Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez Volume I Part 24

Sir James had cherished the hope that he was to be permitted to enjoy the blessings of domestic life, at least for a few months; but even in the most perfect state of happiness which can be well imagined, he always held his duty to his King and country, (next to the duty he owed to his Creator,) to be paramount to every other consideration; and, feeling himself bound, after a short period of relaxation, to offer his services, he wrote the following letter:

Bath, 15th January 1799.

MY LORD,

As you were pleased to intimate your intention of being at Bath when I last had the honour of seeing you, I delayed writing until this time. I am extremely happy to find that Lady Spencer's improved state of health has rendered the journey unnecessary.

Two days after my arrival I received a letter from Admiral Young, proposing to me (in the absence of your lordship) a large seventy-four, which I declined accepting, as you had done me the honour to offer me the Caesar, on a certain expected event taking place. I hope you will forgive me for entreating that as many of the Orion's ship's company may be reserved for me as the service will admit. Having experienced their uniform good conduct for so many years, I am most solicitous to have them with me in another ship.

I have the honour to be, With the highest respect, Your lordship's most obedient and humble servant, JAMES SAUMAREZ.

To the Right Honourable Earl Spencer, &c. &c. &c.

To the above, Sir James received the following answer:

Admiralty, 18th January 1799.

DEAR SIR,

Lady Spencer's journey to Bath is only deferred, I fear; as it will probably be necessary for her to go there soon.

The proposal made to you by Admiral Young was only intended as a temporary measure, in case you had no objection to be employed in the interval before you could have a permanent appointment.

Whenever the period shall come at which I can propose such an appointment to you, I shall avail myself of it with pleasure.

With respect to reserving your ship's company, that practice is attended with so much inconvenience to the public service, that it has of late been necessarily discontinued. Although there is no one in whose favour I should be more disposed to relax than to you, I fear it will be impossible for me to do so in this particular. I am, dear sir,

Your very obedient and humble servant, SPENCER.

To Sir James Saumarez, &c. &c. &c.

The 14th of February, being the anniversary of the glorious victory obtained over the Spanish fleet, was selected for a promotion of flag-officers; and on this occasion his Majesty was pleased to confer on Sir James Saumarez one of the colonelcies of Marines as a reward for his many and meritorious services. Earl Spencer availed himself of the opportunity to appoint him to the Caesar, of 84 guns, one of the finest, but hitherto most unfortunate, ships in the British navy. Sir James hoisted his pendant on the 26th of February, and had the satisfaction to have several of his officers and crew removed from the Orion to the Caesar, in Hamoaze, where her fitting out went on with considerable rapidity. On the 19th of March she proceeded to Cawsand Bay, where, on the 30th, she rode out a heavy gale of wind from the S.E.

On the following day, in company with the Magnificent and Impetueux, she sailed for the Channel fleet, commanded by Admiral Berkeley, which she joined off Brest the 3rd April. On the 16th, Lord Bridport arrived from Portsmouth with five sail more, increasing the fleet to fifteen sail of the line. Another heavy gale was experienced on the 20th, but no damage was sustained.

On the 25th, looking into Brest Harbour, they were surprised to see the French fleet, consisting of twenty-five sail, partly in Camaret Bay, and under way in Brest Water. The fleet stood off Ushant; the wind came to the S.E. with hazy weather, and on the same night they escaped.

Sir James writes:--

"April 27th.--Yesterday at noon, it blowing very strong from the northward, with foggy weather, the signal was made that the enemy was under sail. A general chase soon followed; but, I am sorry to say, they eluded our pursuit under cover of the thick weather, keeping close to their sh.o.r.e, by the pa.s.sage du Raz. The cruise has now taken quite a different turn to what I expected; and it gives me great spirits to find we are likely to render to our country some service.

"1st of May.--My fervent vows were very early offered, my best love, for Heaven's choicest blessings to attend you, with many, many returns of your natal day. The fatted calf was intended to have been killed for the fete; but the bustle caused by the French fleet occasioned its being neglected. Your health, however, will be drunk in a b.u.mper of my best wine. I have a letter from the Duc d'Havre, dated Edinburgh, where he was on a visit to Monsieur.[23] He was going to embark for the continent. _Mille complimens de sa part pour miladi_, &c. &c.

[23] Afterwards Louis XVIII.

"May 5th.--We have had, the last three days, a strong S.E. gale, which has brought us off Ireland. I hope to-morrow we shall fall in with ships from Plymouth, and that I shall have the satisfaction of receiving letters from you,--the greatest I can possibly enjoy at this time, except that of beating the French fleet.

