FOOTNOTES:[79]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, p. 80.[80]Thornbury'sLife of Turner, vol. i. pp. 335-336.[81]'She was towed up the river by two steam tugs; every vessel that she passed appeared like a pigmy.'—Gentleman's Magazine, 'Domestic Occurrences,' September 16, 1838.[82]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, p. 81.[83]TheTéméraire, of course, was fadingupthe river, but the exigences of euphony no doubt required the inversion.[84]TheTéméraire, from which the TrafalgarTémérairetook her name, was a French 74, captured by Admiral Boscawen in his battle with De la Clue off Lagos in August 1759. She served in the British navy for some years, and after being utilised as a floating battery at Plymouth during the American War, was finally sold out of the service in 1783.[85]'"Thirty-six hours' calm, and England is ours," so says one of the French papers in announcing that the invasion of England is to be attempted before the 14th July. A division of the Imperial Guard has already arrived at Havre on its way to Boulogne, where the Emperor will arrive within a week.'—TheObserver, June 24, 1804.'By an American gentleman just arrived from the Continent, we have received positive and authentic information that the Boulogne flotilla is in a complete state of equipment and ready to embrace the first opportunity of putting to sea. Whether that opportunity will ever be permitted to the enemy by our blockading squadrons remains to be seen. The troops stationed on the uplands above Boulogne, and in its vicinity, amount to upwards of 160,000 men.'—TheTimes, August 14, 1804.[86]Captain Mahan,The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, vol. ii. p. 118.[87]Memoirs and Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, by G.L. Newnham Collingwood, p. 93.[88]Says theObserverfor the 18th of December: 'The motto of Admiral Cornwallis seems to be that from Dryden: "Endure and Conquer." We could dwell upon this theme for ever. Others have simply taught the British Navy (apt scholars enough) to triumph. He has first instructed them in manly perseverance and endurance so opposite to the impetuosity of their natures. We could name the periods, and these too frequently occurring, when a damaged yard or topmast was a sufficient excuse for a good fortnight in port, and this with officers of acknowledged gallantry. What a contrast have we now! The hardy veteran deserves an Order of Merit to be invented on purpose for him.' Without detracting from the admiral's merits this is a little hard on some of Cornwallis's predecessors—on Hawke, for instance, who in the Seven Years' War blockaded Brest throughout 'one of the worst winters on record.' Says Horace Walpole, writing on the 14th of January 1760: 'What milksops the Marlboroughs and Turennes, the Blakes and the Van Tromps appear now, who whipped into winter quarters the moment their noses looked blue. There is Hawke in the Bay weatheringthiswinter, after conquering in a storm.'[89]The capture of Admiral Villeneuve's frigate theDidon, sent out on a mission of the highest importance, by the British frigatePhœnix, prevented Villeneuve's junction with another French fleet cruising in the Bay of Biscay. Hearing nothing of his colleague, Villeneuve, after leaving Ferrol, became nervous and turned south, instead of pushing on across the Bay for Brest as Napoleon expected him to do.[90]Wrote Collingwood to his wife on the 21st of August: 'I have very little time to write to you, but must tell you what a squeeze we were like to have got yesterday. While we were cruising off the town, down came the combined fleet of thirty-three sail of men-of-war: we were only three poor things, with a frigate and a bomb, and drew off towards the Straits, not very ambitious, as you may suppose, to try our strength against such odds. They followed us as we retired, with sixteen large ships; but on our approaching the Straits they left us, and joined their friends in Cadiz, where they are fitting and replenishing their provisions. We, in our turn, followed them back, and to-day have been looking into Cadiz, where their fleet is now as thick as a wood' (Memoirs and Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, by G.L. Newnham Collingwood, p. 109).[91]Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson'sSea Drift, p. 209.[92]Narrative by Lieut. P. Harris Nicolas, Royal Marines, of theBelleisle, quoted in theMemoir of Admiral Sir William Hargood, G.C.B., Appendix E, p. 279.[93]The 'Combined Fleet' was the everyday term in the Navy for the fleets of France and Spain while acting together. It was used also by the French and Spaniards themselves.[94]Admiral Duncan at Camperdown, eight years before, attacked in a double column formation, but the circumstances otherwise were totally different.[95]Memoirs and Services of General Sir S.B. Ellis, K.C.B., of the Royal Marines, p. 4. General Ellis was a second lieutenant of Marines in theAjaxat Trafalgar.[96]Letter from Lieut. W. Price Cumby, first lieutenant of theBellerophon.[97]Personal Narrative of Events, Vice-Admiral Wm. Stanhope Lovell (formerly Badcock), p. 45.[98]James'sNaval History, vol. iii. p. 391.[99]Lieut. P. Harris Nicolas, Royal Marines, in theMemoir of Admiral Sir William Hargood, G.C.B., Appendix E, p. 279.[100]Episodios Nacionales, par B. Perez Galdos.Trafalgar, p. 157. Octava edicion. Madrid, 1893.[101]Combat de Trafalgar. Rapport fait au Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies, par E. Lucas, commandant leRedoutable, etc. Published by H. Letuaire. Hyères, 1891.[102]There were nearly 4000 French soldiers distributed among Admiral Villeneuve's fleet, mostly embarked for the West Indies when it originally sailed from Toulon.[103]Personal Narrative of Events, Vice-Admiral Wm. Stanhope Lovell (formerly Badcock), pp. 46, 47.[104]'Les grenades pleuvent des hunes duRedoutable.'—Monumens des Victoires et Conquêtes des Français, vol. xvi. p. 174.[105]A terrible account of the awful carnage and destruction caused on board theFougueuxby theTéméraire'sbroadside is given in a letter by Captain Pierre Servaux of the Marine Artillery on board the French ship, which was published in Paris in theFigaroon the 21st of October 1898.[106]6th May 1806.Biographie Maritime, etc., par M. Hennequin, Chef de Bureau au Ministère de la Marine. Paris, 1837; vol. iii. p. 85. Captain Lucas was born in 1764, and died in 1819. Two pictures of 'TheRedoutableat Trafalgar' have been exhibited at the Salon.[107]Histoire de la Marine Française sous le Consulat et L'Empire, par E. Chevalier, p. 214. See alsoMonumens des Victoires et Conquêtes des Français, vol. xvi.[108]See Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson'sSea-Drift, p. 208.[109]Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth, by Edward Osler, Appendix A, p. 377.