The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-26 00:00:00

LITERA T URE.

The Autobiography of a Seaman. By Thomas,
tenth Earl of I)undonald, G.C.B. Bentley. Third
notice.
After the refusal of the Admiralty Board to grant
a ship to Lord Cochrane, he determined to spend
his leisure time in investigating the abuses of the
navy. These comprised an extensive list. First
and foremost came political interests, party preju-
dices, and private hatreds ; next followed the Ad-
miralty Courts, navy contractors, et hoc genus omne ;
after whom followed the legion of harpies in the
shape of hospital doctors, pay-clerks, &c. Beneath
the evil eye of the first were the hopes of poor
Lieutenant Parker blasted ; his family ruined by a
heartless lie, so gross and foul, that it wauld have
blackened the name of a Newgate felon, but which,
emanating from some gentleman high in office, of
course, passed by unheeded and unheard. Such a
vile transaction could not take place in our time,
but should not Englishmen blush to think that such
men had a share in our Government not sixty
years ago P
In spite of this rebuff I nevertheless continued to perse-
vere, but it was not till some years afterwards that the pro-
motion of Lieut. Parker was obtained, with a result to that
able and gallant officer which proved his ruin, and even-
tually caused his death.
The circumstances under which this took place were posi-
tively diabolical. Despairing of promotion, Lieut. Parker
retired to a little farm near Kinsale, by the cultivation of
which, in addition to his half-pay, he was realising an
existence for his family. From my determined persever-
ance on his behalf, he was at length made commander, and
ordered to join the Rainbow sloop, represented to be
stationed in the West Indies. Selling off everything, even
to his household furniture, he proceeded to Barbadoes, and
reported himself to Sir Alexander Cochrane; but, as the
vessel could not be found, Sir Alexander furnished him with
a passage to look for her at the Bermudas, where he sup-
posed she might be fitting for sea. Not finding her there,
Lieut. Parker returned to Barbadoes, when it became evi-
dent that no such vessel was on the North American
station I
On ascertaining this, poor Parker returned to England a
ruined man. Lord Melville, who had succeeded as First
Lord, expressed his surprise and regret that such a circum-
stance should have occurred, and promised the unhappy
man that he should not only be amply compensated for the
loss and expense attending his outfit and fruitless voyage
to the West Indies, but that he should have another com-
mand on the first opportunity, This generous intention was,
however, counteracted, for he never received either the one
or the other.
Lieutenant Parker's loss, consequent on the sale of bis
property, the expense attendant on settling his family, to-
gether with his outfit and voyage, amounted to upwards of
£l,OOO. His prospects ruined, his domestic arrangements
destroyed, and his pride wounded, his spirit and consti-
tution gradually gave way, and at length overwhelmed
with sorrow he sank into a premature grave, leaving a
wife and four daughters to deplore the loss of their only
protector.
I never could find out who had thus imposed on one of
the most gallant officers in the Navy this infamous decep •
tion, concocted, doubtless, out of pure malevolence it to. my-
self. Be he whom he may, lam very sorry that not
in my power to hold up his name to the execration of is
the
pos-
terity. It is even at the present day the duty o
Admiralty to remedy the injury inflicted on his destitute
family—for he had left four daughters unprovided for, who
had no opportunity to escape from indigence.
It is evident that when no fixed rule existed for
promotion, and when for a trivial achievement
an officer was promoted by favour, while, at
the same time, a bold and gallant action went un-
rewarded, nien would feel disheartened and
careless. All men exert themselves to gain promo-
tion, and are watchful after the enemy's merchant-
men to gain prize-money. When they are uncertain
of obtaining their just promotion, and sure that all the
prize-money will be swallowed up in the Admiralty
Courts, they naturally lose heart, and the navy suf-
fers. Lord Cochrane dilates on this subject; and
no wonder, for he says that young as he was in
command he had already felt it heavily ; he re-
marks that but for the peculations of the Admiralty
Courts, himself, officers, and crew of the Speedy
ought, consequent on the success of their cruise,
to have returned home with competence. But that
as it was they got the fighting for their share and
the Court got the money; and in gone case he
was actually brought in debt for a prize worth
thousands of pounds. Such were the nefarious
practices at home, according to Captain Bren-
ton, whose evidence (as the biographer of Lord St.
