Part 7 (1/2)
From the instances already given, it will be seen that the naval officers of those days possessed a das.h.i.+ng, dauntless courage which no dangers could subdue. The following is one among many others. The _Tiger_ frigate, commanded by Captain Harman, was lying in the Port of Cadiz at the same time that a Dutch squadron was there. De Witt, the captain of one of the Dutch frigates, was particularly friendly with Captain Harman; this made the Spaniards insinuate that he dared not fight the English frigate. Evertzen, the Dutch admiral, on hearing this report, told De Witt that he must challenge the English captain to go to sea and fight him, to support the honour of his nation, and that he would a.s.sist him with sixty seamen and seventy soldiers. Captain Harman readily accepted his proposal, and on a day fixed both s.h.i.+ps stood to sea, and began to engage within pistol-shot of each other. In a short time the Dutch s.h.i.+p's main-mast was shot away. Captain Harman, availing himself of the confusion into which this disaster had thrown the enemy, boarded and compelled her to surrender, with the loss of 140 men. The English had only nine killed and fifteen wounded.
Since the increase of the navy, the Cinque Ports being of less consequence than formerly, the king granted them a new charter confirming their ancient privileges, with the addition of some regulations more suitable to modern times.
As an encouragement for seamen to enter into the navy, a bounty was given to all who entered on board first and second-rates of six weeks'
pay, and on board of third-rates one month's pay.
In 1673 an order was issued to all commanders of His Majesty's s.h.i.+ps of war that in future they were not to require French s.h.i.+ps to strike the flag or topsail, or salute, neither were they to salute those of the French king.
In 1673 the oaths of allegiance and supremacy were first administered to the officers in His Majesty's navy. The king granted half-pay to several captains in the navy, according to the rates they commanded, as a gratuity for their bravery during the war.
The regulating and allotting of cabins to each particular officer was first established.
For some years merchant-s.h.i.+ps had been sheathed with lead, and the experiment was now tried on the _Harwich_ and _Kingfisher_ s.h.i.+ps of war, as also on several other s.h.i.+ps ordered for foreign service. The practice was, however, in a few years discontinued.
The Royal Navy was now becoming far larger than it had ever before been.
In 1675 the Parliament granted 300,000 pounds for the building of twenty large s.h.i.+ps of war, one first-rate of 1400 tons, eight second-rates of 1100 tons, and eleven third-rates of 700 tons. At the same time the tonnage and poundage money was applied to the benefit of the Royal Navy. The Newfoundland fishery had begun to a.s.sume considerable importance, it being considered especially useful as a nursery to furnish seamen for the Royal Navy. Thus in the year 1676, 102 s.h.i.+ps were employed, each s.h.i.+p carrying 20 guns, 18 boats, and 5 men to each boat, making in all 9180 men.
The corsairs which sailed forth from the States of Tunis, Tripoli, and Algiers, continuing their depredations on English merchant-s.h.i.+ps, Sir John Narborough was in 1675 despatched with a powerful squadron to teach them better behaviour. On arriving off Tripoli Sir John sent Lieutenant Cloudesly Shovel, of whom we now first hear, to open negotiations with the Dey. That Oriental potentate, despising Mr Shovel for his youthful appearance, sent him back with a disrespectful answer. He had, however, made a note of everything he saw, and on returning on board he a.s.sured the commodore of the practicability of burning the piratical fleet. The night being extremely dark, the commodore despatched Lieutenant Shovel with all the boats of the fleet to destroy the s.h.i.+ps in the mole.
Lieutenant Shovel first seized the guard-boat, then entered the mole, and burnt four large armed s.h.i.+ps, without losing a man. The Dey, terrified by these unexpected proceedings of the English, sued for peace; but, according to time-honoured eastern custom, delayed the fulfilment of his engagements, on which Sir John sailing in, cannonaded the town, landed a party of men, burnt some stores, and finally brought him to terms. One of the pirate s.h.i.+ps carried 50 guns, one 30, one 24, and another 20 guns. These powerful rovers were indeed a match for any ordinary merchant-vessel, and often contended desperately with men-of-war. In 1677 the 26-gun s.h.i.+p _Guernsey_, Captain James Harman, fell in with one of them, an Algerine called the _White Horse_, carrying 50 guns, and 500 men, while the crew of the _Guernsey_ numbered only 110. A fierce action ensued, when at length the Algerine, taking advantage of the _Guernsey's_ disabled state, sheered off, these pirates always fighting for booty rather than for honour. The gallant Captain Harman received three musket-b.a.l.l.s in his body, and a severe contusion from a cannon-shot. He still fought his s.h.i.+p till he sank from exhaustion, when Lieutenant John Harris took command. The _Guernsey_ in the action lost nine killed and many wounded, besides the captain, who three days afterwards expired.
