The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-18 00:00:00

Au echo of him in the north wind sang.

Reminiscences of a Naval Officer during the lots If or,
with Skachesof Distinguished Commanders. By Cept.
A. CIIAWFORD, ft N. 2 rob CJimera.
Toren volumes are fillei for the most part with the
professional recollections of a sailor, who served his
eouotry during the period when England was
rneoec d by Bonaparte with invasion, and when the
I.lJulogne flotilla engaged the active attentio❑ of our
fleet. Captain Crawford was the youngest son of a
vicar of Lismore. in the south of Ireland. His elder,
brother, upon whose college education the resource.!
of the family had been lavished, had died alter disap-
pointing every hope of his parents; two others were
already in the king's service, and Abraham's father
tharkful for the friendly offer which erab!ed him
to send his remaining son, at the age of thirteen, to
sea.

His first acquaintance with the sea was made in
1801, on board the Itevolutiennaire, a frigate, which,
u her name betrayed, bad been taken from the
enemy, and which, in the hands of her new mas'ers,
had captured two other French ships, the Ito:del:Lis
and the Determinee. Tne first service after young
Crawford's junction was to see a West India convoy
past Madeira ; after which the vessel went on a six
eeks' cruise,an d chased and boarded several "neutrals."
The Revolutionnaire next went to Pqmoutb, where
her men were drafted, according to the practice under
Lord S-.Vineent's admiralty administration. The loss
of I.is fine ship's company preyed ea much upon the
mind of Capt. Twisdee, her commander, that, though
he soon got a new company, and retained his favourite
ship, the very morning he sail. d from l'1) mouth
Sourd something went wrong, he grew enraged, re-
tired to cabin, and was half an hour after disco-
leered by the first lieutenant speechless on a sofa,
where he died in a few minute,.

The young middy text joined the Diamond, then
under repair in Plymouth, and spent the time in
leashing each knot and splice, how to raise sheers,
get in the lower mast and bow-sprit, cut out and
serve lower rigging, and reeve girt lines. The first
winter was spent in ignominiously watching, on the
mist of Cornwall, for smugglers, who declined to
show themselves; and the bad weather so shook the
Diamond ab +at tke bows that she had again to visit
the dockyard. While here the vessel was set on fire,
through the carelessness of a man who wu warming
pitch in the galley, but saved, with little injury, by
tie promptitude of the first lieutenant. She after-
wards sailed to Torbay, to join Cornwallis's fleet, and
shortly had the honour ti convey the admiral to the
nearest point to Lymington, his couutry seat. 01
him the author says:

.' ADMIKAL CORNWALLIS.

"Then was nettling iu the °assegai appearance of
Admiral Canoeing to lead on. to suppose that he ens the
man who, with such adm table mune, skill, and un-
shaken resolution, effmted the memorable retreat in 1795,
braviag sad bedsit, with five mil of the line, the French
flee of fi teen. Daring this *mice he is reported to have
addresses this snort an energetic exhnrtstion to the crew et
his flea-ship:—' Remember, men, the stwereign's fisg and
ensign are never to be struck to en enemy—the yowl goes
down wish them flying!' It was his judgment and perse-
verance which erablisbed those long sad Glom hincitadis
%hien, for so 'arse a pert of the late war, so effectually clip-
;M the French maritime comm rce and cog.ll4ed their navy
t their own harboure He was quiet end d in his
deportment—elderly, and rather mat aid stoat in person;
and, if habited in a suit of brown aid round hat, liaised of
blue, With a three-cornered one, would have looked more

like a sever dila -.0, or simple country gentleWar,tianorTeol
Unglard's naval heroes. lie was particularly abstemious,
botn in meat and drink, ac rcely touchier wine, and living
for the most part on pulse and vegetables."

In 1802 Midshipman Crawford left the D:amond to
join the Immortaltte, another French capture, corn.
mended by Captain, since Admiral, Sir Edward Owen.
England was at peace, ant the beat employment that
cold be found for the Immortalira was watching
smugglers in the Downs. The elder middies, who,
it fee m•, had little bet•er to do, organised cockpit
courts-martial, for the purpose of amusing thempelves
at the expense of the youngsters, whom they tried by
a kir.d of unwritten law for all sorts of imaginary
offinces. The president is thus described by tie
author:

THE SUITOR VIDSIIIPNIAN OP THI lIIMOIITALITIL
" TLis {Anon was a thin, spare, little man. Barnard by
name, is height abut firs f et four inches, with a head out
of all kis ping with the rest of his body. To this was appended
a chin t f more than common extens*.on, which, instead of

prejeming ortwude (ram MO person, prolonged itae
wards to his chest. Hie mouth, wide and etroseioue, was in
shape molly like tha• of a dog-fish, and, when he laughed,
showed two rows of yellow, fo-midable•lookieg teeth. His
.ye., smell mud twinkling, were hard, and expressive more of
shrewdness then tU nature. The colour of his hair sad

wr Sher', which he wore enormously large, was reddish, cud
tie clmplezion, at all times sanguine. assumed after suppers
ruddier slot, glowing like the setting sun as it sinks into the
bosom of the ocean."
1803 brought war, and with it impressment of
seamen of the mercantile navy. The author's opinion
of the propriety of impressment as a means of recruit-
ing the navy is summed up in a very characteristic
sentence:
" All things coosideted, if seamen of the merchant service
will not voluntarily enter into that without the aid and pro
section of which the privilege of quietly pursuing their
profession wooly speedily be destroyed, there seems no re-
medy—they must be compelled to do so."
The Immortslite proceeded, in February, 1803, to
Sheerness, to complete her crew to the war establish-
ment. In Long-reach the operation of impressment
was checked by the fullowirg incident :
" TYt PIUS OAXO MIATIII OFF.
" Some time beton we were complete, the ship still west.
for some forty or iffy good hands,the captainl d that two'
Indigent, which had just dropped down to Gravesend had
ressived their news that mining. • • • • Ile directed
the boatr, MAW and armed, of the Immortalite. Amethyst,
and Lynx, to proceed at sunset to Gravesand•reach, to board
the two Indian's, and select fr m their crews such mss as
should be It for the Hiss's service. • • • The boats:
bad now nearly reached the Indian's, sad were as the
point of separation into two divisions, thces of the Amethyst
to board one, and those of the Inusertalil to bond die
other. At this moment one of then was heard to ball her
Comrade, end immediately after the boatewain's mill piped all
hands to quarter on board both The lieutenant of the !man-
mkt", deeming tales piece of mere bravado, pushed alongside
the Woodf ed,"ine of the lodiamen, with his detactment of
beets, whilst the others pealed for the snood, the Gasses.
Here we found the whole new et quarters, armed with pikes
and estimate and every descriptin of askesile that the "hip
scald 'apply. They wanted us off, and seined determined to
resin every aurae at bearding. In vain did. the lieutesant
ressmistrens, and hens nein Of the consequence' of a blind
sad vs& raistanos. The Mr* stood demoted oat, answered
will lead threats of defiaoce. Mr. 8. now ordered hie ass
ea board, bat this order was more easily given than ezetented.