[110]Vice-Admiral Alava in theSanta Ana, who had surrendered to Collingwood in theRoyal Sovereign.[111]Rear-Admiral Don B. Hidalgo Cisneros.[112]Admiral Dumanoir, writing from Tiverton in Devon, where he was interned as a prisoner of war, to theTimeson January 2, 1806, in reply to certain adverse comments on his conduct, pleads that he was 'handled very severely' in his attack. Dumanoir and his ships were intercepted off Cape Finisterre, ten days after Trafalgar, and captured bodily by Sir Richard Strachan's squadron. One of his ships is afloat to this day, our only existing Trafalgar prize, and with theVictorythe last left of all that fought at Trafalgar—the Devonport training-shipImplacable. TheImplacablefought at Trafalgar as theDuguay Trouin. On being taken into the British service in 1806, the Admiralty gave the ship her present name.[113]Marshall'sNaval Biography, vol. i. part i. p. 275.[114]Collingwood sent off his first short despatch announcing the battle and Nelson's death, by thePickle, a 4-gun schooner, on the 26th of October. The completed despatch gave full details of the battle and the casualty lists from most of the ships.[115]Vice-Admiral Pierre Charles Jean Baptiste Sylvestre de Villeneuve-Flayosc was born on December 31, 1763, five years after Nelson. He becamegarde de la Marineat fifteen. At the Revolution he dropped theparticle nobiliairefrom his name, and was thenceforward known simply as Villeneuve. Napoleon took a fancy to him after Villeneuve's escape from the battle of the Nile, as a 'lucky man,' and to that fancy Villeneuve owed his command at Trafalgar.[116]Grand Master Hélion de Villeneuve, Grand Master of Rhodes; buried at Malta: Sainte Roseleyne de Villeneuve, Abbess of La Celle Roubaud.[117]Gentleman's Magazine, 'Domestic Occurrences,' September 16, 1838.[118]SeeNotes and Queries, 7th Series, vol. vi. p. 371.[119]Messrs. H. Castle and Sons, of the Baltic Wharf, Millbank, S.W., to whose courtesy the author is indebted for the photographs of the two figures here reproduced.[120]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, pp. 81-82.
FOOTNOTES:
[79]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, p. 80.
[79]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, p. 80.
[80]Thornbury'sLife of Turner, vol. i. pp. 335-336.
[80]Thornbury'sLife of Turner, vol. i. pp. 335-336.
[81]'She was towed up the river by two steam tugs; every vessel that she passed appeared like a pigmy.'—Gentleman's Magazine, 'Domestic Occurrences,' September 16, 1838.
[81]'She was towed up the river by two steam tugs; every vessel that she passed appeared like a pigmy.'—Gentleman's Magazine, 'Domestic Occurrences,' September 16, 1838.
[82]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, p. 81.
[82]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, p. 81.
[83]TheTéméraire, of course, was fadingupthe river, but the exigences of euphony no doubt required the inversion.
[83]TheTéméraire, of course, was fadingupthe river, but the exigences of euphony no doubt required the inversion.
[84]TheTéméraire, from which the TrafalgarTémérairetook her name, was a French 74, captured by Admiral Boscawen in his battle with De la Clue off Lagos in August 1759. She served in the British navy for some years, and after being utilised as a floating battery at Plymouth during the American War, was finally sold out of the service in 1783.
[84]TheTéméraire, from which the TrafalgarTémérairetook her name, was a French 74, captured by Admiral Boscawen in his battle with De la Clue off Lagos in August 1759. She served in the British navy for some years, and after being utilised as a floating battery at Plymouth during the American War, was finally sold out of the service in 1783.
[85]'"Thirty-six hours' calm, and England is ours," so says one of the French papers in announcing that the invasion of England is to be attempted before the 14th July. A division of the Imperial Guard has already arrived at Havre on its way to Boulogne, where the Emperor will arrive within a week.'—TheObserver, June 24, 1804.'By an American gentleman just arrived from the Continent, we have received positive and authentic information that the Boulogne flotilla is in a complete state of equipment and ready to embrace the first opportunity of putting to sea. Whether that opportunity will ever be permitted to the enemy by our blockading squadrons remains to be seen. The troops stationed on the uplands above Boulogne, and in its vicinity, amount to upwards of 160,000 men.'—TheTimes, August 14, 1804.
[85]'"Thirty-six hours' calm, and England is ours," so says one of the French papers in announcing that the invasion of England is to be attempted before the 14th July. A division of the Imperial Guard has already arrived at Havre on its way to Boulogne, where the Emperor will arrive within a week.'—TheObserver, June 24, 1804.
'By an American gentleman just arrived from the Continent, we have received positive and authentic information that the Boulogne flotilla is in a complete state of equipment and ready to embrace the first opportunity of putting to sea. Whether that opportunity will ever be permitted to the enemy by our blockading squadrons remains to be seen. The troops stationed on the uplands above Boulogne, and in its vicinity, amount to upwards of 160,000 men.'—TheTimes, August 14, 1804.
[86]Captain Mahan,The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, vol. ii. p. 118.
[86]Captain Mahan,The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, vol. ii. p. 118.
[87]Memoirs and Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, by G.L. Newnham Collingwood, p. 93.
[87]Memoirs and Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, by G.L. Newnham Collingwood, p. 93.
[88]Says theObserverfor the 18th of December: 'The motto of Admiral Cornwallis seems to be that from Dryden: "Endure and Conquer." We could dwell upon this theme for ever. Others have simply taught the British Navy (apt scholars enough) to triumph. He has first instructed them in manly perseverance and endurance so opposite to the impetuosity of their natures. We could name the periods, and these too frequently occurring, when a damaged yard or topmast was a sufficient excuse for a good fortnight in port, and this with officers of acknowledged gallantry. What a contrast have we now! The hardy veteran deserves an Order of Merit to be invented on purpose for him.' Without detracting from the admiral's merits this is a little hard on some of Cornwallis's predecessors—on Hawke, for instance, who in the Seven Years' War blockaded Brest throughout 'one of the worst winters on record.' Says Horace Walpole, writing on the 14th of January 1760: 'What milksops the Marlboroughs and Turennes, the Blakes and the Van Tromps appear now, who whipped into winter quarters the moment their noses looked blue. There is Hawke in the Bay weatheringthiswinter, after conquering in a storm.'
