The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-27
BATTLE OF THE NILE,
Where "the Boy Stood on the
Burning Deck"
CASABlANCA AND HIS FATE.

Father and the Tragedy of the
Doomed French Flagship, the Orient.
That was a lucky child who in the
latter part of the last century escaped
the ordeal of standing up before a cir
Gle of relatives and friends-outwardly
often greatly bored-to repeat those
we'll known if somewhat inaccurate
lines that tell us how 1.-The boy stood
ON the burning deck" Whether, nine
times out of ten, the infant reciter or,
for that matter, any of the members
of the applauding family circle could
have given the date and place of the
occurrence may be doubtful. The forty
lines of Mrs. Hemans gave them all
the history that they craved, and when
the parrot like performance closed with
faithful heart a sentimental maiden
aunt would sigh, a liberal uncle be-
stow largesse to the extent of half a
crown, and that was all
1t was in 1898 that young Casabi-
anca, the ten-year-old son of the com
modore of the French flagship Orient,
stood amid the awful devastation OF
the battle of the Nile. Bonaparte had
himself sailed in the i'll fated Orient
from Toulon in the previous May, TAX
ing with him a good stock of bur
gundy and also that famous camp IL
brary" Of cabinet editions, including
forty volumes Of English novels, in
which the Bible and the Koran were
classed under the head Of politics"
More important still for those who love
the picturesque details of history and
great men, he was accompanied by his
then private secretary, Louis Antoine
Fauvelet de Bourrienne, from whose
always entertaining If not invariably
accurate pen we have a capital ac-
count Of the voyage to Egypt.
Much of the time was passed by Ma
poleon lying in his berth while Bour-
rienne read to him and in promoting
discussions on various questions among
the scientific and other distinguished
men who accompanied the expedition.
The flagship carried population OF
more than 1000 souls, and the cry of
'Man overboardv' was not infrequent.
On these occasions Bonaparte display
ed side of his character to which full
justice is not always done. Bour-
rienne describes his agitation till res
cue was effected as extreme. On one
occasion q false alarm was raised dur
ing the darkness of night, and the sup
posed "man" proved to be the quarter
of bullock which had dropped from
the rigging, but Napoleon rewarded
the rescuers even more literally than
usual, pointing out that their exertion
had been for what they believed a hui
man life.
The fleet arrived off the coast Of At
RIGA on July 1, and here Bourriennc
and his Memoirs" leave the squadron
to accompany the army and his chief
on land. Brueys, the French admiral,
had during the voyage expressed fore
holdings as to the result of an encoun-
ter with the British feet. Nelson,
who sailed from Syracuse on July %,
was confident, but well knew the price
he might be called upon to pay. When
Captain Berry said, IF we succeed,
what will the world say" Nelson re.
piled: There is no if in the case. That
we shall succeed is certain. Who may
live to tell the story Is very differ
ent question" For himself he made
that famous anticipation, "a peerage
or Westminster abbey"
The battle began at $50 o'clock, hall
IN hour before nightfall. Nelson, on
board the Vanguard, few his colors
in six places lest they should be shot
IN affor thn
ship had gone into action the crews
Of the first six guns were swept away
by the terrible fire Of the French feet
and twice again during the fight were
fresh crews called for The shot
which struck Nelson on the head tore
from his forehead a piece Of Skin
which, falling over his one useful eye
rendered him for the time being to
tally blind. Carried to the cockpit, he
insisted on taking his proper turn
among the wounded for the surgeon:
attention Soon after 8 O'Clock a.
night, while he was still below, a cry
arose that the Orient was on fire
Unaided and unnoticed in the confu
sion, Nelson made his way up, anC
presently from the quarterback hi!
voice was heard shouting orders tina
the boats should be lowered to go t.
the assistance of the Orient's crew.
The doomed French flagship had bu
just been painted. and quantities o
oil and infammable material Uttered
her deck. Brueys, the admiral. wa'
dead, but Louis Casabianca and hi
little son were still on deck. At II
o'clock the ship blew up. There came
burst Of thunder sound" and, al
though the commodore was not at tn
time lying unconscious of his son,
as the poetess has 1t, for both wer'
seen clinging to a floating mast afte
the explosion, neither father nor Sol
was among the seventy members o
the crew who We're saved by the Eng
lish boats.
From the mainmast and ironworl
of the Orient Captain Hallowell of tn
Swiftsure had coffin made, which
"memento mori' he presented to tn
admiral that he might at the close o
his career of glory be buried in one o
his own trophies. Nelson received
this Offering in the spirit of the give
and even kept 1t set up on end in hi
eabin till the remonstrance Of his ia
eorite servant brought about its ban
Ehment.-London Globe.