The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-12-10
WHOLE NO. 2s7.

pecidliy alneu az NelSoh, winch gave him
his death-wound. The smoke, which OBJ
scured every object at the distance Of Is or
l6 yards, it is generally supposed, precluded
the possibility Of any mans selecting Nelson
in particular; and. therefore, we may fairly
conjecture that poor Toms best intention.
even had he succeeded in it, would have been
| frustrated by the hand Of Providence, who or
dained the most glorious death for his master.
and the one which, if he had been allowed q
choice, he would 10 a certainty have chosen.
He fell in the arms Of victory, the greatest in
its consequences, and most decisive in itself,
upon record. 1t is supposed that Tom, like
most other fallibie mortals, bec)ne TOO USE
FUL 10 his master: certain il is that his mas
ter and he quarrelled, and, in consequence,
! ceased to sail iogether*; but on his Lord
ships obtaining the command Of the Mediter-
ranean fleet, the last he ever held, Tom Allen
said his Lordship wrote TO him to go with him
again. He complied with the requisition. and
hurried to London where he arrived four-and-
twenty hours after his Lordship had left. As
desired, he went TO the Admiralty Office. and
was informed that he might be in time if he
went directly to Portsmouth, which he did,
but the Victory had sailed. He said further
that passage was ordered for him in a fri
gate if he wished TO 60 out TO join Lord Mel
son; but he did not accept the offer, choosing
rather to return to his native place, where he
had left wife. Had he been with Nelson
at his death it is more than probable he would
have been well rewarded !; but his tide was
lost, and during many years he was left, with
out pension, to his own resources. These
at length were failing, and the old man would
hnu w han dNnv na1 ~hn.~ -
house, had his case not been represented to
Sir Thomas Hardy, the Lord Of the Admi-
rally, by very benevolent gentleman, DR.. ~
P. Scott, Of Norfolk, and Tom Allen was re-
ceived as pensioner Of Greenwich Hospital
in 1881. Here, by the help of small stu
alton, and occasional lifts from his old ship
mates, he managed to rub along and keep his
wife tolerably comfortable--but on the 9Th Of
June, 1887, Tom was appointed W his good
friend, Sir Thomas Hardy, (who, in the mean
time had been appointed Governor Of the
Hospital to the situation of sculleryman,
with salary of eos per annum, and apart
ments, &C. This he continued to hold till
his death, which took place on the Oath Nov.
1888. His death was supposed to have been
caused by Justification of the heart, and he
died, after two or three hours illness, without
pain. Though we may regret the departure
Of the good-natured honest Tom Allen, as
men, as Christians, we cannot but rejoice that
his battles are all taught, and like poor Tom
Bowline's--
Although his bodys under matches
His soul Is gone aloft." w
The Governor has not suffered his kind re-
membrance Of his old shipmate to pass away
unrecorded, for in the hospital cemetry, where
poor Tom lies, he has ordered a neat tablet
to be placed.
The following anecdote may be depended upon as
genuine As has been limited, the simple being
uneducated in the very strict school Of discipline. would
sometimes presume upon his standing with his good
nanred master, and, consequently, be threatened with
DISMISSAL threat often used that it at length
disregarded. On one Of these occasions Tom was
Pcoting to an officer high in command (from whom we
heard the anecdote) who took pleasure in listening
TO his shipmae's troubles and unirequenty got him
through lhcm-ihe substance Of his qusrrei--and he
added in his Norfolk dialect" He ma talk about turn
ing me ava, il he likes--but you knaw he me
thirty pounds and more or his Lordship took of
his servants money! and you knaw he'll have to pay
me that when he sends ava" 1t is probable that
Tom knew that his masters exchegucr was mex
haustable. a.