficiently near for their cannon to reach
it. The French pilot, Thierri, who had carried the
Magnanime close to the walls of Aix, said the ap-
proach was practicable, and volunteered to take the
same ship before Fouras : he was told he might have
the Barfleur, which drew less Avater, but he persisted
in going in with the IMagnanime. Being asked
why, he replied, " Parceque le Capitaine Howe est
jeune et brave.'' When the expedition was given
up by tlie commander of the troops, to the great
surprise of Sir Edward Hawke, it was attempted to
throw discredit on Thierri s proposal, and to accuse
him of ignorance ; but Sir Edward, in his letter to
Mr. Pitt, says, "The pilot of the Magnanime has
behaved like a man of bravery and skill, and as such
I beg leave to recommend him to you."

The following private letter to Lord Anson from
Sir Edward llawke, enclosing a coi)y of minutes of

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 299

the council of war, fully explains that gallant officer's
opinion and feelings on this mortifying failure : —

" Ramillies, Basque Roads,
" My Lord, SOth September, 1757.

" The Viper sloop joined me within the entrance of
this place, just before we came to an anchor, Mr. Knowles'
division having brought to some little time before. I have
kept her all this time, flattering myself with the daily hopes
that the land-officers would come to a determination to
land the troops, to try what was possible to be done for
their country, notwithstanding they were of opinion it was
impracticable to take the town of Rochefort by escalade.
If there is faith in man, my Lord, you may believe that I
have urged this to them continually, painting the absolute
necessity of it in the strongest terms that I could possibly
think of. But I am infinitely concerned to tell your Lord-
ship that you will see by their result that all this has availed
nothing. I made no hesitation in attempting to remove
every obstacle out of their way that was in my power, in
which I happily succeeded, and wanted no council of war,
nor never would have had any, if they had not been de-
manded, to confirm me in my opinion that it was right I
should use my utmost endeavours for my king and country."

Sir Edward adds in a postscript —

"The pilot of the Magnanime has behaved extremely
well, and is truly deserving of your Lordship's favour and
protection."

'' Minutes of a Council of War assembled on board his
Majesty's ship Ramillies, Basque Road, 28th September,
1757.
" Sir Edward Hawke, K. C, &c., President, Sec. &c.

300 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

" The Council, in order to determine whether forts leading
to, and upon the mouth of, the Charente were open, and
capable of being attacked by land, proceeded to examine —
" 1. Lieutenant- Colonel Wolfe, who declares that, Avith
regard to Fort Fouras, it is his opinion that it is not a
strong place, seeming to be principally fortified towards the
sea ; yet he saw people at work on the land-side. That, if
our troops could come at the Barbette battery by it, it
might be of great use in taking the fort, provided there was
proper ammunition for that purpose. He further gives it
as his opinion that Fort Fouras cannot be taken but by ar-
tillery and escalade.

" 2. Lieutenant-Colonel Clarke. Knows nothing but
what he saw through a telescope.

" 3. A French prisoner said Fort Fouras was circular —
had no ditch ; that Fort la Pointe is also circular, like
Fouras ; that the best landing-place is in the bay of Chati-
lailon ; that, from hence, along the Rochefort Road, is a fine
open country ; that on Friday last he was on Fouras ; that
there were but twenty-two or twenty-four guns in it, and
not above fifty men ; that there are much the same on Fort
la Pointe, and that both forts are enclosed by a wall on the
land-side.

" The council having maturely considered the evidence.
Sir John Mordaunt declared he was of opinion that some-
thing further should be attempted, and that he would give
his orders accordingly that moment, if any (meaning the
general officer of the troops) Avould say it m as advisable.

" Vice- Admiral Knowles declared he had received great
light from the persons examined, and therefore thought
something ought to be attempted.

" Major- General Conway declared for the attempt,
merely from his own opinion, without regard to the evidence.

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST.

301

" Sir Edward Hawke, appealing to every member of the
council for the truth of what he said, declared that he was
now of the same opinion which he had given both before and
at the council of war on the 2Dih—that the landing conld
be effected — that the troops ought to be landed for some
further attempt, which was alone matter of consideration
Avith the general officers of the troops, he not taking upon
him to be judge of land operations; but would, from his
confidence in their abilities and skill in their own profession,
readily assent to any resolution they should come to, and
assist them to the utmost of his power. This being settled,
after some debate. Sir Edward Hawke, Vice-Admiral
Knowles, Rear-Admiral Brodrick, and Captain Rodney,
withdrew.

" The Council of War being re-assembled, and the
question put,

" ' Whether it is advisable to land the troops to attack the
forts leading to and upon the mouth of the river Charente ?'

" Yes. "No.

" Colonel Geo. Howard. " The Hon. Edward Corn-

" Captain Geo. Bridges wallis, but afterwards ac-
Rodney. quiesced with the majority."

" Rear- Admiral Brodrick,

*' Right Hon. H Seymour
Conway.

" Vice- Admiral Knowles.

" Sir John Mordaunt.

" Sir Edward Hav.ke.

Sir Edward adds : " The debates at the council
of war of the 25th were so various, tedious, and
unconnected, that it was impossible to take minutes."

302 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cH. VII.

Tiie one he sent may be taken as a sufficient specimen
of such an assembly.

Sir Edward Havvke lost not a moment in ordering
every disposition to be made for landing the troops ,
and part of them were actually in the boats, when
Rear- Admiral Brodrick reported to him, " that the
Generals had come to a resolution not to land that
night." And on the following day Sir Edward re-
ceived a laconic epistle from the General, couched as
follows ; —

" Sir — Upon the receipt of your letter I talked it over
with the other land-officers, who were of our council of
war, and we all agree in returning directly to England.

" I have, Sir, &c.

" J. MORDAUNT."

It may easily he, supposed with what astonishment
and mortitication the gallant Sir Edward, and, in-
deed, the whole navy, received such a notification on
the part of the military officers. Sir Edward, in
reporting his proceedings to Mr. Pitt, says, " I beg
leave to assure you, Sir^ I have discharged my duty
to my king and country with fidelity, diligence, and
integrity, and wish more could have been done for
the good of the service." In point of fact, nothing
whatever was done, except the demolition of the works
on Isle d'Aix by Howe alone. Of this we have the
high testimony of Wolfe, the bravest of the brave,
whom all loved, and all delighted to follow. In
a private letter to his father, dated Hade des

1757.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 303

Basques, SOtli September, 1757, he says, " By the
Viper sloop I have the displeasure to inform you
that our operations here are at an end. ^Ve lost the
luchy moment in war, and are not able to recover it.
The whole of this expedition has not cost the nation
ten men : nor has any man been able to distin2:uish
himself in the service of his country, except Mr.
Howe, who was an example to us all."

A general, but temporary gloom, was cast over
the public mind in consequence of the signal failure
of this grand expedition ; but it operated, as might
be expected, in a manner altogether the reverse on the
feelings of the enemy. Nothing but rejoicing was
heard alono- the whole line of coast, as if some sfreat
victory had been gained ; and, as if to show how
little they were dispirited by the attempts of England
to molest their coasts, they boasted, as usual, that in
the spring of the following year an army would
assemble at St. INIalo^s, of sufficient forcet o turn the
tables on their enemy by an invasion of Jersey and
Guernsey. Another piece of good fortune tended
to elevate the spirits of this volatile people. In-
tellig-ence being received in England of the sailing of
a laro'e fleet from Louisbouro' under ^I. Bois de la
Mothe, which had escaped our cruisers when outward
bound, Sir Edward Hawke, which had scarcely
reached Spithead from Basque Roads, was ordered
to proceed to sea with a strong squadron, in which
was Vice- Admiral Boscawen, one of the lords of the

304 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

i\(lmiralty, with the view of intercepting it. The
squadron sailed from Spithead on the 22nd October
to cruise off Brest, but encountered a violent gale of
wind, which dispersed and drove the British fleet
from their station, and, before they could join and
reassume their cruising-ground, M. Bois de la Mothe
had the good fortune, a second time, to escape
Avith great part of his convoy into Brest, having
suffered severely in the same gale of wind, in which
most of his ships were crippled. Two of his frigates,
however, and several of his convoy, were captured.
Indeed, the cruising frigates were most actively
employed, and with great success. Captain Lock-
hart, of the Tartar, took no less than four stout
privateers and three frigates in the course of the
year, and received from the merchants of London a
piece of plate, value two hundred guineas, and
another from Bristol, of one hundred guineas. Se-
veral other ships of war and strong privateers fell
into the hands of our cruisers, generally after severe
actions.

The greatest exertions were made in the naval
department for the service of the year 1758. The
numljer of seamen voted was G0,000, including 14,845
marines. For the greater encouragement of seamen
to enter the naval service, the Admiralty brought
into Parliament a bill for a more regular and fre-
quent payment of their wages, and to enable them
when out of the kinirdom to make remittances for the

75S.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 305

support of their wives and families, which w^as, some
years afterwards, simplified by the system of allowing
seamen, on signifying their wish to the captain, to
assign over a portion of their pay for tlie use of their
families.

The two flag-officers on whom Anson, and, it may
be said, the nation generally, placed the greatest
confidence, were Sir Edward Hawke and Boscawen ;
and both were immediately put in requisition. The
latter, as early as February, left St. Helen's for
North America with twenty-three sail-of-the-line,
six frigates^ and several sloops and smaller vessels,
havino; under his command Rear- Admiral Sir Charles
Hardy and Commodore Durell, and arrived at Ha-
lifax early in May. The ol)ject was to recover
Cape Breton and Louisburgh, which had been re-
stored to the French at the peace, and which Ad-
miral Holburne had failed to effect, the preceding
year, in consequence of the disabled state of his ships,
by a tremendous hurricane, which overtook them
Avhen just off the harbour. The fleet now under
Boscawen assembled in Gabarus Bay. Seven fri-
gates were appointed by the admiral to cover the
debarkation of the troops, which was effected with
the greatest order and regularity, under Brigadier-
General Wolfe, in the face of a heavy fire of cannon
and musketry from the enemy, who fled and aban-
doned their works, leaving behind them several
cannon and mortars. The enemy next sunk a ship-

X

306 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

of-tlie-line, a frigate, and two corvettes, across the
mouth of the harbour of Louisburgh. Another ship-
of-the-line took fire, and was consumed, together with
two other vessels. Two of the line still remained
in the harbour, which the admiral was determined
either to take or destroy ; and for this purpose six
hundred seamen were sent in boats in the night,
under Commanders Laforey and Balfour, and, amidst
the fire of the ships and batteries, burnt one of
them that got aground, and towed the other off.
All the ships being thus destroyed, Boscawen in-
formed the French General that he should send his
fleet into the harbour next morning ; but he replied
by desiring to capitulate, and terms were inmie-
diately agreed upon. Admiral Boscawen returned
to England, arrived at Spithead on the 1st November,
and very shortly afterwards received the thanks of
Parliament.

The French, apparently not aware of the destina-
tion of Boscawen's fleet, and ignorant as they must
have ])een of his success, had fitted out at Rochfort
a considerable squadron of ships-of-the-line and
frigates, with forty or fifty transports, to convey
troops and stores, as reinforcements for their North
American colonies. The Admiralty had early in-
timation of this, and of its assembling in Basque
Roads, near the Isle d'Aix. Anson was fully alive
to the importance of preventing the sailing of this
armament, and a})pointed Sir Edward Hawke, who

1758.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 307

was always ready for any service, to command a
squadron of seven sail-of-the-line and three frigates,
for the purpose of watching the motions of the enemy.
With these ships he left Spithead on the 11th
March, and early in the morning of the 4th April was
opposite the entrance of Basque Roads. On proceed-
ing towards the anchorage, he observed five sail-of-
the-line lying off the isle of Aix, besides six or seven
frigates and forty merchant-ships, having on board,
as he afterwards learnt, three thousand troops. The
enemy, on perceiving Hawke's squadron, began to cut
and slip their cables, and to run in the greatest con-
fusion towards the bottom of the roads, with the view
of getting into the river Charente. Many of their
ships stuck in the mud ; but, night coming on, the
admiral, aware of the danger of our ships getting on
shore, from the shallowness of the water, made the
signal to anchor off the Isle d'Aix.

In the morning the enemy's ships-of-war were
seen four or five miles off, all aground and almost
dry, some of them and the transports laying on their
broadsides ; but there was no possibility of getting
within gun-shot of them. Launches were sent down
from Rochfort to carry out warps, and drag the ships
through the mud ; guns, great quantities of stores, and
ballast, were thrown overboard ; and, in the course
of the day, they gained the mouth of the Charente,
leaving about eighty buoys over their anchors, guns,
and other articles which hud been thrown overboard,

x2

308 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII

and which our frigates and boats cut away. Sir
Edward sent a large party of marines ashore on the
Isle d'Aix, who completely destroyed the new works
which the French had there erected ; and thus was
this powerful armament in effect totally destroyed for
the present year, while the unexpected visit fully
answered the purpose which Mr. Pitt had in view, —
that of harassing the enemy along his coasts, of em-
ploying the French troops in the protection of their
several ports, and thus preventing them sending
reinforcements to the armies on the Continent, which
they otherwise might be disposed to do.

Mr. Pitt was not a minister to be disheartened by
a first failure when he had in view the accomplish-
ment of a great object. He conceived that a measure
calculated to throw obstructions in the way of the
enemy, desirous of recruiting his forces on the Con-
tinent, was the best policy to be pursued by this
country. Conformably with this idea, and notwith-
standing the little success of the former expedition
against Rochfort, he resolved to follow up the plan of
creating alarm, by attacking and destroying his har-
bours, defences, magazines, and shipping, together
with all kind of buildings of a public nature. This
he considered the surest way of keeping their troops
employed at home, and perhaps of compelling them
to recall a part of those already with the continental
armies. In addition to these motives, there was an-
otlicr, though of minor importance, llie French,

1758.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 309

elated at our former failure, announced, as they had
done before, that vast preparations were making ])y
them at St. Maloes and other parts of the coast for
the invasion of Jersey and Guernsey.

IMr. Pitt communicated verbally to Lord Anson his
view of the naval forces that would be required,
and when they ought to be in readiness to proceed,
giving him to understand, that he expected no delay
would take place, nor any avoidable obstruction to
their departure at the time specified. Every exertion
was made to comply with the ministers' wishes ; and
on the 27tli May the whole of the naval force was
assembled at Spitliead. It consisted of two separate
fleets, or squadrons, the one composed of twenty-two
sail-of-the-line and nine frigates, the command of
which, at the particular desire of IMr. Pitt, Avas
taken by Lord Anson himself, who hoisted his flag
in the Royal George, of one hundred guns. Of
this fleet he appointed Sir Edward Hawke second in
command. The other squadron consisted of one
ship-of-the-line, four of fifty guns, ten frigates, five
sloops, two fire-ships, and two bomb-ketches, the
command of which was conferred on the Hon. Cap-
tain Howe, the only man, according to \^^olfe, who
distinguished himself on the former occasion, and
"was an example to all." Such a man was not likely
to be passed over either by Pitt or Lord Anson.
The latter, indeed, might consider him as one of his
own, though the storm ofl" Cape Horn prevented him
from sharing in his fortunes.

310 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

The intention of the grand fleet was to cruise off
Brest, and to cover the squadron under Commodore
Howe, so that the enemy might not he able to
interrupt or disturb his operations, on whom, in fact,
depended the accomplishment of the main object of
the expedition. To Howe was intrusted the charge
of embarkation and management of the wliole mili-
tary preparations. The army consisted of fourteen
thousand men, divided into five brigades, each under
the orders of a major-general. The command of this
sreat force Avas conferred on Lieutenant-General the
Duke of Marlborouo-h, under whom were Lieutenant-
Generals Lord George Sackville and the Earl of
Ancram, Major-Generals Waldegrave, Mostyn,
Drury, Boscawen, and Granville Elliot (afterwards
Lord Heathfield).

On the 1st June Lord Anson made the signal
to weigh, and steered down Channel ; shortly after
Commodore Howe's squadron also weighed, and
stood directly across the Channel. On the morning
of the 2nd, Howe's squadron was off Cape la Hogue,
but the weather being stormy, and the tides rapid in
this part of the coast, it was the 5th before he reached
Concale Bay, Avhere it was intended to land tJie
troops. Howe had his broad pendant in the Essex,
as being more adapted for the kind of navigation he
had to encounter ; but, finding she drew too much
Avater, he shifted it into the Success, and Avitli three
sloops stood in close to the shore, to cover the troops
on their disenibarldng, to scour the beach, and silence

1758.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 311

a battery that was meant to defend it. The enemy
immediately fled, and the inhabitants deserted their
houses. Hence the Duke ordered his forces to march
to St. Maloes, in the neighbourhood of wliich they
encamped ; but, having reconnoitred the works of
the town, it was stated that they were capable of
standing a siege for a month ; and, as intelligence was
received of a vast number of troops pouring down to
the coast, the Duke of Marlborough contented him-
self with destroying the ships, the public buildings,
and magazines filled with naval stores of all descrip-
tions, at the two suburbs of St. Servaud and Solidore,
by setting fire to them, which caused a tremendous
conflagration, that lasted the whole night.

The property destroyed consisted of thirteen or
fourteen ships-of-war, about seventy merchant-vessels,
a large number of small craft, an inmiense quantity
of pitch, oil, hemp, cordage, plank, and every species
of naval stores ; the value of the whole consumed
being estimated at something not far short of a million
sterling. From the strength of St. Maloes, and the
assemblage of the enemy's forces, it was deemed
expedient to return to Concale Bay, where the troops
were reimbarked ; and hence, after several unsuccess-
ful attempts to get out to sea, on account of the
wind and bad weather, they at length, on the 21st
June, were able to proceed off Havre ; but here they
found the enemy so well prepared, that they bore
away for Cherburg. Arrangements were speedily

312 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

made for landing ; but, when everything was ready
for a descent, a gale of wind sprung up, blowing
directly upon the shore, and making so great a surf,
that it was deemed impracticable, and the transports,
with the utmost difficulty, were got safe out of the
roadstead.

On the return of the expedition, the forces were
landed on the Isle of Wight. ]\Ir. Pitt, so far from
expressing any disappointment, was quite satisfied
at the alarm which it had occasioned, and the di-
version which had been made of the French land-
forces. Howe was sent for to town, and the result
was, to prepare, without loss of time, as the summer
was but just set in, for another descent on the coast
of France, that the enemy might have no respite from
that state of alarm, which these hostile visits had
spread over the country, and which were not a little in-
creased by the fleet of Anson hovering along the coast
from Brest to Rochfort. The Duke of JMarlborough,
Lord George Sackville, and the other general officers,
had no great taste for this species of maritime war-
fare, and volunteered to take reinforcements for the
allied army in Germany, Lieutenant- General Bligh
was recalled from Ireland, and appointed to the
command of the land-forces to be emj)loyed on the
new expedition. He was a man advanced in life,
had seen good service, but was considered too old
for the severe duties that were now likely to be re-
quired of him. The troops were speedily endjarked :

1758.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 313

on the 1st August the expedition sailed from St.
Helen's ; and on the 6th came to anchor in Cher-
burg Road. The Commodore, with General Bligh,
and the other general officers, having reconnoitred the
shore, found the place much strengthened since
the last visit, and a large body of the enemy assem-
bled. Howe therefore moved the fleet to Marais
Bay, drove them out of their entrenchments, landed
the troops, who, after having scoured the country
before them, marched in two columns direct for
Cherburg, which the General entered without oppo-
sition, the enemy retiring from the town, and aban-
doning the villages and works along the coast as he
advanced.

The fort and the several works being secured, the
General gave orders to the engineers to demolish the
piers, which formed the entrance into the harbour,
the walls of the basin, the slips and docks, magazines
and storehouses. Upwards of one hundred and sixty
iron guns and some mortars were rendered useless,
or thrown over the batteries into the basin, and the
batteries destroyed. Twenty-two brass cannon and
two mortars were embarked in one of the enemy's
ships taken in the harbour, and sent to England.
From twenty to thirty vessels of different kinds were
carried off, or sunk in the entrance of the harbour ;
and, after the undisturbed process of demolition was
completed, conformably with the instructions of the
Secretary of State, on the 17th the fleet crossed over
to Portland Roads to refit and refresh.

314 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

The brass cannon, after being exhibited to the public
some time in Hyde Park, were drawn through the city
in pompous procession, amidst the joyful acclamations
of the people, and lodged in the Tower. The success
of this expedition was favourably considered by Mr.
Pitt, and generally by the public, after the failure
before Rochfort. Lady Anson, however, appears to
be rather jocose on the subject, "To be sure," she
says, "war has its advantages, particularly in the
fine sights its triumphs afford, of which to-day has
seen one, in the noble procession of nearly three hun-
dred dray-horses with the twenty Cherburg cannon,
which all the Johns and Joans in town, who have
kept Hyde Park like a fliir for some days, are con-
vinced must be the first brass ones that ever were seen
in England. I had a great mind to have them sent to
Woolwich, where there lies near two hundred, which
my Lord took and never showed to anybody." Li
another letter, written after the failure of the next
and last expedition, she says — " This unhappy news
arrived just in time to set off by reflection the pro-
cession of dray-horses on Saturday. I never under-
stood, till since, the reason of its Iraving been so long
delayed, nor why they were carried through the
Horse Guards and over Westminster J5ridge ; but it
seems Saturday was the day of the Southwark fair,
and, as the colours were sent to delight the city,
these were intended to charm the borough.

No time Avas lost in the prc})aration for completing
the minister's instructions, which Averc to consider

1758.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 315

Granville as the next object of attack ; but, as Cher-
burg required no longer any of the enemy's forces,
and intelligence was received that 10,000 of their
troops were assembled in its neighbourhood, the
attack on Granville was given up, and also that on
Morlaix, advices having been sent to them from Eng-
land, that the French, in consequence of Anson's
appearance before Brest, had assembled a large army
in that neighbourhood. On consultation, therefore,
it Avas decided that the landing should be effected in
the bay of St. Lunaire, thence to march upon St.
JMaloes, being about two leagues to the eastward ;
but the fleet, experiencing stormy Aveather, was
obliged to take refuge in Weymouth Roads_, from
Avhence, on its moderating, they again proceeded,
on the 3rd September, and anchored in St. Lunaire
Bay, where, on the following day, the troops were
landed without opposition. The General, Commo-
dore Howe, and Prince Edward (Duke of York),
proceeded to a village about three miles from St.
JMaloes to reconnoitre the position intended to be
taken up. They were fired at from a neighbouring
fort, and a shot fell close to the Prince's feet. The
boisterous state of the weather made it dang-erous
for the fleet to remain in St. Lunaire, and the Com-
modore thought it right to inform the General that, if
the westerly gales continued, it would not be possible
to reimbark the troops at that place ; and that, for
this purpose, it would be expedient the ships and

316 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIL

transports should move round to the hay of St. Cas,
where there was good shelter and a sandy heach.

The intended attack on St. Maloes was therefore
given up, and the troops began their march across the
country to St. Cas. In this march they were ha-
rassed by parties of men concealed in the woods and
villages. At Martignan the General received inform-
ation from some deserters, that the French were in
great force between that place and St. Cas. It after-
wards appeared that an army of 10,000 men had
been collected, under the command of the Due
d'Aiguillon. In the mean time Commodore Howe
anchored his squadron and transports in the bay of
St. Cas. The troops made their appearance, and
immediately afterwards the French were seen on the
heights, but refrained from molesting the embarka-
tion, until the rear-guard only were left on the beach.
They then brought their field-pieces to bear, and a
dreadful slaughter ensued, both on the beach and in
the boats, though they were covered by an incessant
fire from the frigates, sloops, and bombs. About 700
men were missing, of whom near 500 were prisoners,
and the rest killed. Among the latter were General
Drurv and several other officers, and of the former
Lord Frederick Cavendish of the Guards, and Cap-
tains Rowley, Mapleden, Paston, Elphinstone, and
Duff, of the navy.

Such Avas the unfortunate termination of these
shore expeditions, but which, hoAvever, had the effi^ct

1758.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 317

that Mr. Pitt expected. Lord Anson, with the
squadron under his command, had continued to block
up the harl)our of Brest, during the first land ex-
pedition. Soon after his arrival on his station, Sir
Edward Hawke was seized with a fever and obliged
to return to England. The Admiral therefore
formed his fleet into three divisions, and appointed
Captains Cornish and Geary commodores. These
and his smaller cruisers cleared the sea of the enemy's
trading vessels, which amounted to few, but mostly
coasters. The Admiral returned to Plymouth Sound
on the 19tli July, where the third littoral expedi-
tion was fitting out ; and, having taken in water and
provisions, he sailed again on the 22nd, having been
joined by Rear-Admiral Holmes, who hoisted his
flag in the Ramillies, and, about the end of August,
by Rear-Admiral Saunders with his flag in the Nep-
tune. The three Admirals continued cruising till the
middle of September, Avhen Commodore Howe had
finished his campaigns on the coast of France. Lord
Anson and Rear-Admiral Holmes, with the greater
part of the squadron, then returned to England,
leaving the rest, under Admiral Saunders, to block
up Brest, and to endeavour to fall in with and inter-
cept the French squadron expected to be on its re-
turn from Quebec. Having continued on this ser-
vice till the middle of December, he returned with
his squadron to Portsmouth.

The cruising ships in the Channel and to the west-

318 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VII.

ward made great havoc among the privateers of the
enemy, two or three of which were such fine and
powerful ships, that they were purchased into the
navy ; several large and valuable merchantmen from
the West Indies and America also fell into the hands
of our cruisers. Captain Denis of the Dorsetshire,
one of Anson's former lieutenants, had the good for-
tune, after a close engagement of nearly two hours,
to capture the Raisonable, a French ship-of-war of
64 guns and 630 men, commanded by the Prince de
Mombazon, Chevalier de Rohan, who had 61 men
killed and 100 wounded in the action ; the Dorset-
shire 15 killed and 20 wounded. She was a fine
new ship, was purchased by the government, and
added to the list of the navy under her own name.
She struck to the Achilles, Captain Barrington, on
his coming up and firing a few shot.

A brilliant action was fought in the Mediterranean
between the Monmouth of 64 guns, Captain Arthur
Gardiner, and the Foudroyant of 84 guns and 800
men, commanded by M. du Quesne, chef d'escadre.
Captain Gardiner was wounded in the arm by the
first broadside, and soon after, when encouracinir his
men to exert themselves in the unequal contest, was
shot dead by a ball striking his forehead. Lieutenant
Casket maintained the contest most gallantly, when,
at the end of about four hours, the enemy being a
complete wreck, her decks a scene of dreadful car-
nage, and her fire nearly silenced, on the Swiftsiire

1758.] EXPEDITIONS TO FRENCH COAST. 319

and Hampton Court coming up, she struck her
colours, having 100 men killed and 90 wounded.
The IMonmouth had 28 killed and 79 wounded. The
Foudroyant was the favourite ship so long com-
manded by Sir John Jervis, and in which he captured
Le Pegase.

320 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.
SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759.

Preparations for the campaign of 1759 — Threats of the invasion of
England, Scotland, and Ireland— Measures taken to meet it —
Thurot escapes from Dunkirk — takes Carrickfergus — is met by
Elliot, who captures his three frigates — Thurot killed in the ac-
tion— Rodney attacks Havre — Anecdote of Rodney— Boscaw6n's
action with the fleet under M. de la Clue— defeats it— De la Clue
wounded, and dies — The glorious defeat of Conttans' fleet by the
gallant Sir Edward Hawke— Extract of his letter to the Due d'Ai-
guillon — Joy of the nation — Hawke receives the thanks of the King,
and a pension of 2000/. a-year on the Irish Establishment — Re-
ceives also the thanks of Parliament— Hawke no friend to the line-
of-battle— Expedition against Quebec— Sir Charles Saunders ap-
pointed to command the tleet, and General Wolfe the army —
Jealousy of the army on the appointment of the latter — Operations
on the St. Lawrence— Quebec taken — Wolfe killed— Noble con-
duct of Saunders on reaching England— Praise of Wolfe by Pitt
in proposing a public monument — also of Saunders by Pitt and
Walpole— Rewards to officers, by appointing generals and colonels
of marines— Capture of Martinique— Gallant conduct of Admiral
Pocock in the East Indies.

During the whole of this year, the war agamst
France was prosecuted with the greatest vigour hy
tlie navy hoth at home and ahroad ; Parhanient
having voted for the sea-service 60,000 men, includ-
ing 14,845 marines. Anson was indefatigable in
getting the fleet and squadrons well e(|uipj)ed, offi-
cered, and manned, and he selected the choicest
flag-ollicers to connnand them — Sir Edward Hawke,

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 3*21

the Hon. Edward Boscuwen, Sir Charles Saunders,
Sir Charles Hardy; tlie Vice-Admirals Brodrick,
Cotes, and Pocock ; and the Rear- Admirals Rodney,
Geary, Holmes, Durell, and Stevens, being all em-
ployed. To these may also be added, Commodore
Sir Piercy Brett, Captains Denis, Howe, Keppel,
and Byron, associates with Anson in the South Seas ;
and it must have been most gratifying to the noble
lord, as well as to themselves, that all of these
old companions were selected by the gallant Hawke
to serve under his immediate eye, in the centre divi-
sion of the Channel fleet, consisting of twenty-seven
sail-of-tlie-line and thirteen frigates. IMost of his
other captains were such as had opportunities of
distinpuishino- themselves in the course of the last
three years of the present, as they since did in future
wars.

The judicious choice of commanders, together with
the excellent condition of the fleet, which Hawke
was appointed to command, added to the high re-
putation Anson had acquired, as head of the naval
department, and, above all, the energetic and decisive
part which ^Mr. Pitt took, as Secretary of State,
had inspired confidence into the public mind,
raised the spirit of the nation, and enabled the
government, without nmch opposition in Parliament,
to send assistance to our continental allies ; at
the same time ample protection was afforded to our
colonies in every part of the world, and some of the

Y

322 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cH. VIII-

most important and valuable ones of the enemy fell
into our possession. On the other hand, the French,
having succeeded, in the year 1756, by their threats of
invasion, in intimidating the government of that day,
and induce it to keep a larger naval force at home than
was required, began, early in the present year, again
to put in practice the same kind of artifice, and to
promulgate their intention of invading England,
Scotland, and Ireland at the same time. To give
more effect to this oft repeated threat, active pre-
parations were carrying on in their several ports for
the execution of this avowed purpose : but Mr. Pitt
was not a man to be disheartened by threats or de-
monstrations, both of which were liberally resorted
to ; and to add strength to the sincerity of their in-
tentions, a large body of troops was assembled at
Vannes in Lower Brittany, under the command of
the Due d'Aiguillon, and a multitude of transports
assembled in the Morbihan to convey them to their
destination, A squadron of ships of war, under the
command of JVI. de la Clue, was likewise api)ointed to
join another assembled at Brest, and conunanded by
M. de Conflans. These cond)ined squadrons were
specially appointed to escort the fleet of trans])orts,
crowded with troops, to the shores of Ireland.