A still more successful action was fought between the 40-gun s.h.i.+p _Adventure_, Captain William Booth, and an Algerine s.h.i.+p of war called the _Golden Horse_, of 46 guns, commanded by Morat Rais, a notorious Dutch renegado, who had a crew of 508 Moors and 90 Christian slaves.
During the action a stranger hove in sight under Turkish colours; but night coming on, the Algerine drew off, when Captain Booth, having a fire-s.h.i.+p in company, gave orders to burn her or the new-comer.
Fortunately, the fire-s.h.i.+p failed to reach either one or other, and in the morning the stranger hoisted English colours, and proved to be the 40-gun s.h.i.+p _Nonsuch_. The _Golden Horse_ being dismasted, and 109 of her crew killed and 120 wounded, and having six-feet of water in the hold, surrendered.
In the same year a 42-gun s.h.i.+p, Captain Morgan Kempthorne, beat off seven Algerine corsairs, after they had made several desperate attempts to board her. Unhappily the Captain and eight of his crew were killed, and 38 wounded.
Many other similar gallant actions were fought with the Algerines and Sallee rovers, who, however, notwithstanding their frequent defeats, continued their depredations on the commerce of England and other European countries. Tangiers had been in possession of the English about twenty years, but, to save the expense of keeping it up, a fleet under Lord Dartmouth was sent out to destroy all the works, and to bring home the garrison. The destruction of the mole, which was admirably built, caused much labour, it being necessary to blow it up by piecemeal. Its ruins, as well as the rubbish of the town, were thrown into the harbour to prevent its again becoming a port.
The navy had long been held in high estimation by the English, who were always ready to grant any sum required for its improvement. It is stated that between the years 1660 and 1670 never less than 5000 pounds a-year was granted for its support. On the death of Charles the Royal Navy amounted to 113 sail.
JAMES THE SECOND.
James, on his accession, a.s.signed a stated sum of 400,000 pounds a-year, to be paid quarterly from the treasury, for the service of the navy.
Four additional commissioners were also appointed for the better regulating of the docks and naval storehouses, and for the more speedy repairs of s.h.i.+ps of war. During this time a plan was proposed and patent granted for making salt water fresh by distillation. All captains and officers received orders to despatch perfect copies of their journals to the Secretary of the Admiralty. An increased allowance of table-money was granted in lieu of several perquisites and advantages they had before enjoyed.
The larger number of the officers and men of the navy were sound Protestants, who regarded the proceedings of James with jealous eyes; and thus, notwithstanding his magnificent fleet, Lord Dartmouth could only muster 17 sail of the line, chiefly third and fourth-rates, 3 frigates, 13 fire-s.h.i.+ps, and 3 yachts to oppose the landing of the Prince of Orange.
On the 12th of December, 1688, James the Second finished his short reign by abdicating the throne, at which time the navy consisted of 173 sail, showing that he must have either built or purchased sixty s.h.i.+ps.
CHAPTER TEN.
A VIEW OF NAVAL AFFAIRS IN CHARLES THE SECOND'S REIGN.
A.D. 1660 to A.D. 1689.
When great guns or cannon came into use, the old style of fighting at sea was completely changed. We hear of them as early as the thirteenth century, employed in a naval engagement between the King of Tunis and the Moorish King of Seville. They were first used on sh.o.r.e by the English at the battle of Crescy, fought in 1346, and at sea by the Venetians about the year 1380. In the reigns of Richard the Third and Henry the Seventh they were first employed by the English at sea. They were not then, however, as now, pointed through port-holes, but were mounted so as to fire over the bulwarks of the vessel. In those days, therefore, s.h.i.+ps of war could have had but one armed deck, and were probably urged by oars as well as by sails. Port-holes were invented by Descharves, a French builder at Brest, and the first English s.h.i.+p in which they were formed was the _Henry Grace de Dieu_, built at Erith in 1515. She was said to have been of no less than 1000 tons burden, but as we are ignorant of the mode in which s.h.i.+ps were measured for tonnage in those days, we cannot tell her actual burden. She must, however, have been a large vessel, for she had two whole decks, besides what we now call a forecastle and p.o.o.p. She mounted altogether eighty pieces, composed of every calibre in use; but of these not more than fifty-four, according to the print before us, were pointed through broadside ports.
The rest were either mounted as bow or stern chasers, or as ”murdering pieces,” as they were called, which pointed down on the deck; their object apparently being, should a s.h.i.+p be boarded, to fire on the enemy.
The calibre of great guns was not in those days designated by the weight of the shot they discharged. This was probably from the reason that the b.a.l.l.s were not all made of the same materials. At first they were of stone; then those of iron were introduced; and sometimes they were formed of lead; and, at an early period, hollow iron shot, filled with combustible matter, were brought into use. Thus the weight of shot fluctuated too much to serve for the cla.s.sification of the gun from which it was fired. s.h.i.+ps' guns in those days were known as cannon, cannon royal, cannon serpentine, b.a.s.t.a.r.d cannon, demi-cannon, and cannon petro.