Vincent) Lord Cochrane calls in to support his
own—
"ln the first edition of the Naval History, I have com-
mented on the profligate system of hired vessels and trans-
ports. In this—borough influence reigned paramount, and
the most solid information was disregarded when the per-
petrator of the greatest frauds was a supporter of Govern-
inent."—(Brenton's "Life of Lord St. Vincent," p. 167.)
" A ship purchased by a man of influence was a certain
fortune to him. He cleared his money in the first year at
the rate of £-100 per month, and if the ship were coppered at
£7,500 per annum. About twenty coppered-bottomed trans-
ports were lying for three years in the harbour of Messina,
without being employed in any duty."—(p. 169.)
The expense of these alone, no doubt all owned by " men
of influence" as Captain Brenton terms them, was for
the three years £270,000. As these transports formed only
a trifling illustration of the system, there is little wonder at
the enormous accumulation of the national debt, for results
so inadequate.
Captain Brenton might have gone farther, and stated
with great truth, that not only were transports hired from
men of influence, but that vessels utterly woithless were
purchased by the Government from their political support-
ers, and then patched up into ships of war. It was my
misfortune to be subsequently appointed to a collier so con-
verted—with what result will appear in the sequel.
While money was thus extravagantly expended to
suit the private home interests, as a set-off the ill
supplied hospitals were to be curtailed in their
already too scanty necessaries and comforts. On
the great iniquity of such a proceeding we cannot
trust ourselves to make comment. It is altogether
too horrible. Only fancy while millions upon

millions were being wasted by cheats and knaves,
that the hospitals of our seamen were put under the
control of a worthless, ignorant, and imperious
coxcomb, a pet, forsooth, of Lord St. Vincent.
" 1)r. Beard possessed his lordship's highest confi-
dence, so to this person was confided the task of
regenerating the hospitals." It is needless to dilate
upon his reforms. ECONOMY was his maxim, and
as it would be against professional etiquette to in-
terfere with any sinecure appointments, (few per-
haps existed in a naval hospital), he set about re-
ducing the medicine, ordering that blue ointment
and pills being chiefly required for diseases that
might be avoided, should be doled out in a mini-
mum quantity. Thus compelling captains and
naval surgeons to purchase these essentials out of
their own pockets. This is bad enough, but too
warm a bed could not be chosen in the next world
for the man who enforced an order "that from the
expense of lint, in dressing wounds SPONGE should
be substituted, as it might be used over again." The
result was as might have been expected; slight
wounds became infected, and the limbs and lives of
many paid the price of this economy. Let us quit
such a painful subject, being thankful that what-
ever the present shortcomings of the navy may be,
humanity is of least studied. On the retirement
of Lord St. Vincent (from whom he could obtain
no better ship than a collier metamorphosed into a
man-of-i,var, in which he was directed to protect
the fisheries in the North Sea) Lord Cochrane was
appointed immediately by his successor, Lord Mel-
ville, to the Pallas, a new fir-built frigate of 32
guns. Once more in command of a real man-oi-
war, and that a dashing frigate, Lord Cochrane
prepared for action, the first fruits of which were
the capture of two Spanish West Indiamen laden
with treasure, and the Pallas returned to port
with her prizes, having golden candlesticks
each five feet long, at her mastheads. The following
will show that a brave conqueror can sometimes
affbrd to he generous :
" Lord Cochrane, in his late cruise off the coasts of Spain
and Portugal, fell in with and took La Fortuna, a Spanish
ship bound to Corunna, and richly laden with gold and silver
to the amouut of 450,000 dollars (132,000), and about the
same sum in valuable goods and merchandise. When the
Spanish captain and his supercargo came on board the Pal-
las, they appeared much dejected, as their private property
on board amounted to the value of 30,000 dollars each. The
captain said he had lost, in the war of 1779, a similar for-
tune, having then been taken by a British cruizer, so that
now, as then, he had to begin the world again. Lord
Cochrane, feeling for the dejectedcondition of th Spaniards,
consulted his officers as to their willingness to give them
back 5,000 dollars each in specie. This being immediately
agreed to, his lordship ordered the boatswain to pipe all
1 ands, and addressing the men to the like purpose, the
gallant fellows sung out, ' Aye, aye, my lord, with all our
hearts,' and gave the unfortunate Spaniards three cheers."