For the invasion of England, an army was assem-
bled on the coast of Normandy, and vast prepara-
tions made for its embarkation at Havre de Grace,
in vessels draAving little water, and capable each of

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 323

conveying across the Channel from three to four
hundred men — a sort of praams, not unlike those
prepared in after-times by Buonaparte at Boulogne ;
and they seem to have been looked upon, pretty nmch
as they were in our time, with considerable alarm by
some, but treated with ridicule by others, especially
by naval men. The projectors of this "mosquito
fleet " calculated on slipping them out, and crossing
the Channel in the absence of our ships of war ; and
the government of France expressed their sanguine
expectations that, by this project, they Avould succeed
in retaliating on our recent attacks on their shores,
and with far better success.

To create an alarm in Scotland, and with the view,
at the same time, of drawing off the attention of Eng-
land from the other more formidable preparations, a
small armament was fitted out in the port of Dun-
kirk, consisting of land-forces, from fifteen hundred
to tAVO thousand men, to be escorted by a small
squadron of five frigates, under the command of M.
Thurot, a man not regularly brought up to the naval
service, but one who had greatly distinguished him-
self as master of a privateer. He was of an active
and enterprising turn of mind, and well acquainted
with the ports of the North Sea and Ireland, on
which he had been successful in capturing the coast-
ing trade, and had rendered himself well known —
in short, a kind of prototype of Paul Jones.

To Lord Anson and his Board was of course in-

y2

324 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cH. VIIL

trusted the charge of preparing and makhig a proper
distribution of the naval force, so as to meet, and, if
possible, defeat, these several formidable projects,
which the enemy had planned for the invasion of
Eno-land, Scotland and Ireland at the same time ;
with the view, no doubt, of inflicting on each part of
the United Kinmlom as much distress and destruction
as their successful landing might enable them to do.
To Rear- Admiral Rodney was given the command
of a squadron consisting of one sixty-gun ship, four
of fifty guns, and six frigates, with five or six bondj-
ketches, to watch the motions of that portion of the
enemy's ships and transj)orts in Havre de Grace
destined for the invasion of England. Commodore
Boys was employed to block up the port of Dunkirk
with a squadron consisting of two fifty-gun ships,
two forty-six gun frigates, and two sloops ; but
the sagacious Thurot found means to slip out with five
frigates, on the 12tli October, when the Connnodore
was forced from his station. Finding he had proceeded
to the northward. Commodore Boys closely pursued
him ; but he had the good fortune to reach the port
of Gottenl)urg 1)efore he was overtaken. Here he re-
mained for the Avinter, and his absence put an end to
the projected expedition from Dunkirk.

Thurot, however, was of too bold and enterprising
a character to be thus defeated. He therefore, in
the early part of the following year, 1760, left Got-
tenburg, and proceeded for the coast of Ireland ; but

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 325

after encounterini:^ boisterous weather and severe
gales of wind, Avliicli reduced his five frigates to three,
he appeared before the town of Carrickfergus on the
20th February, which, after a resolute defence by a
few invalids, under Lieutenant-Colonel Jennings,
was obliged to surrender to this daring adventurer.
Having replenished his ships and refreshed their creAVS,
he levied contributions on the town, spiked the few
guns on the fort, and tlien took his departure. Cap-
tain Jolin Elliot of the ^olus, with two other frigates,
the Pallas and Brilliant, having received intelligence
at Kinsale of Thurot's visit to Carrickfergus, put to
sea in quest of him. He fortunately fell in with him
on the morning of the 28th oft' the Isle of IMan,
brought him to close action, which continued with
great bravery on both sides for an hour and a half,
when the three French frigates, the Marishal de
Belleisle of forty-four, Le Blonde of thirty-six, and
La Terpsichore of twenty-four, struck their colours.
The brave Thurot, for brave he unquestionably was,
fell in the action, with a great number of men. His
ownship was so much shattered that it was with diffi-
she could be kept afloat till Elliot with his prizes
readied Ramsay Bay in the Isle of IMan, when, having
refitted his now doubled squadron, he proceeded to
England, where shortly after he and his captains
received the thanks of Parliament for the important
service they had performed.

The following extract of Elliot's letter to his
brother, gives an account of the action briefly, in a

326 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIIL

plain, seamanlike style : — " On the 28th he came
out Avith his three ships, and we were fortunate
enough to fall in with him at daylight in the morn-
ing coming towards us ; he afterwards ran for it, and
we followed. Ahout nine o'clock we got up with
the Marishal Belleisle, and ran him directly on
board, which carried his bowsprit away. The Bril-
liant and Pallas were just at hand; and I was no
sooner clear than they both gave him a broadside or
two a-piece, and went on to the two fresh sliips,
leaving the JMarishal to me. I ran him alongside
airain, and after that boarded him a second time, and
Forbes went on board, and struck her colours. The
Blonde fell on board me at the same time : however,
to make short, we took them all in an hour and a
half, with very little loss — six killed, and between
twenty and thirty Avounded. The enemy lost their
Commander Thurot, and between two and three
hundred wounded."

This action, and many others in the course of the
Avar, shoAv that bravery alone is not sufficient, but
rerpiires to be aided by skill, good seamanship, and
that undaunted and resolute courage, inherent iji Bri-
tish seamen, but Avhich, in French sailors, generally
gives Avay Avhen closely pressed — always Avhen
boarded.

When the fleet of praams in Havre de Grace had
assumed the appearance of readiness, the Admi-
ralty ordered Rear-Admiral Rodney (j)romoted to
that rank in th<i early part of this year) to proceed

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 327

with liis little squadron and bomb-ketches to bom-
bard that port, and use every means in his power to
destroy them, together with the magazines. On the
3rd July he anchored in the road, and, having ar-
ranged the bomb-ketches at the proper distance,
began the same evening to throw shells into the town
and among the flotilla in the basin. The result of
this service is best explained by the gallant Admiral's
othcial letter : —

"Achilles, off Havre de Grace,
"Sir, JulyQ,\15Q.

"His Majesty's ships and bombs under my command
sailed from St. Helen's on the morning of the 2nd instant,
and, with a favourable wind and moderate weather, anchored
the day following in the Great Road of Havre; when,
having made the dispositions to put their Lordships' orders
in execution, the bombs proceeded to place themselves in
the narrow channel of the river leading to Honfleur, it
being the most proper and only place to do execution from.
About seven in the evening two of the bombs were stationed,
as were all the rest early next morning, and continued to
bombard for fifty-two hours without intermission, with such
success, that the town was several times in flames, and their
magazines of stores for the flat-bottomed boats burnt with
great fury for upwards of six hours, notwithstanding the con-
tinual efforts of several hundred men to extinguish it. Many
of the boats were overturned and damaged by the explosion
of the shells. During the attack the enemy's troops ap-
peared very numerous, were continually erecting new bat-
teries, and throwing up intrenchments. Their consternation
was so great that all the inhabitants forsook the town.

328 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

" Notwithstanding this smart bombardment, I have the
pleasure to acquaint you that the damage done us by the
enemy has been ^ very inconsiderable, though numbers of
their shot and shells fell and burst among the bombs and
boats. I am, &c.

"S. Rodney."

After this the Admiral continued to blockade the
port of Havre for the remainder of the year, and made
numerous captures of neutral ships going to that
port with naval and military stores. Thus ended
the second part of the enemy's invading project. They
hauled their damaged praams up the river, far beyond
the reach of our attack, and gave up all further design
from this quarter.

A circumstance has been brought to light, by the
inquiries that took place on the late committee on the
Pension List, which deserves to be universally known,
as it laid the foundation of Rodney's future success
and reputation ; part of the story is mentioned in
General Mundy's Life of Rodney. On the list of
pensions were the nieces of the Mareschal Due de
Biron. The committee in their report say — "The
circumstances which led to this pension are peculiar
and most interesting. The ladies who are now en-
titled to receive this pension are the nieces of the
late Mareschal Due de Biron. At the beginning of
the American war, Lord Rodney, being at Paris,
was unable to quit that city in consequence of debts
Avliich he had contracted. Under these circumstances

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 329

the late IMaresclial Due de Biron voluntarily came
forward, and advanced a sufficient sum to dischari^e
those engagements, and set Lord Rodney free ;
feeling, as was stated, ' a loyal indignation that any
individuals of the French nation should seem to take
advantage of the absence of one of their adversary's
best and most valiant commanders, in consequence of
the circumstances in which he was unfortunately
placed.' Lord Rodney returned to London, and Avas
appointed conniiander-in-chief on the Leeward Island
station in 1779. It is stated in the Life of Lord
Rodney, that, after the victory of the 12th April
(1782), the population of Paris exhibited the utmost
resentment and indignation against the Mareschal
Due de Biron, vehemently reproaching him for
having brought the calamity upon his country, and
even proceeding to threats of personal violence;
to Avhicli the Mareschal replied, that he gloried in the
man whose liberty he had effected, and in the victory
which he had so nobly won.

*•' Many years afterwards, the nieces of the Due de
Biron being at Windsor, his late Majesty, King
George III., commanded that they should be intro-
duced to him, and personally conferred this pension
upon them ; wishing, as he stated, by such means, to
pay the debt of gratitude which England owed to the
family of the Mareschal Due de Biron."

If this pension had been taken aAvay, as one or two
members of the committee wished it to be, this coun-

330 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [OH. VIH.

try would have stood disgraced in the eyes of all
Europe ; but, thanks to the honest and right-minded
feeling of a great majority of the committee, such
a disgrace has happily been avoided.

After the destruction of the preparations at Havre
by Rodney, the next step was, as a matter of the first
importance, to prevent the junction of the Toulon
fleet, under M. de la Clue, with that at Brest under
M. Conflans. For this purpose, Vice-Admiral
Brodrick was ordered with a squadron to proceed off
Toulon, where he was joined, on the 16th May, by
Admiral Boscawen, whose fleet then amounted to
thirteen sail-of-the-line, two fifties, and ten or twelve
frigates. Having kept this station till the beginning
of July, and seeing no prospect of the French fleet
coming out while he remained before Toulon, he pro-
ceeded to Salo bay to water and refresh the crews,
after which he retired to Gibraltar, placing a ship on
each side of the eastern entrance of the Strait, to give
notice of the approach of the enemy, should he venture
out. On the 17th August the Gibraltar discovered
the French fleet close to the Barbary coast, consisting
of eleven sail-of-the-line, two fifties, and two frigates.
At seven the next morning Boscawen got sight of
seven of the enemy's ships to the westward, and made
the signal for a general chase. Our ships came up
fast with the enemy, and at two in the afternoon the
headmost commenced a close action ; soon after the
ena-airement became ireneral. Admiral Boscawen in

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 331

the Namur attacked M. de la Clue in the Ocean ; but
the Namur, after about half an hour's engagement
had her mizenmast and both topsail-yards shot away,
and thus disal)led, was thrown out of the action.
When De La Chie perceived this, he made an
attempt to get away, with liis squadron, setting
all the sail they couhl carry ; the Centaur, however,
having lost her fore and main-topmasts, was obliged
to strike, after standing the brunt of the battle.
The moment that the Namur fell astern, Boscawen
got into his barge and rowed with all possible haste
on board the Newark, hoisted his flag in her, and
pursued the enemy, till he lost sight of them in
the night. In the morning four sail only were
visible. On coming up with them, the Ocean ran
amono; the breakers; and the Admiral sent the
American and Intrepid to destroy her. M. de la
Clue, Avith one leo- broken and the other wounded,
had been carried on shore, and soon after died of his
wounds : the Ocean was set on fire. The Warspite
was ordered to proceed against the Temeraire, at
anchor, and brought her off. Vice- Admiral Brodrick
and his division engaged two other ships, and captured
the IModeste of sixty-four guns. The Redoubtable
of seventy-four guns, being bilged, was set on fire.
Our loss amounted to fifty-six men killed and one hun-
dred and ninety-six wounded.

The result then of this running fight was, three
line-of-battle ships captured, the Centaur, Temeraire,

332 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

and Modeste, and two destroyed, the Ocean and Re-
doubtable. Boscawen used every possible exertion
to bring the whole of De la Clue's fleet to action, and
Avas not well pleased that the conduct of some of the
captains did not correspond with his own. He was
heard to say, the day after the battle, " It is well,
but it might have been a great deal better." He
sent his captain, Buckle, home with an account of
his success. He was most graciously received by
the King, who ordered him a present of 500/. to buy
a sword. The Admiral soon followed, leaving a
great part of the squadron under Vice-Admiral
Brodrick, who, conformably with his orders, repaired
oft the port of Cadiz to block up that portion of De
la Clue's squadron that had taken shelter there. The
King Avas highly pleased with the conduct of Bos- ,
cawen, and showed him many tokens of his regard.
He was sworn in of the most honourable Privy
Council, and the three prizes were added to the
royal navy by their proper names.

But the greatest blow of all, and that which anni-
liiL'ited the grand project, and extinguished the
hopes of the enemy, in their view of retaliation, was
struck by the gallant Sir Edward HaAvke. This
excellent officer, while he blockaded ]3rest, detached
Kmall s(|uadrons from his fleet to ^^•atcll the })roceed-
ings of the French in the several ports along the
western coast, and prevent their ships-of-war from ven-
turing out*; the trading ships that did so, and many of

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 333

those returning from abroad, were sure to be captured.
A squadron under Commodore DufF closely blocked
up the ships and transports in the Morbihan ; a
powerful detachment under Commodore Keppel was
sent to Basque Roads; and another, under Com-
modore Sir Piercy Brett, was stationed in the Downs
to watch the movements of the enemy, which, how-
ever, by the able disposition of Sir Edward Hawke's
fleet, and the vigilance of his officers, they never once
attempted to make.

On the 9th November a violent gale of wind from
the westAvard compelled Sir Edward Hawke to quit
his station, and take refuge in Torbay. During his
absence M. de Bompart, with his returning squadron
and convoy, got safe into Brest, instead of falling into
our hands, as lie certainly would have done, had the
British fleet been able to keep its station a few days
longer. The blockade of Brest has always been at-
tended with this advantage in fiivour of the French : —
the same wind that forces the blockading squadron
to retire from the coast, is a fair Avind for carrying
the enemy's fleets in ; and, on the contrary, when the
blockading squadron is driven from the coast, or
obliged to seek shelter in Torbay, the blockaded fleet
can slip out the moment the weather moderates, and
before ours can resume their station. As usual, it so
happened on the present occasion. M. de Conflans,
judging, from the violence of the gale, that the Bri-
tish fleet had been forced to seek shelter, ventured out

334 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

from his long confinenient, on the 14th November ;
and on the same clay Sir Edward Hawke put to sea
from Torbay.

On the following morning, having fallen in with the
Gibraltar, Sir Edward was informed that the French
fleet had sailed, and were seen steering S. E., in the
direction of the island of Belleisle : he immediately
crowded all sail, and stood in the same direction, not
doubting that the object of Conflans was to release
the ships in the Morbihan, blockaded by Commodore
Duff. Contrary winds retarded his progress till the
19th, when, on becoming fair, he ordered two frigates
to go a-head of the fleet, and to keep a good look-out,
one on the starboard, the other on the larboard
quarter. On the morning of the 20th he sent the
Mao-nanime, Captain Lord Howe, a-head to make the
land. A little after eight, the IMaidstone made the
sio-nal for a fleet in sii>;ht, and soon after the Mao--
nanime signalled that they Avere enemies. Of the
conflict that followed, many and various details have
been pubhshed, but Sir Edward Hawke's official
despatch is so clear, that the whole transaction is
brouo-ht under the eye of the reader. An abstract
will here suffice.

Conflans, on discovering the English fleet, after
some confusion endeavoured to form a line, but,
finding seven of the British ships advancing, he
made off"; these were the IMagnanime, Revenge,
Torbay, Montague, Resolution, Swiftsure, and De-

.1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 335

fiance. At half past two these seven ships engaged
the rear of Conflans' fleet. About four the For-
midable, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral M. de
Verger, struck to the Resolution ; soon after the
Thesee, engaged with the Magnanime, and after-
wards by the Torbay, sunk ; the Superlje also went
to the bottom, both it was supposed by persevering
to keep open their lower-deck ports. The crews of
both perished, with the exception of some twenty or
thirty men, picked up the next morning on the spars
of the wreck. The Heros struck to the IMagnanime,
but the weather was so bad she could not be taken
possession of, and both she and the Soleil Royal,
Conflans' flag-ship, ran on shore in the night ; the
Essex and Resolution, in following them, also got on
shore, and, being irrecoverably lost, were set fire to
by the Admiral's order. The Soleil Royal was also
set on fire by the French, and the Heros shared the
same fate by our own people. In the night the
enemy's fleet dispersed, some standing away to the
southward, and seven of their ships, after lightening
themselves by throwing guns and heavy articles over-
board, got into the river Villaine, over the bar, and too
high up to be reached either by shot from bombs, or
by fire-ships ; but three of them only ever got out, the
rest, being much damaged and lying on shore, were
broken up. Sir Edward observes that the loss of the
two ships (Essex and Resolution) has been owing to the
weather, not the enemy. " Our loss," he says, " by the

336 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

enemy, is not considerable, for in the ships that are
now with me, I find only one lieutenant and thirty-nine
seamen and marines killed, and about two hundred and
two wounded. When I consider the season of the year,
the hard gales of wind on the day of action, a flying
enemy, the shortness of the day, and the coast we
were on, I can boldly affirm that all, that could possibly
be done, has been done. As to the loss we have sus-
tained, let it be placed to the account of the necessity
I was under of running all risks to break this strong
force of the enemy. Had we had two hours more
daylight, the whole had been totally destroyed or
taken, for we were almost up with their van when
night overtook us."

The enemy's ship Le Heros having struck to Lord
Howe, Sir Edward sent his lordship with a letter to
the Due d'Aiguillon, in which he says, " I there-
fore claim the officers and men as prisoners, and
expect, from your Grace's known honour, that they
will be immediately delivered up to me." They had
all got on shore, and the duke seemed not disposed
to give them up. Sir Edward in his second letter
therefore says, " I can only assure your Grace that,
had a captain of a British man-of-war under my
command begged quarter, and surrendered to the
French, and afterwards run away with his ship, in
open l)reach of the rules of war, I would immediately
have delivered up the connnander to have been
treated as the forfeiture of his honour deserved. The

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 337

same I should have expected from the Due d'Ai-
guilloii, if I did not consider him as the suhject of a
state in which the will of the monarch constitutes
right and wrong."

Sir Edward Hawke sent his captain, Campbell,
with tlie news of this discomfiture of Conflans' fleet.
The joy of the nation on the receipt of it was at its
height. The idea of invasion, if any still remained in
the public mind, now entirely vanished, and nothing
but bonfires, illuminations, and general rejoicings,
were exhibited in every part of the kingdom. The
King received Captain Campbell most graciously,
and ordered 500/. for a sword to be given to him for
bringing the joyful intelligence.* On Sir EdAvard
Hawke's return to England, the first day he at-
tended in his place in the House of Commons, the

* The following anecdote is related of this honest Scotchman : —
Lord Anson, when taking him in his carriage to the King, said.
" Campbell, the King will certainly knight you, if you think proper.''
" Ti'oth, my Lord," said the ciptain, who retained his Scotch dialect
as long as he lived, " I ken nae use that will be to me." " But your
lady may like it," replied his lordship. " Weel, then," rejoined Camp-
bell, " his Majesty may knight her, if she pleases." He afterwards
acted as first captain to Keppel, who was much attached to him, in
the action of 1770"; attained the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Ked in
1787; and died in December, 1 790. " He preserved," says Charnock,
" his original simplicity of manners till his death, notwithstanding he
lived among, and mixed with, the first people in the kingdom; but
he had, withal, a dry, sarcastic mode of expression, as well as manner,
which approached so near to that in which Mr. Macklin played the
character of Sir Archy M'Sarcasm, that I have often thought that
excellent actor must have seen and copied him."

This Campbell has frequently been mistaken for the midshipman
Alexander Campbell, of the Wager, wrecked in the Pacific.

Z

338 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

Speaker thus addressed liim in the following neat
and most appropriate speech : —

" Sir Edward Hawke, The House has unanimously
resolved that their thanks be given to you for the late signal
victory obtained by you over the French fleet.

" You are now. Sir, happily returned to your country,
after a long, but most important service, and returned vic-
torious and triumphant, and full of honour. You meet the
applause of your countrymen in their minds and hearts, and
which they had manifested before, in all outward demonstra-
tions of public joy and congratulation.

" Your expedition was for the nearest and most affecting
concern to us — the immediate defence of his Majesty's
kingdoms against an enraged and disappointed enemy, me-
ditating, in their revenge our destruction at once. Your
trust, therefore. Sir, was of the highest nature ; but to which
your characters of courage, fidelity, vigilance, and abilities
were known to be equal. You soon freed us from our fears ;
and having answered all our hopes, that bravery and conduct
could give, or turbulent seas and seasons admit of — even the
last did not disturb or diminish your spirit and vigour. You
have overawed the enemy in their ports, in their chief naval
force; till shame, perhaps, or desperation brought them
forth, at last you fought them, subdued them, and in their
confusion and dismay, made those, who would escape, to
seek their security in flight and disgrace.

" Thus their long preparing invasion was then broken
and dispelled ; and which cannot but bring to our remem-
brance the design and the fate of another armada, in a for-
mer age of glory, whose defeat was at that time the safety of
England, and the lasting renown of the English navy.

" These, Sir, are your late eminent services to your

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 339

king and country, and have been now enumerated, not
from any imagination that they are unknown anywhere, or
can ever be forgotten, but that your presence with us makes
them to rise, with their first strength, in our thoughts, as the
recounting of them must give us a fresh spirit of joy in our
acknowledgements of them. Our acknowledgements, then.
Sir, you have for these past services : permit us to add to our
expectations, too, of what may be your future merit, in
defence of the rights and honour of your country, wherever
you shall again command.

" It is a very pleasing office to rne to convey these thanks
of the House to you ; and I do give you, in the name of
the Commons of Great Britain, their thanks for the late
signal victory obtained by you over the French fleet."

To this most gracious speech Sir Edward replied
briefly, and witli much modesty observed, " I own
myself greatly at a loss, as to the proper manner
of acknowledging the great honour conferred on me
by this august House, in their distinguished approba-
tion of my conduct on the 20th November last. In
doing my utmost, I only did the duty I owed to my
king and country, which ever has been, and shall be,
my greatest ambition to perform faithfully and ho-
nestly, to the best of my ability."

For this signal service the king bestowed on him
a pension of 2000/. on the Irish establishment, for his
own life, and that of his sons ; and when he waited
on his Majesty he was received with the most
distinguished marks of favour, and with thanks
for the great service he had done for his country.

z 2

340 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

During the long blockade of Brest and the ports
of the Channel, supplies of fresh provisions and
vegetables had been sent out to the fleet ; but the
bad weather, and gales of wind, which succeeded
the defeat of Conflans, made it impossible to con-
tinue them with the same regularity as before, and
the men were obliged to be put on short allowance.
All this was taken in good humour, as the occasion
of it was well understood by the seamen ; but it gave
rise to the following witty epigram : —

Ere Hawke did bang
Monsieur Conllans,

You sent us beef and beer :
Now Monsieur's beat,
We've nought to eat,

Since you have nought to fear.

Sir Edward Hawke had no p*reat affection for
fighting in line of battle, and he was probably right.
There never was, and, perhaps, never Avill be, a decisive
battle fought where the line on both sides is pre-
served, or attempted to be preserved. Such a
battle is little more than a sort of field-day : the
two lines proceed parallel to each other at a cer-
tain distance, within cannon-shot, fire at each otiier
in passing, tack or wear, or wheel round, going
through the same process, consuming daylight in
their several manoeuvres, and separating, each their
own way in the evening. It is absolutely necessary
that a large fleet should form the line, in order to
keep the ships together, and each in its own divi-

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 341

sioii, that tlie Commander-in-Chief may know where
to find them ; but Hawke, like Nelson, thought
only of attacking the first ship of his opponent
he might be able to come up with. The plan of
Rodney, Howe, St. Vincent, and Nelson, dashing
through the enemy's line, and throwing it into con-
fusion, and then attacking ship to ship, is the sure way
of arriving at a decisive result. IMr. Charles Dupin,
Avho knows more of naval matters than most of the
French officers, and is now' in the department of the
minister of marine, successfully ridicules what he
terms *^ the pious respect of his countrymen for the
sacred order of the line of battle," to which he'^says,
" the combined fleets were sacrificed at Trafalgar."
While Nelson advanced in two close columns, to over-
whelm the centre of this " sacred line," the two wings
remained immovable : they were " in line," (he says,)
" and that was enough ; and in this position they
looked on, ' avec une effrayante impassibilite,' until
the centre was destroyed — then, and not till then,
forgetting all respect for the sacred order of the line,
they thought, not of seeking to remedy any part of
the evil, but of making their escape."

Rear-Admiral Durell, who, after the reduction of
Louisburg, retired with his scpiadron to Halifax, put
to sea in the spring of the year, with the view of
intercepting any supplies which the French might
send out for the garrison of Quebec. Rear-Admiral
Holmes was sent from England, early in the spring,
with a reinforcement to join Rear-Admiral DiireJl ;

342 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

and as the enemy had been so completely subdued
at home, the government determined to strike a blow
at their foreign possessions ; and with this view
Admiral Sir Charles Saunders was despatched from
England in the Neptune, of ninety guns, to take
command of the fleet in North America ; and, in
conjunction with the land-forces under Major-Ge-
neral Wolfe, who embarked with him, to lay siege
to Quebec. Having touched at Louisburg, and the
General and troops having re -embarked, a junction
was formed ^vith the ships assembled, under the
command of Rear- Admiral Durell, ^^dien the com-
bined fleets amounted to twenty sail-of-the-line, two
fifties, and thirteen frigates, besides sloops, bombs,
and fire-ships.

The appointment by Air. Pitt of so young a
major-general as Wolfe, to command the land-forces,
caused much the same kind of jealousy and dis-
pleasure in the army, as was felt by the navy
when Anson first gave the command of a powerful
squadron to Hawke ; but the result proved how well
the two ministers knew the men they selected for
their respective commands. The same thing hap-
pened afterwards, when Lord St. Vincent gave to
Nelson the Mediterranean command. Sir John
Orde was indignant at being passed over, and wrote
a remonstrance to Lord Spencer, sending, very pro-
perly, a co})y of it to Lord St. Vincent. The Earl
told him in reply, " that those who are responsible
fur measures have an undoubted right to appoint

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 343

tlie men they prefer to carry them into execution."
It may here be noticed that, in February, 1755,
Mr. Jervis received his first commission as lieu-
tenant from Lord Anson, who also placed him on
the present occasion in the Neptune.

On the 1st June the expedition left Louisburg,
and on tlie 23rd the whole fleet got up to the Island
of Codre, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where they
found Rear- Admiral Durell and his squadron. Sir
Charles hoisted his flag in the Stirling Castle, and,
with the fleet and troops, proceeded higher up the
Gulf, and on the 26th anchored off the Island of
Orleans. General Monckton took up a post at Point
Levi, to dislodge the enemy from thence, who, on the
1st July, sent down from Quebec three floating bat-
teries, with which they cannonaded this post, till
driven away by Captain Lindsay of the Trent.
General Wolfe visited Levi, and caused batteries to
be erected for cannonading Quebec across the river.
Returning to Orleans, he embarked the army on the
9th July, and early in the morning made a descent
on the north shore, below the falls of JMontmorenci,
under cover of the Porcupine sloop and Boscawen
armed ship. Sir Charles had appointed Lieut, Jervis
(afterwards Lord St. Vincent) to command the Por-
cupine, and here commenced a friendship between
Wolfe and him, two congenial spirits, which was,
alas ! too soon destined to cease.

The detail of the operations are clearly and dis-

344 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

tinctly stated by General Wolfe, in a letter to Mv,
Pitt, of the 3rd September ; and those of the navy
equally so by Sir Charles Saunders to the same
minister. A few extracts from the latter Avill suffice.
Having mentioned that, on the 2Sth June, at mid-
night, the enemy sent down from Quebec seven fire-
ships, he observes, that though our ships and trans-
ports were so numerous, and necessarily spread over
so great apart of the Channel, they were all towed
clear, and ran aground, without any part of the fleet re-
ceiving the least damage from them ; and on the 20th
July lie adds, — " At midnight the enemy sent down
a raft of fire-stages, of near a hundred radeaux, Avhich
succeeded no better than their fire-ships."

On the 5th August, in the night, the admiral des-
patched twenty flat-boats up the river, to embark
twelve hundred and sixty of the troops, with Brigadier-
General IMurray ; and also sent up Admiral Holmes
to act in concert with him, who was ordered to
use his best endeavours to get at and destroy the
enemy's ships above the town. " The enemy," Sir
Charles says, "appears to be numerous, and to be
strongly posted ; but let the event be what it will,
we shall remain here as long as the season of the
year will permit, in order to prevent their detaching
troops from hence against General Andierst. The
town of Quebec is not habitable, being almost en-
tirely burnt and destroyed. I sliould have written to
you sooner fr()in hence ; but A\hile my despatches

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 315

were preparing, General Wolfe Avas taken very ill :
he lias been better since, but is still greatly out of
order."

This sickness of Wolfe created, among the
troops, as great uneasiness as that which was occa-
sioned, in the public mind at home, by the receipt
of the despatches, in which the dijfficulties and
delay A^ere described as far beyond what had
been anticipated. On his return to the camp a
universal joy was felt in the whole army ; and the
General formed his plan, in concert with the Ad-
miral, for striking the decisive blow. On the 12th
September, all being ready, Wolfe issued a general
order to the troops, which thus concludes : — " The
officers and men will remember what their country
expects from them, and what a determined body of
soldiers, inured to war, is capable of doing against
five weak French battalions, mingled Avith disorderly
peasantry. The soldiers must be attentive and
obedient to their officers, and resolute in the execu-
tion of their duty." It AAould be out of place here to
enter upon a detail of the landing, and the disposition
of the troops, and of the several regiments that com-
posed tlie two lines and the reserve : it is sufficient to
state that, on the morning of the I3th, the tAvo
armies under Wolfe and Montcalm, respectively,
Avere in motion : the French having advanced briskly
Avithin musket-shot, began to fire, but the British
troops reserved theirs until the enemy had approached
Avithin thirty yards. They then kept up their fire

346 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

with such effect, that the enemy gave way, and our
men, under cover of the smoke, pursued and
charged them Avith fixed bayonets. At this time
General Wolfe, exerting himself at the head of the
Louisbure: Grenadiers, received his mortal wound ;
and M. de Montcalm was also mortally wounded,
and carried off the field. The command now devolved
on Briii-adier Townsend. Sir Charles Saunders had
already brought up his large ships with the intention
of attacking the town, which being perceived by the
governor of Quebec, he sent out, on the 17th, a fiag
of truce, with offers to surrender ; and terms of
capitulation were soon agreed upon.

General Townsend, in his letter to Mr. Secretary
Pitt, says — " I should not do justice to the admirals
and the naval service, if I neglected this occasion of
acknowledging how much we are indebted for our
success to the constant assistance and support re-
ceived from them, and the perfect harmony and cor-
respondence which have prevailed throughout all our
operations ; — in the uncommon difficulties which the
nature of this country, in particular, presents to mili-
tary operations of a great extent, and which no army
of itself can solely supply ; the immense labour in
artillery, stores, and provisions ; the long watchings
and attendance in boats ; the drawing up our artillery
by the seamen, even in the heat of action. It is my
duty, short as my command has been, to acknowledge,
for that time, how great a share the navy has had in
this successful campaign."