[88]Says theObserverfor the 18th of December: 'The motto of Admiral Cornwallis seems to be that from Dryden: "Endure and Conquer." We could dwell upon this theme for ever. Others have simply taught the British Navy (apt scholars enough) to triumph. He has first instructed them in manly perseverance and endurance so opposite to the impetuosity of their natures. We could name the periods, and these too frequently occurring, when a damaged yard or topmast was a sufficient excuse for a good fortnight in port, and this with officers of acknowledged gallantry. What a contrast have we now! The hardy veteran deserves an Order of Merit to be invented on purpose for him.' Without detracting from the admiral's merits this is a little hard on some of Cornwallis's predecessors—on Hawke, for instance, who in the Seven Years' War blockaded Brest throughout 'one of the worst winters on record.' Says Horace Walpole, writing on the 14th of January 1760: 'What milksops the Marlboroughs and Turennes, the Blakes and the Van Tromps appear now, who whipped into winter quarters the moment their noses looked blue. There is Hawke in the Bay weatheringthiswinter, after conquering in a storm.'
[89]The capture of Admiral Villeneuve's frigate theDidon, sent out on a mission of the highest importance, by the British frigatePhœnix, prevented Villeneuve's junction with another French fleet cruising in the Bay of Biscay. Hearing nothing of his colleague, Villeneuve, after leaving Ferrol, became nervous and turned south, instead of pushing on across the Bay for Brest as Napoleon expected him to do.
[89]The capture of Admiral Villeneuve's frigate theDidon, sent out on a mission of the highest importance, by the British frigatePhœnix, prevented Villeneuve's junction with another French fleet cruising in the Bay of Biscay. Hearing nothing of his colleague, Villeneuve, after leaving Ferrol, became nervous and turned south, instead of pushing on across the Bay for Brest as Napoleon expected him to do.
[90]Wrote Collingwood to his wife on the 21st of August: 'I have very little time to write to you, but must tell you what a squeeze we were like to have got yesterday. While we were cruising off the town, down came the combined fleet of thirty-three sail of men-of-war: we were only three poor things, with a frigate and a bomb, and drew off towards the Straits, not very ambitious, as you may suppose, to try our strength against such odds. They followed us as we retired, with sixteen large ships; but on our approaching the Straits they left us, and joined their friends in Cadiz, where they are fitting and replenishing their provisions. We, in our turn, followed them back, and to-day have been looking into Cadiz, where their fleet is now as thick as a wood' (Memoirs and Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, by G.L. Newnham Collingwood, p. 109).
[90]Wrote Collingwood to his wife on the 21st of August: 'I have very little time to write to you, but must tell you what a squeeze we were like to have got yesterday. While we were cruising off the town, down came the combined fleet of thirty-three sail of men-of-war: we were only three poor things, with a frigate and a bomb, and drew off towards the Straits, not very ambitious, as you may suppose, to try our strength against such odds. They followed us as we retired, with sixteen large ships; but on our approaching the Straits they left us, and joined their friends in Cadiz, where they are fitting and replenishing their provisions. We, in our turn, followed them back, and to-day have been looking into Cadiz, where their fleet is now as thick as a wood' (Memoirs and Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, by G.L. Newnham Collingwood, p. 109).
[91]Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson'sSea Drift, p. 209.
[91]Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson'sSea Drift, p. 209.
[92]Narrative by Lieut. P. Harris Nicolas, Royal Marines, of theBelleisle, quoted in theMemoir of Admiral Sir William Hargood, G.C.B., Appendix E, p. 279.
[92]Narrative by Lieut. P. Harris Nicolas, Royal Marines, of theBelleisle, quoted in theMemoir of Admiral Sir William Hargood, G.C.B., Appendix E, p. 279.
[93]The 'Combined Fleet' was the everyday term in the Navy for the fleets of France and Spain while acting together. It was used also by the French and Spaniards themselves.
[93]The 'Combined Fleet' was the everyday term in the Navy for the fleets of France and Spain while acting together. It was used also by the French and Spaniards themselves.
[94]Admiral Duncan at Camperdown, eight years before, attacked in a double column formation, but the circumstances otherwise were totally different.
[94]Admiral Duncan at Camperdown, eight years before, attacked in a double column formation, but the circumstances otherwise were totally different.
[95]Memoirs and Services of General Sir S.B. Ellis, K.C.B., of the Royal Marines, p. 4. General Ellis was a second lieutenant of Marines in theAjaxat Trafalgar.
[95]Memoirs and Services of General Sir S.B. Ellis, K.C.B., of the Royal Marines, p. 4. General Ellis was a second lieutenant of Marines in theAjaxat Trafalgar.
[96]Letter from Lieut. W. Price Cumby, first lieutenant of theBellerophon.
[96]Letter from Lieut. W. Price Cumby, first lieutenant of theBellerophon.
[97]Personal Narrative of Events, Vice-Admiral Wm. Stanhope Lovell (formerly Badcock), p. 45.
[97]Personal Narrative of Events, Vice-Admiral Wm. Stanhope Lovell (formerly Badcock), p. 45.
[98]James'sNaval History, vol. iii. p. 391.
[98]James'sNaval History, vol. iii. p. 391.
[99]Lieut. P. Harris Nicolas, Royal Marines, in theMemoir of Admiral Sir William Hargood, G.C.B., Appendix E, p. 279.
[99]Lieut. P. Harris Nicolas, Royal Marines, in theMemoir of Admiral Sir William Hargood, G.C.B., Appendix E, p. 279.
[100]Episodios Nacionales, par B. Perez Galdos.Trafalgar, p. 157. Octava edicion. Madrid, 1893.
[100]Episodios Nacionales, par B. Perez Galdos.Trafalgar, p. 157. Octava edicion. Madrid, 1893.
[101]Combat de Trafalgar. Rapport fait au Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies, par E. Lucas, commandant leRedoutable, etc. Published by H. Letuaire. Hyères, 1891.
[101]Combat de Trafalgar. Rapport fait au Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies, par E. Lucas, commandant leRedoutable, etc. Published by H. Letuaire. Hyères, 1891.
[102]There were nearly 4000 French soldiers distributed among Admiral Villeneuve's fleet, mostly embarked for the West Indies when it originally sailed from Toulon.
[102]There were nearly 4000 French soldiers distributed among Admiral Villeneuve's fleet, mostly embarked for the West Indies when it originally sailed from Toulon.
[103]Personal Narrative of Events, Vice-Admiral Wm. Stanhope Lovell (formerly Badcock), pp. 46, 47.
[103]Personal Narrative of Events, Vice-Admiral Wm. Stanhope Lovell (formerly Badcock), pp. 46, 47.
[104]'Les grenades pleuvent des hunes duRedoutable.'—Monumens des Victoires et Conquêtes des Français, vol. xvi. p. 174.