That Lord Cochrane was wonderfully fertile in
expedients has been shown on many previous oc-
casions, but the following bold and original mode:of
avoiding an enemy when running before the wind,
deserves record :
As the strange ships were coming up with us hand over
hand, the necessity of carrying more sail became indispen-
sable, notwithstanding the immersion of the hull.
To do this with safety was the question. However,
ordered all the hawsers in the ship to be got up to the mast-
heads and hove taut. The masts being thus secured, ever"
possible stitch of sail was set, the frigate plunging fore-
castle under, as was also the case with our pursuers, which
could not fire a gun—though as the haze cleared away we
saw them repeatedly flashing the priming. After some
time the line-of-battle ships came up with us, one keeping
on our lee beam, another to windward, each within half *
mile, whilst the third was a little more distant.
Seeing it impossible to escape by superior sailing, it
appeared practicable to try a manoeuvre, which might be
successful if the masts would stand. Having, as stated,
secured these by every available rope in the frigate, the
order was given to prepare to clew up and haul down eyed,
sail at the same instant. The manceuvre being execute,'
with great precision—and the helm being put hard a-weather,
so as to wear the ship as speedily as possible—the Pallas'
thus suddenly brought up, shook from stem to stern, in
crossing the trough of the sea. As our pursuers.were un-
prepared for this manceuvre, still less to counteract it, thief
shot past at full speed, and ran on several miles before they
could shorten sail, or trim on the opposite tack. Indeed,
under the heavy gale that was now blowing, even this w**
no easy matter, without endangering their own masts.
There was no time for consideration on our part, so hav
ing rapidly sheeted home, we spread all sail on the oppositeb
tack. The hawsers being still fast to the masts, we wen
away from our pursuers at the rate of thirteen knots av
upwards • so that a considerable distance was soon inter;
posed between' us and theta ; and this was greatly increase('
ere they were in a condition to follow. Before they legid
fairly renewed the chase night was rapidly setting in, as
when quite dark, we lowered a ballasted cask overboard
with a lantern, to induce them to believe that we be;
altered our course, though we held on in the same directie;
during the whole night. The trick was successful, for,
.0'
had been calculated, the next morning, to our great PLO-
faction, we saw nothing of them, and were all much re
lieved on finding our dollars and his Majesty's ship olle°
more in safety. The expedient was a desperate one, but
was the condition which induced us to resort to it.
To facilitate the capture of prizes, when boats lola,
to be made use of, Lord Cochrane provided himself,
when in England, with a boat, or rather 010'1
built for him at Deal, which, pulling 18 oars, an°
being built on the most approved principle, so
awed the coasters, that, at the sight of her, bell,
hopeless of escape, they very frequently ran their
vessels ashore. Having cruised with considerable
success on the American coast and other parts, the
Pallas returned to Plymouth to be thoroughly re-
fitted. During the time which was necessary
to elapse before she could be again ready for on'
Lord Cochrane employed his leisure in obtain-
ing a seat in Parliament. On the dissolution
of Parliament, in 1807, Lord Cochrane was chosen
t
one of the representatives for Westminster. 1311
his Parliamentary career was not of long duration;
A naval officer, the representative of an influential
borough, bringing to light the abuses of the dock'
yards and grievances, and calling on the House to
redress them, was not convenient for the Ministry
which tolerated and profited by them ; therefore,
his own ship not being ready for sea, Lord Cocleii
rane was appointed to the Imperieuse, and order
to join Lord Collingwood's fleet in the Mediteriff
nean. He, however, still retained his seat P.,
Westminster. On the 12th of September, 180';
the Imperieuse sailed from Portsmouth. Fortnii;
may favour the brave, but in Lord Cochrane's 05;
she certainly did not favour the just ; for, haviu%
obtained an order to supersede the officer in CO'a
mand of the blockading squadron off the ArchiPe
lago, while cruising on the station during the 0'
rangement of preliminaries, he captured thr
merchantmen, and found, to his astonishment, os.