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 347

Vice- Admiral Saunders sent home Captain James
Douglas, accompanied by Brigadier- General Towns-
end and Lieutenant-Colonel Hale, with the news of
this important conquest. His Ivlajesty received them
most graciously, and, according to his custom, ordered
that each of them should be presented with 500/. to
purchase a sword. Captain Douglas was also knighted,
and Colonel Hale had a regiment of dragoons given
to him. His Majesty received addresses from the
city of London, and various other corporations, con-
gratulating him on this important victory.

The season drawing near to a close, Sir Charles
Saunders sent home the ships of the line under
Rear- Admirals Holmes and Durell ; and, on the 18th
October, followed them in the Somerset, taking with
him the Devonshire and Vanguard, leaving Lord
Colville in the command of his Majesty's naval forces
in America. The gallant admiral, on his arrival in
the chops of the Channel, hearing that the French
fleet, under M. de Conflans, had put to sea in great
force, and that Sir Edward Hawke was in pursuit of
it, instantly directed his course, with his three ships
of the line, to Quiberon Bay, as a reinforcement to
Sir Edward Hawke ; but soon after, hearing of the
defeat of the French, steered for Portsmouth.

When Parliament met, Mr. Secretary Pitt, in a
most eloquent speech, set forth in glowing terms
the various and brilliant successes of the late cam-
p:ugn, and the very great merit of the naval

348 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII,

and military officers by whom they were accom-
plished. The panegyric he passed on the immortal
Wolfe convinced his audience that what he said
came from the heart ; but when he attempted to snm
up his virtues, and the loss which the country had
sustained in the death of so brave and accomplished
an officer, a burst of sympathy was manifested such
as rarely occurs in that House. He concluded by
moving an address to his Majesty, praying that he
would be pleased to order a monument to be erected
in Westminster Abbey to the memory of Major-
General James Wolfe. After which, thanks were
returned to the surviving generals and admirals, who
had been employed in the glorious and successful
expedition against Quebec.

AValpole will not admit that Pitt made any im-
pression on the House. He says the parallels Avhich
he drew from Greek and Roman story did but flatten
the pathetic of the topic ; but that ]\Ir. Pitt himself
had done more for Britain than any orator for Rome.
'•'The horror of the night, the precipice scaled by
AVolfe, the emjure he, with a handful of men, added
to England, and the glorious catastrophe of con-
tentedly terminating life where his fame began —
ancient story may be ransacked and ostentatious
philosophy thrown into the account, before an episode
can be found to rank Avith AA^dfe's." — " Pitt then
moved," he continues, " in general Avords, for thanks
to the generals and admirals ; mentioned them all,

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 349

particularly Admiral Saunders, whose merits, he
said, had equalled those who have beaten armadas —
' IMay I anticipate V cried he — ' those who will heat
armadas I'"*

Walpole, for once, has given a most faithful and
well-deserved panegyric of one of the best and
bravest men that ever adorned the annals of the
British navy. "Mr. Pitt's anticipation," he says,
" of Saunders' renown teas prophetic. That admiral
was a pattern of most steady bravery, united with the
most unaffected modesty. No man said less or de-
served more. Simplicity in his manners, generosity
and good-nature adorned his genuine love of his
country. His services at Quebec had been eminent.
ReturninsT thence he heard that M. Conflans had
taken the opportunity of Sir Edward Hawke's re-
tirinjj to Gibraltar to refit, and had sailed out of
Brest. Saunders, who heard the news at Plymouth,
far from thinking he had done enough, turned back
instantaneously, and sailed to assist Hawke. His
patriotism dictated that step, and would not wait for
other orders. He arrived too late ; but a moment so
embraced could not be accounted lost." t

Nothing can be more true or more just than
this panegyric. No two men were ever found in
manners, sentiments, and habits more congenial than
Anson and Saunders. But it is provoking enough

* Walpole's Memoirs of the last Ten Years of George II. t lb.

350 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

that, tlioiigli in constant correspondence Avitli each
other, there is scarcely a scrap of writing to be
found of either ; tliey exchanged portraits, and these
are the only memorials left in the two families to re-
mind them of their early and lasting friendship. To
Saunders' protection Anson committed the Earl of St.
Vincent, after giving him, as already stated, his first
commission ; he was with him at the siege of Quebec ;
was appointed by acting order to a sloop ; confirmed
by Anson, who shortly after gave him his captain's
commission ; and thus was the navy indebted to
Anson for one of its greatest and best officers.

Lord Anson, being most desirous that some dis-
tinguished mark of approbation should be conferred
on those brave officers, who had rendered to the state
such brilliant services ; and the Admiralty, having
no other means of rewarding such services but by the
ordinary routine of promotion, which was very much
circumscribed in those days, Anson, on consultation
witli the Duke of Newcastle and Blr. Pitt, obtained
their ready assent to a measure by which a mark of dis-
tinction, as well as an office of emolument, would be
bestowed on a very small number of officers, who
should be deemed worthy of it. The following ex-
tract from the Order in Council, authorising the
appointments in question will best explain their na-
ture. Tlie memorial states, that —

"^ Having taken into our consideration the present state of
the marine forces, which your Majesty has been pleased to

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 351

commit to our management, we beg leave humbly to observe,
that since the first establishment of fifty companies of one
hundred private men each, they are now augmented, by your
Majesty's several Orders in Council, to one hundred and
thirty companies of one hundred and twenty-three private
men in each, and at present amount in the whole to eighteen
thousand and ninety- two men, commission and non- commis-
sion officers included, of which there are only ten field-
officers — viz., one colonel, three lieutenant- colonels, and six
majors. This great increase of the number, we apprehend,
will make it necessary, in order to preserve discipline and
regularity amongst so great a body of men, that we should
have some officers of rank in the navy to assist us therein,
who may frequently review them both afloat and ashore, to
see they are kept in constant order for service, and regularly
provided with clothing, arms, and accoutrements ; likewise
to inquire into the conduct and behaviour of the officers, and
make their report to us, that we may be enabled to lay the
same before your Majesty whenever there may be occasion.
We do, therefore, most humbly propose, that your Ma-
jesty will be graciously pleased, for the aforesaid purposes,
to authorise and empower the Lord High Admiral of Great
Britain, or the Commissioners for executing the office of
Lord High Admiral, now, and for the time being, to appoint
two of the flag-officers of your Majesty's fleet to be general
officers of your marine-forces, in the following manner —
viz., one general of the marines, with the pay of 5l, a-day,
and one lieutenant-general at 4/." *

And, Oil the 1st February, 1760, a further memorial
was presented to the King in Council, stating —

* Older in Council of <Jth November, 1759.

352 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIIL

" This great body of marine forces^ amounting to upwards
of eighteen thousand men, are directed to be quartered, when
on shore, at the established head-quarters at Portsmouth,
Plymouth, and Chatham, or in the neighbourhood of those
places ; and though we apprehend that the proper direction
and superintendence of those head-quarters are of the greatest
importance to the discipline and good government of those
forces, yet, from the present low establishment of field-
officers, each of those stations can only be put under the
immediate care of an officer of no higher rank than a lieu-
tenant-colonel; we therefore humbly submit to your Ma-
jesty, whether, instead of having one colonel of marines re-
sident in London, as at present, it will not be for the advan-
tage of the service to have three colonels of marines with the
pay of forty shillings a-day to each, in lieu of all other pro-
fits or allowances, and to allot to them severally the care,
inspection, and command of the three established head-
quarters.

" And if your Majesty should be pleased to appoint
officers of the rank and authority of colonels, we also beg
leave to suggest, that it appears from the ancient establish-
ment of marine forces, and particularly from certain regu-
lations made in Council soon after the Revolution, that the
colonels, but none other of the officers, might be sea-com-
manders: we therefore humbly submit to your Majesty,
whether it may not be for the advantage of your maritime
service, and likewise a just and well-timed encouragement
to your sea-officers, so far to revive the ancient establishment
as to appoint three captains in your ]\Iajesty navy to be colo-
nels of marines, at the before-mentioned established head-
quarters ; and that, whenever the said three captains, or
either of them, may be promoted to the rank of flag-officers.

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 353

other captains in your navy be appointed colonels of marines
in their room ; and the said flag-officers not to be permitted
to continue in this station after such their promotion, but to
act in their superior rank of admirals."

The additional division of marines at Woolwich
was established by his IMajesty's Order in Conncil
of 15th August, 1805, upon an augmentation often
men to each company of tlie marine corps ; upon
which occasion an additional naval Colonel of marines
Avas appointed.

In consequence of the order in council first men-
tioned, the Board of Admiralty, to mark and reward
the services of certain meritorious officers, appointed
Admiral Boscawen, General of Marines ; Vice-Ad-
miral Sir C. Saunders, Lieutenant- General ; and Sir
Piercy Brett, the Hon, Augustus Keppel, and Lord
Viscount Howe, Colonels of Marines.

It was not untilJuly, 1794, that a Major-General
was added to the marines, and Vice-Admiral Sir
Alan Gardner was the flag-ofl&cer appointed.

As these appointments were, in their origin, realhj,
and clearly understood to be, though not ostenaiblj/,
the rewards of great public service, in a profes-
sion where, generally speaking, pecuniary emolu-
ments are small and their augmentation purely inci-
dental, and that there are no regiments nor go-
vernments, nor any other little sinecures to give
auay, as in the army, the wisdom, or the policy,
of abolishing these seven marine appointments seems

2 a

354 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

very questionable, wlien it is considered that the
very salvation of Great Britain and her dominions
depends on the navy. There was no pretence what-
ever of any abuse or favouritism in the distribu-
tion of those rewards ; not a single undeserving or
objectionable officer had been selected for the seventy
years and upwards that the boon had been in exist-
ence ; but they were smemires, and the sacrifice was
made to the name, but fell on the navy, to stifle a
clamour for economy/ — a word much abused, and
sometimes very ill applied. It is true the emolu-
ments of these marine appointments have been re-
served to the navy, and spread over a larger surface,
under the name of " Good Service Pensions." The
number of course is increased, and if confined within
a certain seniority, so will be the difficulty of select-
ing the most proper objects.

The selection made by Lord Anson merited and
received high approbation, and served as an example
for future Boards of Admiralty to follow, and it is but
justice to say, they did follow it.

The brilliant successes of the campaign of 1759
were not confined to America, nor to the western
fleet. Commodore Moore, who commanded a squa-
dron of frigates on the Leeward Island station,
having received a reinforcement from England, with
a liody of troops under the conmiand of JMajor-
General Hopson, it was resolved to make a joint
expedition against the island of Martinique, which,

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 355

however, proved too strong for them. They therefore
proceeded against Guadaloupe, and this island, after a
brave and gallant resistance on the part of the enemy,
of more than three months' duration, capitulated ; and
the islands of Marigalante, the Saints, Descada, and
Petite-Terre, soon followed its example. In the
East Indies, Admiral Pocock, with nine ships of the
line, one of them, the Cumberland (a weak ship,
reduced from sixty-six to fifty-eight guns) attacked
JM. D'Ache, the best officer that had appeared in the
Indian seas, with eleven sail-of-the-line, all of them
superior, not only in guns and men, but also in size
of ships and weight of metal. The engagement was
long, and gallantly fouglit on both sides : the British
ships suffered much, chiefly in masts and yards,
against which the aim of the French is always di-
rected ; and the battle ended by M. D'Ache retreat-
ing, and leaving Pocock in possession of the field
only, no captures having been made. The severity
of the action may be judged of by the killed and
wounded, which, in the British fleet, amounted to
five hundred and sixty-nine, and in that of the enemy
to nearly fifteen hundred. Two of our captains were
killed, and two wounded, and in the list were se-
veral inferior officers. The Governor and council of
IMadras, in their letter to the Admiral, say, " The
warm fire you sustained for two hours Avith seven
ships against eleven, and obliging them, at last, to
make their retreat, will do immortal honour to you

•J A 2

356 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

and to Mr. (Rear-Admiral) Stevens and all the
brave officers who had the happiness to serve
under voii." It has been remarked as an extra-
ordinary circumstance, and one that shows the sin-
gular talents of each of these commanders-in-chief,
*' that they had fought three pitched battles in the
course of eighteen months, without the loss of a ship
on either side." On Pocock reachino; home the fol-
lowing year, he was honoured wdth the military
Order of the Bath, and promoted to the rank of Ad-
miral of the Blue.

In closing the brief narrative of the bustling- and
glorious events of this year, a letter from Lord
Hardwicke may here be introduced — the last in
date of the series in Anson's collection — it is curious,
as showing how well a shrew^d and clever man, like
the ex-chancellor, knows how to manage a tardy and
timid prime minister, and frighten him into a com-
pliance with his Avishes. The immediate agent to be
employed was Anson.

" Grosvenor Square, November 14M, 1759.
" My dear Lord — I have been reflectino; upon what
passed between your lordship and me last night, and I have
j udged it necessary to give you this trouble. I wish you
could make it convenient to you to see the Duke of New-
castle this forenoon, either at Newcastle House (which
would be best) or else at court, before the House of Lords
comes with their address. I lieg further that you would
tell him something of what passed between us two last

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 357

night, and tell him as many of the strong things, which I
said, as you can recollect ; the stronger you represent them
the better ; that, from what his grace said to your lordship,
I feared his various occupations had not allowed him time
to consider my letter from Wimpole of the first of this
month by Barnesley ; that, as to what is passed, I was only
confirmed in the same opinion, which is tliere expressed at
large. But my desire is to look foricards, which, in
general, must depend upon events ; that, for the present,
my resolution is — that, until this unhcqjj^i/ affair of Joe^ is
set right, I will not set my foot within the House of Lords.
I will not come near the court, nor hear one word upon any
public business; that, from this resolution, the King's
civil list shall not move me.

" I think this will alarm his grace ; and the first thing
he Avill think of will be to come to me, either as he comes
from St. James's to-day or at night. Both these I would
avoid. The first would hurt me in my present state, by
keeping me from my dinner ; the last, by keeping me up till
midnight. I therefore beg your lordship would, in a kind,
confidential way, say to his grace, "You had better let
Charlesy and me talk to him before you see him. I found
his mind was much agitated and heated ; and he owned it
was this hindered his sleeping. We will see him this
evening : you need not suspect our blowing him up, — we
will only calm and make him more easy.

* Sir Joseph Yorke, the Earl's thh-cl son. In 1749 he was secre-
tary to Lord Albemarle's embassy to Paris; in 17al minister to the
Hague, where he remained twenty-nine years without removal ; but
his rank was changed in 1761 for that of ambassador.

f Charles Yorke, the second son, who, in the year 1770, was ap-
pointed Lord Chancellor, and created Baron of Morden, but died sud-
denly, while the patent was making out.

358 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. VIII.

" If I know his grace, he Avill he thankful for this^ and it
will brinjr it to what I have wanted ever since I came to
town, to have a full conversation with your lordship, Roys-
ton,* and Charles (whom I consider as part of myself, and
on whom I can rely), to settle what is fit to be done for my
honour and Joe's interest before I talk with anybody else on
the subject. I desire this for two reasons, 1st, the thing is
rightest in itself; 2nd, I own I dare not trust myself to an
impetuous conversation with the Duke of Newcastle in my
present state. I should be in danger of losing my temper,
and of hurting the cause, or myself, or both.

" If this scheme takes place, I wish your lordship could be
here between seven and eight this evening, or as much earlier
as you please. Let me know if you can, and I will appoint
Charles. He may got away early from the Serjeant's feast.
If this meeting cannot be to-night, I shall like it as well
to-morrow, provided the Duke of Newcastle can be decently
kept off in the mean time. Be so good as to let me hear a
word from you ; forgive this trouble, and,

" Believe me, &c. &c.

" Lord Anson." " Hardwicke.-j-

The history of this weighty affair seems to be this :
On the 30th October, 1759, Sir Joseph, then minister
at the Hague, writes to his father, to state that Lord
Holdernesse, the secretary of state, in Avliose depart-
ment he was, had taken umbrage at a kind of private
correspondence, Avhicli Sir Joseph kept up with

* Philip, the eldest son of Lord Hardwicke, and second earl, who
married the Marchioness Grey, grand-daughter and heiress of Henry
Duke of Kent.

t Anson's Collection, No. 202.

1759.] SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN OF 1759. 359

the Duke of Newcastle, and which enabled the
Duke sometmies to anticipate to the King the se-
cretary's official communications. On this provoca-
tion, Lord Holdernesse wrote Sir Joseph so sharp a
reprimand, that he felt himself to be in danger, and,
at all events, greatly insulted : and the whole house
of Yorke, and all their allies, were put into motion to
induce the Duke of Newcastle to come forward
boldly, and defend " poor Joe," whose only crime was
obedience to his grace's commands. The affair at
this distance of time seems trifling, but to the parties
it was serious, particularly as it was suspected that
Mr. Pitt egg'd on Lord Holdernesse, and that the
blow was really at the Duke himself, more than at
Sir Joseph.

360 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

CHAPTER IX.

CONCLUSION OF THE SEVEN-YEARS' WAR— DEATH
OF GEORGE IL, AND OF LORD ANSON.

The disposition of the fleet for the year 1760 — High state of the
navy as to ships, officers, and men — The several flag-oflicers era-
ployed — Hawke and Boscawen reUeve each other — Death of Bos-
cawen, and character — Capture of the Island Dumet — Anson's
instructions to Hawke respecting Belleisle — Death of George II. —
Keppel's expedition against that island — its capture — Affairs of
North America — Byron sent to demolish the works of Louisburg

. Chevalier de Levis appears before Quebec — General Murray goes

out to attack him— is obliged to retreat— The fleet arrives, and
Levis raises the siege— Montreal taken by General Amherst —
French power annihilated in Canada — Overture of peace from
France — treacherous intrigue of with Spain — Mr. Pitt's noble con-
duct—resigns in disgust — Declaration of war against Spain — The
war prosecuted with vigour against these combined powers — Dis-
astrous war for Spain — Her register ships taken— The Havannah
taken, with fourteen sail-of-the-line— Manilla taken, and ransomed
Disasters of the French, in the capture of Martinique, and seve-
ral frigates, privateers, and merchant-ships— Both powers humbled
and sue for peace— Preliminaries signed in November, 1762, and
proclaimed in London in February, 1763— Death of Lord Anson—
Letter of the Duke of Newcastle on this occasion.

1760 to 1763.

The spirit and energy displayed by that great states-
man, J\lr. Pitt, infused u congenial feeling into the
administration, who resolved to follow up the success-
ful blow struck at the enemy both by sea and land.
To carry this purpose into effect, it was resolved

1760.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 361

tliat tlie vote of seamen for the service of tins vcar
should be seventy thousand men, inchiding eighteen
thousand three hundred and lifty-five marines.
There Avas sound policy in taking this step ; For
although the victories of Hawke and Boscawen had
so much disabled and disheartened the French, as to
make it more than probable they woukl not ven-
ture to meet our fleets on the home stations, they
might yet endeavour to send out by stealth small
squadrons and troops to the East and "^Vest Indies,
and particularly to Canada, with the hope of regain-
ing possession of the capital and fortress of Quebec.
The navy, under the able and vigilant superintend-
ence of Anson, was in its " most high and palmy
state," as to ships, officers, and men ; all ready for
any service that might be required of them. The
disposition made of the officers in command was as
follows — Admirals Hawke and Boscawen to the
Channel fleet, to relieve each other as might be ne-
cessary ; to take up a station in Quiberon Bay, as a
sort of head-quarters ; to l^lock up the enemy's ships
in the river Vilaine, whicli had sought refuge there
after Conflans' defeat, and to detach squadrons off
Brest, L' Orient, and Rochfort, to watch these
ports ; Sir James Douglas to relieve Connno-
dore IMoore at the Leeward Islands ; Rear- Admiral
Holmes to relieve Vice-Admiral Cotes at Jamaica ;
and Rear- Admiral Cornish to proceed to the East
Indies to reinforce Vice-Admiral Stevens with six

362 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

sail-of-tlie-liiie. Admiral Rodney to continue to
blockade Havre de Grace, and watch the eastern part
of the Channel ; and Sir Piercy Brett to command in
the Downs.

On the 6th February Admiral Boscawen sailed
from Plymouth, with his flag in the Royal William,
taking with him Rear- Admiral Geary in the Sand-
wich, and having under his orders the Ramillies, St.
George, Princess Amelia, and Orford. This little
squadron was proceeding to relieve Sir Edward Hawke
in Quiberon Bay, when a violent gale of wind dis-
persed the ships, in which the Ramillies, Captain
Taylor, in trying to make Plymouth, the weather
being thick and hazy, unfortunately passed the port,
and got embayed near the Bolt-head, which, mis-
takinsf for the Ram -head, she was unable to weather.
In this situation the captain ordered the masts
to be cut away, and came to anchor ; but the wind
was so furious, and the sea ran so high, that the
cables parted, the ship was driven among the breakers
and dashed to pieces. The whole crew, with the
exception of a midshipman and twenty-five men
perished. The admiral with the rest of the squadron
returned into port in a disabled state.

On the 9tli March Admiral Boscawen again sailed
for Quiberon Bay, having shifted his flag to the
Namur. His fleet now amounted to fourteen sail-
of-the-line and nine frigates. Five of these and two
frigates were detached by the admiral, under the

1760.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 363

command of Sir John Bentley, to proceed off the
mouth of the river Vilaine, in order to prevent the
enemy's ships there from making their escape.
Admiral Boscawen himself lay at anchor, with a part
of his fleet, in Quiberon Bay, detaching, as occasion
required, small squadrons to reconnoitre Basque
Roads, Brest, and L'Orient ; and such was the vigi-
lance of our cruisers, that no attempt was yet made
on the part of the French to send out squadrons or
vessels to carry supplies to their colonies, nor while
Boscawen remained on the station •, on which he
continued till the end of August, when he was re-
lieved by Sir Edward Hawke in the Royal George,
havino- under his command Vice-Admiral Sir Charles
Hardy, and a fleet of twenty-five sail-of-the-line and
twelve frigates ; his instructions were similar to those
under which Admiral Boscawen had been acting.

The appointment which had just expired was the
last service which this gallant officer and accom-
plished seaman had an opportunity of rendering to his
king and country. He returned from it in an im-
paired state of health, and died at his seat of Hatch-
land, near Guildford, of a fever, on the 10th January,
1761, in the fiftieth year of his age, universally re-
gretted by his brother ofiicers and the public at large.
He was a thorough seaman, strongly attached to his
profession, and always ready to quit a life of compa-
rative ease at the Admiralty (of which he continued
till his death as one of the Lords Commissioners),

364 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX*

and to engage with alacrity in any service that his
colleagues at the Board might require him to under-
take. A man of a warm temper, he was extremely
benevolent, and, though a strict disciplinarian, was
kind and indulgent to the officers and seamen placed
under his command. Or, as the monumental inscrip-
tion by his " once happy wife " informs the reader —

•' With the highest exertions of mihtary greatness,

He united the gentlest offices of humanity.

His concern for the interest, and unwearied

Attention to the health of all under

His command,

Softened the necessary exactions of duty,

And the rigours of discipline.

By the care of a guardian and the tenderness

Of a father."

He gave a strong proof of this during his last
command, by taking possession of a small island in
Quiberon Bay, near the mouth of the Vannes, which
he caused to be cultivated with vegetables for the
use of the men afilicted Avith scorbutic disorders.

In this year Anson was doomed to experience one
of the heaviest aliliclions Avhich a domestic man is
liable to suffer — the death of Lady Anson — a most
amialjle and accomplished Avoman, Avho expired sud-
denly, on the 1st June, 1760, as Avould appear by Avhat
follows : —

"AdmiraUij, the 3] st May, 1760.

'• 1 liavo the greatest satisfaction in acquainting your
Lonlbhip that Lady Anson is quite out of danger, and though

1760.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 365

her rash is not all out, she is easier, and to a degree has
recovered her sleep and spiritS;, and desires me to make her
dutiful acknowledgments and thanks for your Lordship's
very kind and affectionate wishes ; and she promises to be
very careful of herself for the future. . . . Since I began
this letter. Dr. Wilmot thinks Lady Anson has rather more
fever than she had in the morningi which, he says, is usual
in these cases in the evening, and imagines there is more
rash to come out. I don't understand their jargon, and
always feel, when I have any of them in the house, as I
always did when I had a pilot ; being ignorant myself, I
always doubted whether my pilot knew as much as he ought
to do ; but, in both cases, there is nothing else to trust to.
I am, my dear Lord, your ever faithful and affectionate ser-
vant, "Anson."

Lady Anson died next day ; and, on this letter,
Philip, the second Lord Hardwicke, has written the
following notes : —

" N.B? This was a very unhappy affair, and a loss which
could not be replaced. We thought Dr. Wilmot had not
shown his usual sagacity in the illness. " H. '

" Till the death of this poor lady, our family had gone on
in an uninterrupted flow of worldly prosperity ; since that
era we have had our share of private disasters. God's will
be done. " II-

Sir Edward Hawke followed up the plan of his
predecessor in stationing his cruising squadrons, by
which the French ports were completely sealed, and
many of their trading ships and privateers cap-

366 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

tured. As the Channel fleet was frequently deficient
in a supply of fresh water, wdiich was mostly sent
from England, and the small island of Dumet, near
Quiberon Bay, was known to have plenty of that
indispensable article, Sir Edward appointed a small
squadron, consisting of the Magnanime, Prince Fre-
derick, and Bedford, under the command of Lord
Howe, to get possession of that island, which soon
surrendered, on two of the ships being placed against
the fort, and firing a few shot. The little garrison
was composed of one company of the regiment of
Bourhon, consisting of fifty-five men, of whom two
were killed and six wounded. This capture proved
of great service to the fleet on this station during the
remainder of the war.

Sir Edward having detached the Hon. Augustus
Keppel to make observations on the island of Belle-
isle, conformably with an instruction from Lord
Anson, and that officer having been sent with his
report to the noble lord, it was transmitted to Mr.
Pitt; and as this able minister still cherished his
fiivourite scheme of harassing the French coast as
much as ])ossible, being, as he always maintained,
the surest means of preventing the enemy from sup-
plying the continental army Avith reinforcements, by
keeping them in a constant state of alarm, he readily
entered into the plan of making an attack on that
island. Anson, however, bearing in mind the dis-
asters of St. Cas, and desirous of obtaining the best

1760.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 367

possible information before risking the ships and
troops, submitted to ]Mr. Pitt that Sir Edward Hawke
shoukl first be desired, confidentially, to examine the
shores of the island himself, to make a detailed report
of the accessible points, and the strength of its seve-
ral defences.

The following is a copy of the memorandum sent
by Anson to the gallant admiral: —

" The situation of the King's affairs in Germany requiring
a diversion to be made on the enemy's coasts, his Majesty's
servants have considered which may be the properest place
for that purpose, and examined Mr. Keppel, who, having
been lately in the bay, had an opportunity of making the
observations, that I send herewith, on part of the coast of
the isle of Belleisle, which it is thought may be attacked
Avith the best prospect of success ; and the King, as well as
his servants, reposing great confidence in you, I have it in
command to let you know that a very considerable body of
troops, with a train of artillery, are collecting together, and
transports getting ready to embark them, whenever it shall
be thought proper.

" Wherefore you are desired to use every means in your
power to inform yourself how near ships can lie to batter the
several works in the sandy bays of Belleisle mentioned by
Mr. Keppel, and what depth of water there is close in to
the shore, and to ascertain the distance of the citadel from
the said sandy bays.

" You will also inform yourself whether troops can be
landed at Lomarie or any other parts of the island besides
these described in Mr. Keppel's paper, and how far they
may be from the citadel.

368 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

^ " You will likewise please to learn, whetliei* the enemy's
ships in the river Vilane are disarmed, and, if so, whether
their artillery, ammunition, and stores have been sent to
Pain-boeuf, or how disposed of.

" It will also be necessary to know what number of regu-
lar troops and militia there may be in the island, and if the
town of Palais is fortified ; to come at which knowledge I
would recommend to you to cause some coasting or fishing
vessels belonging to the enemy to be taken, and by every
proper means to get the best intelligence you can from
them.

" When you have satisfied yourself with all that is neces-
sary to be known, I must desire you will send me your an-
swer by a good sailing frigate to the first port she can make
in England, and to forward the same by express.

" I hope it is needless for me to repeat the confidence that
is reposed in you on this occasion, and the necessity there is
for the strictest secrecy.
"^ Sir Edward Hawke, "Anson.*

"dth October, 176O."

Sir Edward Hawke found the report of Keppel to
be correct, and that the ishmd was attackable from
several phices. The expedition was accordingly has-
tened ; a bodj^ of troops collected at Portsmouth,
under the command of Major-General Kingsby, and
a scjuadron under the Hon. Augustus Kep],)el was
aj>pointed to receive them. The expedition was ge-
nerally supposed to be intended for an attack on the
islands of Bourbon and IMauritius. The troops were

* Anson's Collection.

1760.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 369

all embarked, and the fleet ready to put to sea, when
the sudden and unexpected death of George II. put
an end for the present to its proceeding. His death
took place at his palace of Kensington on the 27th
October, 1760, in the seventy-seventh year of his
age and thirty- third of his reign.*

The only naval and military operations of much
importance were confined to North America, where
the successes of the preceding year determined the
government to follow u}) the blow by an attack on
Montreal, which, with Quebec, would throw the
whole of Canada into our possession. With this
view Commodore Swanton, Avith a considerable naval
force, and transports to convey stores and provisions,
was despatched early in the spring to reinforce the
squadron at Halifax. At the same time another
small squadron, under the command of Captain

* The account given by Horace Walpole to George Montague is
nearly correct, but heartless and indecent, coming from a man who,
through Sir Robert Walpole, owed everything he had in the world to
the King. " He went to bed," he says, " well last night, rose at six
this morning as usual, looked, I suppose, if all his money was in his
purse, and called for his chocolate. A little after seven he went into
the water-closet ; the German valet-de-chambre heard a noise, list-
ened, heard something like a groan, ran in, and found the hero of
Oudenarde and Dettingeu on the floor, with a gash on his right temple,
by falling against the corner of a bureau ; he tried to speak, could not,
and expired. In another letter he speaks of the vast sums of money
left by the King, which turned out to be nothing equal to what
Sir Robert Walpole left; but it was the slander of the day; just
as, in our time, similar allegations were made against the late
excellent Queen Charlotte, who literally left nothing, having bestowed
nearly the whole of her allowance in charitable uses.

2b

370 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

Byron, was sent to Cape Breton, Avitli orders to de-
stroy the fortifications of Louisburo", and to convey
the greater part of the garrison to join General
Murray at Quebec. Byron hearing of a small
French squadron of three ships of war, Avith about
twenty transports, laden with stores and ammunition
for the French army in Canada, having arrived in the
bay of Chaleur, proceeded thither, and on entering
the bay to attack them, two of them were burnt by
their own people, and the third by ours ; he silenced
the batteries and destroyed them, together with the
whole of the transports. After this he returned to
England, on finding that General Murray had been
reinforced.

