Part 14 (1/2)
We must pa.s.s over one of the most memorable events of this reign, the capture of Quebec by General Wolfe, in which Captain Cook, then a master in the navy, first exhibited his talents and courage, and briefly describe an important naval action, that of Sir Edward Hawke in Quiberon Bay. The admiral sailed from Spithead early in June, 1759, with a powerful fleet to cruise off Brest and in soundings. Hence he despatched three small squadrons to scour the enemy's coast. In November a heavy gale compelled Sir Edward Hawke to take shelter in Torbay. During his absence M. de Conflans got safe into Brest with his squadron from the West Indies. Believing that the coast was clear, he again put to sea on the 14th of November, and on the same day the British fleet sailed from Torbay. The next day Captain McCleverty, in the _Gibraltar_, joined Sir Edward, with the information that he had seen the French fleet about twenty-four leagues to the north-west of Belleisle, steering to the south-east. Sir Edward immediately shaped a course for Quiberon Bay. A strong wind forced the fleet to leeward; it s.h.i.+fted, however, on the 19th to the westward. The _Maidstone_ and _Coventry_ frigates were ordered to look out ahead. The French admiral seeing them, sent some of his s.h.i.+ps in chase, but soon after perceiving the British fleet, he recalled them, and formed in order of battle. On the approach of the British s.h.i.+ps he crowded sail and pushed in for the land, not more than four or five leagues distant, in the hopes of entangling them among the rocks and shoals. In this he was disappointed, as the van s.h.i.+ps of the English fleet were close up to his rear at half-past two o'clock, and in a few minutes the engagement became general. The _Formidable_, carrying the flag of the French rear-admiral, was closely engaged by the _Resolution_, and having to sustain the fire of every s.h.i.+p that pa.s.sed, was obliged to strike, he and 200 of his men being killed. Lord Howe, in the _Magnanime_ attacked the _Thesee_, but the _Montague_ running foul of the former so much disabled her, that she fell astern. Captain Keppel, in the _Torbay_, then attacked the _Thesee_, when a sudden squall coming on, the lower-deck ports of the latter s.h.i.+p not being closed, she filled and instantly sank. The _Superbe_ shared a similar fate alongside of the _Royal George_. Lord Howe having got clear, bore down and attacked the _Hero_ so furiously that he soon compelled her to strike. During the night, which proved very boisterous, she drove on sh.o.r.e and was lost.
The enemy then endeavoured to make their escape; some succeeded, but several got ash.o.r.e, as did the _Ess.e.x_ and _Resolution_, but their crews were saved. The French admiral's s.h.i.+p, the _Soleil Royal_, had in the dark anch.o.r.ed in the midst of the British fleet, on discovering which he cut his cable, when he drove ash.o.r.e. On the weather moderating the boats of the squadron were sent in to destroy the French s.h.i.+ps. The _Soleil Royal_ was set on fire by her own crew, and the _Hero_ by the British boats. _La Juste_, of 70 guns, was also wrecked, but seven of the French s.h.i.+ps, by throwing overboard their guns and stores, escaped into the river Yillaine.
The remnant of this fleet, under M. de Thurot, a celebrated privateer commander, escaped out of Dunkirk for the purpose of making a descent on the northern coast of England or Ireland. After taking shelter during the winter on the coast of Norway, he appeared with three frigates before the town of Carrickfergus, which he attacked and laid under contribution. Having supplied his s.h.i.+ps with such necessaries as they were in need of, he re-embarked his men and took his departure. At that time Captain John Elliot, who was lying at Kinsale in the _Aeolus_, with the _Pallas_ and _Brilliant_ under his command, on hearing that M. de Thurot was on the coast, put to sea, and fortunately came up with him off the Isle of Man. A close action was maintained for an hour and a-half, when the gallant Thurot and a large number of his men being killed, the three frigates struck their colours. His own s.h.i.+p, the _Marechal Belleisle_, was so shattered that it was with difficulty she could be kept afloat. _La Blonde_ and _Terpsich.o.r.e_ were added to the British Navy.
The French at this time built a number of vessels on a new construction, to which they gave the name of prames. They were about a hundred feet long, quite flat-bottomed, and capable of carrying four or five hundred men. They were to be employed in transporting troops over for the invasion of England. Admiral Rodney fell in with and destroyed a number of them off Havre-de-Grace.
During this year the French took 330 s.h.i.+ps from the English, whereas the English took only 110 from the French. In reality, however, the gain was on the side of Great Britain, the French s.h.i.+ps captured being chiefly large privateers and rich armed merchantmen, while those England lost were mostly coasters and colliers. The trade of France, also, was almost annihilated, and she in consequence employed the greater part of her seamen in small privateers, which swarmed in the channel, the vessels they captured being of like value.
George the Second had the satisfaction of seeing the arms of England everywhere prospering, when on the 27th of October, 1760, he breathed his last, in the thirty-third year of his reign and the seventy-seventh of his age.
