The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-06

| and put Capt. Cochrane in command of If
| as was usual but had sold the vessel
to Algeria for trifle. 1t likewise re-
| fused to promote him to the rank of
| post captain, under the rules of the
| navy, despite the pressure brought to
| bear in his behalf. He was, in lieu of
| promotion, sent to convoy an old tub of
| mail ship to Gibraltar his orders re.
| Quiring him to take the mail bag aboard
| his vessel until they arrived in sight of
| Gibraltar, and then to place it aboard
| the mail ship and return to England
| without landing. Later he was sent
| to guard fisheries north of the Orkney
| islands. where no British fishermen were
| to be found. In his autobiography he
| nalVely gives one of the reasons for the
| biacklisting he received at the hands of
| the admiralty. He had been persistent
| IN his efforts to secure his own promo
| ton as post captain after the Gamo af-
| fair, and had succeeded. Then he lln-
| dertook to secure captaincy for his
! hrst lieutenant, who boarded the Gamo
and was terribly wounded at the time
| st. Vincent, the first lord of the admir-
atty, had finally replied to him that
1t was unusual to promote two officers
for such serVice-besides which, the
small number of men Killed aboard the
Speedy did not warrant the application .
says Capt. Cocnrane of this incident:
1T was impossible not to feel nettled
at reply sc unexpected-that because
rev men had been killed aboard the
Speedy it's first lieutenant was considered
unworthy of promotion, though terribly
cut up. To argue with a first lord is,
no. doubt, an tnprudent thing for a
naval officer to attempt, and my remon-
STRANGE in this instance had such an eff
feet as to get my name placed on the
blacklist of the admiralty, never again
to be erased.
Though post captain, Lord Coc11-
rane was without a ship, and he was re-
FUSED further employment for many
months, which time he spent attending
the College of Edinburg. When ne was
again placed in service he continued to
exhibit the same energy which had mark
ed his preceding career, and the success
that crowned his efforts attracted the
attention of the people, who elected him
members of parliament for Honiton. In
his capacity as representative of the
people, he continually assailed abuses in
the navy, and, though he did not succeed
in Erecting all the reforms he contem-
plated, he directed attention to them and
set the people to thinking. Subsequent-
~, he was elected to represent the bor-
ough of Westminster, and in that capac-
lty proved himself a most efficient public
servant.
1t was while serving as member. of mar
lament that he was next called into ac-
tive service in the navy. The admiralty
desired to attempt the destruction of the
French fleet lying in the Basque roads,
on the west coast of France, by the use
of number of fire ships. Lord Gam
bier was in charge of the fleet, and he
declined to undertake the task. Various
other commanders, to whom the post was
offered, refused it, and the admiralty sent
for Capt. Cochrane. He was averse to
accepting the commission, suspecting that
he would be but poorly supported and
that if he succeeded, the existing jeal-
ously against him would be greatly aug
mented. The anxiety of the admiralty
to secure the destruction of the French
fleet finally led him to overcome his scru-
pies, and he accepted the commission. To
the fire ships he added some vessels load
ed with explosives, and when he had ar
structive vessels he prepared for an at
tack. Lord Gambler refused to permit
the attack at the time the captain de-
sired to make it, and the French became
aware of the intent Of the enemy by this
delay.
After nightfall of the next day, April
IL, 1909, the attack was made, the eX-
plosive vessels going ahead, Capt Coch-
rane in charge of the first one. The
scheme was not wholly successful. The
explosive vessels did some damage to the
French vessels, but the fire ships, by
reason of their having been ignited too
soon, drifted away and proved aboTtive.
On his arrival in England Capt Coch-
rane was created a Knight Commando
of the Bath by the king and resumed
his seat in parliament. An effort was made
at this time to secure a vote of thanks
in parliament for Lord Gambler on ac-
count of the Basque Roads affair and
Capt Cochrane announced that he would
oppose such action. He resisted every
effort to change his determination being
convinced that Lord Gambler had sig
nally failed in his duty, and the result
was a court-martial for Lord Gambler,
which resulted in his being honorably &C,
quilted and ultimately thanked by par
lament for his part in the affair.
The animosities which these actors of
Capt. Cochrane engendered resulted in
his becoming involved in the most trying
episode in his life. An attempt was
means of false report concerning the
death of Napoleon. Capt. Cochrane WAS
accused of being a participant in the
affair, and upon trial was convicted and
sentenced to twelve months imprison-
! ment, to pay fine of E1,000 and to
stand in the pillory. Sir Francis Bur-
dett declared that II the latter part OF
/ the sentence was carried out he w 5uId
1 stand in the pillory with Capt. Cochrane,
| and the government RETAINED from thus
/ degrading its distinguished servant The
/ people believed so little in the guilt OF
! the brave officer that they not only paid
4 his fine but reelected him to parliament
i for Westminster. 1t is now generally adj
/ mitted that Capt Cochrane was entirely
blameless in this matter, but he was
nevertheless compelled to serve his SEN
/ tence In prison, new trial being de-
MED him by Lord Peterborough, because
others indicted with him did not appear in
court and ask such favor. He was like
wise deprived of his rank of knighthood
When he had completed his sentence,
feeling that he could be of no further
service to his country in the existing
state of affairs, he accepted command
! of the fleet of the republic of Chile.
then at war with Spain. He reached
/ Valparaiso in November. 1918, and as
sumed command of the navy. 1t was
! weak organization compared to that of
Spain. but Lord Cochrane was soon re-
| peating his earlier work, and before
long had disorganized the Spanish
| ieet One of his most remarkable feats
was the cutting out of the frigate Els
was in November 1920. The frigate Law
| in the harbor, one of the strongest IN
the world, fixed to chain mornings, and
| protected by twenty-seven gunboats and
| 0O0 guns IN the batteries. By night he
ran into the harbor and after a sharp
! fight OF quarter of an hour, during