[104]'Les grenades pleuvent des hunes duRedoutable.'—Monumens des Victoires et Conquêtes des Français, vol. xvi. p. 174.
[105]A terrible account of the awful carnage and destruction caused on board theFougueuxby theTéméraire'sbroadside is given in a letter by Captain Pierre Servaux of the Marine Artillery on board the French ship, which was published in Paris in theFigaroon the 21st of October 1898.
[105]A terrible account of the awful carnage and destruction caused on board theFougueuxby theTéméraire'sbroadside is given in a letter by Captain Pierre Servaux of the Marine Artillery on board the French ship, which was published in Paris in theFigaroon the 21st of October 1898.
[106]6th May 1806.Biographie Maritime, etc., par M. Hennequin, Chef de Bureau au Ministère de la Marine. Paris, 1837; vol. iii. p. 85. Captain Lucas was born in 1764, and died in 1819. Two pictures of 'TheRedoutableat Trafalgar' have been exhibited at the Salon.
[106]6th May 1806.Biographie Maritime, etc., par M. Hennequin, Chef de Bureau au Ministère de la Marine. Paris, 1837; vol. iii. p. 85. Captain Lucas was born in 1764, and died in 1819. Two pictures of 'TheRedoutableat Trafalgar' have been exhibited at the Salon.
[107]Histoire de la Marine Française sous le Consulat et L'Empire, par E. Chevalier, p. 214. See alsoMonumens des Victoires et Conquêtes des Français, vol. xvi.
[107]Histoire de la Marine Française sous le Consulat et L'Empire, par E. Chevalier, p. 214. See alsoMonumens des Victoires et Conquêtes des Français, vol. xvi.
[108]See Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson'sSea-Drift, p. 208.
[108]See Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson'sSea-Drift, p. 208.
[109]Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth, by Edward Osler, Appendix A, p. 377.
[109]Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth, by Edward Osler, Appendix A, p. 377.
[110]Vice-Admiral Alava in theSanta Ana, who had surrendered to Collingwood in theRoyal Sovereign.
[110]Vice-Admiral Alava in theSanta Ana, who had surrendered to Collingwood in theRoyal Sovereign.
[111]Rear-Admiral Don B. Hidalgo Cisneros.
[111]Rear-Admiral Don B. Hidalgo Cisneros.
[112]Admiral Dumanoir, writing from Tiverton in Devon, where he was interned as a prisoner of war, to theTimeson January 2, 1806, in reply to certain adverse comments on his conduct, pleads that he was 'handled very severely' in his attack. Dumanoir and his ships were intercepted off Cape Finisterre, ten days after Trafalgar, and captured bodily by Sir Richard Strachan's squadron. One of his ships is afloat to this day, our only existing Trafalgar prize, and with theVictorythe last left of all that fought at Trafalgar—the Devonport training-shipImplacable. TheImplacablefought at Trafalgar as theDuguay Trouin. On being taken into the British service in 1806, the Admiralty gave the ship her present name.
[112]Admiral Dumanoir, writing from Tiverton in Devon, where he was interned as a prisoner of war, to theTimeson January 2, 1806, in reply to certain adverse comments on his conduct, pleads that he was 'handled very severely' in his attack. Dumanoir and his ships were intercepted off Cape Finisterre, ten days after Trafalgar, and captured bodily by Sir Richard Strachan's squadron. One of his ships is afloat to this day, our only existing Trafalgar prize, and with theVictorythe last left of all that fought at Trafalgar—the Devonport training-shipImplacable. TheImplacablefought at Trafalgar as theDuguay Trouin. On being taken into the British service in 1806, the Admiralty gave the ship her present name.
[113]Marshall'sNaval Biography, vol. i. part i. p. 275.
[113]Marshall'sNaval Biography, vol. i. part i. p. 275.
[114]Collingwood sent off his first short despatch announcing the battle and Nelson's death, by thePickle, a 4-gun schooner, on the 26th of October. The completed despatch gave full details of the battle and the casualty lists from most of the ships.
[114]Collingwood sent off his first short despatch announcing the battle and Nelson's death, by thePickle, a 4-gun schooner, on the 26th of October. The completed despatch gave full details of the battle and the casualty lists from most of the ships.
[115]Vice-Admiral Pierre Charles Jean Baptiste Sylvestre de Villeneuve-Flayosc was born on December 31, 1763, five years after Nelson. He becamegarde de la Marineat fifteen. At the Revolution he dropped theparticle nobiliairefrom his name, and was thenceforward known simply as Villeneuve. Napoleon took a fancy to him after Villeneuve's escape from the battle of the Nile, as a 'lucky man,' and to that fancy Villeneuve owed his command at Trafalgar.
[115]Vice-Admiral Pierre Charles Jean Baptiste Sylvestre de Villeneuve-Flayosc was born on December 31, 1763, five years after Nelson. He becamegarde de la Marineat fifteen. At the Revolution he dropped theparticle nobiliairefrom his name, and was thenceforward known simply as Villeneuve. Napoleon took a fancy to him after Villeneuve's escape from the battle of the Nile, as a 'lucky man,' and to that fancy Villeneuve owed his command at Trafalgar.
[116]Grand Master Hélion de Villeneuve, Grand Master of Rhodes; buried at Malta: Sainte Roseleyne de Villeneuve, Abbess of La Celle Roubaud.
[116]Grand Master Hélion de Villeneuve, Grand Master of Rhodes; buried at Malta: Sainte Roseleyne de Villeneuve, Abbess of La Celle Roubaud.
[117]Gentleman's Magazine, 'Domestic Occurrences,' September 16, 1838.
[117]Gentleman's Magazine, 'Domestic Occurrences,' September 16, 1838.
[118]SeeNotes and Queries, 7th Series, vol. vi. p. 371.
[118]SeeNotes and Queries, 7th Series, vol. vi. p. 371.
[119]Messrs. H. Castle and Sons, of the Baltic Wharf, Millbank, S.W., to whose courtesy the author is indebted for the photographs of the two figures here reproduced.
[119]Messrs. H. Castle and Sons, of the Baltic Wharf, Millbank, S.W., to whose courtesy the author is indebted for the photographs of the two figures here reproduced.
[120]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, pp. 81-82.
[120]Ruskin,Notes on the Turner Collection, pp. 81-82.
VI
'WELL DONE, CONDOR!'
ALEXANDRIA, 1882
But little recked they of doubts or fears that vexed the soul of the wise,They did as the world did round them, and they claimed their share of the prize.
Sir Rennell Rodd.
