The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-25 00:00:00

PreasuTe—m---u ' baking m
, pse ing t t Leories, an e
aagaeliY ofpurblind
us poor critics.

14IPE OF ADifilFIL VI§CO-UNT KEPPEL.

. _
---; 31, . . 2 Vols. C'ots urn,' _London, 18 4 i 2.
Lit.!, . lO the friends and connections of the Keppel
„''''Vy 1:41-11i13,-, . this -biographical account of one of their
' - niNvstors will prove interesting enough ; but the
..,4,,: Public generally will, we apprehend; care little about
it, %I'm if naval commander 'Viscount Keppel was by
ci .: -n° - means listinguished for any very remarkable
oil;-,,-,. . . ~ .
L .)-AtIPS;--nOtwith,strinding the splendid panegyrics on
x'-''',l„illi. • -Ni?hieli;.Burke has left on record,` in his celebrated
tit' l'l'llotoerttioerust°•Two Noble Lords,"—and as for
,his once
•squabble with Sir Hugh Palliser, it has
',11:1-45n. , 0 since been forgotten, together- with many of the
,:slic Other party strife.; of the day. But, besides its want of
:i10,5,',. fieneral interest as a bioE,fraphy, this work is stuffed
,i,Ls t.ull of official documents whieh, whatever may be their
444: imPortance in the -eyes of professional men, have, as
issolo'jrcgards the public, no more value than a Turnpike
c'istlislitet, and are jthst about as entertaining. The subject
4"i-Ptiiithe' Meinoir, who was descended from an Bins-
stou ,t 5,,,,,.. 5-- Dutch family that came over to England in the
'"'tm of Wiliam the Third, was the second son of the
saaiiilepmenad Earl of Albemarle, and was born in the year
b . '143.: At the early age of ten he quitted West-
," ,4.ail*er School, to enter as midshipman on board the
,111 t Qxford
_frigate, and passed three years in the Medi-
V`T near), during which period he applied to his pro-
" ,i,• ss'°l4l studies with uncommon zeal and as-
i11'17„.,-d.nitY. In 1740 he was appointed to the Centurion,
'l',l-i"lnnlanded by Commodore, afterwards Lord, Anson,
lihich was destined, with its accompanying squadron,
°r a secret expedition against the Spanish settlements
on the western coast of America. The young mid-
-- shiPman thus shared in the hardships and dangers of
'that celebrated voyage, " which for its inauspicious
commencement," observes the biographer, " its
..
~
,stran,..e,
~,„,., 6 protracted diasters, and its final success, is
'',,,TnaPs 'Without a parallel in the annals of any
..ittui-i.apectition
.!.11.-"unt-TY. On his return from this memorable ex-
Keppel after duly passing through the in,-
,)-'1
f7e11411,1.11.8% grades,' was in 1745 appointed Post-Cap-
; iii-,,,,7;4Tid advance to the command of the Sapphire,
•vi,'.7,'"igate of forty guns, in which he
year
several
acil ~Wecessful eruizes. In the following year he, received
cf. -,,,,, commission for the- Maidstone, a ship. of fifty
heif',6uns, which was unfortunately wrecked off the Isle
of lc
out ourmontier, and its commander and crew sent
1, 1 soners to Nantes, in Brittany ; at the expiration
,
..._r_fi‘re weeks, however, the former returned to Eng-
"(l on his parole, where he was tried by a court-
, nlartial for the loss of his ship, and acquitted, and
- - icira afterwards appointed to the Anson. In 1749 '
' :-.,- the was entrusted with a diplomatic mission to
Trip,: States of -Barl-iary, and 'promoted to the chief
-4 'e°llitnand in the ' Mediterranean, with the rank of
'4,-. °4llll43(rore The same year he sailed with his
'?x;1111adron to Algiers; and had an interview with the
'll4'. ?„37, who—We quote the hiOgrapher's words—
'id ~. Surprised at the boldness of his remonstrances, and
i; - .;11„ragefl at his demand fur justice, and despising also his
' .4,:„‘s-vParent 3.'outh for he was then- only four-and-twenty,
':7lltimed that he wondered at the insolence of the
.::11g_, of Great Britain, in sending him an insignificant,
I,;••''' Ili arr-dess boy. On this the youthful, but spirited Corn-
,- . fmlore replied, ' Had 'master supposed that wisdom
.4 . vasin)
9 - measured by.the length of the beard, he would have
as_,d;:vt'll_! your Deyship a he-goat.' The tyrant, unusied t '
%/ot
.'-k, 'a language from the sycophants of his own Court,
* thas ,so enraged that he ordered his mutes to advance with
wti: ti;,`-"Iw-string, at the same time telling the Commodore.