Gallant as were the officers and brave as were the men of the navy, they were generally rough in their manners, and ignorant of all matters not connected with their profession. So they continued for many years, till the naval college was established, and schoolmasters were placed on board s.h.i.+ps to afford the mids.h.i.+pmen instruction. It could scarcely have been otherwise, considering the early age at which young gentlemen were sent to sea, when they had had barely time to learn more than reading, writing, and arithmetic, while comparatively few had afterwards time or opportunity to improve themselves. Practices were allowed on board s.h.i.+p which would not have been tolerated in Elizabeth's days.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
GEORGE THE THIRD--FROM A.D. 1760 TO A.D. 1782.
On George the Third coming to the throne in 1760 he found the nation still at war with France.
Among the gallant men actively employed at this time, whose names were long as household words both in the navy and on sh.o.r.e, were Lord Anson, Sir Edward Hawke, Admiral Rodney, Captain Alexander Hood, Commodore Keppell, Captain Faulkner, Captain the Honourable Keith Stuart, Captain Richard Howe, afterwards Earl Howe, Captains Shuldham, Sir Hugh Palliser, the Honourable John Byron, Peter Parker, and Samuel Barrington.
The fleets of England were at this time distributed much, as at the present time, under flag-officers. The Nore, the Channel Fleet, the Mediterranean, Lisbon, North America, Newfoundland, the West Indies, the Leeward Islands, Jamaica, the East Indies, and occasionally on the coast of Africa.
We have numerous proofs that British seamen gained their victories as much by their proficiency in gunnery and their activity as by their strength and courage. Of this there are numberless instances, among others the following. In 1761, on the evening of the 13th of August, the _Bellona_, of 74 guns, and a crew of 550 men, Captain Robert Faulkner, and the _Brilliant_, a 36-gun frigate, Captain James Logie, on their pa.s.sage from Lisbon to England, being off Vigo, came in sight of three large s.h.i.+ps. The strangers were the French 74-gun s.h.i.+p _Courageux_, of 700 men, and the 36-gun frigates _Hermione_ and _Malicieuse_. In consequence of seeing the British s.h.i.+ps through the magnifying medium of a hazy atmosphere, they concluded that they were both line of battle s.h.i.+ps, and dreading the issue of an engagement, took to flight. Captain Faulkner on this, suspecting them to be enemies, immediately made sail in chase, and kept them in sight all night. At daylight the next morning he and his consort were about five miles from the two s.h.i.+ps, when the largest, throwing out a signal, took in her studding-sail, wore round, and stood for the _Bellona_. The two frigates at the same time closed, and at six brought the _Brilliant_ to action. Captain Logie determined to find so much for them to do that the _Bellona_ should have the _Courageux_ to herself. So vigorously did he work his guns that the frigates received such injury in their sails and rigging as to be compelled to sheer off to repair damages. As the water was smooth and a light wind only blowing, the contest become one of simple gunnery. At half-past six the _Bellona_ was closely engaged with the French 74. In nine minutes both their mizen-masts fell overboard, while the _Bellona's_ braces, shrouds, and rigging were much cut up. Captain Faulkner, fearing that the enemy would seize the opportunity to sheer off, gave orders for immediately boarding, but the _Courageux_, falling athwart the bow of his s.h.i.+p, rendered this impracticable. The _Bellona_ might now have been seriously raked fore and aft, but Captain Faulkner immediately set all his studding-sails to wear the s.h.i.+p round, when the crew flew to their guns on the side now opposed to the enemy, from which they fired away with so much rapidity for twenty minutes as almost to knock the _Courageux_ to pieces, while the two frigates were unable, in consequence of the gallant way in which they were kept at bay by Captain Logie, to render her any a.s.sistance.
Unable to withstand this unremitting fire, the _Courageux_ hauled down her colours, her crew crying for quarter. The two frigates on this bore away and got off. Considerable as was the damage done to the _Bellona_ in her rigging, she had suffered very little in the hull, and had lost only 6 killed and 25 wounded; while the _Courageux_ had her foremast and bowsprit alone standing, her decks torn up in several places, and large breaches made in her sides; 220 of her men being killed, and half that number wounded, among whom was her captain, Dugue L'Ambert. The _Brilliant_ lost her master and 5 men killed and 16 wounded. The _Courageux_ had on board 8500 pounds in specie. She was carried by her captor into Lisbon to be refitted, and was added to the British Navy under the same name. Proverbially thoughtless as are British seamen, they have ever shown themselves equally kind and generous to those in distress. On this occasion the French crew being found dest.i.tute of means for their support when at Lisbon, a subscription was raised on board the _Bellona_ and _Brilliant_, as well as among the merchants on sh.o.r.e, to enable them to return to France.
Still further improvements being made in Mr Harrison's timekeeper for finding the longitude at sea, the _Deptford_, of 50 guns, was sent out with the inventor on board. She made the island of Maderia at the exact time which he pointed out, and from thence proceeded to Jamaica, making that island with equal accuracy. On his return he found that the instrument had lost only 1 minute, 54 and a half seconds.