Themodern story of what Lord Charles Beresford'sCondordid at the bombardment of Alexandria on the 11th of July 1882 closes our series. Everybody knows in a general way something about it, but the details of the fight deserve attention on their own account. It was no doubt only one incident of the day, but all the same it was a good piece of work.
This briefly is how the situation came into being at the outset.
The bombardment of Alexandria was brought about by the usurpation of power in Egypt by Arabi Pasha and the so-called National Partyearly in 1882, raising the cry of 'Egypt for the Egyptians.' Great Britain, alarmed at their avowed hostility towards her, was forced to intervene on behalf of her interests in Egypt, and to ensure the safety of the Suez Canal. Diplomacy, and all efforts to induce the Sultan, as suzerain of the Khedive, to take action, having failed, in June the British Mediterranean Fleet was ordered to the scene, at first by way of demonstration. A French squadron arrived at the same time, France being specially interested in Egypt under the Joint Control agreement, and other Great Powers sent representative ships. In reply Arabi and his partisans began throwing up works and mounting additional guns at Alexandria, and then riots broke out in the city and at Cairo leading to a massacre of Europeans. At the end of June the arming of the forts, which had been suspended under direct orders from Constantinople, was defiantly resumed, drawing strong remonstrances from the British Admiral, Sir Beauchamp Seymour, as the late Lord Alcester then was. The discovery of a plot to wreck part of the Suez Canal and to block Alexandria harbour, and the activity displayed on the fortifications, resulted in leave being telegraphed from England to the British Admiral to take action if necessary. Thereupon, on the 6th of July, Admiral Seymour demanded the immediate disarmament of theharbour forts on pain of bombardment. An evasive reply was given, while the mounting of heavy guns proceeded with increased vigour at night, as the searchlights of the fleet disclosed. On the 10th the British Admiral notified to the Governor of Alexandria that, unless in the course of that day certain of the harbour forts were evacuated and handed over to him to dismantle, he would open fire next morning. The foreign consuls were informed of Sir Beauchamp Seymour's intention, and during the day all the foreign men-of-war withdrew outside, the French squadron proceeding to Port Said.
The British Fleet off Alexandria comprised eight battle-ships and five gun-vessels. When the British Admiral's ultimatum was sent off on the morning of the 10th two of the battle-ships, theInvincible, on board which Admiral Seymour had his flag, and theMonarch, with the gun-vesselCondorcommanded by Lord Charles Beresford, and the other gun-vessels, were inside the harbour. The rest of the fleet, the battle-shipsAlexandra,Sultan,Inflexible,Téméraire,Superb, andPenelope, were lying outside.
At this point we take up the story of theCondor, and of the part she played in the events of the hour. As it happened, Mr. Frederic Villiers, the well-known artist and correspondent of theGraphic, was on board as the guest of Lord CharlesBeresford. His vivid narrative of events gives a striking account of all that passed under his eyes.[121]
For the last day or two everything had been ready and all the ships were kept cleared for action. The Egyptians were expected to throw off the mask and try to take the British fleet by surprise. Special precautions were taken on board theCondor, which lay well up the harbour in proximity to the Ras-el-Tin battery. There an exceptionally dangerous piece, a breech-loading gun firing a 250-lb. shot, and mounted on the Moncrieff disappearing system, was known to be in position. TheCondorwas a small second-class gun-boat of some 780 tons, and the thin iron sheeting on her sides was hardly stouter than a piece of cardboard. A rifle bullet could penetrate it, and there was not a scrap of armour about the ship. To protect his ship as far as possible against the big gun, Lord Charles, we are told, converted 'the shore side of theCondorinto a temporary ironclad by dressing her in chain armour. Every scrap of spare iron and chain on board was hung over her bulwarks, giving her a rakish list to starboard.' Also, as Mr. Villiers relates, 'all available canvas had been got out and draped round the inboard of the ship's bulwarks. Hammocks had been slung round the wheel to protect the steersmen from splinters. The main-topmast was lowered, the bowsprit run in and the Gatling in the main-top surrounded with canvas. Even the idlers, who constituted the engine-room artificers, stewards, and odd hands on board, were continually practised in drill.'
Shortly before sunset on the 10th Lord Charles Beresford, who had been for instructions on board the flagship, returned on board theCondorand turned up all hands. 'He at once,' says Mr. Villiers, 'called the crew together and from the bridge addressed them to this effect.
'"My men, the Admiral's orders to theCondorare to keep out of action, to transfer signals, and to more or less nurse her bigger sisters, if they get into trouble." Eloquent groans burst from the men. "But," continued Beresford, "if an opportunity should occur," and he (their commander) rather had an idea that it would, "theCondorwas to take advantage of it and to prove her guns." The crowd of upturned faces listening to these significant remarks now shone with satisfaction in the ruddy after-glow of the sunset, and then Lord Charles added: "No matter what happened, he was confident that they would give a good account of themselves and their smart little ship." To see the gleam in their eyes, who could doubt that within them beat hearts as stout as in those hearts of oak of the grand old days?'
The Admiral's instructions in writing, as issuedto the commanders of the gun-vessels early next morning, ran thus. 'They are,' he said, 'to take up a position as far out of the line of fire or of forts, or of theInflexible, as convenient, moving away immediately it is found that fire is being directed on them. They will take advantage of every opportunity of annoying the enemy, especially where camps are to be seen, or where infantry or other troops are seen; but they are to avoid as much as possible the fire of the enemy's heavy guns.'
'There was little sleep that night,' says Mr. Villiers. 'As I lay in my cot ... I could catch the familiar squeaking noise of the fiddle coming from the fo'c'sle, as the crew passed the feverish hours before the impending action with a horn-pipe or some popular ditty. Even the old gun-boat seemed to bestir herself long before dawn, for the hissing of steam and rattle of coal told me that the engineers were firing her for the eventful struggle with Arabi's forts. At the first peep of day theCondorsteamed off from her moorings, and followed the other vessels out of the harbour, as they took up their stations for bombarding.'
Even then, though, it seemed possible that there might be a slip 'twixt cup and lip.
At daybreak on the 11th the despatch boatHelicon, which had been ordered to remain in harbour to the last, was seen standing out. She had signals flying that she had on board Egyptianofficers with a letter from the Egyptian Government. The signal caused dismay for the moment among the men. They were already at quarters, braced up and eagerly awaiting the order to begin firing. Were the enemy going to back down at the last moment? But the suspense was not for long. The message, which purported to be a reply to the British Admiral's ultimatum, was on the face of it merely a subterfuge to gain time. The bearers of it were sent back again with a written statement that their proposals were inadmissible. The Egyptian gunners in the batteries on shore, indeed, could be seen ready for action at their guns. As soon as the officers had been returned to shore the day's work began.
