The morning call., 1892-06-12

supporters supper, and they invited there
to the whole town, and the bill ran up to
912O0.
SERVICES AS A sTRATEGIsT.
In 1906 Lord COchrane was appointed to
the command of the ImpeTieuse but in a
short cruise nothing mOmentous occurred.
He was elected to Parliament for Westmin-
ster in the following year, a very high
honor, and had as a fellow Radical Sir
Francis Burdett. Westminster was pure
constituency, and Cochrane gratefully
records that he was never asked for favOrs
by the electors. His services as a member
Of Parliament and they were eminent in
corrupt age, we take no room TO describe,
but he was quite too active in Parliament
for the Admiralty and he was ordered 10 sea.
The lmperieuse went To the Mediter-
ranean and COchrane rendered nestimable
service by his prOwess and strategical tact
to the SDaniards, now fighting Napoleon,
who had made his brother Joseph King OF
Spain and the Indies. The amount of
trouble he caused the French along the coast
is amazing. He kept 10000 troops fully EN-
plOyed looking after the movements of his
frigate cooperating with the Spanish forces
on shore, and he not only made himself ac-
tive at sea, but on land, showing qualities of
military engineering in defense and at
tack that would have made him for
midable in command of an army. The
mans resources, foresight and dash were
limited confidence among those he COM
manded by personal bravery and con slider
alton for others. Essentially he was chival-
rOus. His operations on the coast Of
Catalonia and on the French coasts made it
possible to say that an invading army can
be kept at home by harassing a country
with continual alarms and requiring large
bodies Of troops on hand to defend threat
ened points.
AN INCIDENT OF WAR.
During the defense of Rosas "A picturesque
incident occurred. Two French officers in
the storming party attracted COehrane's
attention. 1.-THE first was dropped by
shot which precipitated him from the walls,
but whether he was killed or only wounded
| do not knOw-pTobably wounded only, as
his body was not seen by us among the
dead. The other was the last man to quit
the walls, and before he could do so | had
covered him with my musket. Finding
escape impossible, he stood like a hero to
receive the bullet, without cnndescending to
lower his sword In token of surrender. |
never saw bTaveT or prouder man.
Lowering my musket / paid him the COM
pliment Of saying that so fine a fellow was
not born to be shot down like dog, and
that so far as | was concerned he was at
liberty TO make the best Of his way down
the ladder, upon which intimation he bowed
as politely as though on parade and retired
just as leisurely."
Lord COehTaneS services in the lmperl-
euse were too vigorous for the Admiralty.
After incessant fighting along the coasts to
harass the French, and occupying armies
with alarms and attacks he found himself
reproached upon returning home with hav-
ing incurred too much expenditure in
powder and stores. In fact, he was told
that he had expended more than any other
captain in the service. So much for official
wisdom and gratitude.
HIS ONJy nuET
Some other incidents in Lord COchrane's
career are reserved for a future occasion,
but one of personal nature may be added.
At Malta he had the only duel of his life. He
went to fancy ball dressed as Jack Lar
m our generally was when he could do as he
liked. He was attired as an ordinary British
seaman, with marlinspike round his
neck and lump of grease in
his hat. Some French royalists who
were In charge Of the arrangements OBJ
jected illogieally to this rather outre guise,
and would not admit Cochrane, who stood
upon his rights. A row occurred, and a
Frenchman to whom COchrane would not
apologize challenged him. The result was
that the Frenchman was dropped with
bu llet through his thigh, and Coehrane had
a narrow escape Ever afterward COchrane
had a serious mind about quarrels arising
out Of trumpery affairs.