In the mean time the Chevalier de Levis, the suc-
cessor of M. IMontcalm, taking advantage of the
absence of the ships of war, on account of the ice in
the St. Lawrence, made his appearance before the
town with an army composed of regulars, colonial
troops, and Canadian militia, amounting altogether
to between fourteen and fifteen thousand men. Ge-
neral IMurray resolved, imprudently as it was thought
and turned out to be, to march out to meet him, with
about three thousand men, the flower of his garrison,
and twenty field-pieces. But it is stated that, by
some fatal mistake, the connnanding officer of the
artillery placed his guns in a hollow where they
could 1)0 of no use, and that, by a most unpardonable
l)lunder, the shot brought with the guns AA'ould not

760.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 371

fit them, being for nine instead of six-pounders, and
therefore of no use. The infantry, left thus without
support, were compelled, after a brave resistance, to
fall back with considerable loss within the walls.
Here the General immediately began to repair and
strengthen the Avorks, and in a short time had one
hundred and fifty cannon mounted on the ramparts.
On the arrival of the fleet the Chevalier de Levis
raised the siege, leaving behind him a quantity of
baggage, stores of ammunition and j)rovisions, his
battering cannon, mortars, and field-pieces.

General IMurray now left Quebec to join the army
under Lord Amherst, Avho, after various operations
both on the shore and the river, and negociations with
the ]\Iarquis de Vaudreuil, Montreal, and with it all
Canada, surrendered to General Amherst, on the
8th September, on such terms as he thought proper
to dictate to the JMarquis. The French power being
thus annihilated in North America, Lord Colville,
who connnanded the naval forces, ordered such of his
squadron as might be Avanted to proceed to the West
Indies, and the rest to England.

The accession of George IIL A\as not immediately
foUoAved by any change in the administration, nor in
the measures intended to be pursued. The same
number of seamen and marines Avere voted for the
year 1761 as in the preceding. The Channel fleet,
under the command of Sir EdAvard HaAvke, kept its
station through the Avinter in Quiberon Bay, and

2 b2

372 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

continued successfully to block up the enemy's ships
in the river Vilaine until the 2nd January, 1761,
when by the favour of a very dark night and blowing
weather, they took the opportunity to slip out, and,
though closely pursued by Captain Gambler, ef-
fected their escape into Brest. Sir Edward Hawke,
therefore, considering so large a fleet no longer ne-
cessary in Quiberon Bay, returned to England early
in JVIarch, leaving a sufficient number of ships to
watch the enemy's motions along the ports of the
western coast.

The secret expedition, which had been postponed
by the King's death, was now ready to proceed ; and
on the 29th March the Hon. Commodore Keppel,
with a squadron of ten sail-of-the-line, eight frigates
and smaller vessels, and with transports conveying
about ten thousand men, under Major-General Hodg-
son, put to sea, and on the 6tli April came in sight of
the island of Belleisle, against which they were
designed to act. They found, on approaching the
coast, that intrenchments and batteries had been
raised, since the commodore's former visit, at every
place where a landing was thought practicable ; and
a strong garrison was placed in the fort of Palais,
under the connnand of the Chevalier de St. Croix, a
very gallant and skilful officer. Having fixed on
three several landing-places, the troops destined to
act at each of them, covered by the lire kept up
incessantly from the ships of war, made good their

1761.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 373

landing, und a part of them maintained themselves
on the island, while others were compelled by supe-
rior numbers to retreat. At length, after much
fighting, and the English gaining post by post, the
Chevalier, by lighting a fire on the top of the hill,
summoned all the inhabitants capable of bearing
arms to repair into the citadel of Palais, which he
resolved to defend to the last.

It was the 2nd JMay before our batteries opened
upon the tOAvn of Palais, and on the 7th June, A^hen
General Hodgson was prepared to storm the place, the
Chevalier de St. Croix sent out a flag of truce to
offer a capitulation. In consideration of the gallant
defence made by the garrison, they were allowed all
the honours of war, and to be sent to France. This
siege cost the enemy 922 men killed and Avounded ;
and to the British the loss was 13 officers and 300
men killed, with 21 officers and about 480 men
wounded. After this the commodore detached a
small squadron of ships of the line to Basque Roads,
to attack any of the enemy's ships that might be
there, and to demolish the fortifications on the Isle
d'Aix.

In the IMediterranean the cruisers under Sir Charles
Saunders Avere particularly active. The Isis, after a
smart action, took L'Orifiannne, of fifty guns, and
three hundred and seventy men ; but Captain Whee-
ler, a midshipman, and quartermaster, Avere killed in
the early part of the engagement. The Thunderer,

374 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

Captain Proby, engaged L'Acliille, of sixty-four
guns, and six hundred men, which, after a gallant
resistance of half an hour, struck. The Thetis
engaged L'Achille's companion, Le Bouffon, of
thirty-two guns, and two hundred and ten men,
which also struck. A number of merchant ships
and small armed vessels were captured in the course
of the year, but nothing like a fleet or squadron
ventured to show itself upon the sea. In the
Leeward Islands, Commodore Sir James Douglas,
being joined by four sail of-the-line and three frigates,
with a body of troops from North America, under
the command of Lord Rollo, proceeded on the 4th
June to attack the island of Dominica, which, after a
short resistance, surrendered. On the Jamaica
station several captures were made, and, among
others, the St. Anne, a new sixty-four gun-ship,
with a valuable cargo of indigo ; she was puchased
into the British navy. In the East Indies, after an
eight months' siege and blockade, by Rear- Admiral
Stevens and Rear- Admiral Cornish, Pondiclierry
surrendered, and was delivered up to the British

troops.

Several brilliant single actions occurred during
this year in various parts of the workl. On the
Jamaica station, the Hampshire, Boreas, and Lively,
fell in with a convoy under Ave French frigates.
The Boreas, being a-liead, came up with the Sirenne,
but the latter, after a close action of t\\'enty minutes.

1761.] CONLCUSION OF THE WAR. 375

shot a-head, and made off. The Boreas pursued ;
but it was the middle of next day before she came up
with her, and renewed the action for two hours nearly,
when the Sirenne struck, having eighty men killed and
wounded. The Boreas had one man killed and one
wounded. Being only a twenty-eight gun-frigate, and
that of the enemy thirty-two, with eighty men more
than the former, tliis is one of the many instances
where superior seamanship, added to superior gunnery,
have given the victory. The Lively, of twenty guns,
came up with her equal, the Valeur, engaged her in
close action, took her, having killed a lieutenant and
thirty-seven men, her captain, master, and twenty-
three men wounded. The Lively had two men
killed. Two of the French frigates were destroyed
by the Hampshire, and one escaped into Port au
Paix.

In the course of this year two great events oc-
curred— an overture of peace from France, and the
resignation of IMr. Pitt — which latter threatened ma-
terially to affect the successful progress of affairs, at
least in public opinion ; and, as a third, may be
added, the discovery of an intrigue of France with
the Spanish court, at the very moment she Avas making
professions of a desire for peace.

As soon as it came to the knowledge of JMr. Pitt
that the Due de Choiseul had signified his master's
wish to terminate the war, and feeling that our posi-
tion with regard to the successes of our navy at home

376 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

and abroad, and of the allied army on the Continent,
were favourable for entertaining such an overture,
and, moreover, that the enormous expense of the
war pressed heavily on the national resources and
the patience of the public, he appointed, early in
May, Hans Stanley, Esq., to proceed as envoy extra-
ordinary to the court of Versailles, and I\l. Bussy
was sent over in the same character to the court of
London. The terms were very soon nearly adjusted,
and agreed to l)y the negociators, and the periods
settled when the preliminary articles should be
signed and ratified. But, just at this time, M.
Bussy, by desire of the king of Spain, thought fit to
present a private memorial, proposing that his Ca-
tholic majesty should be invited to guarantee the
treaty between the two crowns ; and it also insi-
duously introduced into the memorial, that, at the
same time, the settlement of three great points in
dispute between Great Britain and Spain might he
arranged. These three points were — the restitution
of some Spanish ships, or ships under Spanish
colours, taken in the course of the war — liberty of
iishing on the banks of Newfoundland — and the
demolition of certain settlements made by the log-
w^ood cutters in the bay of Honduras.

Mr. Pitt ex})ressed great indignation at so highly
improper an interference, which, he told M. Bussy,
he would not suffer to be mentioned, or to enter in any
shape into the present negotiation, and that he would

1761.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 377

not allow France to interpose in any disputes Great
Britain might have, either with Spain or any other
power. He saw at once the drift of France in
making such a proposal ; that, if accepted, time
would be gained ; if refused, Spain might be induced
to take part against us ; for, humbled as she had
been, her fleets nearly destroyed, her colonies taken,
and her finances in a state of bankruptcy, France
still flattered herself that, if she could draw Spain
into the contest, their united forces might give a
more favourable turn to the war.

It soon appeared that I\lr. Pitt was correct in the
view he took of the memorial presented by M.
Bussy. The communications received from the Earl
of Bristol, our ambassador at the court of IMadrid,
made the design still more evident, and tended to
confirm Mr. Pitt of the hostile intentions of Spain.
Having called a cabinet council, he laid before his
colleagues the conduct of Spain, said that he had
required the Spanish minister to disavow the pro-
positions being made through M. Bussy, with the
knowledge of his court ; instead of which, the
Spanish ambassador had not only avowed, but jus-
tified, the step taken by M. Bussy^ as coinciding
entirely Avith the sentiments of the king, his master.
This conduct of Spain, Mr. Pitt said, could be
considered in no other light than as a refusal of
satisfaction, and that refusal as a declaration of war ;
that it had become necessary to give a lesson to his

378 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

Catholic majesty, and to all Europe, how dangerous it
is to presume to dictate in the affairs of Great Britain.
The cabinet affected moderation, inclined to think that
we should wait, and that it would be time enough
to declare war, if Spain should actually be gained
over by France, in which case we should then have
all Europe with us. But Mr. Pitt had made himself
well acquainted with the intrigues that were carrying
on between the two powers ; he had good intelligence
that the " family compact " had been secretly signed ;
and he persisted in the policy of adopting immediate
and decisive measures, which, if not assented to, he
declared his intention of sending in his resignation
forthwith. " I was called," he said, " to the admi-
nistration of affairs by the voice of the people : to
them I have always considered myself accountable
for my conduct, and cannot therefore continue in a
situation, which makes me responsible for measures
I am no longer allowed to 2;uide."

The threatened resignation of this able minister
was considered as one of the greatest calamities that
could befal the nation, and excited a degree of alarm
not usual on the retirement of a minister. The
confidence placed by the country on the judgment and
energy with which all his measures were conducted^
and which he was wont to inspire into the councils
of the nation, could not be transferred to a successor,
who would, in all probability, be under the influence
of those who had refused their support to the pro-

1761.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 379

position of ]\Ir. Pitt. It was supposed that most of the
members of the cabinet were not at all sorry to hear
such a declaration : they found themselves eclipsed
by liis superior splendour ; they therefore persevered
in opposing his views ; and, on a division, only he
and his brother-in-law. Earl Temple, were in favour
of an immediate declaration of war against Spain.
Nothing now remained for Mr. Pitt but to resign
the seals into his IMajesty's hand, which he did on
the 5th October, and which the King accepted,* The
treachery of France Avas now made manifest : they
exulted at the resignation of a minister who had
inspired them with terror, and now openly boasted of
the family compact they had contrived to bring about,
the effect of which would be, not only to retrieve
their affairs, but to humble the pride of Great Bri-
tain. The remains of the old cabinet, with the Earl
of Egmont as successor to ]\Ir. Pitt, pursued exactly

* The Edinburgh Review, in magnifying the ascendancy of Lord
Chatham (Mr. Pitt) over his colleagues, observes—" So absolutely
was he determined to have the control of those measures of which he
knew the responsibility rested upon him alone, that he insisted upon
the First Lord of the Admiralty not having the correspondence of his
own department, and no less eminent a naval character than Lord
Anson, with his junior lords, were obliged to sign the orders issued by
Mr. Pitt, while the writing was covered over from their eyes."

The reviewer might have informed himself better of the manner in
which the business of the Admiralty was and is transacted. The Secre-
tary of State, in conjoint expeditions, gives instructions in the Sove-
reign's name to both services, and sometimes, but rarely, when diplo-
matic communications are to be held with foreign powers. That he
should repeat the stale joke made some years ago on the lay lords,
in so grave a manner, is too ridiculous to gain belief.

380 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

tlie measures of the latter, wliicli they had rejected
when lie was at their Iiead ; and on the 4th January,
1762, war was prochiimed against Spain at London,
and on the 18th Spain did the same at ]\Iadrid against
Great Britain.

On the 8th July, 1761, his Majesty, George III.,
had made known to the Privy Council his most
gracious intentions of demanding in marriiige the
Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a prin-
cess distino-nished for eminent virtues and amiable
endowments ; and, by his JMajesty's command. Lord
Anson was ordered to prepare a squadron of ships
of war, and to proceed with them under his flag to
Stade, to receive and to escort the Princess to
England. The Royal Caroline yacht was prepared
and newly decorated, and her name changed to that
of Royal Charlotte, in honour of the future Queen of
England ; and the command of her on this occasion
was conferred on Captain Peter Denis, one of the
old lieutenants of Anson, who, having in the course of
this month been made admiral of the fleet, hoisted
the union flag on board the Royal Charlotte. The
squadron, consisting of all the other royal yachts ;
the Winchester, of fifty, Nottingham, sixty, Minerva,
thirty-two, Tartar, twenty-eight, and two sloops
of fourteen guns each, sailed from IIar\Aicli on
the 8th Auirust. On the embarkation of her JMa-
jesty, on the 24th, the Royal Charlotte was dressed
in the several colours of all nations, Avhich, on her

1761.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 381

coming on board, were instantly struck, and the
royal standard hoisted at the main-top-g-allant mast-
head, the admiralty flag at the fore, and the union
at the mizen. After a very stormy passage, which,
it is stated in Anson's Journal, the Princess bore
remarkably well, they arrived at Harwich on the 6th
September. The Queen set off for London, Lord
Anson struck his flag, and the squadron dispersed.
This was the last occasion of Lord Anson having
had his flag flying.

The King in his speech from the throne declared
it to be his fixed resolution, with the concurrence and
support of the Commons, to carry on the war in the
most effectual manner, for the interest and advantage
of his kingdoms, and to maintain, to the utmost of
his power, the good faith and honour of his crown, by
adhering firmly to the engagements entered into
with his allies. The ministry, with the accession of
Lord Bute as First Commissioner of the Treasury,
in the room of the Duke of Newcastle, resolved to
push the war with vigour. They voted inmiediately
seventy thousand seamen, the same as in the pre-
ceding year. They had a fleet at their disposal in
high order, well manned and disciplined, and com-
manded by the choicest officers in the service. In
this respect Lord Anson was always most fortunate,
because he never attended to private solicitations,
nor allowed any one to interfere in his appointments.
In reply to an officer who complained of being ne-

382 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

glected, though a nobleman high in the government
had applied in his helialf, Anson merely replied that,
as he considered himself responsible for the officers
he employed for particular stations^ he never would
allow himself to be dictated to by any one in that
respect.

Several very splendid actions between single ships
were fought in the course of the year 1761. It will
suffice to mention one between two seventy-four-gun
ships, the Bellona, Captain Faulkner, and the Cou-
rageux, M. L'Ambert. Scarcely had the action
begun, before the mizen-masts of both ships fell over-
board, when Captain Faulkner, with great skill and
presence of mind, wore under the stern of the enemy
and brought her to close action on the other side ;
the result was, that in half an hour she struck, her
captain mortally wounded, 240 men killed, and 110
wounded. The Bellona had 6 killed and 28 wounded.
This is another of the many instances in which nau-
tical skill and masterly seamanship proved, in their
results, manifestly superior to the French.

The appointments made, or continued, on the
Spanish declaration of war, were Sir Edward Ilawke
to the coasts of Spain and Portugal, Avith Vice-
Admiral Sir Charles Hardy and Rear-Admiral his
Royal Highness the Duke of York under him ; Sir
Charles Saunders and Commodore Sir Piercy Brett,
to the Mediterranean ; Conmiodores Lord Howe and
Denis in Basque Roads ; in the Leeward Islands,

1762.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 383

Rear-Admiral Rodney and Commodore Swanton.
On the Jamaica station Sir George Pocock, Commo-
dore Sir James Douglas, and the Hon. Augustus
Keppel. In North America, Commodore Lord Col-
ville ; and in the East Indies Vice- Admiral Cornish.

The first and early disaster which befel Spain was
the capture of the Hermione, a large register ship
from Lima, off Cadiz, on the 21st JMay, 1762, hy the
Active frigate and the Favourite sloop, two of Sir
Edward Hawke's cruisers. The net proceeds of
this ship, after the payment of all charges, was
519,-705/. 10*., of which the flag share amounted to
64,963/., and each of the captains to the same sum ;
the lieutenants 13,000/. ; and each seaman and marine
485/. About the same time another cruiser captured
a rich Spanish ship from Barcelona having on board
specie to the amount of 100,000 dollars.

These, however, were but the commencement of
misfortunes which Spain had brought upon herself
by the unwise step taken by that nation. It
was determined by the government that an attack
should be made on the Havannali, and the necessary
instructions were given immediately to Sir George
Pocock to that effect, and at the same time, the com-
mand of the troops to be employed was conferred on
Lieutenant-General the Earl of Albemarle. The
troops being embarked without loss of time, these
two gallant officers, with five sail-of-the-line, and a
fleet of transports, sailed from Spithead on the 5th

384 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

Marcli. The army destined for tliis service, when
the several forces from England, from the West
Indies, and from North America, were collected,
amounted to between fifteen and sixteen thousand
men ; and the fleet under Sir G. Pocock consisted of
seventeen sail-of-tlie-line, five of sixty guns, four of
fifty, and a great number of frigates and sloops,
besides cutters, bombs, and other kinds of small
craft.

With this overwhelming force, the tAVO com-
manders-in-chief sailed from Martinique on the 6th
May, and after the necessary preparations for tlie
siege, a regular attack on tlie Moro Castle com-
menced on the 1st July, and on the 30th of that
month a practicable breach was made on this strong
fortress, when, on the same day, it was resolutely
carried by storm, with the inconsiderable loss of two
officers and thirty men. On the lltli August the
Spaniards hung out flags of truce from the town,
from the fort Le Puntal, and the admiral's ship in
the harbour. On the IStli the capitulation was
signed, and on the following day the Britisli troops
were put in possession of the Havannah. The trea-
sure, the valuable merchandise, and naval stores
found in the town and arsenal, amounted to very
nearly three millions sterling.

The Spanish authorities struggled hard to save
their sliips of war that were in the harbour, Init
without success. They consisted of nine sail-of-the-

1762.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. SS5

line fitted for sea, and two of the line on the stocks
were hiirnt by our seamen ; three had been sunk
at the entrance of the harbour, with a large galleon
— making fourteen sail-of-the-line, besides smaller
armed ships and a number of merchant vessels.
The capture of this place was of the utmost im-
portance to us, a death-blow to the Spaniards
in the West Indies, and the possession of a fleet,
equal in the result to a great naval victory. Lord
Albemarle, in his despatch to the secretary of state,
says — " Sir George Pocock and Commodore Keppel
have exerted themselves in a most particular man-
ner ; and I may venture to say, that there never was
a joint undertaking carried on with more harmony
and zeal on both sides, which greatly contrijjuted to
the success of it."

But the Spanish disasters did not end with the loss
of the Havannah. The Argo frigate was despatched
from England to the East Indies, immediately after
the declaration of hostilities, carrying out orders from
the Admiralty to Vice- Admiral Cornish, and similar
orders from the secretary of state to Colonel (after-
wards Sir William) Draper, for a conjoint expedition
against Manilla. Sir William had gallantly distin-
guished himself at the siege of Madras in 1759, and,
being in England, was selected for this new service.
The Argo, in which he proceeded, arrived at Madras
early in June ; and as soon as the two commanders
had collected the troops and transports, the fleet,

2c

386 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

consistino' of nine sail-of-tlie-line and a few frigates,
assembled at Malacca on tlie 19th August, and on
the 23rd September arrived in INIanilla Bay, to the
great dismay and confusion of the Spaniards, who
had not even heard of the war, and were therefore
but ill prepared for resistance. They did, however,
resist manfully, and resolutely defended the place ;
and, owing to their exertions, the difiiculty of our
large ships in approaching near enough, and a violent
storm which lasted two days, it was the 5tli October
before a practicable breach was made in the enemy's
works ; after which, on the following morning, the
fort was carried by storm. Tlie governor and prin-
cipal officers retired into the citadel, but were soon
obliged to surrender. To save the city from being
pillaged, the governor and inhabitants entered into
an airreement to ransom it for four millions of dollars,
the greater portion of which was never paid ; the
'history of this ransom has been a subject of long
discussion, but never satisfactorily explained. All
the large ships found in the harbour were seized,
as well as a great quantity of naval and military
stores.

The colours taken at Manilla were sent to Cam-
bridge, at the request of Colonel Draper, and hung
up in the chapel of the college of which he was a
member. His JVIajesty conferred on him the honour
of the military order of the Bath, and Admiral
Cornish Avas created a baronet of Great Britain;

1762.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 387

they also received the thanks of both Houses of Par-
liament.

With regard to France, the disasters of the pre
ceding year, whicli had induced her to make an over-
ture of peace, were not in any way redeemed, but
rather augmented in 1762, notwithstanding the
assistance she expected from her alliance witli Spain.
On the 5tli January of this year, Rear-Admiral
Rodney sailed from Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, Avith
his squadron and a large fleet of transports, having
on board about fourteen thousand troops, under the
connnand of Major-General Monckton, with tlie in-
tention of attacking IMarlinique ; at the same time,
the rear-admiral detached live sail-of-the-line, under
Commodore Swanton, to proceed to Fort Royal Bay
to attack and destroy the enemy's batteries, while
Rodney sailed for St. Anne's Bay, where a large
body of troops w^ere landed, and batteries for their
protection erected. Finding, however, that this
position was not favourable for the speedy reduction
of the island, the troops were re-embarked and con-
veyed to Fort Royal Bay, where they were again
landed on the 16th^ together with a detachment of
seamen, to assist in drawing the heavy artillery over
the rugged ground, frequently under a galling fire
from the enemy's batteries. The siege of Fort Royal
continued till the 4th February, when it surrendered ;
and on the 16th the whole island was in possession
of the British forces. Very soon after this the

2c2

388 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CII. IX.

islands of St. Lucia, Granada, and St. Vincent
were captured by the squadron under Commodore
S wanton.

A French squadron with 1500 troops on board,
under M. de Fernay, which had escaped from Brest
during a thick fog, towards the end of April, made
its appearance on the 24th June before the har-
bour of St. John's in Newfoundland, into which they
entered without opposition, and landed the 1500
men, who were under the orders of M. de Hausson-
ville. Lord Colville, on hearing this, proceeded from
Halifax with his squadron off St. John's harbour, and
blocked up M. de Fernay. On the 16th September
a strong westerly gale, attended by a thick fog, forced
Lord Colville from his station, of which M. de Fer-
nay availed himself, slipped his cables, and stood out
to sea. Tbe French general, finding himself deserted
by the squadron, and that it was impossible to hold
out long, otiered terms of capitulation, which, being
accepted, the French troops became prisoners of
war; and, on the 18th, the Avliole island fell again
into the possession of the English.

The two parties to the family compact being thus
humbled by the loss of their possessions — their navies
— and their connuerce — Avere glad to sue for peace,
and preliminaries were signed at Fontainbleau in
Novend^er, 1762, which were ratified on the lOtli and
proclaimed in London on the 22n(l February, 1763;
and thus ended, gloriously for England, "the Seven-

1762.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAK. ob'J

Years' War," during which it may safely be asserted,
the British navy, at no former j)eriod, arrived at a
higher state of discipline, exhibited a greater de-
gree of perfection in seamanship, or performed more
noble deeds of valour, than were accomplished under
the direction and guidance of the noble lord at the
head of the naval department.

Lord Anson, however, did not live to receive the
gratification of being witness to all the glorious ex-
ploits which led to the termination of the war; but he
lived long enough to be made acquainted with many
of them in the early part of this last campaign, owing
to his judicious appointments and arrangements;
for which the country was not less indebted to the
memory of the man who planned than to those gal-
lant men who executed them. His Lordship, soon
after his arrival in England with the Queen, finding
his state of health much impaired, was advised by his
physician to try the Bath waters, from which he was
thought to have received benefit ; but soon after his
return to his seat of Moore Park he was suddenly
seized, while walking in his garden, went home, com-
plained of being ill, and laying himself down on his
bed, expired without a struggle, on the 6th June,
1762. His remains were interred in the family vault
at Colwich, in the county of Stafix)rd. By his will
a great part of his fortune devolved on his sister's
son, George Adams, Esq.

390 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. IX.

The survivino' friends of Anson and his numerous
and faithful followers had every reason to he proud
of his memory. His amiable and beloved Avife, a
lady of very superior acquirements, had gone before
him two years — a loss which was to him irreparable ;
both were fond of rural life, and enjoyed the pleasure
of floriculture and planting. For the introduction of
that finest specimen of apricot, known by the name
of the Moore-Park apricot, the subsequent proprie-
tors of this noble place were indebted to Anson. He
is said also to have taken peculiar pleasure in culti-
vating a species of lathyrus, which his cook picked
up in the Straits of ]\'Iagellan, and was there consi-
dered a great luxury ; but here the " Anson pea," as
an esculent, may be considered the very worst of the
whole tribe : it is, however, a pretty addition to the
flower-bed. Anson left no children to bewail his
loss ; and his brother Thomas appears to have been
the only remaining near relation. To this brother,
the Duke of Newcastle, who, under all the fluc-
tuating circumstances of two wars, had ever looked
up to Anson for his opinion and advice in naval con-
cerns, addressed the following letter : —

" Claremont, i)th June, 1762.

"Sir — The very great regard which I had for my Lord

Anson, and the friendship witli which he honoured me for

many years, will, I hope, be my excuse for the Hberty I take

in most sincerely condoling with you for his loss — a loss

1762.] CONCLUSION OF THE WAR. 391

which the public will feel as well as his friends ; for there
never was a more able, a more upright, or a more useful
servant to his King- and country, or a more sincere or valu-
able friend. Nobody can be more sensible of his loss than
I am, or more desirous to show all possible respect and re-
gard to his memory.

" I have the honour to be, with great truth and respect,
" Your most obedient humble servant,

"HoLLEs Newcastle.

" Thomas Anson, Esq."

392 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X,

CHAPTER X.

ANSON'S CHARACTER ILLUSTRATED.

Professional characlei- — Conduct in the civil department of the Navy
— Iraproveraents in the materiel of the Navy — Moral character —
resembled that of Lord Howe — Peculiar habits — Character illus-
trated by his correspondents — Captains Bennet, Piercy Brett,
Cheap, Denis, Philip Saumarcz ; Mr. Legge, M, Hardenberg,
Lord Sandwich, Lord Chatham — The late King's mark of atten-
tion to Lord Anson's memory.

A NA"VAL historian of very considerable merit, in
recording the death of Lord Anson, says, '*' Now that
the rage and malevolence of party spirit has liad
time to subside, this great man appears in very
shining colours ; and although born of an ancient
family, yet it was his merit alone that raised him to
the high honours Avhich he attained. TJie fame
which he acquired in his voyage round the world, in
which he showed an equanimity of mind equal to the
numberless perils and dangers which he encountered,
will, while the English language lasts, never cease to
be remembered ; and on this voyage, the prudence,
perseverance, good conduct, humanity, and courage,
which he displayed, would alone have been sufHcient
to have made his fortune, and raised him to a great
degree of eminence in the naval annals of Great

CH. X.] anson's character illustrated. 393
Britain, if no other circumstance had come to his

aia. *

This is certainly just ; and in the case supposed,
the name of Anson Avouhl have ranked high amona:
those early navigators, ]\Iagelhaens, Drake, Caven-
dish, Dampier, and other celebrated men previous to
his time ; but much more than this is due to his me-
mory. To say that Anson was a perfect seaman
Avould be no great compliment to an officer who, like
him, had spent the tirst thirty years at least, after
leaving home, in the various duties of the profession ;
and iew men had more painful experience of the
dangers, the difficulties, and the melancholy disas-
ters, to which a seaman's life is exposed, than he had
in those which fell to his lot to encounter in his
enterprising voyage round the world. In that voy-
age he gave ample proof that he w^as a truly brave
man — morally and physically brave — a man of firm
nerves, and of great resources in time of need — for
the exercise of which, occasions were neither slight
nor few. To say he was so is no special praise.
All the world knows that a naval officer is and must
be brave ; it is a virtue common to the whole pro-
fession ; they are instructed from their earliest youth
to be so, and it is a plant that grows "with their
growth ; but like other qualities it has its degrees,
and requires occasions to bring it forth.

'* Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain ; by Robert
Beatson, Esq., L.L.D.

394 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

It did not happen to fall to the lot of Anson to
distinguish himself particularly in action with the
enemy. His engagement with the great Acapulco
ship, with his reduced and feeble crew, just one-half
in number to the enemy, was liighly creditable to
him, his officers, and ship's company ; and perhaps
still more so, after all their sufferings, cheerfully
to go forth with the true undaunted spirit of British
seamen to seek and meet the enemy. Nor was it
a less strono' feature in the character of Anson,
that, soon after taking his seat at the Board of Ad-
miralty, at a time when the public were dissatisfied
at nothing having been done for the first two years
of the war, he volunteered to hoist his flag, and
assume the command of a fleet for the purpose of in-
tercepting two combined squadrons of the enemy, of
which he had received certain information ; a step
that could only have been taken on public grounds,
united with a desire to do something that might dis-
tinguish him, and render him worthy of the situation
he held in the public service.

But Anson's character is to be looked at more
closely in the civil department of the navy, in which
it has been seen he acquitted himself with great
ability, diligence, and impartiality. Under his
administration, many years before and during the
Seven-Years' war, the British navy attained a pitch of
power and pre-eminence to which it had never before
arrived: while the Heets of France and Spain were

CH. X.] anson's character illustrated. 395

completely humbled, and almost annihilated ; the
remaining portion of them being mostly shut up in
their ports during the last three years of the war.

Nothing can speak more strongly in favour of
Anson's character than the confidence placed in him
by the Duke of Bedford and Lord Sandwich, both
of Avhom, before he had been two years as a junior
member of the Board, entrusted him with the manage-
ment of the affairs of the Admiralty, and urgently
desired him to take into his hands the whole direc-
tion of the naval department ; assured him they
should consider his acts as their own, and were ready
and willing to take upon themselves the responsi-
bility of them : all which is so clearly and so dis-
tinctly stated in their correspondence, when absent
from the Board, which was of frequent occurrence,
and is so strongly expressed by Lord Sandwich, after
he became the head of the Board, and was confined to
his post at Aix-la-Chapelle, as to leave no doubt on the
subject, that Anson was, while a junior member, in
all respects but in name. First Lord of the Admiralty.