This year also the experiment for coppering s.h.i.+ps' bottoms as a preservation against worms was introduced into the Royal Navy, and tried on the _Alarm_ frigate, of 32 guns.
Another act of humanity deserves to be recorded. In November, 1762, Captain Clarke, commanding the _Sheerness_, of 24 guns, being closely pursued by five French s.h.i.+ps of war, took refuge in the neutral bay of Villa Franca. One of the enemy's s.h.i.+ps, _La Minerva_, continued the pursuit, and by way of bravado running in between the _Sheerness_ and the land, attempted to anchor. In doing this she was driven on the rocks, and the sea running high was soon dashed to pieces. On this, although the other four s.h.i.+ps were approaching, Captain Clarke, with much humanity, sent in his boats, and saved the greater part of her crew, twenty-five only peris.h.i.+ng, although the whole would otherwise have been lost. Struck by this generous act, the French commodore went on board the _Sheerness_ to thank Captain Clarke for the relief he had offered his distressed countrymen.
To the credit of the Spaniards, it must be told how they on another occasion exhibited much good-feeling. Two s.h.i.+ps, the _Lord Clive_ and _Ambuscade_, had been sent out to attack the Spanish settlements on the River Plate in South America. During the action the first blew up; her commander, and the whole crew, excepting seventy-eight, peris.h.i.+ng.
They, escaping the flames, swam to the sh.o.r.e, when instead of being looked upon as enemies who came to plunder the settlement, the Spaniards treated them with the greatest tenderness, and furnished them with clothes and every necessary refreshment.
On the 6th of June, 1762, Lord Anson died, and was succeeded as First Lord of the Admiralty by the Earl of Halifax.
The king's s.h.i.+ps were especially fortunate in their captures this year.
In the Mediterranean a rich Spanish s.h.i.+p from Barcelona, with 100,000 dollars on board, was taken; and the _Active_ frigate, Captain Sawyer, and the _Favourite_ sloop of war, Captain Pownall, while on a cruise off Cadiz, captured the _Hermione_, a large Spanish register s.h.i.+p from Lima.
She was the richest prize made during the war, the net proceeds of her cargo amounting to 519,705 pounds, 10 s.h.i.+llings. The admiral received 64,000 pounds; the captain of the _Active_, 65,000 pounds; three commissioned officers of that s.h.i.+p, 13,800 pounds each; eight warrant officers, 4000 pounds each; twenty petty officers, 1800 pounds each; and each seaman and marine, 485 pounds. The officers and crew of the _Favourite_ received in the same proportion. On arriving at Portsmouth the treasure was sent up to London in twenty waggons, decorated with the British colours flying over those of Spain, and escorted by a party of seamen. At Hyde Park corner they were joined by a troop of light horse, and proceeded through the city, amidst the acclamations of the people, to the Tower.
The Seven Years' War with France and Spain was now brought to a conclusion, and peace was signed at Fontainebleau on the 3rd of November. England was now possessed of the most powerful fleet in the world, while her resources were comparatively undiminished. By means chiefly of her navy, she had gained the whole of the provinces of Canada, the islands of Saint John and Cape Breton, the navigation of the river Mississippi, and that part of Louisiana which lies on the east of that river, the town of New Orleans excepted, permission to cut logwood and to build houses in the Bay of Honduras, and the province of Florida--though she had to restore the Havannah and its dependencies to Spain, as well as Martinico, Guadaloupe, Marie Galante, and Saint Lucia to France--while she was to retain the Grenadas and Grenadines, with the neutral islands of Dominica, Saint Vincent, and Tobago. In Europe she regained the island of Minorca and gave up that of Belleisle. In Africa she retained Senegal and restored Goree. In Asia all her conquests made from France were restored, with the restriction that France was not to erect fortifications in the province of Bengal, and the fortifications of Dunkirk were to be demolished.
Popular as had been the war, Parliament had only voted 70,000 men for the navy, though in order that each s.h.i.+p should have had her full complement, fully 85,000 men would have been required. Many s.h.i.+ps, indeed, went to sea imperfectly manned; the proper number of the crews being often made up of men sent from the jails, and landsmen carried off by the press-gangs. The s.h.i.+ps themselves were also of a very inferior character.
Up to this time all 80-gun s.h.i.+ps were three-deckers, but after 1759 no more were built. The building also of 70 and 60 gun s.h.i.+ps was discontinued about the same period. The finest s.h.i.+ps were those taken from the French and added to the Royal Navy. The first English 80-gun s.h.i.+p on two decks was the _Caesar_, launched in 1793.
The Marine Society at the peace came to the resolution of receiving and making provision for all boys under sixteen years of age who had been, or might be, discharged from his majesty's service, by putting them out apprentices in the merchant-service. 295 boys made application for employment, and were provided for.
A body of sailors presented a pet.i.tion to the king requesting to have the D's, placed against their names for deserter, taken off. His majesty granted the request to all who had again entered on board a king's s.h.i.+p.