"May 8th.--Off Cape Clear.--Captain Durham hailed me: he says the French fleet were seen a week ago, steering to the southward. These are trying times for those who feel as we do the importance of events, which involve and may decide the fate of nations.

"May 17th.--Sir Alan Gardner has joined us this morning with a reinforcement. We are still without any certain intelligence of the enemy; a few days must determine. I only wish we could soon, very soon meet them, to put a stop to our perplexity and impatience.

"Friday evening, 24th May.--We are just anch.o.r.ed in Bantry Bay. I fear my conjectures of the enemy being gone to Portugal, or the Mediterranean, and not being destined for this country, are too surely founded.

"I have this instant received your letter of the 4th, by which, though, as yet, very hastily perused, I learn you are at Teignmouth. I am sorry to see that you have already taken alarm at the reports which are circulated respecting us: follow the example of Lady Howe, who neither reads newspapers, nor listens to rumours. I know not who are most to blame, those who invent them, or you who believe them.

"26th.--We continue without any certain accounts respecting the destination of the French armament. Admiral Collingwood arrived this morning, and hoists his flag in the Triumph. He will take a strong detachment with him for the Mediterranean. It is not yet known what ships are to go: but I have been on board Lord Bridport; and I do not hear the Caesar is to be one of them; which, I suppose, will _please_ you: _in other respects_, there is no doubt that the Mediterranean station is far preferable to the Channel service. Your wish that we should carry away a mast was nearly gratified, the Achille and the Caesar having been on board each other in coming into this bay; the princ.i.p.al damage was, however, sustained by the former; notwithstanding which, she will not be obliged to return into port; therefore, form no such wishes, but show yourself a true patriot, and let the good of the country be the princ.i.p.al wish of your heart. The escape of the French fleet, was, I dare say, consonant to these feminine feelings, and see what a dilemma it has thrown us into.

"31st May.--Off Cape Clear.--I see Lord Bridport very frequently, who always inquires most kindly after you. His lordship, it may be believed, is not very well satisfied with the present state of affairs. We must hope that future good will result from apparent evil; but it must ever be regretted that the French fleet escaped from Brest, without being brought to action. I think it probable Sir Alan Gardner will have the command of a strong detachment, and proceed off Cape Finisterre; but what ships are to be attached to him will not be known until the separation takes place. Should the French fleet be gone up the Mediterranean, they will proceed on that station; in which case I hope the Caesar will be one of Sir Alan's squadron. I am well provided for a long cruise. When I shall hear from you, Heaven alone knows! but I am endued with patience, after all our trials. The _eloge_ of Mr. Morgan, on our dear boy, is a great satisfaction to me, and no less so at knowing him to be where his morals will be attended to, equally with the other branches of his education.

"June 9th.--My last will have led you to expect my being detached with Sir A. Gardner. We separated from Lord Bridport, Sat.u.r.day, with sixteen sail of the line; and we are already the distance of Lisbon, with a fine breeze, steering for the Mediterranean. I almost fear we shall be too late, notwithstanding the expedition we are using. I fell in with a Dane, from whom I learned the French fleet had pa.s.sed the Straits, and Lord St. Vincent after them.

"Sunday 10th.--In going down with the information to the Admiral, we had the misfortune to carry away our fore-top-mast. I was not a little surprised to find Sir Alan with only the Magnificent and Russell, Sir Charles Cotton having been detached to the Mediterranean; thus I fear we shall be deprived sharing in the victory we hoped to obtain over the enemy's fleet. Our small squadron is returning towards Lisbon, instead of gaining the medals we made sure of.

"14th.--Off Lisbon. We are anxiously waiting here for intelligence.

The Admiral surprised me with the information that the object of our coming to Lisbon was to take away our prizes. He has ordered me in to accelerate their joining him."

Sir Alexander Ball, in a letter to Sir James, dated off Malta, 27th April 1799, writes: "Be a.s.sured that your appointment to the Marines and the command of the Caesar, which are given to you as a mark of the high estimation in which you are regarded by the Admiralty and the public, has given me more joy than I should have received from the appointment of any other person on the list, because I have had the satisfaction of witnessing your bravery, zeal, and ardour in the service. I am much pleased with your plan of the sword."

The Commander-in-chief, supposing the destination of the French expedition to be Ireland, proceeded at once to Bantry Bay, where the fleet remained until the end of May; while the enemy pa.s.sed the Straits of Gibraltar unmolested, having been on that occasion favoured by a gale of wind, which prevented the fleet under Lord Keith (though certainly very inferior) from bringing them to action. The French and Spanish fleets returned to Brest, un.o.bserved, on the 21st of June.

