The Surrender of Napoleon Part 1

The Surrender of Napoleon.

by Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland.

PREFACE.

"You are publishing a great and interesting national doc.u.ment.... The whole narrative is as fine, manly, and explicit an account as ever was given of so interesting a transaction." So wrote Sir Walter Scott to Captain Maitland after reading the ma.n.u.script of his _Narrative of the Surrender of Buonaparte_. It is undoubtedly a historical doc.u.ment of the first importance, not only as a record of "words by an eyewitness"

of an ever-memorable event, but as a vindication of the good faith of the British Government in its conduct towards Napoleon.

In his Preface to the original edition, published by Henry Colburn in 1826, Sir Frederick Maitland wrote:--

"Immediately after the extraordinary and interesting events took place which are here recorded, I was, by the earnest solicitations of my friends, induced to throw together the notes and memoranda in my possession, of the proceedings in which I bore so prominent a part. I was further led to undertake this task, so foreign to my usual occupations, in consequence of the many misrepresentations that appeared at that time, respecting the conduct of Buonaparte while on board the ship I commanded, as well as my treatment of him.

"The following Narrative was then written solely for the private perusal of my friends, and not with a view to publication, many reasons combining, at that time, in my opinion, to render such a measure inexpedient.

"I made it my study to state events exactly as they occurred, and, in doing so, to avoid, as much as possible, all prejudice, either against or in favour of the extraordinary man whom it was my fortune to secure and bring to this country. It may appear surprising that a possibility could exist of a British officer being prejudiced in favour of one who had caused so many calamities to his country; but to such an extent did he possess the power of pleasing, that there are few people who could have sat at the same table with him for nearly a month, as I did, without feeling a sensation of pity, allied perhaps to regret, that a man possessed of so many fascinating qualities, and who had held so high a station in life, should be reduced to the situation in which I saw him.

"Although many of the causes for withholding my Narrative from the public eye have long been removed, I had no intention of bringing it forward, until by accident it fell into the hands of a most celebrated literary character [Sir Walter Scott]. He did me the honour, on returning it, to express an opinion which I was not at all prepared to expect, and so strongly to recommend its being published, that however averse to appearing as an author, I have been induced, under the sanction of such high authority, to present it to the public."

The text and notes of the edition of 1826 have been reprinted verbatim.

Sir Walter Scott's notes on the MS. of the Narrative are among the papers at Lindores. They consist chiefly of verbal criticisms on Sir Frederick's original rough draft. Unfortunately it is no longer in existence, and most of Sir Walter's notes cannot be followed without it. A few of his comments are printed as footnotes, in square brackets, and a portion of his MS. is reproduced in facsimile at page 230.

A sketch of Sir Frederick's life, chiefly based on the journals at Lindores, has been prefixed to the Narrative.

The Appendix of the original edition has been printed, with an additional Appendix, consisting of (1) a list of the officers serving on board the _Bellerophon_ in July 1815, supplied by the courtesy of the Secretary to the Admiralty; (2) an unpublished letter from one of the a.s.sistant-surgeons of the _Bellerophon_, giving an account of Napoleon's surrender, recently acquired by the British Museum; and (3) several extracts from _Memoirs of an Aristocrat, by a Midshipman of the Bellerophon_. This extraordinary book, published in 1838, was written by George Home, son of Lieutenant A. Home, R.N., who on the death of the last Earl of Marchmont claimed the Marchmont peerage. It contained violent attacks on various persons connected with the family of Home of Wedderburn, and in particular on Admiral Sir David Milne of Milne-Graden and Lady Milne. An action was raised against the author and publishers, and damages were awarded against the former. The book was withdrawn from circulation, and is now extremely scarce. Home served as a midshipman on board the _Bellerophon_, and his "hair-brained narrative," as he calls it, adds some interesting details to his captain's record.

The frontispiece is from a portrait of Sir Frederick, painted by Samuel Woodford, R.A., and engraved by Henry Meyer. The original is now at Lindores.

The portrait of Lady Maitland at page lxviii is from a miniature at Lindores. This is the miniature which hung in the cabin of the _Bellerophon_, and which was seen and commented on by Napoleon.

The chart at page 1 is a slightly reduced copy of that in the original edition.

The portrait of Napoleon at page 68 is from a sketch made on board the _Bellerophon_ by Colonel Planat, _officier d'ordonnance_ to the Emperor, and given by him to Captain Maitland.

Mr Orchardson's well-known picture is reproduced at page 108, by permission of the Fine Art Company. It contains portraits of most of the chief personages of the story.

The picture of the _Bellerophon_ at Plymouth at page 132 is reproduced, by permission of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, from the original by J. J. Chalon, R.A., now in the Painted Hall at Greenwich.