?.-4,4:' la should pay for his audacity with his life.
‘,.i .ekl' Commodore listened to this menace with the utmost
Ls; 1-i-11111ess ; and being near to a window which looked
ci,V•lion the bay, directed the attention of the African
if ':el. to the squadron there at anchor, telling him that
.: 1., 4 was his pleasure to put him to death, there :were
: .. wnglishmen enough on board to make him a glorious fu-
' w 1.41 Pile• The Dey cooled a little at this hint, and was
i e
teetY noligh to permit the Commodore to depart in
h to
About the time that the unfortunate Admiral Byng
ilis appointed to the Mediterranean fleet, Keppel was
Preach
there with a squadron, and captured three
ships off Cape Finisterre. ' In 1757, while en-
" the
on a detached cruise with the Medway, he had
:" e good luck to take a rich prize laden with provi-
-4 ';',(lns and stores for Louisbourg. He afterwards, in
l'os-,...4-C2, assisted at the capture of the Havannah, and
"(Cl.,°lc a fleet of West Indiamen, in consequence of
11.1(.which he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral.
,xis next appointment was to the Command-in-Chief
tiv?,l the Channel Fleet, which is rendered memorable
silt by -nothing but his quarrel with Sir Hugh- Pal-
he)iser, Whom he accused of disobeying signals, when
ti ' the English ships were engaged in chasing the French,
„.. and bringing them to action off Brest. The dispute
,„ ,hetween these two Commanders occasioned consider-
;• able- ferrnent at the time, and the result was, the trial
-sc Admiral Keppel ,by a Court-martial at Ports-
4-114iiith, and his triumphant acquittal. Shortly
Ports-
,qt , ',rwards he struck his flag, and in 1782, .-was
44 1 rdinoted to the peerage bye the title of Viscount
r
„„ .efpel and Biton Elden,. and appointed First Lord
~,,,..
. of the Admiralty, during the Rockingham Admi-
‘,
,rnstration. After:"the breaking, up of. the famous
..eoalitiori Alinistry' he withdrew entirely from public
1.-lir • • -
e, and died in 1786, in the sixty-third year of his
*. In politics Viscount Keppel was a staunch
i Zi.,lrnig, and being pOssesSed of many amiable qualities
'tl-",,gs warinly loVed by his friends, and generally popu-
li
.0.1, li'ith the , country. We subjoin a sketch of his
I.liCaeter, as drawn by his biographer, the Hon. and
, rilo,t ' Inornas Keppel :
. The •
si.illieT,vti - epithet ' little' fondly given by the sailors to
itzeit,rlpu.'l-41ftiOteS 'him to have becn low of stature. In his
,hitsti4; h.,8441(r0d, a blow received from the butt-end of a
ic•;,,"' nos.'-- ,pure with foot-pads, fractured the bridge of
'--rrrtnani,,,' ~41is face, by this accident, was seriously and
~,,,10 the -;,;"3' disfigured; yet the fascination of his smile,
''''''etilt I "'i.el3' and benevolent expression of his eyes, re-
he 'I 4.. the . from extreme plainness. The'
t- teredit countenance
ni,lintl,d il I 1 T charm' of his demeanour has been men-
t•,,,:ftatikt itu•en.g.._.
es Y• It combined a professional honesty and
'A If not -i8 with the ease and simplicity of address which,
, Perreetile(l'Vether acquired, are certainly confirmed and
13°Palar., 11 intercourse with the best society. His
- ilt in til'Y with all, classes appeared not only at his trial,
setved, e e4eeni with ,which both those under whom he
Orded 1.,(1 those whom he commanded at all times re-
in the 'lrn ; in the zealous affection of his friends, and
• ~Tileaforeed respect of his political opponents.
