New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-13
NELSON.
A BIOGRAPHY, BY CLARK RUSSELL.

ACY OF ENGLAND. By W. clark hu,seli' W. "a
the collaboration OF william H. Jacques, late thteh
states Navy. etc Illustrated. 12mo, PIP XIV,
357. g. u. Putnam's SONS
The publishers fifty open new SERIES uhuci
the general title Heroes OF the Nauoh' WIN
y life of Nelson. and perhaps il was natural that
Mr. Clark Russell should have hceh CHOSEN "
write it, though his familiarity with The history
and traditions Of the Royal Navy is certainly not
en- creat rs his knowledge of the merchant service
An adcouatc life of Nelson, as Mr. Russell 3D.
sorvcs i'm his preface, remained 10 nc wftten.
Whether the present work supplies the deficiency
i. n question only TO he answered al'cr mature
deliberation. In the case OF man IKE nelson
the world would wish 10 know everything Wuich
,andsman could not tell Unfortunately, no
caroful ATTEMPT 10 collect and preserve tho great
Indy of coutcmporancous information, ahccdotc
and "reminiscences, which was easily oOt2lhapie
from the officers and men who had served uhder
him was ever rladc; nor did any OF his pro'her-
seamen with Il single exception. UNDERTAKE any
memorial of him from purely professional poih'
of Wow The extant biographies were written by
men who knew nothing of nautical NE ana noun
inc Of the sailor. They were educated men, but
- M true sense artists They had no notion OF
reprcsentine the great seaman IN his haoi'' aS
ho Hvod , II mover would have occurred TO them
70 examine the state of the navy during his
,or,or IN ascertain lust how, amid what SUI
,ourdincs with what helps and discomtorts, WIN
,,.,.t social and moral influences about hln' INC
soilor of the Nelson era lived and moved ana h"u
h;s heinc They would have been simply shochcu
il told that it was their duty as i"''''"
biosraphers to paint Nelson as he really "Pp'",''
IN his contemporaries, 10 give MS eNeiSu"S
Lavior. the language he used. his haprS' '''"
preferences foibles, idosy as cio',' ~
fully as possible. The plan upon "i'ion ..oI
worked was altogether different. lheN ie''''. y,
tho method of evolution Nelson was ii''o WYNN
g. capital IL. and therefore he must ~ n"ue "
live up 10 his reputation. The result Il sup.
fcially more consistent than the scieh.n'o pio.'''
hu, il involves studied disguise and caricaturc
ard the creation of an utterly unreal personality
Nelson's early bographers put into his mou'h
al manner of elevated and well-rounded seh'i-
ments and phrases: phrases smackng more oil inc
,edococue or the petit maitrc than oil t'e ro"s"'
h,rrt outspoken. and by no means squeamiSh SCH
mon no was Mr. Russell is no doubt. fully lus'l-
God in r,pudiating nearly all these elegant en-
,xaots- as spurious Unfortunately he mas ho'
rocoaded in showing the real Nelson WIN any
,oorness What he must have been we lhdec"
lnov mcasurably: because We Know from '"'oi''
nrincipally. and in part from Marryatt "haU ""N"'
life was in the second half of the elgh'eeli'H ''"
,nrv when Nelson received his hau'io"i '"
,ion Mr. Russell would have done well 10 ou'''
Smollctt freely. \ mere reference III s"'n vas,
is Of very little use 10 the average ""'oi' "''
tho average reader has not the remo'eS' iu'" -"
what The British Navy was like IN 'hoSe E'',
old dovsr II was. in fact, what tle hlhc'ec"'"
centurv would recoil from III uniel8heu ho'io'
The smartest men-of-war were WHAT We e"o"''
consider pest-ships below decks. All 'NeH o"V
..-a sho,r was clear and bright and orderly
l,oir
,ho;r decks white as snow. their brasswork pol
isbcd like iewelry: every rope was Ill us Pi"'0'
bammocks slowed with military precision. onicefS
and men scrupulously unformed IN short every
thing looking spicll and span. But the moment
.bo comnanion-way was entered all this brightness
.,d nuritv vanished The stencil Of bilge wafer
,,.rvaded the whole ship. The confined spaces
tho reek and efiuvia of the many numerous oil
mon who lived in these narrow quarters 'ie
odor of spoiled provisions. the fctld smell OF lamps
filled with rancid pork fat. combined 10 create ''n
atmosphere thick enough, as Jack hlmseh SAYS
ITO he cut with knife
In such an atmosphere the naval heroes OF Nel-
sons time were graduated, and among coihi""cs
almost as rough and brutal as the gangs OF young
4. toucbs- that nowadays give the police so much
trouble in all large cities. The mldshipman mess
was a den of horrors. Cruelty, bullying, hazihg'
the coarscst and ilthest language. were common
shore The discipline was feroclOus Inc l"ie-
most hands were forever menaced with inc cav
and all hands were plped TO punishment ABOUT aS
frequently as 10 take in or make sail. The shlps
o,o,, Of men was filed with the aid of the press
rang. an ingenious institution resembling IN many
,esnects the present Arab save-ca,chng machinery
Of Central Africa An armed body oil seaheh
. heat up7 all the watcrsde resorts. looking for
ny Interference.
ever game fell into the net IL was oaieiace"
and nitess kidnapping, of course. and II was car
,;od ON with n barshness which, among 0thcr
things show how little sensitive our forefathers
wore often battles royal took place between
The pressgangs and their intended Victims ana
sometimes the raiders were beaten on. Nhch me
attack was successful the prisoners were onerco
their choice between "voluntecrlng ana "ih|
forcibly rated some minor privileges attaching u
The first arrangement But evcrNthih" III t"c
ravy was worse than In the merchant ser'Ice'
+hc food the quarters. the discipline ana the da1-
oers II is wonderful that the sailors OF Nelson
time fought as they did. II is in no way "Ohdef-
ful that some of them mutined ana dld DARK ana
desperate deeds Just such ship as Nclsoh may
have sailed in revOlcd against her crnel captain III
an awful way. Tcnnyson has written Il arihlh"
poem on the subject. The men walled nh'iI uh' my
ate was brOadSidc and brOadsldc wild ] Ich'" "''
ship and then refused TO serve the lnS' s'al"'h1
with folded arms to he shot down bu' oNIh@ III Inv
knowledge that they had inflicted the most 'crf'-
HE vengeance conceivable upon their tyran'.
That was what the eat sometimes did. The mu-
tiny AZ the More was another illustration
Young Nelson delicate Of body and fragile OF
constitution. was tOughcned greatly by his carry
experiences. and acquired in those rough times
az 10 save him from getting his ship ia irons
some wears later. when he undertook. as post
contain 70 work her himself. On that occasion
indeed he showed to little advantage, for having
taken the work ont of the hands Of the officer OF
the deck, and having made mess Of 1T. he in
continently boltcd below and left the unhappy
licrte yet the shin ont OF irons as best he