As is mentioned at page 202 of the Narrative, Napoleon desired to present Captain Maitland with a box containing his portrait set in diamonds. On Maitland's declining, in the circ.u.mstances, to accept any present of value, the Emperor begged him to keep as a souvenir a tumbler from his travelling case, bearing the crown and cipher of the Empress Josephine. This relic is still preserved at Lindores. A photograph of it is given at page 202.

W. K. D.

MEMOIR

OF

SIR FREDERICK LEWIS MAITLAND.

The name of Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland has found a permanent place in history as that of the captor of Napoleon. Apart from the rare piece of good fortune which befell him in the Basque Roads in July 1815, his distinguished career of public service ent.i.tles him to an honourable place in the records of the British Navy.

He was the third son of Captain the Hon. Frederick Lewis Maitland, R.N., and was born at Rankeilour in Fife on September 7, 1777. His father, Captain Maitland, was the sixth son of Charles, sixth Earl of Lauderdale, grand-nephew of Charles II.'s famous minister, and was G.o.dson to Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of George II. He held various naval commands with distinction, served under Rodney in 1782, and between 1763 and 1775 commanded the royal yacht.

He died in 1786, having been promoted rear-admiral just before his death. Maitland's mother, Margaret d.i.c.k, was the heiress of the family of Makgill of Rankeilour. The estates of that family were ultimately inherited by her eldest son, Charles Maitland.

Young Maitland entered his father's profession at a very early age. He served as a midshipman, first under Captain George Duff in the _Martin_ sloop-of-war, and afterwards with the Hon. Robert Forbes in the _Southampton_ frigate, in which he was present at Lord Howe's great victory off Ushant on June 1, 1794,--the "glorious First of June." On April 5, 1795, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and appointed to the _Andromeda_, of 32 guns. From the _Andromeda_ he was removed to the _Venerable_, the flagship of Admiral Duncan in the North Sea. In April 1797 he went out to the Mediterranean to join Lord St Vincent.

St Vincent had been a friend of his father's, and had promised to promote him as opportunity should occur. The flagship had her full complement of officers, so Maitland was appointed first lieutenant of the _Kingfisher_, a brig mounting 18 six-pounders and commanded by the Hon. Charles Herbert Pierrepont, afterwards Earl Manvers. In her he was present at the capture of four French privateers. With one of these, the _Betsey_, of 16 guns, a severe action was fought. When the prize-money for her capture was distributed, the crew of the _Kingfisher_ subscribed 50 to present Maitland with a sword in recognition of his conduct.

Pierrepont was promoted to post rank in December 1798, and appointed to the _Spartiate_, one of Nelson's prizes taken at the Nile. A few days after his departure the _Kingfisher_, under Maitland's command, was leaving the Tagus, when she grounded on Lisbon bar and became a total wreck. Maitland was tried by court-martial at Gibraltar, and acquitted of all blame in connection with her loss. Immediately after his trial he was appointed flag-lieutenant to Lord St Vincent.

On June 23, 1799, the French and Spanish fleets effected a junction at Cartagena, and in the following month they retired from the Mediterranean and took refuge in Brest. They pa.s.sed the Straits of Gibraltar on July 7, when Maitland had an adventure which is described in Tucker's _Memoirs of Earl St Vincent_.

"It is," he says, "an as yet untold anecdote of the presence of mind and courage of one of the highest-minded characters that ever adorned the British Navy, the late Rear-Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland.

"At this period that gallant officer was Lord St Vincent's flag-lieutenant; and when the fleets were first descried, Johnny Gilpin, as his lordship used to call him, was sent to order the _Penelope_, a little hired cutter, to go, count, and dodge them. The lieutenant commanding the cutter was found too ill to utter an order.

But Mr Maitland, well knowing his Chief, and that this was service which must be done, at once a.s.sumed the command, and got the vessel under weigh. He stood over to Ceuta. The night was so pitchy dark and so calm that the cutter was unperceived by the enemy, and yet so close among them that the words of command in French and Spanish could be distinctly heard. At daybreak she was about gunshot distance from the whole Spanish fleet. When they saw her their admiral signalled a number of launches to tow a brig of 14 guns to attack her, but on their arrival within shot from the little _Penelope_, the reception she astonished them with was so spirited that the enemy dropped astern again and retired; and a faint hope of escape appeared, for, there being no wind, the cutter's boats were kept ahead all the forenoon, towing to the southward. Then every ship in that mighty fleet, except one frigate, actually turned their heads to the southward to give chase to the cutter. But the frigate stood to the northward, and as the afternoon's westerly breeze got up, it brought her down under studding-sails near the _Penelope_, before the air had reached her.