Anson's attention was not merely confined to the
ordinary routine of the civil and military duty ; he
had seen and sufficiently experienced the misera-
ble kind of ships ours were, as compared with
those of other nations, not to take advantage of his
situation for their improvement. He knew^ that the
old system of building ships, on the ))lan established
by order in council of the year 1719, was deplorably

396 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [ciL X.

had, and that the ships hiiilt after it had not one
good quality ; yet it would have been little short
of treason to l)reak through it. Anson, however,
had not heen two years in the Board when, in
1746, he prevailed on tlie Duke of Bedford and
Lord Sandwich to obtain a revision of the faulty
system, and if possible to establish a better. The
mode adopted to bring this about has been
shown in the IMemoir ; and the whole proceeding
proves the business-like manner in which it was
accomplished. The defects of ships of the line at
this time were stated to be, that they were narroAv
for their length, lean in the bows, and so deficient in
bearing, forward, that their pitching, rolling, and
labouring, in a heavy sea, always endaPigered the loss
of their masts. In short, they were inferior in sail-
ing, and in every other good quality, to those of the
French.

The fifty and sixty gun ships formed a very ])rin-
cipal part of the line when Anson came into the
Admiralty; but, in the course of the Seven-Years'
war, when he was at the head of the Jioard, he caused
great number of seventy-fours to be laid down, to
take the place of the sixties ; and at the time of his
death, just before the conclusion of the war, he had
built and launched not fewer than four or five first
and second rates, and other shi})s of the line, of
which not fewer than twenty-nine were seventy-
fours, together with ten sixty-fours and sixties. These

CH. X.] anson's character illustrated. 307

improvements in building ships of the navy were of
essential importance, but had been totally neglected
by his predecessors. In his time, and long l)efore it,
the bottoms of the ships became so foul as to make
it necessary, after any short cruise, to have them
cleaned and scrubbed with soap and water, or some
other lotion, to remove the filth which prevented their
speed. IMr. Secretary Pepys had long deplored this
great defect, and h;ul in vain wished that the sur-
veyors of the navy, a conceited set, would try what
a covering of lead would do, but he was never able
to succeed in getting the experiment tried. Anson,
however, either from his own suggestion or that of
some other, ordered the Alarm frigate, in 1761, to
be sheathed with copper, the first that was ever so
covered ; but, like all new inventions, it took from
twenty to thirty years before it became general.

Anson was not only thus a great benefactor to the
materiel of the navy, but equally so to its oflicers,
whose claims had not been listened to with that atten-
tion nhicli they had a right to expect from one of their
own corps, usually placed at the head of the naval
department. The number of captains passed over in
promotion of admirals was very great for so small a
list, but at the same time may have been expedient ;
the grievance complained of was, the neglect and
injustice of leaving their names at the head of the list
of captains, though never intended to be employed,
and continuing tliem there on the scanty pittance

398 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

of lialf-pay. Anson, wlio had passed over a great
many on his own promotion_, could not but ieel
for their situation ; and that he did so is more than
probable, by the order in council which was passed for
their relief in the first year after he went to the Board.
He was a man of great modesty and simplicity of
manners, and so reserved in general society as to give
some truth to the point of Williams's hon mot, that
" he had been round the world, but never in it :"
Walpole, also, is not far from the truth in calling him
" the silent son-in-law of the chancellor." His silence
and reserve, however, were not the offspring of any
deficiency of knowledge or want of ability, either on
general or professional acquirements, but from that
natural diffidence of his own merit, and a reluctance
of speaking in public, which very many men of con-
siderable talents have not been able to overcome ;
while others, with a parsimony of intellect, are by
no means deficient in volubility of speech. As a
representative in the House of Commons, and subse-
quently as a peer of the realm — as a member of the
Board of Admiralty, hokling for many years the
high and responsible situation of First Lord — it does
not appear, from the parliamentary history, that he
ever spoke on any subject, professional or otherwise,
although many naval questions of considerable im-
portance, in both houses, were brought into discus-
sion ; but there were always able civilians in the
Board to represent his sentiments. In the records

CH. X.] anson's chaeacter illitsteated. 390

of the Admiralty there is abundant evidence of his
constant and unremittino- attention to the various
duties of that department, and of the large share he
had in them.

Anson stood high in public estimation previous to,
and after, the unfortunate affair of Byng and the loss
of IMinorca, which drove him for a short time, with
IMr. Fox, the Duke of Newcastle, Lord HardAvicke,
and others, from the administration. Lord Walde-
grave, a very honest and competent judge, says,
" Lord Anson was also dismissed from the Admi-
ralty, a violent clamour having been made against
him, of which he was no more deserving than of the
high reputation which preceded it. He was in reality
a good sea-officer, and had gained a considerable
victory over the French in the last war ; but nature
had not endowed him with those extraordinary abili-
ties which had been so liberally granted him by the
whole nation. Now, on the contrary, he is to be al-
lowed no merit whatever ; the loss of Minorca is to be
imputed to his misconduct, though many were equally,
some infinitely more, blameable ; his slowness in
])usiness is to be called negligence, and his silence
and reserve, which formerly passed for wisdom,
take the name of dulness and of Avant of capacity."*
" There never was," says the Duke of Newcastle, " a
more able, a more upright, or a more useful servant
to his king and country, or a more sincere and va-
luable friend."

* The Earl of Waldegrave's Memoirs.

400 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

The fleets that he fitted out, with a rapidity never
before known, afford no ground for the imputation of
slowness ; tlie truth appears to be, that he was slow
to decide, but (juick to execute. He was not certainly
possessed of shining abilities, but a plain, straightfor-
ward, nmtter-of-fact man, attentive to the duties of
his office, well acquainted with the practical part of
his profession, and — what is perhaps equally import-
ant— with the character of the officers belonoinp; to
it, which he closely looked at and thoroughly under,
stood — the more necessary in his time, as selection
for promotion to the flag was almost exclusively the
rule. " Anson was remarkable," says JMajor Ken-
nel, " for having brought forward such a number of
fine officers, who figured as captains and admirals
during the ' Seven -Years' war' — Saunders, Sir
Piercy Brett, Dogger-bank Parker, Saumarez, Kep-
pel, Denis, &c., all of whom served in his ship, or
in the South Sea squadron. I knew many of them.
The lieutenants and midshipmen of his ship and
squadron were the admirals of the Seven Years' and
the American Wars. His judgment was great, and
lie improved and gave a spur to the navy."*

If Anson was frugal of his speecli, he appears to

* MS. letter from Major Rcnnel to a friend.

It is worthy of notice that three of those (lieutenants and midship-
men) who were in Anson's squadron, Howe, Keppel, and Saunders,
became First Lords of the Admiralty — that Sir Piercy Brett, Sir
Peter Denis, the Hon. John Byron, Sir Hyde Parker, all attained
the rank of Admiral, and commanded Uects, the first of them a Lord
of the Admiralty. Poor Captain Cheap of the AVager died of fatigue
and sufifcring soon after reaching EngUuul.

cn. X.] Anson's character illustrated. 401

have been no less so of his pen. The Lord Chan-
cellor, in acknowledging a longer letter than usual
from him, says, " I was sure it must be material upon
opening it, since nothing else could have drawn so
much writing from your Lordship." In a letter
to Lord Sandwich, he himself admits his deficiency
thus: "My dear Lord, be assured that, except in
ceremony and. correspondence, at both of which
I am extremely awkward, nobody living can be
more sincerelj'," &c. In fact he had no notion of
making a display; but he had the sterling good sense
to preserve silence, rather than to show his want of
what passes in the world and in society for conversa-
tional tact. It appears, indeed, evidently enough
from the little he did write, that his education had
been defective, and that he was neither more nor
less than the plain honest seaman, altogether self-
educated. The consequence was, that of all human
beings placed in the proud situation in which he stood,
he was the least ostentatious. IModesty and reserve
were the true characteristics of Anson. In this and
many other respects he strongly resembled Lord
Howe, of whom a gallant admiral, now living, ob-
served, in the words of Isaiah, which are equally ap-
plicable to Lord Anson, " He did not kindle a fire to
compass himself about with sparks, or walk in the sight
of that fire and in the sparks which he had kindled."
There were indeed many points of resemblance be-
tween these two great and good men. Benevolence

2d

402 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

and generosity were tlie distingnisliing characters of
each. Howe, when on shore, spontaneously gave up
his share of prize-money to those engaged in making
it, and his generous acts in many other respects
have been put on record. Anson also distributed his
share of the whole rich plunder of Paita among his
companions concerned in taking it. And we have
the voluntary testimony of the lady of South Carolina,
who describes his character when there "that he
was generous without profusion, elegant without
ostentation ; and, above all, of a most tender, humane
disposition ; and his benevolence extensive even to
his own detriment." This was in the early part of
his career, and it remained with him to the last.

But these acts of kindness and benevolence were
perhaps most conspicuous in the relief he was always
ready to bestow on those most in need of it — the un-
fortunate prisoners of war. His humane treatment
of those in the South Sea was acknowledged with
gratitude l)y all whom the fortune of war had
thrown into his hands. The people of Spanish
America, enemies as they Avere, extolled his generous
conduct ; and the followers of Anson, who had the
misfortune of suffering shipwreck on the coast of that
country, were treated with the greatest humanity,
and had money offered to supply tlieir wants, because
they liad belonged to Anson. A most remarkable
instance of the durable reminiscence of benevolence
is mentioned by Captain Basil Hall. He says :

CH. x.] axson's character illustrated. 403

" Lord Anson's proceedings, we were surprised to
find, are still traditionally known at Paita; and it
furnishes a curious instance of the effect of manners
in the opinions of mankind, to observe, that the
kindness Avith which that sagacious ofl&cer treated
his prisoners is, at the distance of eighty years, better
known and more dwelt upon by the inhabitants of
Paita, than the capture and destruction of that
town."* The French admitted that their prisoners
in England were better taken care of under Anson's
administration than usual, and they acknowledged
it in their negociations for peace : and well they
might ; for when their agent avowed that his go-
vernment, being in a state of bankruptcy, could no
longer support their prisoners in England, Anson
prevailed on the English government to contribute
to their support, and succeeded in levying private
contributions to afford them sustenance.

That part of Anson's epistolary correspondence,
which has escaped destruction, consists of letters ad-
dressed to, Avith very few from, him ; a chasm that
leaves a sad deficiency in the development of his sen-
timents and opinions on particular subjects. Though
an indifferent scribe — and that he admits himself to
be — his Order Book on the South Sea expedition
might serve as a model for any commander-in-chief;
it is a pattern of laborious detail and minute regis-

* Truvels in South America, by Captain Basil Hall.

2d2

404 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

tration in all matters pertaining to the public service :
his instructions are written with great clearness ;
nothing is slurred over; every circumstance is stated
with precision. Every name of every Spanish pri-
soner is noted down in a list ; every disposition
of them accounted for ; so is every spar and every
rope-yarn ; in short, that extraordinary book is a do-
cument which establishes the character of Anson, as
a clear-headed man, and a correct, honest, and faithful
servant of the public.

There is reason to believe that a private journal
existed during his long and interesting voyage, in
which his feelings were no doubt fully and frequently
expressed ; but it has disappeared, having, it is sup-
posed, been lent to some one who forgot to return it.
We may, however, })retty well gatlier from the letters
of his numerous correspondents, Avhich by good
chance have been preserved, what their sentiments
were with regard to him, and extracts from them will
afford the best illustration we have of his character.
It is an old saying, " Show me the company a man
keeps, and I will tell you liis character." Why not,
on a similar principle, say, **Sho\v me the corre-
spondence which a man receives, and I will show
you what manner of man he is."

For want, therefore, of his own letters, it may not
be amiss to give a few specimens of those of his
corresj)ondents, from which some estimate of his
character may be formed.

CH. X.] AlS son's character ILLUSTRATED. 405

The first is from Captain Barnett, of the navy, who
writes to Lord Anson a long and very sensible letter
from Fort St. David, of which the folloAving is an
extract: — "As I cannot snppose that riches and
honours have made any alteration in Mr. Anson^ I
presume still to address him as my friend, though he
is one of my masters. I heartily wish the navy had
many of your great capacity and happy temper and
disposition: but where are they to be found? and
how seldom have we had one man at the Admiralty
who really did, or endeavoured to do, anything in
support of the corps of sea-othcers, or made the im-
provement of the discipline any part of his care ?
Ministerial jobs have too often taken up their whole
attention, or the care of their own interest and the
promotion of their family's. You, Sir, have nothing
to risk, and less to fear ; I therefore expect a great
deal from you ; and if I am deceived will never again
hope to see the grievances of the sea-officers redressed,
or any real improvements made, but conclude we
are to go on in the ohl stupid tracks of our prede-
cessors, leave all to chance, and blunder on ad injl-
nitum, without any regular system of discipline. I
am stupid enough to think that we are worse officers,
thoup-h better seamen, than our neiirhbours : our
young men get wrong notions early, and are led to
imagine that lie is the greatest officer who has the
least blocks in his rigging. I hope you will give
another turn to our all'airs, and form a society for the

406 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

propagation of sea-military knowledge. I think you
had formerly such a scheme."*

From those who had served with Anson the ex-
pressions of gratitude and kind feeling are univer-
sal. His old lieutenant, Piercy Brett, says, " On my
arrival yesterday, I was favoured with your friendly,
obliging letter. I heartily wish you joy of your pro-
motion, and do assure you the compliment you pay
me in making choice of me for your captain gives me
the greatest pleasure imaginable, and I shall ever
look upon it as a mark of your esteem." f

From another of his South Sea companions, Cap-
tain Cheap, one of the greatest sufferers, where all
had to suffer, l^y the additional misfortune of the
loss of his ship, and by having to deal with a muti-
nous crew, Anson receives the first account of his
safety, in a letter dated Landernau, in France, the
12tli December, 1745: "I should be unpardonable if
I let slip this opportunity, which is the first I have
had, of congratulating you on your safe arrival in
your native country, after so tedious and fatiguing
a voyage, and your having obtained the preferment
you so justly deserve in the opinion of all mankind ;
even your enemies speak well of you — I mean the
enemies of Great Britain, for I believe you have no
personal ones ; and, at the same time, I take the
liberty to assure you that no man on earth wishes
your prosperity with a warmer heart than I do."|
* Anson's Collection, No. 60. t lb. No. 90. % lb. No. 110.

CH. X.] anson's character illustrated. 407

Captain Denis, of the Centurion, one of his South
Sea lieutenants, fell in with and captured iive or six
rich prizes. In his letter to Anson, he says, with
great naivete, " What I have done to deserve all this
good fortune I know not ; but thus far shall I be
ever sensible of — that the spring of all my success
took its rise from your Lordship's friendship, and
one of my greatest pleasures is, that of acknowledging
it." And Boscawen, Avhom A\^alpole had the inso-
lence to say Anson sent on a hopeless expedition to
India, out of jealousy to get rid of him, thus Avrites
from Madeira: "I hope to be joined by the ships
that have parted company, otherwise I am afraid it
will be impossible for me to execute the Avhole of the
scheme proposed in my instructions ; but I will do
all in my power, that I may convince you I am not
unworthy the many friendships 1 have received from
you."

Captain Philip Saumarez, another of his South
Sea companions, Avrites thus : '* As we are now on
the point of sailing, I cannot possibly leave this place
without letting you know what part I take in the
honours and titles Avliich are preparing for you ; the
inward satisfaction they give me is much easier con-
ceived than expressed. It is an assemblage of events
which rarely happens, that the judgment of the sove-
reign and the suffrages and applause of a nation,
should so solemnly confirm and unanimously approve

40S LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [cil. X.

of whatever disliiig-viisliino- marks of honour are to be
conferred on you."*

The Hon. Hem-y Legge, once Anson's colleague,
and sent afterwards on special business to the court of
Berlin, writes to him some beautiful and sometimes
amusing letters. The one dated 4th Sept. 1748,
from Berlin, is interesting : —

" The account of your naval exploits has pene-
trated even into tliis inland country, where, though
every man one meets is a soldier, they are all ready
to allow the merits of a mariner, and able to discern
how much more merit one of the profession may have
than another. All people here who have the least
smattering of English (and many have) are at work
with grammars and dictionaries to read over your
South Sea voyage ; and as I am kno^-i'n to have been
formerly a mariner, great resort is had to me for the
explanation of such technical terms as are not to be
found in dictionaries. However the work itself may
suffer by such a commentator, the author's character
certainly A\ill not ; for unless somel)ody here should
have malice enough to make me declare, upon my
conscience, Avliat sort of a correspondent you are, I
think, in all other respects, my reports will not be
nuicli to your disadvantage.

" You may imagine I am not the only dealer in
English here Avho has not read it. I have borrowed
"^ Anson's CoUecliun, No. 394.

CII. X.] ANSO^'s CHAHACTER ILLUSTRATED. 40'J

and read it with the greatest satisfaction. Though
it is a Avork which, as an Englishman, I am proud of,
and, as a mariner, I think will be of perpetual use to
tlie faculty ; yet self-interest and private passions can
always find something to appropriate to themselves,
out of benefits of the most general influence ; and
therefore I feel myself most shamefully inclined to
thank you, more, for having done honour to my bro-
ther, than to your own country. The kind, and, I
may say, just paragraph (for otherwise I am sure
you would never have admitted it) which relates to
him, "will always have authority enough to protect
his memory against coffee-house censurers, and the
cavils of those children of ease who sit at home and,
without risking themselves, blame every man's con-
duct they do not and cannot understand. You knew
my affection to poor Ned* — measure my obligations
to you by it ; and I will dwell no longer upon a sub-
ject which always makes me unhappy." ■(•

The following may serve as a specimen of the
lively manner in Avhicli his friend Legge writes.
It is dated Berlin : —

" Dear Anson,

" Wherever this epistle finds you on this side the
water, I hope it will prevail upon you to proceed further,
even into Berlin. Whilst you were a sinsrle man vou enter-

* The Hon. Ed. Legge, who commanded the Severn, in the South
Sea voyage, and died when commodore of the Leeward Islands
station.

••• Anson's Collection, Xo. 'J88.

410 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

tained notions of this sort^, and gave me room to liope ; I
dare say you had not one virtue as a bachelor that has not
received improvement and addition by the accession of a
good wife, and I am very desirous to rank every kind inten-
tion towards your humble servant among the number of
your virtues. I know if I can once get them received in
that light, they will have the most stable foundation in your
own heart; and Lady Anson cannot but applaud and en-
courage them. Believe me it is a virtue worthy to enter
into the most Christian catalogue, to visit and comfort one's
friends and countrymen whilst they are sojourning amongst
strangers in a foreign land. You will find it so written in
Beveridge, or Nelson, or Jeremy Taylor, or some good
book or another ; and though I cannot exactly name to you
the chapter and verse, yet I dare say Lady Anson could.
The way hither is very good, and not very long ; besides, I
am a little pawned in honour to produce you, if possible, for
I could not help bragging one day to his Prussian Majesty
of the long acquaintance and friendship I had with you, and
hinting that I thought it not impossible but you might see
Berlin ; at which he intimated, with great vivacity, a strong
curiosity to see you. In short, if you come we will treat
you with great kindness and cordiality ; if you do not, I will
only tell the king, that though you make nothing of going
round the world, you grudge the trouble of visiting his
capital. I am, dear Anson, behave how you will, most
affectionately, &c. " H. Legge." *

The praise of Anson was not confined to his com-
pagnoHS dii voyage and countrymen, it extended to
forei<ijners, and, among others, to those whom he had
reduced to the state of prisoners. The sentiments

* Anson's Collection, No. 'J85.

CH. X.] anson's character illustrated. 411

and the conduct of M. St. George, who commanded
the Invincible, and taken by Anson, have been con-
trasted with the vapouring M. de Conflans. The
friendship which Avas estabhshed between the former
gallant officer and Anson — the victor and the van-
quished— w^as of the noblest character, and higbly
honourable to both. While yet in the Prince George
he sent some packet of letters to request Anson
to forward them to France, in justification of his
conduct to his government, in which he expressed
himself, as in his whole correspondence, full of grati-
tude and affection.

The following letter, with a copy of verses, from
M. Hardenberg, is highly flattering : —

"Au Gardenherg, le 4me Juillet, 1747.

"Monsieur — Permettez que je vous temoigne ma joie, et
que je vous febcite de tout mon coeur sur la gloire que vous
vous etes si dignement acquire dans votre dernier expedition.
Jugez de I'efFet de I'amitie ; elle m'a fait poete en votre fa-
veur, moi, qui de ma vie n'ai songe a faire des vers ; ils sont
destines pour etre mis sous votre portrait, si vous n'en ren-
contrez pas de meilleurs. J'ai fait allusion sur votre visage
modeste, malgre lequel vous entreprenez les choses du monde
les plus dangereuses, et jai taclie d'y rassemblir en racourci
toutes vos belles actions. Faites je vous prie bien des ami-
ties de ma part a Mr. H. Legge, et a my Lord Delawar, et
me croiez avec autant de sincerite que d'attachement pen-
dant tout ma vie.

" Votre tres humble, &c. " Hardenberg."*

* Anson's Collection, No. ISJ.

412 LIFE OF LORD A^"SON. [CH. X.

" Sic vultus hostes inter mortesque serenos.
Qua patet oceanus, circum Maria omnia ^cssit.
Hcros, cura patria; rccidivum attolleie laudem
Natus, ihesauros devicto extorsit Ibero,
Foedifragi Hesperium mare Galli sanguine tinxit.
Hosquoties salsis stupuit Neptunis in undis
Hos adamant nautce, cives, niirabitur Orbis."'

To this complimentary letter, and its accompani-
ment, Anson replies in tolerable good French —

" Monsieur — Je demande mille pardons d'avoir deffere si
long terns de vous remercier de votre belle lettre, et de la
part que vous mefaites I'honneur de prendre a ce que inar-
rive d'avantageuse. Je de\Toi peut etre me pleindre que
vous mettcz tout en oeuvre pour me reduire^ et m»e rendre le
plus vain de tous les liommes. Les connoisseurs ont peine
a croire que ce n'est que d'aujourd'hui que vous etes poete ;
ils trouvent vos vers extremeraent beaux^ et assurement il
n'y manque que le sujet. En tout cas je suis plus flatte de
Tamitie qui en est la cause que de tous les eloges du monde.
Trop glorieux de I'avoir merite, j'en desire avec ardeur la
continuation, et je serai toute ma vie avec I'estime et I'at-
tachement le plus vrai, votre tres obeissant, &;c.

'• Anson."

No one could Ijc more devoted to another than
Lord Sandwich Avas to Lord Anson. He was to
him a I\Iectcnas in more than naval matters. This
has appeared in so many parts of the narrative, that
nothinjx further ^vould be necessary; thoui>li a i'^w
brief extracts from his correspondence may here be
added. Captain Gascoigne had solicited Anson for
a particular aj)|)oiutment, and had ;qiplicd to Lord

cii. X.] Anson's character illustrated. 413

Sandwich, who was inclined to serve him. On this
occasion lie says to Anson, " I could not help com-
plying with his request in Avriting this to you, though
I shall take no otl.ier step in it, nor in this, nor in
any other ti-ansaction, act any part that I luive not
first concerted with you, and am persuaded is agree-
able to your inclination. I can make no other return
than this for the many remarkable acts of friendship
wliich you have shown to me, and which no thne nor
circumstances can ever efface out of my mind."

At the close of a long letter, fully explaining the
ditliculty of his situation at the Hague, and evincing
an anxiety that Anson should be satisfied of the recti-
tude of the principles by which his actions were regu-
lated, he says : " I assure you the thing on -which, in
private, as well as in public life, I most sincerely pride
myself, is the having been able, with the short ac-
quaintance I have had with you, to recommend myself
to the being considered by you as your Lordship's most
sincere friend," &c. Indeed he loses no occasion of
complimenting Anson on his management of the navy.

" You may easily believe me," he says, "when I
tell you it is with the utmost pleasure tliat I congra-
tulate you upon the fresh success of our fleet, under
the command of Rear- Admiral Ilawke. Besides the
advantage this great stroke will give to us in our
public afiiiirs, the credit and reputation it will give
to our mariners cannot but afibrd a most tliorough
satisfaction ; as it is inq)ossible for any one to have
the prosperity of a profession more sincerely at heart

414 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

than I have of that of which you are so deservedly
considered as the chief director, and to whose know-
ledge and ahility the world is very ready to attribute
the different figure that the English fleet has made
in the last years, from what it did at the beginning
of the war." *

Anson, having carried over the km^ to Holland,
took that opportunity of making a hasty visit to
his friend Lord Sandwich, at Aix-la-Chapelle. The
latter writes to him after his departure thus : — " As
I am in hopes that you are by this time safely arrived
in England, give me leave to return you my most
sincere thanks for your friendly visit at this place ;
every day gives me fresh reason to acknowledge my
obligations to your Lordship, of which, in no cir-
cumstance of my life, I shall ever be unmindful."

Lord Sandwich had, very innocently and unde-
servedly, roused the jealousy of the Duke of New-
castle, the most suspicious, aiul at the same time
timid, of public men, explains openly the whole
of the circumstances to Anson, and thus concludes: —
" You see, my dear Lord, that I write to you as I
speak to myself; these things are not proper to be
mentioned, but to those one can trust with that entire
confidence ; and there is no other man in the world
but you to whom I would venture to say half what I
now do ; but I have so many proofs of your friend-
ship for me, that from you I can conceal nothing."
Writino- on the same subject, the conclusion of his

* Anson's Collection, No. 357.

CH. X.] ANSON'S CHAEACTER ILLUSTRATED. 415

letter shows not only the confidence lie placed in
Anson, but the good opinion he entertained of his
judgment: — " I write this letter to you in the ful-
ness of my heart, so that I dare say I need not enjoin
you to keep it entirely to yourself; as I luwe already
said, there is nothing will go so far towards making
me think I am in the wrong, as my knowing that you
are of a different opinion ; and, if that is the case, I
flatter myself you will not conceal it from me."
When Anson communicated to him his nomination as
First Lord of the Admiralty, he says, — " You will
easily conceive my satisfaction on the receipt of the
news contained in the last three mails from England.
I am sensible how much I am obliged to your Lord-
ship for the great weight of your friendship ; and I
easily perceive how much your support has contributed
to make the way easy to the height of good fortune to
which I am arrived, and which I shall never forget to
the last hour of my life." And when Lord Sandwich
had completed the arduous task of settling the peace,
he writes, — "As it will be so soon that I shall have
the happiness of being with you, I will say nothing to
you at present upon public affairs, any further than
to return yon thanks for your constant kindness to me,
and for the friendly advice you gave me in your seve-
ral letters ; to which, you maybe assured, I shall pay
the strictest attention, as there is no one living of
whose friendship I am more convinced than I am of
yours, or for whose opinion I have greater deference."

416 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

From the collection of upwards of live hundred
letters addressed to Anson, many more extracts might
here be added, some of them expressing* gratitude for
benefits received, others for attentions bestowed, and
others again complimentary, laudatory, or teeming
with effusions of pure regard and friendship.

The specimens here given, expressive of esteem
and affection for Anson, from various individuals, may
serve to evince an amiable character and disposition
in him to whom the letters are addressed. It does
not appear, indeed, that he had any enemies, except a
few and very few political ones, such as Walpole,
whose praise or censure is equally valueless from his
tergiversations and constant self-contradictions.

Dr. Johnson is said not to have liked Anson ;
how should he, after w^'iting against him in his de-
fence of Byng ? Besides, he was a Whig, and the
o'reat moralist had a rooted dislike to Whio-crisni
Avhich he said " was a negation of all principle ; "
and he once blustered out to Boswell, that " the devil
was the first AVhig." Boswell tells us, that one day
a lank honey figure, witli short black hair, came to
Johnson with an " Ode to the warlike Genius of
Britain;" and, in going over it, Johnson, in a tone
of displeasure, asked him, " Why do you praise An-
son ?" On this passage the editor of Boswell has the
followinir note from Piozzi's anecdotes: — "He dis-
liked Lord Anson probably from local politics. On
one occasion he visited Lord Anson's seat (I\Ioor

CH. X.] anson's character illustrated. 417

Park), and although, as he confessed, ' well re-
ceived and kindly treated, he, with tlie true grati-
tude of a wit, ridiculed the master of the house be-
fore he had left it half an hour.' In the grounds
there is a temple of the winds, on Avhich he made
the following epigram : —

' Gratum animum lauclo : Qui debuit omnia ventis,
Quam bene ventorura, surgere templa jubet.'" *

Lord Chatham, however, was a more competent
judge of Anson's merit than Dr. Johnson. In the
dispute with Spain, in 1770, respecting the Falk-
land Islands, Johnson wrote a long paper against
their establishment. "It was he" (Lord Anson),
said Lord Chatham,— "it was he avIio first pointed
out the advantages that might accrue to Great Britain
from establishing a regular colony upon them. In
accordance with his suggestions the English Go-
vernment, soon after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle,
determined to send ships to extend the discoveries
in the South Seas, and particularly to examine
into the condition of the Falkland Islands." He
added, — " The second naval object with an English
minister should be to maintain, at all times, a power-
ful western squadron. In the profoundest peace it
should be respectable ; in war it should be for-
midable ; without it, the colonies, the commerce, the
navigation of Great Britain, lie at the mercy of the
house of Bourbon. While I had the honour of act-

* Croker's Boswell's Life of Johnson.

2e

418 LIFE OF LORD ANSON. [CH. X.

mg with Lord Anson, that able officer never ceased
to inculcate upon the minds of his Majesty's ser-
vants the necessity of constantly maintaining a strong-
western squadron ; and I must vouch for him, that
while he was at the head of the marine it was never
neglected."

This from Mr. Pitt, with whom and against whom
it had been Anson's fortune to act, spoken eight years
after his death, is a testimony so favourable to his
professional character, as to require little more to be
said on that subject.

One thing, however, is rather surprising, that to
the memory of such a man no statue, nor monu-
ment, nor inscribed tablet, public or private, has been
raised. Nothing, even in his own parish-church of
Colwich, beyond the dry fact, on the lid of his coffin,
of where he was born and Avhere died. " I always
feel ashamed," writes an amiable lady of the present
family, " when I think that neither private affection
nor public gratitude has ever raised a monument to
one who has shed such lustre on the name of Anson,
while some of the humbler companions of liis voyage
have their deeds recorded on marble, in the venerable
fane of Westminster."

There is, however, a memorial of him preserved,
of a perishable; nature it is true, but most a])})ro-
priately disposed of. When the old Centurion was
broken up, her head, a celebrated carved lion, i-am-
pant, Avas sent to George III., who presented it to

CH. X.] anson's charactek illustrated. 419

Charles Duke of Richmond, then JMaster-General
of the Ordnance ; the Duke placed it on a pedestal at
AVaterbeech, near Goodwood, where it served as a
sign to the public-house. The late king, AVilliam IV.,
saw and admired this venerable relic, and beeoed it
of the present Duke of Richmond. It was sent to
Windsor, where the King had it placed at the head of
the grand staircase; but, on being persuaded, by
some of the gentlemen of taste, that it was out of
character where it stood, his JMajesty said he would
send it where he was sure it would be in character ;
ordered it to Greenwich Hospital, with directions
to place it in one of the wards, which he desired
should be called the " Anson ward ;" and there this
bold and well-sculptured royal animal stands, with
his head erect, in a rampant posture, measuring just
sixteen feet from the ground. On the pedestal were
inscribed the foUowine- lines : —

'' Stay, traveller, awhile, and view
One who has travell'd more than you :
Quite round the glo})e, through each degree,
Anson and I have plough'd the sea ;
Torrid and frigid zones have past^
And — safe ashore arrived at last —
In ease with dignity appear.
He in the House of Lords, / here."