The opening scene may perhaps be best described in the words of the correspondent of theStandardnewspaper, Mr. Cameron, afterwards killed in battle in the Soudan, who was on board the flagshipInvincible. 'At half-past six,' he says, 'a quiet order was passed round the decks, "Load with common shell." A gleam of satisfaction shone on the men's faces. Half-an-hour later a signal was made to theAlexandrato fire the challenging gun. That was done, and, the Egyptians continuing hostile preparations, the flags ran up at theInvincible'smast-head for the fleet to commence action. The order was givenon board theInvincibleto begin "independent firing." A deafening salvo from five 9-inch guns went from the side of theInvincible, while overhead the ten Nordenfelt guns in the tops swelled the din which burst forth from all the ships with a succession of drum-like tappings.
'The smoke from the very commencement of the engagement was so dense that we could see nothing of the effect which our fire was producing, nor of what the enemy were doing; but soon after we began, a sharp scream overhead, followed by the uplifting columns of spray to seaward as the shots struck the water, made it clear that the enemy were replying to our iron salute.... They appeared to have got our range pretty accurately, and round and conical shot whistled thickly through the masts. I went round the ship and found the men fighting the main-deck guns all stripped to the waist. Between each shot they had to sit down and wait until the smoke cleared a little.'
Meanwhile theCondorand the other gun-vessels lay in the offing, behind the battle-ships that were engaging Fort Mex, looking on and awaiting their opportunity. The first thing that came theCondor'sway was to assist theTéméraire, which had got aground. TheTémérairewas got off about eight o'clock, and immediately after that theCondor'schance offered.
BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: JULY 11, 1882—9 A.M.(In the course of the morning theInflexibleandTéméraire, and theAlexandra,Sultan, andSuperb, shifted their positions.)
Lord Charles Beresford, as he watched thebattle, had observed that the westernmost of the forts, Fort Marabout, was firing at the British inshore-squadron opposite Mex, theInvincible,Monarch, andPenelope, and apparently annoying them. He sent for one of his officers and said, 'I shall stand down and make myself useful by engaging that fort.' 'You must be mad, sir,' was the reply. 'It is the second heaviest fort, and one shot from the heavy guns would knock us into smithereens.' But the commander of theCondorwas not to be put off that way. 'The apparently impossible,' he answered, 'is often the easiest. Anyway, nothing can be done unless we try.... If I can get on the angle of the fort, I believe we can hit their guns without their hitting us. The thing is to get there.'
Fort Marabout mounted three 9-inch Armstrongs, firing 250-lb. shells; one 7-inch Armstrong, firing 115-lb. shells; eight 10-inch muzzle-loaders, firing 84-lb. hollow shot, or 100-lb. solid shot; seventeen 32-pounders, smooth-bores; and seven mortars, two firing 13-inch shells and five 11-inch mortars. There were also in this fort—whether mounted or not was unknown—two 10-inch Armstrongs, firing 400-lb. shells; two more 9-inch Armstrongs, and one 7-inch. Against that the littleCondorset out to match herself, with one 7-inch gun, firing 12-lb. shells, and two 64-pounders, three 7-pounders, and one or two Gatlings. Ashas been said also, the little sloop had not an inch of armour on her sides or deck:—boilers, engines, magazines, all were open to the lightest of the enemy's shot. All the same they steamed off towards the grey ramparts of the big fort without a moment of doubt or hesitation.
Mr. Villiers carries on the story.
'TheCondorsteamed ahead. Our men stripped off their jackets. The decks were sanded, and the racers, or rails, on which the guns run were oiled.
'As we neared Fort Marabout, its terraces and embrasures bristling with Armstrong guns, not a man aboard but knew the peril of our audacity,—for a little gun-boat, one of the smallest in Her Majesty's service, to dare to attack the second most powerful fortress in Alexandria,—but the shout of enthusiasm from the crew when the order was given to "open fire!" readily showed their confidence in their beloved leader. The guns, run out "all a-port," blazed away. The smoke hung heavily about the decks. The flash of the cannonade lit up for a moment the faces of the men, already begrimed with powder, and steaming with exertion, for the morning was hot and sultry. The captain from the bridge, glass in hand, watching anxiously the aim of her gunners, would shout from time to time: "What was that, my men?" 'Sixteen hundred yards. Sir!" "Then give themeighteen this time, and drop it in." "Aye, aye, Sir!"
'Then a shout from the men on the main-mast told us on deck that the shot had made its mark. The little ship quaked again with the blast of her guns. The men were now almost black with powder, and continually dipped their heads in the sponge buckets to keep the grit from their eyes. One of our shots had fallen well within the enemy's works; another had taken a yard of scarp off—for a slight breeze had lifted the fog of smoke, and all on board could plainly see the enemy working in their embrasures. The Arab gunners now trained one of their Armstrongs in our direction. Our engine-bell sounded, and theCondorat once steamed ahead. A puff of smoke from the fort, a dull boom, a rush of shell through the air, and a jet of water shot up far astern, followed by a shout from our men. The enemy had missed us. When the Arabs reloaded and brought to bear, theCondorsteamed back again, and the shell whistled across her bows.
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD CHARLES BERESFORD, K.C.B.
'The enemy's fire on the ships attacking Fort Mex slackened, and soon ceased altogether. Irritated by the constant fire of the littleCondor, the Egyptian gunners now devoted their entire attention to us. They set about slewing their other Armstrongs in our direction. Their long black muzzles slowly turned their gaping mouthstowards us. We looked at each other, then some of us looked at the captain, for the situation was becoming critical.... In an instant he decided,' proceeds Mr. Villiers, 'and gave the order for theCondorto run in closer, and we came within 1200 yards. We all saw in a moment the wisdom of the seeming audacity. We were well within their guard; though the Gyppies blazed at us, they could only practise at our masts; they could not depress their guns sufficiently to hull us. We cheered again and again as their abortive attempts to get at us failed, for a shot below water-mark, with the lurch theCondorwas already making with all her guns abroadside, would have sent her down to Davy Jones's locker in less than ten minutes.
'The Egyptians, in their rage, opened fire with their smooth-bores from the lower parapet. The round-shot would whistle through our rigging, making us lie low awhile; but we would scramble to our feet again, dropping another 9-inch shell well within their works, scattering their gunners, and making things quite unpleasant for them. Only once did the enemy touch us, when a deep thud started the little ship trembling from stem to stern. The carpenter was ordered below. There was an anxious moment or two, when at last he returned, reporting the glad news that "all was well"; we had only been grazed.'