When she was within cable's length, the frigate opened her broadside fire. Mr Maitland told the cutter's crew to lie down upon the deck till the frigate had discharged all her guns. The men lay down very smartly; but when ordered to rise, splice the top-sail braces, and get the vessel's head about, not a man of them would stir. 'Fighting,'

they said, 'was not their employ; they were not hired for it, and, should they lose a limb, there was no provision for them;' and thus the frigate now renewing her fire, the little _Penelope_ was taken.

"To the honour of the Spanish admiral it must be added, that, having witnessed this bravery and heard that it was Lord St Vincent's flag-lieutenant that had displayed it, he sent Mr Maitland in a cartel to Gibraltar, declaring him free without exchange."

Tucker, who wrote in 1844, was not quite correct in saying that the anecdote was "as yet untold." It had been given long before in Marshall's _Naval Biography_. Marshall mentions, among other details, that "the _Penelope_ had on board a sum of money intended for Minorca, which it was not deemed advisable to remove, under the pressing urgency for her immediate departure from Gibraltar. When her crew found there was no chance of escape from the combined fleets, they made an attempt to plunder the treasure, which Lieutenant Maitland most honourably and successfully resisted, alleging that as public property it was the lawful prize of the captors."

Lord St Vincent returned to England in August 1799, accompanied by Maitland. On reaching Portsmouth he heard of an explosion of sh.e.l.ls which had taken place in May on board the _Theseus_, 74, resulting in the death of her commander, Captain Ralph Willet Miller. A vacancy had thus occurred in the Mediterranean before the admiral quitted that station. He used his privilege as commander-in-chief and promoted Maitland to the rank of commander in the _Cameleon_ sloop-of-war, the promotion to date from June 14. Maitland at once went out to join his new ship, which was then on the coast of Egypt under Sir Sidney Smith.

After the signing of the convention of El Arish he was sent home with despatches. He returned and regained his ship, in which he made several captures.

On December 10, 1800, he was appointed by Lord Keith to the _Wa.s.senaar_, 64. As she was then lying at Malta unfit for service, he obtained permission to accompany Sir Ralph Abercromby's expedition to Egypt.

The fleet anch.o.r.ed in Aboukir Bay on the 2nd of March 1801. On the 8th, Abercromby effected a landing in face of a large and strongly posted French force. To Maitland fell the duty of commanding the armed launches employed to cover the landing. The enemy were driven from their positions, and retired towards Alexandria with the loss of seven guns. Abercromby at once followed them up, and advanced on the neck of sand lying between the sea and the Lake of Aboukir, leaving a distance of about four miles between the English and French camps. On the 13th he again attacked the French, and forced them back upon their lines before Alexandria. The right flank of the British force rested on the sea, the left on the Lake of Aboukir, and the flanks were covered by a naval flotilla, the boats on the sea being under Maitland's command, and those on the lake under that of Captain James Hillyar. Seven days later Sir Sidney Smith, who commanded the naval battalion serving on sh.o.r.e, received from a friendly Arab sheikh a letter informing him that it was General Menou's intention to attack the British camp next morning. The news was thought too good to be true, as in a few days Abercromby would have been compelled to attack the lines of Alexandria under every tactical disadvantage. It was, however, confirmed, and on the 21st of March the battle of Alexandria was fought, the fate of Egypt was decided, and Abercromby received his death-wound. Maitland again covered the British right flank from the sea. In the detailed plan of the battle given in Sir Robert Wilson's _History of the British Expedition to Egypt_, Maitland's flotilla is shown a little to the west of the ruins of Nicopolis, in a position to enfilade the French attack. For his services on the 8th, 13th, and 21st Maitland received the thanks of the naval and military commanders-in-chief, and on March 22, the day after the battle, Sir Sidney Smith wrote to Lord Keith warmly commending Maitland's conduct.

Maitland's post commission was confirmed by the Admiralty on the day of the battle of Alexandria. In the ensuing month he was appointed to the _Dragon_, 74, and shortly afterwards to the _Carrere_, a French 40-gun frigate taken near Elba. He remained in command of her in the Mediterranean till the Peace of Amiens.

The _Carrere_ was paid off on October 4, 1802. Eleven days afterwards Maitland was appointed by Lord St Vincent to the _Loire_, a fine 46-gun frigate. War broke out again on May 18, 1803, and the _Loire_ started on a brilliant career of captures,[1] which included the 10-gun brig _Venteux_, cut out from under the Isle of Bas by two of the _Loire's_ boats, the _Braave_ privateer, and the 30-gun frigate _Blonde_, captured in August 1804 after a pursuit of twenty hours and a desperate running fight.

[Footnote 1: They are fully detailed in Marshall's _Naval Biography_, vol. ii. part 1, pp. 387 _et seq._]

An official letter written by Maitland in June 1805, gives us a vivid glimpse of frigate service in the old days:--

_Captain Maitland to Rear-Admiral Drury, Cork._

LOIRE, MUROS ROAD, SPAIN, _June 4, 1805._