The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-06-16
LORD CAMELFORD'S BODY.
A New Story by Charles Reade.

A New Story by Charles Reade.
To those vino take their ideas of char.
acter from fiction alone such sketch as
this must seem incredible; for fiction is
forced to suppress many of the anoma-
even more unlike David than Camelford
varied from Camelford, and the chival-
rous Joab, who dashed, with his life in
his hand, into the camp of the Philis-
tines, to get his parched general and
king cup of water, afterward assassi-
mated brother soldier in way so base
and dastardly as merited the gibbet, and
the lash to boot. Imagine fellow hang
ing in chains by the roadside, with the
Victoria cross upon his bosom, both
cross and gibbet Justly earned Such a
man was, in his day, the son of Zeruiah.
But were fiction to present such bold
anomalies they would be dubbed incon-
sistencies, and Horace would fly out of
his grave at our throats, crying,
amphora cepit
In stitui, curret te rota cur urceus exit?
1t is AL the more proper that the mixed
characters of history should be impressed
on the mind, lest in our estimate of man.
kind mems Inconsistencies should be for
gotten, and puzzle us beyond measure
some fine day when they turn up in real
life.
Lord Camelford went to school first at
Berne in Switzerland, and passed for a
thoughtful boy; thence to Charterhouse.
He took fancy to the sea, and was in
dulged in it; at fourteen years old he
went out as midshipmau in the Guardian
frigate, bound for Botany bay with
stores. She met with disasters, and her
condition was 80 desperate that the
Captain (Riou) permitted the ships COM
pany to take to the boats. He himself,
however, with fortitude and pride Brit
ish commanders have often shown in the
face of death, refused to leave the ship.
Then Camelford and ninety more gal
liant spirits stosd by him, to share his
fate. However they got the wreck-for
such she is described-by a miracle, to
the Cape, and Camelford went home in a
packet.
Next year, 1871, he sailed with Van
couver in the Discovery. But, on this
voyage, he showed insubordination, and
Vancouver was obliged to subject him to
discipline. He got transferred to the
Resistance, then cruising in the Indian
seas, and remained at sea until 1876,
when his father died, and he returned
home to take his estates and title.
Though years had elapsed, he could
not forgive Captain Vancouver, but sent
him challenge. Vancouver was then
retired, and in poor health. The old
captain appealed to the young mans
reason, and urged the necessity of dis
cipline on board ship of war, but of.
fered to submit the case to any flag
officer in the navy, and said that If the
referee should decide this to be ques-
ton of honor, he would resign his own
opinion and go out with Lieutenant
Camelford.
Camelford, it is to be feared, thought
no sane officer would allow q duel on
such grounds, for he did not accept the
proposal, but waited his opportunity,
and meeting Vancouver in Bond street
insulted him and tried to strike him.
The modification and humiliation of this
outrage preyed upon Vancouver's heart
and shortened the life of deserving
officer and very distinguished navigator
Little more than year after this
Camelford took a very different view o.
discipline, and a more sanguinary one
Yet there was one key to these discord
ant views, his own egotism.
Peers of the realm rose fast in tn,
Kings service at that date, and Camel
ford, though only heuenant, soon go
command. Now it so happened that
on q certain day at the end Of the yea
1897 or beginning Of 1893, his sloop, th,
Favorite, and large vessel, the Per
dirk, Captain Fahie, were both lying il
English harbor, Antigua. Fahie wa
away at st. Kits, and Peterson, Firs
Lieutenant, was IN charge of the Per
dirk. Lord Camelford issued an order
which Peterson refused to obey. becaus