each had a pass from the officer he was about to
supersede. Notwithstanding so treasonable a pass;
port he secured them ; for which straightforveat"
course it was contrived, by the aggrieved partiel
that his command should be withdrawn. Aft
cruising in the Mediterranean for some time, vainly
expecting the command which he had been cheated
out of, he received orders from Lord Collingsve°
to cruise on the Spanish coast, and assist the Srfe
niards against the French, peace having been 110,
with Spain. Now was Lord Cochrane in his e,`"
ment ; on a cruise by himself, with discretionaq
power, and what with blowing up batteries 111',
signal stations, and turning engineer to break ti`o
e
roads and blow down bridges, and schoolmaster
instruct the Spanish peasants as to the most ads
tageous way to harass the enemy, his time was fli`
occupied.
The defence of Fort Trinidad under Lord COejli
rane was most extraordinary and determined,
not being exactly according to military tactwil
considerably bothered the enemy. The Frevero
having laid siege to the town of Rosas,
Cochrane proceeded to render what assistance
could. On arriving there lie found two wit;
men-of-war already on the spot ; but being inid
pendent of superior command, he proceeded to .los
his own plans. He found that the possession of„tio
Fort of Trinidad was essential to the safety Of
town, and that the English seamen whom Carw
Bennet had placed in it to assist the Spanish goiv
son had been withdrawn; after examining d
works minutely, and considering that the Ply,
might be kept possession of if vigorously defer' toe
after some difficulty he prevailed on the comtli be
dant to hold out until the next morning, whelltoft,
would place men out of the Imperieuse in the Jo
and remain himself with the men. Accordiaes to
he landed with a strong body of men, and se
work to repair the fort :
A pretty correct idea of our relative position ley

formed if unnautical reader will imagine our 0,
force to be placed in the nave of Westminster AbbeY4oo;
the enemy attacking the great western tower from the t
mit of a cliff 100 feet higher than the tower, so that the
breach in course of formation nearly corresponded t°ltlo
great west window of the abbey. It will hence be
that, in the face of a determined opposition, it would i,
easy matter to scale the external wall of the tower uP wt
great west window, and more difficult still to overeeitl'ho
pediments presently to be mentioned, so as to get doZia
the body of the church. These were the points I tretic
provide against, for we could neither prevent the
from breaching nor storming. prel'e)
It so happened, that just at the spot where the, ori,
was in process of formation, there was a lofty bona' :IreP;
interior arch, upwards of fifty feet in height. Throterio ej
reaching from the lowet part of the breach to the /ver!
base of the tower, was without much difficulty eel'a, vifi;
into an obstacle, of which the French little dreaul bcsl,o
into a chasm, down which they must have plunge tY
long had they attempted to penetrate an inch he) io
outer wall, even after they had gained it.
The only operation necessary was to break in tlie,,,epr°4
of the arch, so that all who on an assault ventured clui—tist„
trating farther than the outer wall of the brenejli fall
necessary be hurled to the bottom. But as the bolnoti
portion of the enemy might not deter the rest fre,rgo.ithio
possession of the outer wall till they were previd,:er all
means of overcoming the obstacle, I got togehLen
timber at hand, and constructed a huge wood „per
exactly resembling the hopper of a mill—the
being kept well greased with cooks' slush freT,„00.17)30
perieuse, so that to retain a hold upon it was rive d,
Down this, with the slightest pressure front it feet, no
storming party must have fallen to a depthof
t?". beco
all they could have done_, if not killed would Jai.' iv
remain prisoners at the bottom of the bomb pr;no cloo.k
The mantrap bring thus completed—au.a_to
~!12,
Spaniards justice, they entered with ardollr.,ToOosi°ol,
—the next object WAS to prepare trains for Ii?..„„900 :so;
bike magazines, in cue evacuation of the fort bee depolt
pulsory. This was done in two places ; the to 3/-
powder being placed underneath the breach, wil4'

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