It may be noted, by the way, that at twelvehundred yards a gun like the 9-inch guns on Fort Marabout has a velocity of 1233 feet a second, and a penetrative power equal to carrying their 250-lb. shot clean through a target of wrought iron nine and a half inches thick. Had only one of these projectiles hit fairly, there would have been an end of theCondor, there and then. That is certain. At the same time, at twelve hundred yards the time of flight of a shot from muzzle to mark would be 2.72 seconds, and the shot in that period would drop 75½ feet. It was not an impossible task for the Egyptian gunners on the ramparts to hit theCondor. That they failed utterly was theCondor'sluck—the fortune of war, pure and simple. TheCondor'screw through it all seemed to bear charmed lives. Shots fell thick in the water all round, as other ships observed, or cut the rigging overhead. One big shot tore the awning over the quarter-deck. A 10-inch shell struck the water close underneath the ship's bows, and the column of water sent up by the splash knocked an officer and two men off the forecastle.
To resume with Mr. Villiers.
'It was a scorching, thirsty time on deck. The particles of carbon from the powder floating in the air dried our throats till we almost choked. The captain's steward was always ready to quench the thirst of the guests, Mr. Moberly Bell, the now famous manager of theTimes, and myself,with cool drinks whenever we found time between the shots to rush below; but just as the tumbler reached our lips the blast of the guns would almost shatter the glass against one's teeth, and we would rush on deck to see how the shot had told.
'All the time the navigating lieutenant, with eyes fixed on the chart, was calmly moving the vessel up and down a narrow tortuous passage which we could distinctly see, by peering over the side of the vessel, for the reefs on either flank of the narrow channel glistened from out the blue-black of the waters.'
Here is Lord Charles Beresford's own account of theCondor'sday at Alexandria, as briefly given once to an interviewer. 'TheTémérairegot aground on the northern part of the Boghaz Pass, so we went down and towed her off. Whilst doing so the Marabout Fort opened fire on the English ships inside the bar. The idea struck me that theCondorbeing small, with low freeboard, might get through the zone of fire and under the fort. It wasn't altogether easy work, for had one shell struck theCondorfair and square we should have been sunk to a dead certainty. However, she was easy to handle, and when once we were on the angle of the fort and under it we were all right. My dodge was to throw a couple of missiles into the fort at a time, and then back or fill, as the case might be, so that just when the Egyptians thoughtthey had got our right range, theCondorwas out of the way, and so it went on pretty well all day.[122]The men behaved splendidly,—upon my word, I don't think they have their equals!'
For upwards of two hours theCondorfought Fort Marabout, and then the Admiral, apparently thinking that she had as much as she could manage, signalled to theBeacon, another gun-vessel (Commander G.W. Hand), and the senior officer's ship of the flotilla, for theBittern,Cygnet, andDecoyto go to her assistance. The fort, though, had already, by that, been practically subdued. The Egyptians had had enough, and soon afterwards ceased firing, although they kept their flag flying until next day, when the officer who is now Admiral Sir A.K. Wilson, V.C., landed, and hauled it down. He presented the colours of Marabout to Lord Charles Beresford, in whose possession they are now, together with another trophy of the fight, a fragment of one of theCondor'sshells which was found to have passed through the magazine of Fort Marabout, and did not explode until outside. Among his most treasured mementos Lord Charles also preserves theCondor'sbinnacle, as taken from the ship when, some ten or twelveyears later, she passed into the shipbreakers' hands at Dead Man's Bay, Plymouth Sound.
In her action with Fort Marabout theCondorexpended over nineteen and a half hundredweights of powder (a ton all but fifty-four pounds), and two hundred and one projectiles:—65 rounds of 7-inch shell, 128 64-pounder shells, and eight 7-pounder shells; besides 200 rounds of Gatling gun ammunition, 13 war-rockets, and 1000 rounds of Martini-Henry small-arm ammunition.
When the gun-boats had finished their work Admiral Seymour made the signal of recall, and they returned, passing close to theInvincibleto their stations.
Now it was that the celebrated signal to theCondorwas made. The little vessel was passing the flagship, from on board which theInvincible'smen were cheering her enthusiastically, when the Admiral on the quarter-deck turned to his flag-lieutenant, Lieutenant Hedworth Lambton,—the future captain of thePowerfuland the man who saved Ladysmith,—and said, as if musing to himself, 'I should like to tell them something.' Lieutenant Lambton made a suggestion, and within less than a minute, the flags went up at theInvincible'smast-head making the words, 'Well Done,Condor!' That is the story of theCondorat Alexandria. The day ended for her with covering the landing-party sent ashore at theclose of the bombardment to spike the guns of Fort Mex.
The story of theCondoralone, of all the ships at the bombardment of Alexandria, has been told. For one reason or another, what the little gun-boat did in the action appealed specially to people at the time, and attracted universal attention. It was, of course, largely a matter of opportunity—the seizing of an exceptional chance for an effort of individual daring. All at Alexandria did well, and theCondorhad the best of the luck. In fairness, a few words must be also said of others of the ships present on the occasion, and of the part that they individually took in the fighting.
In addition to theCondor, another ship won the honour of a special signal 'Well Done!' from the Admiral—the bigInflexible, captained on that day by the officer who is now Admiral Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, G.C.B., First Sea Lord of the Admiralty. TheInflexibleduring the earlier part of the engagement was posted outside the reefs off the 'Corvette Pass' entrance to Alexandria harbour, enfilading the Lighthouse batteries. 'It is invidious to particularise,' says theTimescorrespondent, who was on board another ship in the fleet, 'but theInflexible'sfiring to-day was certainly second to none.' Describing how theInflexibleshifted her position, and at ranges between 3000and 5000 yards shelled the Mex Fort with one turret, and the Ras-el-Tin batteries with the other, the correspondent continues: 'Every shell seemed either to burst right over the Ras-el-Tin works, or to pitch upon the very parapet of the Mex Fort upon the hill.' It was just after this that Admiral Seymour signalled, 'Well done,Inflexible!' TheInflexiblebore the brunt of the firing from the Ras-el-Tin batteries for three and a half hours, until she had silenced the Egyptian guns. After that, with the aid of theTéméraire, she silenced the Lighthouse Fort and Fort Adda, the front of which strongly fortified work her fire is said to have literally blown in.