Many an old sailor of this ward will doubtless
have acquired the history of the Centurion's lion,

* 2 E 2

420 LIFE OF LOUD ANSON. [CH. X.

and be a])le to narrate the ])rincipal adventures and
events of " The Voyage round the Workl." *

If the deeds of Anson are not to be " recorded on
marble," nor any memorial of them, why then, for
want of something better, —

Illi sit monumentum candid'as iste hbellus.

* The old Centurion must have been a favourite ship ; there is a
drawing of her stern by Serres, beautifully carved, a copy of which
was kindly sent to me by Robert Cole, Esq., which came too late, or
I should have engraved it, together with the head. She was also a
o-ood ship, having been more than thirty years in commission, almost
constantly at sea.

SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER. 421

SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

INTRODUCTION.

It had been my intention to confine myself, in the
following chapter, to a few observations on tAVo im-
portant points — '^Manning the Navy," and "Pre-
servation of the Health of Seamen ;" Init there has
recently been so much abuse of the Admiralty, and
so many misrepresentations with regard to the state
of our navy, compared with that of foreign powers,
bandied aljout in party pamphlets, newspapers, and
after-dinner speeches, that I deem it right, and even
feel it a duty, to disabuse the public, by shoAving that
the oft-repeated charges of the neglected and reduced
condition of the British navy are wholly unfounded
in fact. I had, for other purposes, collected from
authentic infornuition, and arranged in two tables,
the actual state of all the navies in Europe and Ame-
rica. With this information before me, as an old
servant of more than thirty years in this department,
and as one who has been an humble instrument
under eleven different naval administrations — Whig
and Tory- — and professing myself moreover, as far as
my official character is concerned, of no political
party (my only parly being the Nax'y), I claim

422 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

the privilege of endeavouring to remove that false
impression, which the misrepresentations in question
are calculated to make on the British public, and
(which is still more to be deprecated) on foreign
powers — that the navy of Great Britain is neg-
lected, and in a 'progressive state of decay — a gra-
tuitous falsehood, the fact being the very reverse.

For the facts and ol)servations I have ventured to
state, I hold myself wholly and solely responsible,
having, advisedly, communicated Avith no one, not
even with a single member of the Board of Admi-
ralty. I have no other object in view but that of
letting the truth be known ; by which test I am
willing to abide.

J. B.

Admiralty, \st December, 1838.

SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

423

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NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 425

§ l.-NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &c.

Mr. H. W. Craufunl, a young connnaiidcr in the British
navy, being at Petersburg, was introduced to, and met Avilh
a most gracious reception froin. His Imperial Majesty of
all the Russias. He was also allowed to take a cruise of
observation in a corvette, fitted and manned for the occasion,
to accompany the Russian fleet to sea, on their accustomed
annual exercise. He came home so enraptured with the
reception he had met with, so astonished at the number, force,
and equipment of this fleet, that he could not resist the tempta-
tion of publishing a pamphlet, with " Remarks,'' as he prints
in large capitals on its first page, " intended to draiv atten-
tion to the danger of Icavimj our naxy in its present ex-
tremely REDUCED state.'' And he patriotically thus
conclude : — " My remarks have not been directed against
Russia or her Jieet, in which I was received with kindness
and hospitality, but ao-at/ij'^ my own country; to reproach
her for the injurious economy, the parsimony, which has
led to the present reduced state of her navy." There is an
old homely proverb that says, " It is an ill bird that fouls
its own nest." If Mr. Craufurd had drawn the attention
of the department, under which he holds his commission,
instead of the clubs and the newspapers, to any remarks or
observations he had to communicate, he might probably
have learned that he was at least quite as ignorant of " the
present extremely reduced state of our navy " as he is
mistaken with regard to the iucreaicd state of that of
Russia.

426 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

If he means, as it may be supposed he does, that the
number of ships in commission, and of the men borne, in the
British navy, have been in a reduced state since the con-
clusion of the revolutionary war, the following brief account
of them, taken at three nearly equidistant periods, will show
him how much he is mistaken : —

In the year 1820 there were in commission — 14 sail-of-the-
line ; and men voted, 23,000 seamen, including marines.

In the year 1830 — 18 sail-of-the-line ; men voted, 29,000
seamen, including marines.

In the year 1838 — 21 sail-of-the-line; men voted, 34,000
seamen, including marines, and 2000 boys.

And, if he wishes to go back to the year 1792, antecedent
to the revolutionary war, he will find that twelve sail of the
line were in commission, and 1G,000 men voted, of whom
about 12,000 only were borne for a great part of the year.
I mention this here, to show how incorrect all those are who
speak of the neglected and reduced state of our navy. If
the commander means the actual state of the whole navy,
he will find himself equally mistaken, liy referring to the
Table No. 1.

It is charitable to suppose that the young commander was
really ignorant of both; but his pamphlet of 1837 has had
the effect, loose as its statements are, of being the ground-
work of all the misrepresentations that have since gone
abroad on the suliject. When he " ventures to affirm that
we have not at the present moment the superiority upon the
seas ; and that it would require some time, and the greatest
exertions, to give it to us again ;" one would really supi)ose
we were at war, and had suffered defeat in some great ge-
neral engagement, which had decided our fate and our fall.

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 427

This silly opinion of a youthful commander may be taken for
what it is worth, and no more ; but he would have done well
in being less indiscreet in inviting, as it were, " a neiglibour-
ing power " to pay us a visit, with " an overwhelming force,
within a week's sail of our shores."

Any imputation of the neglect of, or any slight cast upon,
the navy, makes the blood thrill through the veins of every
true Englishman, who regards the honour, the welfare, and
the salvation of the country ; knowing that, on it, rests the
defence of the three kingdoms — the preservation of our colo-
nies— the protection of our commerce — the power of repel-
ling and avenging insult ; in short, that it is the navy which
contributes mostly to make the name of Britain honoured
and respected among nations. It is not therefore surprising
that the people of these islands, thus tenacious of the ho-
nour and reputation of their navy, should feel indignant
at the appearance even of neglect, on the part of those to
whom the management of its concerns have been intrusted ;
and the more so when, by a constant repetition and reiteration
of such charges, the misrepresentations at last obtain a
sort of general belief. Nor does the mischief end here ;
they create among foreign powers a doubt and distrust of
the boasted naval power of Great Britain, which never
before entered their thoughts. Even France, which, of all
others, has hitherto had most reason to acknowledge Eng-
land as the mistress of the sea— France, through one of the
acknowledged government organs, for so it is said to be, has
launched an uncalled-for and rather impertinent observa-
tion, regarding the British navy : —

" The French navy," says the paragraph writer, " pos-
sesses at present a materiel which does not fear a compari-
son with that of any other nation in the world ; for if we
strike out of the pompous list of the British navy, published

428 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

by the British Admiralty, the vessels unfit ft)r se<% we shall
find that Great Britain herself, the Queen of the Ocean,
cannot muster a greater number of vessels than France."
He "-oes on to say, "With these admirable ships — the
scientific proportions and perfect armament of which are
the envy of all other nations — we have a personel of officers
who unite to French valour, knowledge, experience, and
discipline,"

We can have no objection to the high qualifications of
their personel : . if these be as represented, our personel will
have the more honour in beating them, as we have done m
all former wars, notwithstanding their larger vessels, heavier
metal, and superior numbers, j/enero//y of ships, and a/zfaj/.s-
of men. No one ever doubted the valour of the French,
nor can it be supposed that the writer meant to dispa-
rage that of the English. But if his other object be, as it
would appear, to depreciate the materiel of the British
navy, it may be as well to assure him that no pomposity is
meant by the list in the little blue book, published by Mr.
Murray, but convenience merely, in numbering the five or
six hundred vessels, of all descriptions, from a three-decker
to a ten-o-un briff — from a first-rate to a convict-hulk. He
will find our actual force in Table No. 1.

There is little wonder, however, in the French dispa-
raging our navy, Avhen they have so many examples of the
kind at home, and from quarters where least to have been
expected. Among others, we find a political pamphlet writer,
Mr. Montague Gore, stating boldly " that the navies of
France and Russia are singly equal to that of Great Bri-
tain." This is sheer ignorance ; indeed it so happens that
our naval strength in ships-of-the-line is nearly double to
either ; or. in other words, superior to both combined. The
two pegs on which Mr. Gore hangs his vituperative misre-

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 429

presentation of the government, and the admiralty in par-
ticular, are, first, the young commander's discovery of the
rapid progress of the Russian navy in the Baltic, and the
reduced state of our own ; and, secondly, the fallacious
statements of the French journalist. Let us see, however,
what these charges really amount to, that are so bountifully
bestowed on the naval administration, that they may be
answered in something like detail. The three following
heads will probably embrace them all : — •

1. That Old- ships of war, particularly those of the line,
are not equal in number, size, or armament, to those of
other maritime powers, France and Russia more espe-
cially.

2. That ships-of-the-line are sent to sea without their
loicer-deck guns, and with a reduced and inadequate com-
plement of men.

3. That, from the reduced state of naval stores in the
dock-yards, and of the number of shipwrights, a fleet, such
as a u-ar would require, could not be sent to sea.

First, I know of no better mode of giving, at a single
glance, a brief comparative statement, as to the classes and
numbers, of all the navies of the western world, than by
exhibiting them, as 1 have done, in two tables. They are
constructed from authentic documents, and I have every
reason to believe may be relied on as accurate — within a
ship or two at most. To the first table I could wish to
draw the attention of Mr. Montague Gore, that he may cor-
rect his erroneous assertion ; and also to the editor of the
Journal de Debafs. The English navy is not, in the table
referred to, exhibited as a jjompous list, and it will answer
triumphantly that part of the first charge, Avhich relates to
its reduction as to numbers. Many of the seventy-four-gun
ships are, no doubt, too small to be engaged singly with the

430 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

second class ships of France and America, but they are
precisely such as are best adapted for the North Sea and
Baltic ; and, in all respects most fit to meet, and defeat too,
the twenty sail of Russians of the same class, which we are
confidently told are to invade us next summer.

In frigates, however, especially in those of the first class,
it must be admitted we are, as we always have been, some-
what deficient : however, with eight of fifty-two guns, and
twelve of fifty, carrying thirty-two -pounders ; and forty-two
of forty-six guns, also so armed, and equally prepared for
throwing shot or shells — in all, sixty-two powerful frigates —
we have nothing to apprehend from the sixty-gun frigates
so bepraised by a soi-disant Flag-Officer, who shall be
noticed presently. We too might add eight or ten guns to
our frigates, to give the appearance of increased force ; but
a British officer would only consider them as an incum-
brance.

It may become a question whether some of the numerous
thirty-six-gun frigates may not be available for very im-
portant services; som.e of the best converted into troop-
ships, or even if necessary into steamers. Such frigates,
besides, must always be useful as auxiliaries to fleets, and
to assist in convoys. We should have been glad of them in
the last war. Nelson was left so bare of this class of
vessels, and so frequently called for more, that ho said he
was sure the word frigate would be found, after his death,
imprinted on his heart.

With regard to armed steam-ships, England has no
occasion to feel any anxiety on that score. We have the
means at all times to arm and bring forward vessels of that
description, whenever required. There are none of our fo-
reign packet-steamers into which may not be placed a couple
of sixty-eight-pouudcr guns, cither for shot or shells, or both.

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 431

or even eighty-four-pounders, these two species of ordnance
being accounted as the best kind of armament for steamers ;
and we may rest assured that, within two months., or less,
after a declaration of war, the British Channel, from Scilly
Islands to the North Foreland, will swarm with English
armed steam-vessels. It would indeed be disgraceful, if
the country that supplies both France and Russia with
engines, engineers, and most of the necessary machinery,
should not be able to compete with either or both of these
nations in this class of ships. The best of those of France
are fitted with English machinery ; the rest have very little
to boast of.

The second Table cannot be glanced at without a feeling
of melancholy, on reflecting what the navies of Sweden,
Denmark, and Holland in particular, once were, and to
what a humiliating condition they are now reduced — all
sacrificed, at various periods, to their alliance with France.
And then as to Spain ! — what a deplorable figure does the
remnant of her once proud navy here exhibit ! We well
know what became of those noble three-deckers the Sal-
vador del Mundo, the San Josef, the Hei-manegildo, and
Real Carlos; but where are the Santissima Trinidada,
Purissima Concepcion, Princesa del Asturias, and the
numerous magnificent ships mounting from eighty to ninety-
six guns, and composing a splendid fleet of sixty-eight sail-
of-the-line, eight of which were of three decks ? Some of
them were reserved to fall with the loss of her American
colonies, but the greater part were the victims of French
alliance at the battle of Trafalgar I

When Commander Craufurd talks of the progress made
in the Russian navy, he is ignorant of the fact, that a
Russian fleet in the Baltic has been a sort of hobby

432 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

since the davs of Peter the Great, who had not less than
twenty to tlnrty sail-of-the-line, small^ it is true, in com-
parison with the present ; and, with regard to the vaunted
increase at the present time, what is the fact? The Rus-
sians have not a single sliip-of-the-line in the Baltic, nor
in the Black Sea, more than they had fifteen years ago,
except those now on the stocks, intended to replace the old
ones; so little has Russia increased her fleet! If young
officers would take the trouble to read what their seniors and
superiors have seen and said ; — if Mr. Craufurd had done
this, he would have found that, in the year 18'23, an intelli-
gent old captain of the British navy saw at Cronstadt twenty-
seven sail-of-the-line, anchnanij of them of the largest class
of three-deckers — that he was on board one of the latter, the
Leipsic, and says, " she appeared to me, as did inost of
the ships, to be hogged, for, when standing on the after-
part of the lower deck, it was impossible to see more than
one-third forward."* This ship has long since disappeared
from the list. The Russian ships in fact last but a few years ;
they are built either of Casan oak, or larch, both of which
species of timber are of short duration. If Mr. Crauiurd
will look still further back, he will find y that, in the year
1801, Russia had sixty-one sail-of-the-line, thirty of which
were in commission in the Baltic, three of them carrying
each one hundred and ten guns ; fourteen in the Black Sea ;
the remainder building or in ordinary. Captain Jones also
visited Sebastopol, where he found the exact number of ships
that are now there, with the exception of those building —
fifteen sail — three of them carrying one hundred and twenty
guns, and the rest eighty-four. It is certain, however, that,

* TniVfls in Russia, Sec, by Cajjiain .Tones, R.N.
t Schomberg's Naval Chronology, App.

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 433

as the old ones break down, new ones of a superior class
are built.*

Just as this sheet was going to press, a " Flag- Officer of
her Majesty's Fleet" comes forward with "A Letter," in
the shape of a pamphlet, -' to his Grace the Duke of Wel-
lington, K.G., upon the actual Crisis of the Country in
respect to the State of the Navy." Very formidable ! Tlw.
Duke of Wellington and a Flag-Officer ! — the noblest of
names coupled with one assinning an honourable designation
but without a name, and both apparently employed as mere
"springes to catch woodcocks ;" and a few gulls at least will,
no doubt, be caught by the trick. He calls the Duke's at-
tention to certain "remarks and facts." As regards both the
one and the other, it may be stated briefly, that the whole
drift of this letter is to degrade and depreciate the British
navy ; and, at its expense, to elevate those of France, Russia,
and the United States ; to persuade his readers that these
nations are all ready to make war upon us : in short, his " re-
marks'" are so disgraceful, impertinent, frivolous, but withal
mischievous, as to make it next to impossible any flag-officer

* As a proof of this, it may be stated that, in the autumn of this
year, were launched at Nicolayef — ■

Tri SvetiteU— 120 guns, to carry 14G guns.
Tii Hierarchi — 84 guns.
And a third.
To supply the places of —

The Warsaw of 120 guns, their crack ship, and
The Pimen, both rotten and unseawovthy ; also
The Ivan Ilalaoust, 74 guns, rotten, and condemned.
In short, every ship launched in and before 1830 is slated, by
good authority, to be unfit for anything but carrying troops within the
Black Sea; and that the fleet in this sea is " neither in its ships or
its equipments, officers or seamen, of a character to raise Russia to a
high rank among maritime nations."

2f

434 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

could have written tliem : his "facts," however, must be
dealt with somewhat at large.

His first fact is a fiction. He says that, " before the war
of 1 793 (that is, in 1 792), there were sixteen sail-of-the-linie
as guard-ships." Here he only mistakes w?ew for -y///J9.y. The
vote was for 1 6,000 men; the largest number borne was
about 14,000 — generally about 12,000. The number of
guard-ships Avere eleven sail-of-the-line, of which two were
second-rates, and nine third-rates, bearing 4439 men ; there
were, besides, one of the line and twenty frigates on differ-
ent stations. "This force," he says (that is, his own erro-
neous one), " was a nucleus for a navy, and, upon the sudden
breaking out of the war in 1 793, we v/ere speedily prepared ;"
but he wisely forbears to expose his ignorance by saying in
what manner. I will tell him : Lord Howe was appointed
commander-in-chief of the Channel fleet in December,
1 792, and in the first three months of the following year
15,000 men were raised in the usual way by voluntary entry
and by impressment — whereas, now, instead of being " speed-
ily prepared," he asks, "has England ever before been found
in such a situation ?" The answer is, certainly never — on
no former occasion — never, in the whole course of her naval
history — could England boast of twenty-one sail-of-the-line
in commission, and a vote of 34,000 seamen, including ma-
rines and boys, in a time of profound peace. What does this
sapient "Flag-Officer" think of this for a "nucleus?" — what
does he think when I tell him, and will presently prove to
him, that, exclusive of marines and boys, three-fourths of
the rest now afloat are able seamen ?

As he leads us to expect that war will very soon be de-
clared by Russia, France, and the United States, if not
already done by one of them at least — as he considers all of
them ready to become enemies, and names Russia as having

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 435

passed the threshold; he very patriotically tells all these
powers what each of them may, with the utmost ease, effect
against us. Russia, for instance, he says, has about forty-
five sail-of-the-line (she has Ji_fty, twenty of which are small
seventy and seventy-fours) ; " she has forty frigates, nine of
them equal to line-of-battle ships" (she has twenty-five,
twenty-one of which are of thirty-six to fifty guns). " This
enormous Russian fleet in the Baltic is intended to in-
vade this country, and may next summer (sic) desolate
England, ruin her commerce, and blockade her shores,
unless England is roused from her stupor." But he says
further, the silly people in the interior have " no idea that
we are not in a perfect state of defence ;" and that no-
thing will awaken them from their "stupefaction but the
fact that hordes of Cossacks are landing to plunder London
or Brighton." This is pretty well to begin with, but it is
not all that Russia has to do for us. She has only, " in the
summer or autumn, to take on board troops, and, giving us
perhaps not two days' notice of their approach, burn Sheer-
ness dock-yard, and our ships, our towns on the coast, and
perhaps London itself." He seems aware of the fleet that
is to perform this, for he tells us it is to consist of " thirty
sail-of-the-line, twenty frigates, and steamers."

The hardihood with which this letter-writer utters things
that are wholly destitute of truth is quite surprising ; he
asserts, for instance, that Russia has " an overpowering, well-
exercised fleet, which has been increasing for several
years:" — pithy, but false; it has been shown that it has not
been increasing ; and his text- book of Craufurd would
have told him, that their well-exercised fleet is out two or
three of the summer months. It went to sea, and took
this commander with it : the emperor who, this soi-disanl

* 2 F 2

436 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

Flag-Officer says, " was exercising it during the equinoc-
tial gales," actually joined it on the fourth day, and on the
sixth, when a breeze of wind sprang up, it ran back to
Cronstadt.

Let us next see what force France has, and how she is to
employ it effectually against us. " She has completely out-
built us in her navy ; and not only produced a fleet of the
largest ships (being superior to most of ours), but has
adopted a method, by a registration of all her seamen, of
manning it in a very short time."

These two misrepresentations require contradiction. We
have the most precise statement, by the Baron Tupinier,
Membre du Conseil cV Amir ante, of the ships and men com-
posing the French navy, as they now stand, and as they are
intended to be kept up. " The ordnance," he says, " esta-
blished in 1 824, and confirmed in 1 83^, fixes the navy at forty
sail-of-the-line, and fifty frigates ; that, however, there are
actually twenty-seven sail-of-the-line and twenty-four frigates
on the stocks, and twenty-two of the line and thirty-six frigates
afloat ; making forty-nine sail-of-the-line and sixty frigates."
These numbers are intended to be gradually reduced
to —

20 sail-of-the-line, and 25 frigates, afloat.

20 sail-of-the-line, and 25 frigates, on the stocks.

And it may here be observed that, in the year 1815, France
had seventy-three ships-of-the-line, and consequently twenty-
four of-the-line have been broken up, one each year on an
average. But the impudent assertion, which follows, is
enough to make the blood boil of every British officer and
seaman — "France has at this time a naval force equal to
more than a hundred sail-of-the-line of our ships!' There

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 437

was a time when a British officer would not have shrunk from
engaging a French ship of superior size, of more guns, of
heavier metal, and with a greater number of men, which he
generally captured with a slaughter five, ay, frequently ten,
times greater than in his own ship : the " Flag-Officer" may
be ignorant of this, as he appears to be of most things con-
nected with the navy ; but he is the first man of the rank
he pretends to hold, who has thus ventured to depreciate the
British navy, by publishing to the world that a hundred sail-
of- the- line are necessary to engage fifty of the French — that
is, two British ships of Avar of the same class are required to
fight one of the French. With such feelings, it is to be hoped
that his bit of bunting may never fly at the masthead of any
of her Majesty's ships — "let no such man be trusted."

" The ships of France," we are told, "are swarming over
the ocean, while ours are scarcely anywhere to be found."
The swarm is not very large ; for she has actually no more
than ten sail-of-the-line and sixteen frigates in commission ;
eight of the line and twelve frigates are the peace establish-
ment ; the excess being called for by the affairs of Tunis,
Mexico, and Ancona. England has twenty-one sail-of-
the-line and nine frigates in commission, besides a whole
"swarm " of smaller ships. But, as he not only persists in
magnifying the size and number of the French ships-of-
the-line, the latter of which he raises from forty-nine (the
actual number) to fifty-seven, it may be as well to compare
the different classes and numbers as found in Table No. I.

Of the 1st class, from 100 guns and upwards, France has

6 afloat, and l6 Iniilding.
Of the same class, England has l6 afloat, and 3 building.
France therefore has 22, and England 19, of this class.
Of the 2nd class, from 80 to 100 guns, France has 7 afloat^

and 1 1 building.

438 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

Of the same class, England has 17 afloat, and 7 building.

Making French, 18— English 24.

Of the 3rd class, from 70 to 80 guns, France has 7 afloat,

and £ building.
Of the same class, England has 45 afloat, and 2 building.
Total— English 90; French 49-

But, to give the appearance of extreme accuracy, the
" Flag-Officer" has a list of French ships-of-the-line, with
the names of his fifty-seven, from which I shall take the
liberty to strike out eight.
1st Class— L'Austerlitz, Le Wagram, broken up; Le

Trocadero, burnt.
2nd Class — Le Foudroyant, Le Duquesne, Le Magnifique,

broken up.
3rd Class — Le Breslau, broken up ; Le Superbe, lost.

These are all gone, or condemned to go, to the tomb of
all the Capulets. Of the remaining forty-nine there are
three hulks, Le Tourville, Le Veteran, Le Jean-Bart, and
a school-ship, L' Orion, which would reduce their line-of-
battle ships to forty-five; but there are four building to
supply their places, of which the " Flag-Officer" knows no-
thing— Le Valmy, Le Sceptre, Le Castiglione, and L' Argo-
naut— still making, as in Table L, forty-nine. There is no
end, however, to his blundering fads and unfounded asser-
tions : thus, "the French," he says, "have gone on building
and launching;" utterly ignorant that, since the year 1815,
with all their building and launching, twenty-four ships-of-
the-line, as before observed, have disappeared. He talks
loosely and absurdly of " France and Russia having sixty or
seventy sail of heavy ships in cominissio7>y Now, taking the
whole twenty-seven sail-of-t^c-line in the Baltic, for a few
months or days in commission, and the ten usually so in the

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 439

Black Sea, and the ten of the French in commission, the
whole will amount only to forty-seven sail-of-the-line ; but
the truth is, he mistakes en commission, which signifies ships
pretty much in the same state as our twelve (foolishly named
demonstration ships), for ships actually in commission, which
in France is armes ; those not in commission are desarmes.
He concludes his enumeration of the tremendous force of the
French by an amusing instance of the bathos — " A French
frigate entered Sydney in New South Wales!" — and "is
this," he asks, "to preserve peace?" Another specimen of
the ludicrous is that of Marshal Soult's visit to Sheerness,
to dine with Sn- Robert Otway, on which occasion he gravely
tells us, the gallant old soldier acted the part of a spy, for
"he no doubt well reconnoitred Sheerness ! '

With regard to that excellent mode of registration of sea-
men, by which France, in a very short time, can man her
navy, M. Tupinier will perhaps best satisfy him, that he
knows nothing of the matter, or he would have been aware
that France has the greatest difficulty in manning her fleet at
all. "It becomes a question," says the Baron, "whether
forty sail-of-the-line and fifty frigates are not too great a force
for the resources of Vinscription maritime to man and
afford also the means of recruiting their crews, which might
require 57,000 men;" "but," he adds, "it never entered
into the mind of any one, that it was intended to put this
force in commission at once." "The total number of sea-
men inscribed," he says, " amounts to 90,000 —

But from this number, he also says, must be deducted —
Captains, mastei's, and pilots . . 10,000

Les novices (landsmen) . . • 15,000

Les mousses (apprentice-boys) . . l'i,000

37,000

440 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

leaving 5.'3,000, out of wliicli tlie fleet is to be manned.
But he further observes, that of those 53,000, there are only
34,000 or 35,000, from the age of twenty to forty, fit for the
service {hons an service) ; and that the number of men kept
in actual service of the fleet does not exceed 1 8,000.

If the authority were not above question, it would scarcely
be credited, that the commercial marine employs only, in
long voyages, in the great fisheries, and the great coasting
trade (grand cabotage), about 27,000 seamen, exclusive of
23,000 others, engaged in the small coasting craft (petit
cabotage). From the first number, he says, recruits are
taken from the navy, but only under extraordinary circum-
stances, more extraordinary still from the second ; and he
concludes by saying, that the real active portion of the 7iiari-
time iascrijJtiorc is at least 45,000 men.

Already employed in ships of war . . 18,000

" " in ships of commerce 27,000

45,000

Such are the resources from which France has the power
" of manning her fleet in a short time.''

And now for the last enemy — that either is or is to be —
the United States, who, he finds, "have sent a formidable
squadron to South America, of seven men-of-war, all perfect
of their kind, a part of which would be sufficient to take pos-
session of the whole of our contemptible squadrons there,
at the Cape, and in India, with our three admirals command-
ing them, and carry them to New York." This is mere
impertinence. The United States make no secret of their
naval force or of its disposition. They have two ships-
of-the-line and six frigates in commission, and one of these,
and one frigate, with some smaller vessels, constitute their
force in the Pacific, which is to take our three admirals, on

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 441

that station, at tlie Cape of Good Hope, and in India ! They
have two of the second chiss and three of the third in or-
dinary, and eight on the stocks, making in the whole fifteen
of the hne. The Americans are, moreover, kindly informed
that " a few of their powerful ships with troops might run into
Halifax harbour, and all Nova Scotia would be in their power ;"
nay, more, much more — " they might at any time take posses-
sion of Cape Breton, establish themselves in Louisburg, and
l^ew Brunswick would soon folloAv." Crossing the Atlan-
tic, " The inhabitants of Brighton and all our undefended
sea-coasts would not be safe in their houses; neither can it
be said that London would be secure from being plundered
and burnt ;" and, to remove all doubt of the lamentable
state to which we are reduced, we are assured that the Baltic
fleet will be '' all ready in the summer to pass over into
England;" that they may "anchor at St. Helen's, take the
Isle of Wight, and establish themselves there."

Does this "Flag-Officer" know — it may charitably be
supposed he does not — that were lie afloat, and we in the
position he would place us, with regard to France, Russia, and
the United States (that is, at war), the pains and penalties
of the 3rd Article of War, which are not slight, would very
nearly, if not entirely, attach to him ? As it is, his crime goes
somethina: beyond frightening old women and children, from
Leith to the Land's End ; he is using his best endeavours
to stir up friendly nations against us, and to inflame the
minds of the Queen's subjects against them ; but, however
it may vex him, he will learn from the President's speech,
that " the most amicable dispositions continue to be exhi-
bited by all the nations with whom the government and citi-
zens of the L^nited States have an habitual intercourse." —
And Louis Philippe says — "My relations with foreign
powers are as satisfactory as ever. France occupies the

442 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

rank which belongs to her in the esteem of her allies and of
the world."

Taking this letter altogether, I repeat, it appears impos-
sible that any British flag-officer can be the author of so
disgraceful and mischievous a production ; and my reasons
for this belief are, —

1. Because a British flag-officer, in possession of informa-
tion, hostile or injurious to the Queen's government and
the nation, would feel it to be his bounden duty to make it
known to her Majesty's ministers, instead of conveying it to
the enemy, or those whom he treats throughout as enemies.

2. Because a British flag-officer would not, by word or
writing, endeavour to excite friendly nations against his own ;
nor, by exposing what he describes to be '' the nakedness of
the land," earnestly and repeatedly invite them to invade us,
and assure them of success.

3. Because a British flag-officer would disdain to pub-
lish to all the world the alleged, but false, degradation of his
own navy, and extol the superior strength and condition of
those he considers as already, or on the eve of becoming,
enemies; one of whom he proclaims as " an overpowering
enemy, that may be said to be at our doors."

4. Because a high-minded British flag-officer would not
anonymously, covertly, and factiously, prefer grave accusa-
tions against his own department, to which he is subordinate
and amenable, whether afloat or on shore, without giving his
name, and notice, to the accused, of his intention to do so.

There was a time when this " flag-officer " might have
incurred some danger of suffering the penalty inflicted on
the gallant Admiral Vernon, for a very similar, though much
less culpable proceeding : but, for his own credit, be he who
he may, he would act wisely by throwing aside his pen, and
leaving England, France, Russia, and America, in that

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 443

state of repose which, it is to be hoped, neither he nor
those he has copied, nor those who laud his performance,
will succeed in disturbing.

From the prudence hitherto displayed by Louis Philippe,
it may be augured that, as far as depends on him, he has no
disposition to quarrel with England. He and his ministers
must be well aware that a war between England and France,
at this time, would inflict a great and general curse on every
nation of Europe — and for what purpose ? — What could
either party expect to gain, while both must infallibly incur
loss by war ? The French ministers are too wise not to
know that a war must deprive France immediately of the
whole of her slave colonies — Martinique, Guadaloupe,
Guiana, Bourbon, &c. ; that, let but the negyo emancipation
flag be unfurled, and all of them would at once follow the
example of San Domingo ; that the pet conquest of
Algeria, blockaded by sea, and pressed upon from within,
could not long hold out. Nor is it certain that the position
of the present dynasty might not be seriously affected.
Louis Philippe has not yet, notwithstanding all his sagacity,
prudence, and good conduct, acquired any of those prestiges
which blazed like a glory around the crown of Napoleon.
France, therefore, notwithstanding what the '* Flag-Oflicer "
says, will no doubt deprecate war as well as England.