In the mean time a part of Lord Bridport's fleet, in which was the Caesar, proceeded under command of Sir Alan Gardner to the Tagus, which it left on the 18th; and, cruising back, returned to Cawsand Bay on the 13th July. As the enemy showed no disposition to put to sea again, the Caesar, and the rest of the fleet, remained quietly at Cawsand Bay, and subsequently at Torbay till the 2nd September, when they again sailed. In the course of the three ensuing months it put back three times; and finally, on the 8th of December 1799, when the Admiralty, being desirous of ascertaining whether Torbay was a safe anchorage for the fleet during the winter months, ordered the Caesar to continue on that station for the trial, and at the same time placed the London, of 98 guns, under the orders of Sir James. The tempestuous weather which prevailed during the rest of the month, and throughout January, afforded several occasions to determine the point. The London, during a heavy gale, parted her cables, and was with great difficulty preserved from going on sh.o.r.e, which left no doubt that it was an insecure and unfit post to shelter a fleet.

On the 17th March 1800, Lord Bridport took command of the fleet, which was soon after increased to twenty-five sail of the line; but nothing remarkable occurred till the 18th of May, when a dreadful gale occasioned much damage to many of the ships. The wind was at first S.W. and blew with great violence, when it suddenly checked to the N.W., before the S.W. sea had time to subside: most of the fleet wore.

The Lady Jane, Trompeuse, and Railleur foundered: the Montague lost all her masts, and several others met with damage. It appears by the log of the Caesar that she continued for some time on the same tack, which may account for her having sustained little injury, although it mentions that she shipped several heavy seas. So tremendous was the rolling of the ship, that her lower yard-arms were at one time under water, while the carpenters stood by with their axes, to cut the masts away, if she had not righted. She did not bear up for Torbay with the rest of the fleet, but followed two days after, and, having replenished her water and provisions, resumed her station, from whence Sir James wrote a letter to Lady Saumarez, of which the following is an extract:

"Caesar, 26th June, 1800.

"Of the enemy in this neighbourhood we know nothing, except of their inactivity. I hope they do not mean to leave so fine a fleet, as we have here, useless all the summer. Fear not my complying with your injunctions. I shall more than ever strive against _ennui_,--my greatest enemy, I believe, whilst in this inactive state. I read when I can, but anxiety to hear from you, and to have accounts of our darling children, has its share in withdrawing my attention and fixing it on more interesting subjects. Of one thing, however, be a.s.sured, that with respect to the ship and all thereto belonging, I am as well situated as possible. I enjoy the satisfaction of having a very quiet and well-disposed ship's company, who are kept orderly, and, I flatter myself, well regulated, without exercising severity or rigour. The officers continue as I wish them. Captain Maxwell, who joined some time ago, is an active, diligent officer in his corps; and Mr. Packwood, as well as Mr. Holliday, our new chaplain, are very good men in their respective stations.

"Although I find amus.e.m.e.nt in books, believe me your letters form my sole delight, and tend more to lighten the time than all the volumes in Hoxland's library."

Sir James, after another cruise, returned on the 24th of July, to prepare for a service of more responsibility and importance.

The French had now a large fleet at Brest, which appeared to be in a state of great forwardness; and, as they had before eluded the vigilance of the blockading ships, it was necessary to place a strong squadron near the Black Rocks to watch their motions, and to give the command of this advanced detachment to an officer of skill, experience, and intrepidity. Earl St. Vincent, who was now commander-in-chief of the Channel fleet, knowing how highly Sir James Saumarez was qualified for such an important trust, gave him the following order to take command of the in-sh.o.r.e squadron:

You are hereby required and directed to proceed without a moment's loss of time, in his Majesty's ship under your command, off the Black Rocks, where you may expect to find his Majesty's ships named in the margin,[24] which you are to take under your command; their respective captains being instructed to obey your orders: and having received from Captain Knight, of his Majesty's ship Montague, authenticated copies of all orders and papers in his possession relative to the command of the advanced squadron, carry the same into execution until you receive further orders.

You will also receive from Captain Knight a sealed secret instruction, addressed to the officer commanding the advanced squadron off the Black Rocks for the time being, which is on no account to be opened, but under the circ.u.mstances thereon directed.

ST. VINCENT.

To Sir James Saumarez, &c.

[24] Magnificent, Defiance, Marlborough, and Edgar.

Copy of Instructions to the Senior Officer of the advanced squadron off the Black Rocks.