44eestue,. r'olitical opinions of Keppel were inherited from
-!lttte, And Whose
for centuries had been citizens of a free
''• -14 a of ni" whose descendants shared in our own revolu-
kkiille 688. Reason and experience confirmed these
i 1,.. 1,, tits in him ; and he was, throughout his life, the
.Lttlit6..' and fearless supporter of civil and religious free-
enollll,7_,idev when an opposite course, or neutrality alone,
,I,i'myline hap smoothed and accelerated his professional
I,4thirt. eltent. His darling object was, active employ-
i4ll44 l''l, when required to serve against his unrepre-
apb,,,,. rethren on" the opposite shores of the Atlantic,
'5417 •eourted neglect and misrepresentation rather
441,,i1,W his services to a cause which his feelings and
i'eiples equally disapproved."

THE RIGHT OF SEARCH.
Of
to an AMERICAN'S EXAMINATION
of SEARCH, 4.c. By AN ENG-
Thill3fAN.
the Pamphlet Pamphlet is an-analytical review and refutation
wePrnpwet. of General Cass, and is a very bulky
er li etic eat Not having seen General Cass 's work,
Nltt‘;itiltt say ho f the writer is successful. We
4ss on hiw s authority to believe that General
114filir's vain; presumptuous, illogical, threatening, and
fore,
kt'on We' know, as he tells us, that the Americans
(ire, ee republicans and slave-holders, and, there-
I'lapiteadfully inconsistent and unjust.; but we are so
1111s4i,that We cannot see any connection between the
(44r tglz.tviour of General Cass and the Americans, and
Nit XIII to visit American ships. We cannot con-
tkit '
til position assumed. by this writer, and main-
hee4ed f,roughout his book. He assumes and asserts,
tit k/overnments: and all honest men are ready to
v piracy; :that, -therefore, all maritime states
44, oeq tier ght to visit by theircruizers every ship at sea,
ascertain that.slie is not a pirate, ex gratia.
"tit' u"lll'itydiranncii in a foreign port, or within a
bcgrettl- distance of a foreign coast, board or seize a mer-
-1,11611 },e4ei, .within' territorial jurisdiction, not s,o
tt;e ("eetin. The man-of-war, by bearing the corn-
-ed officers of -St Civilized power, has the right, for
1.7 the navigation of its own country, as well
te-," of all other nations, to preVent maritime free-.
Ifcarrying on a. war on the great highways of
If 4;"
lilit e Writer only means that King's vessels may
l'irak°wu Pirates; so may merchant-vessels, if the
Lkti !„." ut distinctly proved, and the merchant-vessel
Alaaster the pirate. If the writer mean, as
astl boaster eral tenor of his observations imply, that a
l's,,eTf-war has the right to board or. seize a merchant-
Nrt :when not within territorial jurisdiction, to
true character, he seems to us in error.
the tagree with General Cass, that a ship is part of
to which she belongs—a doctrine which
11,t enaintains, and bad will it be for Eng-
A(' iri,,,k,she gives it up, for she now allows none
ift.,`4 and injure her merchant-vessels.
riot7Uee has promised to concede to England the
search within certain limits, but she would
ISk' ally search
to stop and examine every French
Ah° May be passing, between Bourdeaux_ and_
b%„,,a, to ascertain that they were bcnta fide French
Ite47. NVould England allow France to visit by
Itel cruisers every English vessel passing between
br1t5,4414 and England, and make . her prove that she
Nit'l.a English coaster ? Certainly not. The sup-
cif its stbsurd. And why, then, should America,
(Ith4Y other state, tolerate our Government, or any
t(
(14 Government, in visiting ships at sea on pretence
Ivrt whether they be real American ships or not ?
tL enever piracy is practised all people will unite
P e dow
n the pirate, but Governments must wait
ira
takeY ne practised before they overhaul vessels
khethem prove that they are not irates. Even
Piracy has been practised p
, it is more the busi-
Sqovernment than another to put an end to it.
was not long • ago committed in the Gulf of
ithl:2'.til.e United States Government properly took
hitinfial-t in suppressing it. In like manner were
vt Committed on the coast of England Or coast
E';''At would be more especially the business of
iiri..7oifohiraents to bring the pirate to justice. No