But Russia? This power is undoubtedly the least of all
others to be trusted, because war or peace is, in that nation,
actually the prerogative of one man ; and her motions ought
therefore to be more closely watched : it is not, however, be-
cause she has two large fleets, that she makes herself an
object of jealousy to England ; but it is her warlike indica-
tions in keeping them constantly manned, and, as we are
told, provisioned for four months, ready at a moment's notice
to put to sea ; — it is this state of naval preparation, enabling

444 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

her to commence hostilities at once^ that shoukl keep us on
our guard against a surprise. She has neither cok)nies nor
commerce to protect : is it not then a fair question to be
asked^ by Austria, France, or England, for what purpose is
a naval armament, in such a state, kept on foot? It may
be against England, or Turkey, or both — in either case, it
behoves us to be prepared ; for if Nicholas be, as he is
represented, ambitious, restless, vindictive, and unforgiving,
and wholly independent of the opinion of his subjects, he can
never want a pretext for going to war. But, from the ele-
vated position he holds among European nations, he ought to
be esteemed a man of honour, cautious of acting the part of
a barbarian and a midnight robber, whose object is to invade
the shores, burn the houses, plunder and maltreat the inha-
bitants—as the "Flag-Officer" takes great pains to persuade
us he is prepared to do next snmmer ; if war be his object,
there must be discussions, negociations, manifestoes, previous
to actual war, as customary among civilized nations. He is
moreover said to be a calculating monarch ; and if so, it will
be difficult to conjecture by what process he will arrive at the
conclusion, that a war with England would be gain to Russia.
The hirelings of the German press, who are well paid for
depreciating England and extolling Russia, may flatter him,
as one of them has done, with the idea of his dictating a peace
to Eno-land from the palace of Calcutta; but they carefully
abstain from hinting that England, by a blockade of the Gulf
of Finland, and the occupation of Petersburg, may dictate
to Russia from the capital of Peter the Great— the one is
about as likely to happen as the other.*

* An able pamphlet, published by Murray, under the title of
" Pro'n-ess and Present Position ot'Rui-sia in the East," shows what
have been, what art-, and what will be, the views of this overgrown
despotic power, which, if not soon checked, will prove an overwhelming

NAVIES OF GRExVT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 445

Taking leave of this Flag-Officer for tlie present, the
next point to be considered is that of the size of ships in
the several naWes, which appears to be carried by all
the maritime powers, in imitation of each other, to a pre-
posterous extent. The United States, being a young and
ambitious naval power, and perhaps a little puffed up
by having in the last short conflict obtained a superiority
by large and fully-manned ships over those of a very infe-
rior class, conceived the proud notion of outdoing the rest of
the world, by building a ship of enormous magnitude — pro-
bably on the principle of the builders of the tower of Babel
— to "make themselves known." It was a kind of boast,
that the Pennsylvania, of 3000 tons, was the largest ship in
the world. We seem determined, however, to outdo her by
building four ships of 3100 tons each — the Royal Frederick,
the Royal Sovereign, the Victoria, and the Algiers ; and
when to these we add the Howe, Britannia, St. Vincent,
Caledonia, Royal William, Nelson, Prince Regent, Water-
loo, Hibernia, Neptune, Royal George, St. George, and
Trafalgar — thirteen ships of 120 guns each ; besides two of
1 10 guns, three of 10-i guns, one of 92 guns, ten of 84, and
four of 80, making twenty of these fine ships, it requires no
small degree of impudence to proclaim the British navy in
a state of decay, and her ships inferior to those of other naval
powers. But where, it may be asked, is the wisdom of this
competition in attempting to outbuild each other in the

power. Its acquisitions, marked on tbe chart which accompanies
this pamphlet, are so scattered over, and indented into, the several
states of Europe, looking Uke so many plague-spots, that must sooner
or later be dispersed or burst : but, in the mean time, what arc all the
powers of Europe, exposed to the infection, about? Let them look
seriously on this chart, and, if its spotted blisters will not arouse them,
nothing will.

446 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

size of ships? Would not the battle be just as well and as
honourably fought and decided between fleets composed of
seventy-fours, sixty-fours, or any other class of ships, as by
such monsters as these ? — except indeed it be considered an
advantage to incur additional expense in the building, fitting,
and manning such ships, and an enormous additional ex-
penditure of human life, increased to an incalculable extent,
if shell-guns should be found to answer the purpose contem-
plated by M. Paixhans : we shall, in that case, have a naval
war of extermination — but it will probably be short, and in
the end so far advantageous, as to teach nations and indivi-
duals to arrive at that point of wisdom, which may realise the
poet's hypothesis, where he says —

" War is a game that, were their subjects wise,
Kings would not play at."

The Russians, too, must build their large three-deckers ;
but little need be thought of them, till they are better
manned and better managed. There is not an officer in
our service, commanding one , of our first-class ships, that
would not be delighted to be laid alongside the Warsaw,*
said to mount one hundred and thirty-six guns, thirty-six-
pounders, with four on the lower deck sLxty-eight-pounders ;
or even that mighty eighty- four-gun ship that. Commander
Craufurd tells us, and the " Flag-Officer " repeats, " has a
large gun which throws a shell of one hundred and
twenty pounds, Avhose weight is six tons and three-quarters,
and whose charge is sixteen pounds of powder ; which is
worked bv sixteen men, and requires six minutes between
each rouild ;" so that, for each shot, she would receive six
from every one of our sixty-eight-pounders. When Paixhans
proposed these shell-guns, he boasted that he had invented a

"" Recently found to be rotten.

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 447

machine that would avenge the French for the disasters of
her navy, caused by the English in the revolutionary war,
and make the next more murderous — a weapon of vengeance
and massacre ! — would not even-handed justice require him
to be the first victim of his own infernal machine ?

We must of course follow, and are rapidly following, the
example set by others ; indeed, six years ago, experiments
were made with the long sixty- eight-pounder gun, and at the
same time the long twenty-four-pounder guns were bored up
to thirty-two-pounders, which are now, and will be hereafter,
universally used wherever they can : but it may be a matter
of doubt how long the practice of throwing shells from these
two species of guns will continue. The experiments that
have been made by that intelligent and indefatigable officer.
Captain Hastings, are highly satisfactory, as to their destruc-
tive effects ; but every body must see there is a great
difference between firing from one fixed object to another,
also fixed, and in an action at sea. There, no one seems
to know precisely what the effect will be ; but it is not
difficult to foresee the disadvantages — such as the diffi-
culty of adjusting the length of the fuse to the varying dis-
tance of the object — the charge of powder according to that
distance — so as to bury the shell in the ship's side, where it is
intended to explode — the chance of its remaining thus buried,
and not exploding at all — the difficulty and time required for
placing the shell in the gun as it ought to be — the additional
weight of the gun and shells on the ship — the additional
number of men required for loading, bringing up the shells,
and running out the gun — the delay of some minutes in
firing each round ; — these and other draAvbacks will pro-
bably be found incidental to shell-guns on board ships.
England, however, Avill not be left behind, and her seamen

448 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

will soon learn and manfully do their duty at these guns,
as they have ever done with others. They go to work
quietly, v/ithout hustle or blustering ; and the nation is
neither in a state of " stupefaction/' as the Flag-Officer
impudently asserts, nor does it see any occasion for "■ un-
chaining and unmuzzling the British Lion," as he most
valiantly recommends in concluding his rodomontade.

The French are fond of elevating their guns and firing
at a distance, aiming rather to dismast a ship than to hull
her ; but of this we may be certain, that our captains will
not attempt to throw a shell, until they come within point
blank distance, when, even should it miss explosion, it
will do the business of a sixty-eight-pound shot, by going
through. The ten-inch shell-gun, eighty-four-pounder, is
considered best adapted as a pivot or slide-gun for steamers.

Paixhans is, however, proud of his invention, which, by
the way, is none.* He says " the English boast that a ship-
of-the-line speaks all languages; and truly enough they
carry orders that are understood by all nations; but we
hope to be able to prove that a ship-of-war, he she what
she may, speaks not so loud but that another may speak
still louder, and put her to silence." This nonsense was
uttered many years ago, but it has only arrested the atten-
tion of the French government recently, and the results of
the experiments made with his shell-guns induced it to
adopt this murderous species of warfare.

While on the subject of building and px'eserving the fleet,
it may be stated that, not many years ago, the attention of

■''■ The little treatise, of Captain Simmons, R.A., containing the
history, practice, and results of hollow shot and loaded shells, directed
against ships-of-war, should be read and studied by every oilicei- of
the British navy.

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 449

the Board of Admiralty was drawn to the great number of
new ships building, and with such rapidity, that they were
launched, not from any want of ships, but apparently as if for
no other purpose than to rot at their moorings in ordinary.
In the year 1832, when matters of this kind were closely
looked into, it appeared that the Nelson, of one hundred and
twenty guns, launched in 1814, (eighteen years before.)
the Vindictive, seventy-four, (nineteen years before,) the
Pitt, seventy-four, (sixteen years before,) Bellerophon,
eighty, (fourteen years,) had not one of them ever been at
sea ; and that other ships-of-the-line, in the several ordinaries,
to the number of sixteen, were in the same predicament.
This waste of ships and public money arose entirely from
the want of some system, in bringing the oldest sea-
worthy ships forward for service, in some sort of succession,
in time of peace. Something of this kind might be done — ■
suppose, for instance, by way of illustration, that the esta-
blishment of the fleet to be kept up be sixty sail-of-
the-line ; that on a very moderate estimation the duration of
a well-built and well-seasoned ship, carefully looked after,
may be taken at fifteen years, requiring only slight, if
any, repair. Let twelve be the number employed on the
peace establishment, (exclusive of guard-ships,) and each
of them be kept in commission three years, and, when paid
off, singly or together as may happen, twelve others be
brought forward to replace them. At the end of fifteen
years the whole sixty will have had their tour of service, and
be put into a state of repair as they come m.

But as ships will wear out and accidents happen, suppose
four ships a-year (two new ones and two old ones repaired)
to be provided ; this number annually brought forward would
always keep up the number to sixty; and a reserve in case

2g

450 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

of war, that every new sliip, on an improved construction,
had its duplicate prepared in frame and placed under cover,
to be set up as occasion might require, we should thus be
provided with the necessary war establishment.

Every one conversant with the subject must be aware
that no perfect uniformity of this kind can be strictly
adhered to, but something of the sort might be adopted, to
prevent ships from rotting at their moorings, as in various
instances has been the case ; for, it has been supposed that
a ship in commission (barring accidents), will last longer
than a ship in ordinary, because, in the former case, she is
better looked after, and more interest is felt in keeping her
in a state of repair, than in the latter.

While on this subject, it is to be hoped that we shall have
no more tampering with dry-rot doctors and their nostrums
for the preservation of Her Majesty's ships. The steeping
of large logs of timber in solutions of any kind is perfectly
useless ; the solution penetrates only skin deep, whereas the
real dry-rot commences at the centre, where the fibres,
being the oldest, first give way, as is the case in the standing
tree. The only plausible and promising preservative of tim-
ber is the gas of the kerasote, procured from the distillation
of coal or vegetable tar, which, when driven off" in the
shape of gas, will penetrate every part of the largest logs,
and render the wood almost as hard as iron, so hard,
indeed, as not easily to be worked. It is understood that
in Belgium they are using it as blocks for the railroads.
The worm (teredo navalis), as proved at Sheerness, will not
touch it, while pieces of the same wood, steeped in corrosive
sublimate, sulphureous acid, and other active solutions, were
bored through and through. Let our ships be built of good
sound English oak, as they formerly were, well seasoned,
under cover, and left on the stocks as long as they conve-

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE. &C, 451

niently can be allowed^ and we shall hear no more of dry-rot
or wet either.*

2. The second charge brought against the Admiralty is
that ships-of'the-line are sent to sea without their lower-
deck guns in, and with areduced complement of men. It is
quite true that three, of the twenty-one in commission, have
been so sent, as a temporary accommodation to three ad-
mirals, whose flags they bore, and their retinue. It was
thought that such accommodation, in a time of profound
peace, was a courtesy that might be allowed, when asked for,
without the slightest inconvenience to the service, and without
any additional expense. The Board well knew that a very
short delay would occur in remounting them ; and accord-
ingly one of the three, the Cornwallis, has now her com-
plete armament of guns; and the Wellesley has hers on
the spot. Three other ships-of-the-line, employed on a
pressing emergency to convey regiments to Halifax and
Quebec, struck their lower-deck guns into the hold,
for the greater convenience and comfort of the troops
and seamen; and every reasonable man, instead of cen-
suring, will applaud the Admiralty for adopting a m,ea-
sure by which several regiments have been conveyed to
their destination, with that rapidity and in that good state of
health, so essentially necessary for the service they were sent
upon. The Hercules carried three regiments, and made
three trips to Halifax, without her lower-deck guns : the
Russell has lain idle seven months in the Tagus, with her
guns — which ship has been most usefully employed ? This
charge can only be regarded as factious and frivolous.

* The Royal William carried a Hag as guard-ship, when nearly
a century old; the Sovereign of the Seas was burnt when half
a century old ; and Anson's Centurion, always in service, was broken
up when nearly forty years old ; yet none of these, nor many hundred
old ships, were steeped in any quack nostrums.

(O G -w

452 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

But then our sliips-of-war are sent to sea with short com-
plements of men ; that is to say, with their lieace comple-
ments, which, taken broadly, may be said to average one-
eighth less than the war complements. It is quite true they
are so sent, according to ancient practice (varied only as to
the numbers), ever since the navy existed as a navy ; but
now-a-days that goes for nothing — •*' old things have passed
away; behold, all things are become new." It is quite
unnecessary therefore to attempt any justification of the
practice on the ground of ancient precedent ; it is indeed a
pure naval question, on which it is not for me to give an opi-
nion : I shall therefore only observe, that the present peace
establishment is taken from that of war, as settled by a com-
mittee of naval officers in the year 1 8 1 G, revised in the year
] 828, and altered from time to time, as ships of different
classes and dimensions were brought forward, and is now
undergoing a revision, required by the change in the arma-
ment and rating of ships.

As compared with the war complements, one woidd
imagine the present peace establishment to be ample. For
instance, that of a seventy-four, in war, being only 590, is
now 570 ; of the former, the number of able seamen was then
limited to one-third, the ordinary one-third, and landsmen
one-third; now the able seamen are estimated at seventy-
five per cent.* First class boys, during war, were admitted
from fourteen to seventeen years of age; now they arc
required to be from seventeen to twenty. The fact seems
to be that, in war, officers thought only of seeking and
fighting the enemy; in peace, very pi'operly, of keeping
their ships in the highest possible order, to compete with,

* On examining the books of 1834, of six sliips-of-the-line and
eij^hteon frigates, it appears that the average proportions then were,
seventy able, twenty-six ordinary, and four landsmen /jer cent. They
are known to bear now more in iavour of able seamen than then.

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 453

and excel in smartness, such full-manned French ships they
may meet with, in manoeuvring, Avithout calling all hands for
that purpose. The battle of the Nile was fought with twelve
seventy-four-gun ships, whose average complements did not.
exceed 560, and among whom were several foreigners —
Portuguese, Maltese, and Neapolitans.* The force of the
enemy consisted of thirteen ships, one of one hundred and
twenty guns and 1010 men, three of eighty guns and 800
men each, and nine of seventy-four with 700 men each ; yet
of this fleet eleven were taken, sunk, or destroyed ; and the
remaining two afterwards captured — but Nelson commanded
— and he was a "flag-officer."

The question of peace and war complements would seem
to turn upon this : — which is most desirable, in peace, to have
fewer ships with full war complements, or a greater number
with peace complements? — which of the two would be most
advantageous on the breaking out of war ? If a large fleet
were required to be got ready at a short notice, undoubtedly
the latter — the deficiency of an eighth would readily be sup-
plied, or even if the ships wanted a fourth, provided those
already on board were, as they now are, active and able
seamen — the rest might be made up of the crews of various
small craft, of the ordinary, by marines, or, if necessary, by
the entry of landsmen, together with impressment, essentially
necessary on the breaking out of war, unless our merchants
will quietly see their ships Avith return cargoes swept away into
French ports. Another reason for the preference of peace com-
plements is, that the more ships in commission during peace,
the greater number of officers of all ranks will be employed,
and thus be enabled to keep up their practice, Avhich it will
be admitted is also essential for the efficiency of the fleet.

"■ The Orion ^Y■JS short sixty-six men, and the Autlacioiis, fifty-six;
several others to the extent of twenty-two and twenty-four.

454 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

We are now, however, clamorously called upon to change
the long-established system, to increase indefinitely our fleet,
and to keep it full manned on a war establishment. We had
much better at once be at war, a result to which such a
measure as that recommended would be likely enough to lead.
Whenever the necessity for it shall actually exist, of which
the Government may be presumed the best judge, let Par-
liament vote 50,000 men, and the Admiralty will find no diffi-
culty in adding thirty sail-of-the-line, of as fine ships as any in
the world, to the twenty-one already in commission ; for which
additional thirty, masts, sails, yards, and every necessary
article of gear are in complete readiness in our (neglected)
dock-yards — and it can hardly be doubted that those persons,
so clamorous for war, will be among the first cheerfully to
submit to a war tax in time of peace.

3. The last charge is that, from the reduced state of
stores in the dock-yard, and of shipwrights, a fleet such as
a war would require, could not be sent to sea. This would
be indeed a serious charge if true. As there is no effect
without a cause, so the cause of this alleged deficiency is
rather a curious one. A Noble Marquis, one day in want of
a Riga spar for his yacht, was told there was not one in
the yard where he inquired ; and all the newspapers in the
United Kingdom echoed the cry, that a Riga spar was not
to be found in any of Her Majesty's dock-yards ; nay more,
by a figure of speech called amplification, neither masts,
spars, nor yards were to be had even for the supply of ships
on the peace establishment. But the story of the deficiency
of such a spar as the Noble Lord wanted is quite true ;
and it is also true that there are none of that kind in any of
the yards, and the reason is this : the purchase of Riga spars
has been discontinued for the last three-and-twenty years,
that is, since the conclusion of the war, because the prices

NAVIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, &C. 455

demanded became so enormous, and their place could
be supplied so advantageously by the substitution of Vir-
ginia, red pine, and New Zealand coudie spars — all of
them equally good and much cheaper than, and the last
superior in toughness and strength to, Riga spars. In the
year 1833 a member of the then Board of Admiralty, who
in ancient times had heard, like the Noble Lord in question,
of the superior qualities of Riga spars, made an attempt to
procure a supply by public contract, but the prices asked
were so enormous, that the Board declined accepting any of
the tenders. We are not singular, however, in the deficiency
of these kind of spars. Le Baron Tupinier says that the
northern market is closed against them, and that no more
Riga spars are to be got; and, what makes the matter
worse, they have not been able to supply their wants with
Virginia spars ; that in consequence they are reduced to the
necessity of making their topmasts of several pieces (hnne
de V assemblage ;) fishing, 1 believe we should call it, all
round the mast, throughout the whole length. On inquiry
I find that the reason for their not getting Virginia spars
is, that the French, in their naval estimates, put down
the "prices at which contracts are taken. The American
timber-merchants are soon informed of these, and raise
their demands accordingly. The British public, however,
may rest satisfied with the assurance that there are in
the several dock-yards, not only made-masts, main, fore,
mizen-masts, and bow-sprits, for thirty sail-of-the-line, as
already stated, but as many more in comj)onent parts, ready
for putting together, with all the necessary stores for the
equipment of a fleet to the extent of fifty sail-of-the-line ; and
with regard to topmasts, for the want of which the French
are so much distressed, it appears we have upwards of three
hundred spars, sufficient for all the topmasts of one hundred

456 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

sail-of-the-line. The details of the principal stores could be
given, if necessary, or expedient, which, for obvious reasons,
it is not. Many of the most important, and of foreign growth,
are in store for three, four, five, and even six years' con-
sumption— but I have already occupied more space than
the subject may be thought to deserve. I shall, therefore,
only remark that, with regard to the number of shipwrights,
if any judgment may be formed from a comparison of what
they were in the height of the war, with what they now are,
it will be said that they are amply sufficient for all the work
required of them. In the year 1813, when 148,000 men
were voted, the number of shipwrights employed was about
5000, including other artificers immediately connected with
ship-building; at the present time, when 34,000 men are
voted, the number employed is 2360 ; the proportion being,
that the latter number, in this view, would be sufficient for
60,000 men serving in the fleet ; but of course the number
to be employed must depend on the nature and quantity of
the work to be performed.

In conclusion: I cannot hesitate to affirm, and I do so
neither rashly nor vauntingly, nor without due research, that,
if any confidence is to be placed on official statements and
returns, at no former period of profound peace, in the whole
history of Great Britain, was her navy in so efficient a state,
as to the number, condition, and equipment of the ships in
commission, and the number and superior qualities of the
petty officers and effective seamen borne on their books :
nor were the number, the dimensions, and the condition of
the ships in ordinary, and the preparations and stores in the
dock-yards for increasing the active and efficient force of the
fleet, at any time more satisfactory, thnn at the present
moment — the commencement of the year 1839.

MANNING THE NAVY. 457

§ 2. MANNING THE NAVY.
Notwithstanding all the clamour that has been raised, there
is not the slightest ground of apprehension regarding the
efficiency of our ships of war ; but the case is different with
respect to the manning of them. It is here where the shoe is
likely to pinch. We may crowd into our harbours of Ha-
moaze, Portsmouth, the Thames and Medway, as many as we
please of those " moveable fortresses," those " stupendous
masses," there to repose on their shadows, but without men
they will not, to pursue Mr. Canning's metaphor, " ruffle
their plumage and start into life and animation." The im-
portant question then is, what means are to be adopted
equal to the manning of the fleet on the breaking out
of hostilities? It has been asserted that the whole of
the seamen in the United Kingdom would not be sufficient
to man the navy in time of war, without distressing the
merchant service. Though there can be little doubt that
the number of seamen, in the coasting trade, has been
somewhat on the decline ; and one of the causes is the
multitude of steam -vessels, still rapidly increasing, which
swarm in the Thames and other rivers, and along the coasts
of the United Kingdom ; which have had the same effect, as
to the diminution of sailors, that the railroads have on post-
horses. It is to be hoped, however, that a sufficient number
will yet be found available for the naval service, without
having recourse to means that would distress the mercantile
marine, the main source indeed from which they must spring ;
and I think, it may be shown, that there are seamen enough

for both.

That on the first breaking out of hostilities, recourse must
be had to the legal and constitutional measure of impress-
ment, no doubt can be entertained by any unprejudiced man ;

458 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

without it the ships-of-war for a long time must continue to
" repose on their shadows," while those of the enemy are reap-
ing a rich harvest undisturbed. That it is both legal and con-
stitutional has been so clearly shown by that able lawyer.
Judge Foster, as not to be controverted. Even that powerful
champion for the rights and liberties of Englishmen, Junius,
in speaking of the impress, says, " I never can doubt that
the community has a right to command, as well as to jmr-
chase, the service of its members. I see that right founded
originally upon a necessity which supersedes argument. I
see it established by usage immemorial, and admitted by
more than a tacit assent of the legislature. I conclude
there is no remedy in the nature of things, for the grievance
complained of; for if there were, it must long since have
been redressed." And he further observes that, "with
regard to the press for seamen, it does not follow that the
symptoms may not be softened, although the distemper
cannot be cured."

There is no doubt that the mode of carrying impress-
ment into effect may be so modified, as to remove a
great deal of that odium which has generally been attached
to it. It may be confined to the pressing of seamen afloat ;
no pressgangs need parade the streets, enter houses in
search of poor fellows just returned from long voyages, to
tear them away from their parents, their wives, and their
children : these are the things that make impressment
hateful. Pei'haps it would be desirable that no general
press-warrants should be issued, l)y which the protected
and unprotected, the aged and infirm, the landsmen as well
as seamen, are indis(;riminately swept away to the rendezvous,
huddled together in a confined room, till regulated, as it is
termed, wh(;n probably not one in five arc found fit or

MANNING THE NAVY. 459

liable to serve. A rendezvous at the principal ports of the
United Kingdom may be necessary for the reception of
volunteers, but not for impressment ; this species of forced
service should be limited to men serving afloat. Every
thinking man, however, must be fully sensible of the absolute
necessity of having recourse to impressment on the first
breaking out of war, if we wish to protect our shores from
insult, our colonies from capture, our commerce from
plunder ; all other modes can only be slow and progressive ;
and the party who strikes the first decisive blow has made a
great stride in winning the battle. The " Inscription Ma-
ritime " of the French, which has much failed them of late,
is a kind of militia. We, too, have a militia for the land
service, to which all classes of landsmen within certain
ages, with a few exceptions, are liable, but from which
seamen are exempt. If we are to give up the usual
and efficient means of manning the fleet, why not esta-
blish a maritime militia? why not say to every mari-
time province of the United Kingdom, You must furnish
so many seafaring men for the navy — according to the regis-
tered number in your county — and the rest shall be free
from impress, from the moment that the stipulated con-
tingent has been supplied ? Why is a seaman to be exempt
from serving his country, on that rude element, where alone
he can be of essential service ?

Every encouragement, however, should be given for
voluntary enlistment ; and nothing, perhaps, would hold out
greater encouragement to good seamen, and be more pro-
ductive, than a well-appointed frigate, or sloop, with a
sensible and discreet commander, stationed at each of the
principal ports of the United Kingdom, for the voluntary
entry of seamen. The Act of 5 and (J of William IV.,

460 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

cap. 24, brought in b}' Sir James Graham, seems to be
well calculated for this end. It is entitled " An Act for
the Encouragement of the Voluntary Enlistment of Seamen^
and to make regulations for the more effectually manning
His Majesty's Navy." It limits the naval service to volun-
teers for five years. If abroad, the admiral under some
special emergency may detain him six months longer, with
one-fourth increase of pay ; after five years he may be
discharged with certificates, on which protections will be
granted. On entry at any rendezvous, or on board ship, he
will be entitled to double the ordinary bounty ; seamen
already serving when the proclamation shall be issued, not
to be discharged, but continue to serve, if required, five
years, and will receive the ordinary bounty. Any seaman
who shall, at the expiration of five years, signify to his com-
manding officer his desire to continue in the service for
another period of five years, shall be entitled to receive the
single bounty offered by the Royal proclamation. In ad-
dition to these encouragements, pensioners, who may be
fit, and volunteer, will be allowed to receive their pensions
while serving, in addition to their pay. And, lastly, seamen
wishing their discharge before the expiration of five years,
will be permitted to find a substitute of one able seaman
or two able-bodied landsmen ; and will be entitled to the
same protection as if he had completed his five years
himself. It may here be observed that, if able-bodied
pensioners were now allowed to receive their pensions along
with their pay, many valualjle men would be preserved to
the service, say from one hundred and fifty to two hundred
a-year of choice seamen. No additional expense would l)e
incurred by his receiving both, as, if ho does not re-enter,
another, probably not half so good, must take his place.

MANNING THE NAVV. 40 1

Coupling these great benefits, secured to volunteers by
Act of Parliament, with the encouragement which of late
years has been given to seamen serving in the fleet, and
very recently the increase of pay to that important class of
men, the seamen-gunners, which will, no doubt, be extended
to those valuable men rated as petty officers, it can hardly be
doubted that, on the breaking out of war, these great advan-
tages will induce seamen to volunteer for that service, in
which they know they are better treated than in any other.
With regard to the petty officers generally, it is the opi-
nion of a great many able and experienced captains, that
it would be considered a great encouragement for these
most useful men, and induce many to enter the sernce, if
their pay were made equal in all rates ; and it seems rea-
sonable it should be so, as the labour, the drudgery, and
the attention, in the lower, are as great, and frequently
much more so, than in the higher rates. Others, however,
are disposed to consider the step from a lower to a higher
rate to operate as an encouragement ; that there is a great
difference between having three or four men to look after
and thirty or forty, and that the share of prize-money is
many times greater in small than in large ships.

Prize-money, it is true, is much looked up to by seamen ;
and it certainly ought to bear a much larger proportion to
that of the officers than it does. Sir James Graham,
satisfied of the propriety of this, took a little, ami but a
little, from the admirals and captains, and gave It to the
able seamen : but it met with opposition from both classes of

officers from the captains with some show of reason— from

the flag-officers, none. A captain is liable to all the expenses
of liti'^ation in the case of a doubtful detention, and must
himself indemnify the owners for an illegal capture ; their

462 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

plea then was this — if our share is to be reduced, at least
bear us harmless; if we, in the prosecution of our duty,
are led by plausible circumstances to commit an error,
let us be indemnified, on the certificate of the judge, that
appearances justified the detention. Nothing would appear
more reasonable ; and it is much to be hoped that, on war
breaking out, a very considerable increase of prize-money
will be granted to petty ofhcers and seamen of the fleet.*

After all a great deal must depend on the character of
the captain, or commanding officer, in the successful man-
ning of his ship : the seamen are made so well acquainted
with this, that a favourite officer will man his ship in one-
fifth part of the time that another will. Lord Howe never
wanted men for the ships he commanded, because he was
known in the navy as the " Seaman's friend."

The other Act of Sir James Graham, 5 and 6 William
IV., cap. 19, for forming and maintaining a register of all
merchant seamen of the United Kingdom, and for amending
and consolidating the laws relating to them, is of the great-
est importance to the commercial interests, and of mutual
benefit to the owners and masters of ships, and to the
seamen. Every one knows how many ineffectual attempts
have been made to establish a general register of the ma-
riners and seafaring men, on an idle supposition that it was
an invasion of the liberty of the subject, and with the
ulterior view of facilitating impressment. It required, there-
fore, no little tact to subdue this prejudice. An office is
established at the Custom-house, in London; a registrar,

* Even without these important advantages, and contrary to the
assertion of the " Flag-Officer," that the men are disgusted and will
not enter the service, it is a fact that, from the moment bills were
issued, and a few lieutenants appointed to receive volunteers, more
than a thousiuul men have entered in the month of December.

MANNING THE NAVY. 463

with a proper number of clerks appointed, who corresponds
with the customs at the out-ports, and makes periodical re-
turns to the Admiralty, of the number of seamen registered.
By a return called for by the House of Commons, dated the
9th of June, 1838, the total number of registered seamen,
up to that date, was 156,872; * but among these is mixed
a certain portion of river and coasting trade, the latter of
which, by a Parliamentary return, is stated to consist of the
enormous number of about half a million, f

But, perhaps, the most important part of this bill, is that
which relates to parish boys and others being put appren-
tices to the sea service, and the number of apprentices which
every ship is compelled to take, according to her tonnage.
All former Acts on this subject were evaded ; but the regu-
lations now in force, and the penalties attached to any defi-
ciency in the numbers, bid fair to introduce into the mer-
chant service a very considerable increase of seafaring men.
By the same return as that above mentioned, there Avere in
the merchant service, on the 31st July, 1835, when the Act
passed, 5429 apprenticed seamen. Of this number, on the
9th June, 1838, there remained still under indentures 1740.