It was on board theInflexiblealso that the late Commander Younghusband performed an exploit of great daring—though only characteristic of the man, and of the spirit that has ever existed in the service to which he belonged. In the midst of the fighting the vent of one of theInflexible's80-ton guns had become choked; with the result that for the time being the gun was completely out of action. Lieutenant Younghusband (as the gallant officer then was) calmly got inside the gun—a muzzle-loader—and caused himself to be rammed by the hydraulic rammer right up the bore of the gun (a tube 16 inches in diameter) until he reached the powder-chamber, when he managed with his fingers to remedy the defect, all the time atimminent risk of suffocation from the powder gases. When he had done his work, a rope fastened to his feet hauled him back and drew him out of the gun.
TheInflexibleat Alexandria had numerous dents made in her armour, and the unarmoured part of the hull was pierced by shot in several places. Her most serious injury was from a 10-inch shell, which struck the ship below the water-line outside the central armoured 'citadel,' and, glancing up, passed through her decks, killing one of the men, and mortally wounding Lieutenant Francis Jackson as he was directing the fire of one of the light guns on the superstructure.
Her due, too, must be given to the 'OldAlex,' as the Navy used to call the favourite flagship of the Fleet during the closing years of Queen Victoria's reign. On board theAlexandra(Captain C.F. Hotham) Mr. Israel Harding, the chief gunner of the ship, won the V.C. Just at ten o'clock, about three hours after the action began, a 10-inch spherical shell crashed through theAlexandra'sside, at a part where the ship was unarmoured, and with its fuse burning rolled along the main-deck. With great gallantry and presence of mind, Mr. Harding, who from below had heard the shout, 'There's a live shell just above the hatchway!' rushed up the ladder, and taking some water from a tub near by, dashed it upon the burning fuse, after which he seized theshell and plunged it bodily into the tub, rendering it harmless. For this act of valour, which undoubtedly saved many lives, Mr. Harding was deservedly awarded the Victoria Cross. The shell was presented to His Majesty King Edward, then Prince of Wales. It was in the circumstances by no means an inappropriate presentation. TheAlexandrawas so named in honour of Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, then Princess of Wales, who launched the ship on an April day of the year 1875 that Chatham is not likely to forget. On the stocks, until a few days before she was sent afloat, the ship had been known as theSuperb, and her re-naming as theAlexandrawas meant as a special compliment to her royal sponsor, which met with universal applause. It drew forth, among other poetical tributes elsewhere, the following Latin verses in theTimes:—
THE LAUNCH OF THE ALEXANDRA
Fulcra securifera fabri succidite dextra;Omen habet primas si bene tangit aquas.Dicite—Sit Felix—proraeque invergite vina;NomenAlexandraedulceSuperbatulit.Nomine mutato, sit et omine fausta secundo;Sit sine rivali, nec tamen ipsa ferox.Jam neque tormentis opus est, nec triplice lamna,Forma tumescentes sola serenat aquas.Te capiente capi qui non velit ipse phaselus,'Ferreus, et verè ferreus iste fuit.'
H.K.
To add to theéclatof theAlexandra'slaunch, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Tait), with the Bishop of Rochester, conducted the religious service on the occasion—the first time that a religious service of any kind had been used at the launch of a British man-of-war since the Reformation. To Queen Alexandra we owe the restoration of the ancient usage of invoking, at the outset of their existence, the protection of Almighty God on the ships by which our homes and our Empire are guarded, and also on those who are to man them; and the practice, so instituted, has continued to be observed at the launches of all British men-of-war, ever since the launch of theAlexandra.
TheAlexandracame out of action after the bombardment of Alexandria with twenty-four hits from shot or shell on the hull outside the armour-plating, and with several dents in her armour, one of her funnels damaged, and her rigging a good deal cut about. Most of the enemy's shots, fortunately, had been aimed too high.[123]
TheInvincible(Captain R.H. More-Molyneux), on board which ship Sir Beauchamp Seymour had his flag for the day,—theAlexandrawas really his flagship, but he had removed into theInvinciblea short time before because of her lighter draught in order to enter the harbour,—had also numerous dents in her armour near the water-line, and the unarmoured parts of her hull had holes through it in several places. Her part in the fighting was for most of the time at anchor off Fort Mex, and the precision of her firing was enthusiastically applauded by the officers of the American ships who watched it from the offing. It was from theInvinciblethat the landing-party of four officers and twelve men—all volunteers—went off, towards the close of the action, to disable the guns of Fort Mex. The duty was an extremely dangerous one. There was no means of knowing what troops the enemy might not have under cover close behind the fort. To effect their landing the little party—the officers were Lieutenants Barton Bradford and Poore, Flag-Lieutenant Lambton, and Major Tulloch of the Welsh Regiment (MilitaryStaff Officer to the Admiral)—had to swim through the surf. No opposition, however, met them, and after bursting the guns with charges of gun-cotton the party returned on board without a casualty.
Less is on record about what took place on board the other ships. All did their duty, and it was not their fault that no chances of special distinction came their way. TheSuperb[124](Captain T. Le H. Warde) was hit badly near the water-line, just above the armour-belt, by a shell that shattered a hole in the hull 10 feet long by 4 feet wide. One shot made a hole, 10 inches across, in the fore part of the ship near one of her torpedo-ports, and another a hole, a foot across, a little aft of her battery; besides which her armour was dented and her foremast shot through. TheSultan(Captain W.J. Hunt-Grubbe, C.B., A.D.C.) had an armour-plate on the water-line dented and 'started,' four boats damaged, and one funnel shot through. ThePenelope(Captain St. G.C. d'Arcy-Irvine) was hulled eight times, and one of her guns had its muzzle chipped. TheTéméraireandMonarch(Captains H.F. Nicholson and H. Fairfax, C.B., A.D.C.)—though the value of thework they did and the way they were handled were second to none—came out of action with little or no damage to report.
Here we break off finally and close the book. Alike in our stories of the far-off past and the last story of the nearer past, the men whose names have been mentioned, round whom the incidents related centred, are, after all, only typical of their fellows in the Sea Service at the present hour. As occasion will prove too, when the time next comes for Great Britain to stand to her arms once more in defence on the sea of her rights and the honour of the flag against a European foe, the enemy, whosoever he may be, will find the spirit of the Cornwallis's and Rodneys and Faulknors and the Gardiners of the older day—to name no other, no more recent names—burning as brightly as of yore in the breasts of those who in that hour will officer and man the war-ships of the British Fleet.
No wonder England holdsDominion o'er the seas—Still the Red Cross shall face the world,While she has men like these!