From the passing of the Act to the same

date, the indentures registered were . . 1 9,367
To which add 1^740

Total number of apprentices . . . 21, 107 J
Some regulations would still appear wanting, with regard

* Increased in September to 167,013.

t This return of 1829 for 1828, signed by the Registrar-General of
the Custom-house, is thus stated :— " Coasting trade, inwards, 51 2,000,
outwards, 517,000 men ;" a return, not worth the value of the paper.
The same vessel and the same crew may have arrived and sailed
inwards and outwards a dozen times in the year.

% Increased in September to 21,450,

464 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

to the seamen apprentices. Since the establishment of
docks, all hands are sent ashore, from the time the ship
is ready to enter one. If the apprentice has no home to go
to — which is generally the case — he is put into some mean
lodging-house in the neighbourhood of Wapping, till his old
ship, or some other belonging to the firm, is ready to leave
the dock ; where, it may be supposed, neither his morals,
habits, nor health, have been improved. The merchants
of London, at a small expense, might provide a remedy
for this evil. While speaking of apprentices, I may notice
the great advantage which the navy will receive from the
number of boys now introduced, and which it may be
prudent to increase ; they are now about ^000, and might
with advantage be extended to 5000. Many of these boys,
who enter at seventeen or eighteen years of age, return from
their station fit for the rating of ordinary seamen, become
attached to the navy, and prefer it to all other service. Too
much encouragement cannot be given to this class of young
and rising seamen.

Another source for the supply of seamen, to a certain
extent for the navy, has, within a few years back, been lost
to the naval service. The allusion here made is to the
Coast-guard service, as at present constituted. Why it has
been altered from its original establishment, when it sup-
plied seamen on many occasions for the navy, instead of, as
now, taking them away from it ; or l)y whose advice the
change was made, is not material. The deed has been
done, the concession has been made ; and the Treasury,
the Customs, and the Comptroller of the Coast-guard, are
probably satisfied that, being naval men, and under the
control of naval officers, they arc more efficient for the pro-
tection of the revenue, than any other class of men. It may
be so, and well-conducted enough, though not under martial

MANNING THE NAVY. 465

law ; but they are lost to the navy ; their habits being
totally changed. No complaints of inefficiency, or want
of subonhnation, were made against the men when borne on
the books of a ship-of-war, stationed in the Downs, and
of another in New Haven ; and the great advantage was,
that on any pressure for manning a ship, forty, fifty, or
sixty able seamen, were always at hand, and made avail-
able. On one occasion of an important nature, two hun-
dred and forty-one seamen were withdrawn fiom the coast-
guard, then called blockade service, and at another time two
hundred and eighty-three ; and the number borne exceeded
three thousand men. The coast-guard has now about four
thousand men on shore, and nearly one thousand in the re-
venue cruisers. Many of the former of these are not only
exempt from serving in the navy, whatever may happen, but
are composed of the most effective able seamen drawn from
the navy — seamen such as are in the vigour of life, and of
the best characters ; without a certificate of which they can-
not be received into this favourite service. It was the old
system to have a fifty or sixty gun-ship stationed as a guard-
ship in the Downs ; and not a bad one, were she of no
other use than to show to the foreign ships of all nations,
passing through that anchorage, that we had at least one
ship-of-war on the look-out. Formerly ten or twelve sail-
of-the-line were kept at the three great ports, Sheerness,
Portsmouth, and Plymouth; but the result of the revo-
lutionary war, which placed Malta and the Ionian Islands
in our possession, was to transfer these guard-ships to the
Mediterranean, which from that time became the princi-
pal station for our fleet. Still it appears to me it would
impress foreigners with a higher notion of our navy on
visiting our ports, which they all do, if a second-class ship-
of-the-line were stationed at each of the ports of Ports-

2 H

466 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

mouth and Plymouth, with the full peace complement, to
exercise the officers and men for six or seven summer
months, or be ready as a reinforcement wherever required.
Our ports at present, it must be admitted, wear but a
gloomy and deserted aspect.

It has been said by those who look favourably on the
present coast-guard system that " You will get them when
the war breaks out." No such thing; while their land-
service is allowed to tell as service at sea, why should they
leave so comfortable a retreat ? Should a war break out
to-morrow, there would not be left a man on the coast, fit
for service, the following day, unless specially protected.
Such men may be considered as lost to the naval service for
ever ; yet there appears to be no reason why the coast-guard
seamen should not be subject to martial law, as well as the
men serving in the ordinary, and in the packet service,
which is now the case in all the various branches wherein
seamen are employed ; why should the navy, in their instance
alone, be deprived of their services ? why, with such exemp-
tion, should their time be allowed to go for pensions? In-
stead of this, why not establish a maritime police, composed
of young and active landsmen, who would be just as much
under the control of commanders and lieutenants of the navy,
as seamen ? It must come to this in the event of war.

There is, however, another and more serious drain of
seamen, in time of war, by which they are protected from
the impress, and abstracted from the naval service ; this is
the privateer system, which is carried on to an enormous
extent. The great number of letters of marque and re-
prisal, granted to ships armed and manned, more for the
sake of getting to an early market and avoiding convoy
than fighting the enemy, occasion a heavy drawback from
the entry of men in ships-of-war. A sailor joins a regular

MANNING THE NAVY. 467

privateer, in the hope, almost the certainty, of making his
fortune, which, however, frequently ends in disappointment ;
but it is a speculation that he cannot resist. If, indeed, the
whole system of privateering could be got rid of, by agree-
ment of the belligerents, it would prove the gi'eatest benefit
to mankind in general, as well as to those engaged in it ;
for it is frequently carried on in a mamier little short of
legalised and licensed piracy. It encourages a species of
gaming, by which a few acquire great fortunes, while mul-
titudes are ruined. The misery entailed by the system of
plunder exercised by privileged privateers is incalculable ;
and the demoralization of those engaged in it is of the worst
description. But we are considering it here only, as it de-
prives the navy of men to a very great extent, who would
otherwise be employed with advantage to themselves, and
benefit to the state. This will more satisfactorily appear
by a return of licences and protections issued from the Ad-
miralty in the following years : —

LETTERS OF MARQUE AND REPRISAL.

Vessels. Men.
Against the French republic from May, 1803, to

May, 1804 680 27,9C0

Ditto, Batavian republic, from June, 1803, to

June, 1804 670 28,758

Ditto, King of Spain, from January, 1805, to

January, 1806 540 25,718

Those taken out against the French and Batavians are
nearly for the same ships ; of those against Spain, about a
fourth are contained in the other two. The number of men
thus protected may be about47,000, which with the addition
of marines, landsmen, and boys, would be fully adequate to
man a fleet of fifty sail-of-the-line, with frigates, sloops,
steamers, and small craft in proportion: this is a subject

2h2

468 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

which, I apprehend, will require to be more closely looked
at^ in the event of Avar.

Important as the manning of the fleet is, it is no less in-
dispensable that it should be under the direction of active,
able, and experienced officers — such as are generally known
to be so, and in whom the warrant and petty officers and
seamen have confidence. There is perhaps in this more
than is generally thought; Howe, St. Vincent, and Nel-
son, with many of the brave officers who served under
them, knew how to inspire into their men that degree of
confidence, which never failed them in the day of battle :
they exacted discipline, but never withheld indulgence,
when it could be granted without detriment to the service ;
and their people knew this. If the captain, on whom
the heavy responsibility rests, instead of making his men
comfortable, annoys and harasses them with trifles of no
moment — such as employing his men in rubbing, and
scrubbing, and polishing, when the time ought to be their
own, they become disgusted, get sulky and discontented, and
go with reluctance to the necessary work of the ship. But
happily such captains now are very rare; they ceased gene-
rally in the course of the long revolutionary war ; neither are
there many of those who, on the other hand, " think those,"
as Captain Barnett says to Anson, "the best officers who
have the least blocks in their rigging."

It is related of the Duke of Wellington, that, " on being
shown over a man-of-war in which the poUshiag system was
established in full force, he observed that it was pretty to
look at, but that it lacked one thing ; for he had not seen a
saillc on the countenance of any one man in the ship."'""'
Satisfied that the Duke of Wellington never uttered or made
any such observation, yet being thus stated publicly in a work

* Qiiiutcrly Review, on tlic "Life of Howe,"' No. 123.

MANNING THE NAVY. 469

so !»encrally read, the question was asked of his Grace, to
which he immediately repHed, with that courtesy so peculiar
to his character, and in a manner so highly complimentary
to the officers of the navy, that it well deserves to be re-
corded—

" Walmer Castle, September 29-
" My dear Sir — I have received your letter of the 27th.
I have no recollection of having used the expression to which
you refer. I have sailed in many ships of war of all sizes
and descriptions, probably more than some officers of the
navy of my time of life ; certainly more than any officer of
the army. The captains of all these ships were the most
distinsruished men of their rank at the time. I do not recol-
lect to have had occasion to make such a remark upon any
of them, or on the discipline maintained by any of them.

" That which I always felt was, admiration for the pro-
fessional science and seamanship displayed by all the officers,
without exception, in every ship in which I ever sailed. I
firmly believe, and I have frequently stated my conviction,
that I had not seen one, who could not at any time lay his
ship in any situation, which he might be ordered to take in

relation to any other ship, be the strength (jf the wind or
the violence of the sea what it might ; and I have founded,

upon this superior knowledge and seamanship of our officers,

the confidence that the naval superiority of this country

would be permanent. . . .

" Entertaining this opinion, I might have made remarks

upon other matters. But I certainly do not recollect that I

ever had occasion to make such a remark on the discipline

of any ship in which I have sailed.

" Believe me, &:c. tScc.

" Wellington."

470 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

This is a splendid testimony to the merit of the com-
manders of ships of war; but still the question will be
asked, how do we stand with regard to the officers in gene-
ral who are to take command ? Are there among the two
to three thousand commissioned officers on the list such a
number of young, active, vigorous, and experienced officers,
as are worthy of being intrusted to meet the boasted per-
sonel of the French navy, which has challenged the whole
world ? We may safely and most assuredly answer. There
are. But then they must not be taken from what Mr. Legge
calls "the seniority of inexperience." We have captains and
commanders in abundance, fit and ready for any service, and
not, as the "Flag-Officer" gratuitously says, "dispirited,
and only expecting to be blockaded in their own ports " — a
slanderous imputation on " our best officers."

It must be admitted, however, that the list of flag-officers
is not a promising one. Age and infirmities have invaded
its ranks ; and if the present system be continued (contrary
to the recommendation of a committee of the House of
Commons), of promoting in masses, or, as is usually called,
by brevet, it unquestionably will not improve. Why then
not make it efficient, as it soon would be, by applying the
wholesome rule, to this class of officers, of promoting one
in three ? — a question that has often been asked, and no other
reason assigned for its not being so, except that it would
be altering the old system. In these days of innovation, that
would not seem to be a valid objection. Two parties are to
be considered in this question — the public and the individual
— first, for the public : if, on every three admirals going off
the list, a vice-admiral, of any colour, should be selected to
take his place ; if three vice-admirals, a rear-admiral, of any
colour ; if three rear-admirals, a young and efficient cap-

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH OF THE NAVY. 471

tain promoted to be rear-admiral — in ten years the public
would have an efficient list of flag-officers. For the second,
justice and national gratitude would demand, that the old
captains should be properly provided for, by giving them
retired rank and pay. But those are matters which, no
doubt, the committee now sitting will not fail to bring
under their consideration.

The following abstract will show what is suggested in
this section : —

1. Mitigation of the impress.

2. Voluntary enlistment.

3. A maritime militia.

4. Partial increase of pay.

5. Pay and pension while serving.

5". Equalization of pay to petty officers in all classes of
ships.

7. Increase of prize-money.

8. Entry of boys extended.

9- Resumption of coast blockade.
10. Restriction in granting letters of marque.

§ 3. PRESERVATION OF THE HEALTH OF THE NAVY.

It is not enough that every possible means should be taken
for manning and keeping up the efficiency of the navy, it is
the imperative duty of the naval administration to promote
and establish such regulations, respecting ventilation, clean-
liness, and discipline ; and of the medical department to exa-
mine and recommend such professional officers, and to pro-
vide such supply of proper drugs and instruments, as may
promote and preserve the health of the seamen. The means
of attaining this most desirable end are now so well ascer-

472 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

tained, and so easily acquired, that no officer of the navy, in
the command of a ship of war, can have any excuse for being
ignorant of them. It shoukl be clearly understood that,
although every king's ship is supplied with one or more
medical officers, generally well educated and skilled in their
professional duties, yet, without the hearty co-operation of
the commanding officer, the medical gentlemen can do little
towards the preservation of the general health of the crew.
The responsibility of this rests much more — and a heavy re-
sponsibility it is — on the captain than on the surgeon. He
must not conceive all that concerns the health of the men is
solely the business of the latter. To this officer, however, is
committed the charge and cure of the sick ; but the pre-
vention of disease must very much depend on the captain —
on his judgment, attention, and enforcement of all such
regulations as are established, or such as, from circumstances,
he may find necessary to establish, for the general good dis-
cipline of the ship, a proper degree of ventilation to secure
fresh air, and a rigid attention to cleanliness. The following
truth cannot be too forcibly impressed on the mind of every
commanding officer of a ship of war.

" There can be no situation in which there is more room
for genuine virtue, praiseworthy conduct, and address; —
none to which there attaches more grave and solemn respon-
sibility ; none on which there is a more imperious claim on
the conscientious discharge of duty, than that of a naval
commander. The men are cast on his humanity and dis-
cerning judgment, under various aspects : a ship in the
middle of the ocean is a little workl within itself, at the ar-
Ijitrary disposal of an individual. Seamen and marines are
subjected by martial law to a more despotic exercise of
power than the constitution of the state authovizes, or even
in the army : naval officers can, at their single arbitrary dis-

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH OF THE NAVY. 473

cretion, inflict such a summary and severe punishment as
cannot be inflicted in the army without the solemnity of a
court-martial : Englishmen surrendering, from considera-
tions of public expediency, what they hold most dear, and
that of which they are most jealous — their liberty — and be-
coming thereby the greater objects of grave decision and
considerate feelings. All seafaring people, especially
those employed in war, are exposed to peculiar and unavoid
able privations, hardships, and dangers, which ought to be
mitigated, as far as is practicable, by those at whose absolute
will they place their lives and limbs ; it is in their character
to be unthinking and careless of their own welfare and in-
terest, requiring to be tended like children, and, like chil-
dren, are entitled to a jKirental tenderness from the country
they protect and the officers they obey."

Sir Gilbert Blane further observes, what is very true,
that, " since mankind have learnt to traverse oceans, evils
unknown to our ancestors have arisen, more hostile to hu-
man life than rocks, shoals, and storms ; for, since the
invention of the compass, more seamen have perished by
the scurvy and fevers than by all other causes inseparable
from practicable navigation." There are on record too many
lamentable proofs to admit any doubt of this. To go no
further back than to that disastrous instance of Admiral
Hosier's expedition to the West Indies, in the year 172(i,
for the purpose of capturing the Spanish galleons. Twice
he appeared before Porto Bello and Carthagena — twice
replenished his crews at Jamaica — and twice his crews of
six ships-of-Avar almost all perished of fever and scurvy ;
and from these losses, and the insults and derision of the
Spaniards, poor Hosier is said to have died of a broken
heart. The squadron under Admiral Vernon, in the year
1740, in the same places, was little less calamitous.

474 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

We have seen the dreadful ravaa^es made in Anson's
squadron by fever and scurvy — the former, to all appear-
ance, either carried on board or generated immediately 1
after sailing, by the manner in which the ships were encum-
bered with the unfortunate Chelsea pensioners, who, from
age and infirmity, were inhumanly and most improperly 1
forced on board ; not one man of whom lived to return to
his native country.

Pascoe Thomas says that, of the 510 persons who left "

England in the Centurion, in September, 1740, the num-
ber of deaths, up to the end of September, 1 74 1 , in one
year, was 292 ; leaving no more than 218 alive at that time ;
and those on her arrival in England, in 1744, were further
reduced to 130; giving a total of the number of deaths in
the Centurion alone, during the voyage, of 380 — being equal
to 75 per cent., or three-fourths : and the other ships, he
says, did not suffer less.

Even down to the year 1758 very little progress seems
to have been made in subduing the scurvy. Lady Anson,
in a letter of the 27th of August of that year, says, " I find
a letter in town from my Lord, who complains that his
squadron is in general very bad with the scurvy, so that he
had been obliged to send in three large ships, with a great
number of sick men, collected out of the fleet ; most, if not
all of them, would have been dead and thrown overboard
in the course of ten days : he has kept his own ship healthy
by dint of expense, he says; I imagine in greens and fresh
provisions from Plymouth."

We have, however, at length obtained a specific remedy,
which, except in some very extraordinary circumstances, pre-
vents, and rapidly subdues, that dreadful malady the scurvy ;
but hitherto the malignant fevers of tropical climates seem
to have resisted all specifics ; however, they may be pre-

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH OF THE NAVY. 475

vented, and the spreading of infection guarded against and
counteracted, by attention to those regulations which are
now so well known, and which were first put in practice by
a man, whose name is so justly held in universal veneration
— the immortal Cook, The conduct which he pursued,
with such happy success, and which he has so briefly but
clearly described in his letter to Sir John Pringle* (dated
ath March, 1776), ought to be known, and the precepts
it contains followed, by every commanding officer of the
navy : —

" We had on board," he says, " a large quantity of malt,
of which was made sweet-wort, and given (not only to those
men who had manifest symptoms of the scurvy, but to such
also as were, from circumstances, judged to be most liable
to that disorder), from one to two or three pints a-day to
each man, or in such proportion as the surgeon thought
necessary ; which sometimes amounted to three quarts in
the twenty-four hours. This is, without doubt, one of the
best anti-scorbutic sea-medicines yet found out ; and, if
given in time, will, with proper attention to other things, I
am persuaded, prevent the scurvy from making any great
progress for a considerable time : but I am not altogether
of opinion that it will cure it in an advanced state at sea.

" Sour-crout, of which we had also a large provision, is
not only a wholesome vegetable food, but, in my judgment,
highly anti-scorbutic ; and spoils not by keeping. A pound
of it was served to each man, when at sea, twice a-week,
or oftener when it was thought necessary.

" Portable soup or broth was another essential article, of
which we had likewise a liberal supply. An ounce of this
to each man, or such other proportion as was thought ne-

* Philosophical Tnuisactions.

476 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

cessary, was boiled with their pease three times a-Aveek ;
and when we were in places where fresh vegetables could
be procured, it was boiled Avith them, and with wheat or
oatmeal, every morning for breakfast ; and also with dried
pease and fresh vegetables for dinner. It enabled us to
make several nourishing and wholesome messes, and was
the means of making the people eat a greater quantity of
greens than they would have done otherwise.

" Further, we were provided with rob of lemons and
oranges, which the surgeon found useful in several cases.

" Among: other articles of victualling we were furnished
with sugar, in the room of oil ; and with wheat, instead of
much oatmeal ; and were certainly gainers by the exchange.
Sugar, I imagine, is a very good anti-scorbutic ; whereas
oil, such at least as is usually given to the navy, I appre-
hend has the contrary effect. But the introduction of the
most salutary articles, either as provisions or medicines, will
generally prove unsuccessful, unless supported by certain
rules of living."

He then goes on to say, — " The crew were at three
watches, except upon some extraordinary occasicms. By
this means they Avere not so much exposed to the weather
as if they had been at Avatch and Avatch ; and they had ge-
nerally dry clothes to shift themselves Avhen they happened
to get Avet. Care Avas also taken to expose them as little as
possible. Proper methods Avere employed to keep their
persons, hammocks, bedding, clothes, &c., constantly clean
and dry. Equal pains Avere taken to keep the ship clean
and dry betAveen decks. Once or tAvice a-Aveek she Avas
aired Avith fires ; and Avhen this could not be done, she Avas
smoked Avith gunpoAvder moistened Avith vinegar or Avater.
I had also freciuonliv n fire made in an iron pot at the bot-
tom of the AVfll, which greatly purified the air in the loAver

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH OF THE NAVY. 4< <

parts of the ship. To this and cleanliness, as well in the
ship as amongst the people, too great attention cannot be
paid ; the least neglect occasions a putrid, offensive smell
below, which nothing but fires will remove ; and if these
be not used in time, those smells will be attended with bad
consequences. Proper care was taken of the ship's cop-
pers, so that they Mere kept constantly clean. The fat
which boiled out of the salt beef and pork I never suffered
to be given to the people, as is customary ; being of opinion
that it promotes the scurvy.

" I never failed to take in water wherever it was to be
procured, even when we did not seem to want it ; because
I look upon fresh water from the shore to be much more
wholesome than that which has been kept some time on
board. Of this essential article we were never at an allow-
ance, but had always abundance for every necessary pur-
pose. I am convinced that, with plenty of fresh water, and
a close attention to cleanliness, a ship's company will seldom
be much afflicted with the scurvy, though they should not
be provided with any of the anti-scorbutics before men-
tioned.

" We came to few places where either the art of man or
nature did not affcn-d some sort of refreshment or other,
either of the animal or vegetable kind. It was my first care
to procure what could be met with of either, by every
means in my power, and to oblige our people to make use
thereof, both by my example and authority ; but the benefits
arising from such refreshments soon became so obvious, that
I had little occasion to employ either the one or the other.

" These, Sir, were the methods, under the care of Pro-
vidence, by which the Resolution performed a voyage of
three years and eighteen days, through all the climates

478 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

from 52^ north to 71° south, with the loss of one man only
by disease, and who died of a complicated and lingering
illness, without any mixture of scurvy. Two others were
unfortunately drowned, and one killed by a fall ; so that, of
the whole number with which we set out from England, I
lost only four.

" I am. Sec.

(Signed) " James Cook."

Thus did this excellent officer and seaman, by care, atten-
tion, and the exercise of a sound judgment, preserve his crew
mainly by his own resources. The sweet-wort, sour-crout,
portable soup, rob of lemons or oranges, all excellent in
themselves, are no longer of absolute necessity for warding
off that most horrible of all diseases the scurvy. Happily a
complete specific has been found in citric acid, or lemon-
juice, which perhaps (except in one case to be mentioned)
has never failed. But, for the preservation of the general
health of the crew, little need be added to the precepts and
Valuable methods pursued by Captain Cook. One article,
however, which aids most materially to that of cleanliness, has
been suggested and strongly urged by Sir Gilbert Blane, and
that is soap. Too much indeed cannot be said in favour of
supplying ships-of-war with this article in the greatest
abundance. The expense would be trifling; but what
indeed is expense when compared with the health of a ship's
company ? What is it when compared with a sickly crew,
reciuiring two or three hundred men to be sent to the hos-
pital .'' — what, in time of war, to the rendering a ship's com-
pany inefficient, from disease, when perhaps her services
are most wanted ? Sound policy, as well as humanity, rc-
f^uires that every possible means should be employed for the

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH OF THE NAVY. 479

presentation of the health of our seamen ; it is on them we
must depend in the day of need — in the hour of danger.
The only objection against supplying soap is the great
quantity of water required to make it of avail, and this is
obviated to a considerable degree by the supply afforded from
the cooking-hearths, which distil fresh water (at least fresh
enough for washing) with the same fire that prepares the
men's dinner.

And now to look on the bright side of the picture : let us
see what has been the beneficial effect of adopting generally
in the service dryness, cleanliness, ventilation, and salutary
food, as recommended by Cook, and of that most valuable
prevention and cure of scurvy, an abundant supply of lemon-
juice. In the latter disease may also be recommended as a
certain palliative, cheerfulness, or such means as can be
resorted to, in order to raise the spirits of the invalid. '* It is
related," says Sir Gilbert Blane, "that when the fleet under
Admiral Mathews, in the year 1744, was off Toulon, in the
daily expectation of engaging the combined fleets of France
and Spain, there was a general suspension of the progress
of sickness, particularly of the scurvy, from the influence of
that generous flow of spirits, with which the prospect of battle
inspires British seamen." He says indeed that, even the
invalids at the hospital (on hearing of Rodney's victory)
manifested their joy by twisting shreds of coloured cloth on
their crutches. On the contrary, it is well known that a
depression of mind and low spirits are favourable to the
invasion of disease in every form, and most apt to produce
a tendency to sea-scurvy. An increase of this disorder, to
a great extent, was immediately the consequence of the Cen-
turion falling in with the snowy mountains of South America,
when the sick were expecting to see the enamelled verdure

4b0 SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

of Juan Fernandez. There is another point which officers
in command should never lose sight of. The separation of
those affected by fevers from those in health, by means of a
commodious sick-berth, is of the greatest importance to
check the progress of disease.

It was not till the year 1793 that lemon-juice was first
issued to the ships under Rear-Admiral Gardner, at his
request, for the purpose of serving it out to the men, made
into punch; after which, but not till the year 1797, it was
ordered to be generally supplied to the navy by the Board
for the care of sick and wounded seamen. The result was
most gratifying. When Lord St. Vincent commanded the
fleet, which blockaded Brest from the 27th May to the G8th
September, 1800 (one hundred and twenty-four days), con-
sisting of twenty-four ships-of-the-line and smaller vessels,
the crews amounting to about sixteen thousand men, none of
them during that time entered a port, none of the crew had
a fresh meal, and the number of hospital cases are stated to
have been incredibly small. From documents in the Admi-
ralty, some curious results appear of the progressive dimmu-
tion of sickness and death in the naval service. The following
table is calculated on the number of one hundred thousand

men : —

Year.

Sent

sick to IIos

liit;\l.

Deaths.

Ill 1770 .

40,815

•

2,654

1782 .

31,617

•

o ooo

179-J .

25,027

•

1,164

1S04 .

11,978

•

l.OOG

1813 .

9,330

•

098

Tlius it appears that the diminution of sick and of deaths
between the years 1779 and 181J was in the proportion of
four to one nearly.

In order to ascertain the actual loss in men sustained by

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH OF THE NAVY. 481

the British fleet in each yefii% commencinQ^ with 1810 and
carried on to 1812, every captain and coinmandinf:^ officer
was directed to transmit to the Admiralty a list, made up to
the 1st of January of each preceding year, of all the deaths
that had taken place, by disease, accident, or in battle.
The result was as follows : —

Years.

No. employed.

Deaths.

1810 .

. 138,581 .

. 5,183

1811 .

. 136,758 .

. 4,265

1812 .

. 138,324 .

. 4,211

About one-half of the above numbers died of disease, the
other half in fight, by accidents in landing, boats upsetting,
shipwrecks, &c., the numbers of each separately specified in
the returns : ^it follows then that, in the three years above
mentioned, the proportion of deaths in 100,000 men, em-
ployed afloat, was 3S0'2 annually ; and if to this number
be added the number of seamen who died in hospitals in the
following year 1813, namely, 698, the total loss of life in
that year, out of somewhat more than 100,000 men, may
be estimated at 4000 men, or a twenty- fifth part, or 4 per
cent, or, by disease, the small proportion of '2 per cent per
per annum.

By a return of the sick and deaths in the squadrons on
the South American and West India stations, it appears,

that in

The West Indies, on the average of seven years, ending
with the year 1836, mean strength being 33G'2, the deaths
were 6l, being 1 • 83 per cent.

South America, mean strength 246.5, deaths 1<J, being
• 8, or less than 1 per cent.

The only station, on which the loss of life is enormous, is
that of the African coast, where the mortality is frightful.

2i

482

SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTER.

We have seen, from Anson's voyage, that liability to
scurvy does not depend on climate, its attacks having been
equally felt within the tropics and the high latitude of Cape
Horn. Those ships that have passed one, two, and even
three winters, in the polar seasj by wise precautions as to
dryness, ventilation, and cleanliness, and the adoption of
measures for keeping up the spirits of the men, together
with a proper use of lemon-juice, have succeeded in repel-
ling all approaches to scurvy, and have returned to England
without the loss of a man. We must notice however one
solitary exception, in the Terror, commanded by Captain
(now Sir George) Back. This gallant officer ascribes the
disease to the failure of his heating apparatus, the tubes of
which were choaked up : the consequence was, they were
compelled to exclude ventilation to obtain a bearable tem-
perature, and to live in an atmosphere polluted by their own
breath, Avhile, owing to the excessive cold without, differing
sometimes from a hundred to a hundred and twenty degrees
from that within, streams of water were constantly running
down the sides of the ship and in the cabins. When, how-
ever, by placing canvas tubes leading to the deck, they
procured a thorough ventilation, the sickness gradually dimi-
nished. This case of the Terror proved that anti-scorbutics,
without thorough ventilation, are not sufficient either as
curative or preventive. Tliere is every reason to believe
that neither the dreadful mortality, that took place in
Anson's squadron, nor that degree of disease, which pre-
vailed in the Terror, would have occurred, if a thorough
ventilation, affording a supply of fresh air, could have been

procured.

We have now, I believe, for the first time, the means of
giving a full supply of fresh air, and of getting rid of the foul.

PRESERVATION OF HEALTH OF THE NAVY. 483

whether in ships, or mines, or prisons, or wherever crowds ai'o
pent up in confined situations. A machine, invented by Cap-
tain Warrington of the East India Company's service, pro-
duces a constant and complete ventilation ; it is on the prin-
ciple of an air-pump, and the vacuum is produced by one
man turning a windlass, by which the foul air rushes out with
a blast as strong as that from the waste-pipe or safety-valve
of a cylindrical bellows in a foi'ge or smithy. The simplicity
and efficiency of this machine are its great recommendations.
With the exception of the iron chamber, in which the vacuum
is produced, the I'est can be made by any common carpenter.
Its efficiency might be implied from the principle of its con-
struction alone, but it has been proved, by a trial on board
the Ganymede, convict ship, at Woolwich, and Captain
Superintendent Hornby says, " Tlie trial of his (Captain
Warrington's) machine is, to my mind, perfectly satisfactory,
and I consider it to be an invention likely to be very bene-
ficial to the health and comfort of seamen in tropical
climates." Mr. Brunell has adopted it in the Tunnel, and
says, " it has not ceased to work for eighteen months at least,
and we find it very beneficial. It draws from a distance of
800 feet, where the shield is completely ventilated. The
number of men sent to the hospital affected by the delete-
rious gases has greatly diminished." There can indeed be
little doubt that, when better known, it will supersede all the
safety-lamps now in use in mines, for, worked at the mouth
of the shaft, and the wooden tube, or trunk, carried to the
very extent of the mine, be the distance what it may, all the
foul air of every kind must immediately rush out. What a
blessing must such a machine be in ships of war and troop-
ships, crowded Avith regiments on board, when within the
tropics, in the West Indies, or on the coast of Africa I How

2i2

484 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER.

much more so to the miserable negroes crammed together
into the captured and accursed slave-ships !

Had every ship in Anson's South-Sea squadron been fur-
nished with one of these foul-air pumps, the melancholy
and disastrous results never could have occurred, to the
frightful extent to which they did, among their ill-fated
crews.

THE END.

I'rintfU by Wim.iam ("i.owks aiul Sons, Stamford Stroot.

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