170

RETIREMENT OF LORD ST. VINCENT.

justification of the promotion of the gallant lieutenant of the Speedy, that all Lord St. Vincent's chief officers had been promoted for an action in which fewer men fell in a three-decker than in my brig.

Of this protracted cruise it is sufficient to state that my appointment to the Arab was dated October 5th, 1803, and that she returned to England on the 1st of December 1804, a period which formed a blank in my life.

On my arrival, Lord St. Vincent, fortunately for me, had quitted, or rather had been compelled to retire from the Admiralty. The late Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland, and my excellent friend, was so indignant at my ignominious expulsion from active service, where alone it would be beneficial to the country, that, unsolicited by any one, he strongly impressed upon Lord Melville, the successor of Lord St. Vincent, the necessity of relieving me from that penal hulk, the Arab, and repairing the injustice which had been inflicted on me, by employing me on more important service. Lord Melville admitted the injustice, and promptly responded to the appeal, by transferring me from the wretched craft in which I had been for fifteen months in exile to the Pallas, a new fir-built frigate of 32 guns.

CHAP. X.

CRUISE OF THE PALLAS.

ORDERS OF THE PALLAS EMBARGOED.
ARRIVAL OF THE PRIZES. -CAPTURE

OF PAPAL BULLS. A CHASE. ADMIRAL YOUNG. ELECTION FOR HONITON. -NOVEL ELECTION BECOME A REFORMER.

TACTICS.

-

PAINFUL RESULTS.

ON my appointment to the Pallas, Lord Melville considerately gave me permission to cruise for a month off the Azores under Admiralty orders. The favour-the object of which was to give me an opportunity of trying my luck against the enemy, independent of superior command-was no doubt granted in consideration of the lengthened, not to say malevolent, punishment to which I had been condemned in the Arab.

My orders were to join my ship at Plymouth, with a promise that my instructions should be forwarded. In place of this, and in disregard of Lord Melville's intention, the Admiralty orders were embargoed by the Port Admiral, Sir W. Young, who had taken upon himself to recopy them, and thus to convert them into orders issued under his authority. The effect was, to enable him to lay claim to the admiral's share of any prize-money that we might make, even though captured out of his jurisdiction, which extended no further than the Sound.

172

ORDERS OF THE PALLAS EMBARGOED.

The mention of this circumstance requires brief comment, in order to account for the result which followed. Perhaps the most lucid explanation that can be given will be an extract from a letter of Lord St. Vincent to the Admiralty when in command of the Channel fleet. "I do not know," says Lord St. Vincent, "what I shall do if you feel a difficulty to give orders to despatch such ships as you may judge necessary to place under my command. I have a notion that he (Admiral Young) wishes to have the power of issuing orders for their sailing, in order to entitle him to share prize-money!!" (BRENTON, vol. ii. p. 249.) From this extract from Lord St. Vincent, it is evident that if Admiral Young, according to the system then prevailing, had the power his Lordship's authority unquestionably appears-of paralysing the operations of a whole fleet, on the question of sharing prize-money, remonstrance on my part against the violation of Admiralty promises, made by Lord Melville himself, would have been disregarded. Nothing was therefore left but to submit.

as on

The first object was to equip the Pallas with all speed; and for this we were obliged to resort to impressment, so much had my do-nothing cruise in the Arab operated against me in the minds of the seamen. Having, however, succeeded in impressing some good men, to whom the matter was explained, they turned to with great alacrity to impress others; so that in a short time we had an excellent crew. This was the only time I ever found it necessary to impress men.

As the cruise off the Western Islands—when arrived

CAPTURE OF THE CAROLINA.

173

there was restricted to a month, it was matter of consideration how to turn such orders to the best account, without infringing on the letter of my instructions. We therefore crossed the Bay of Biscay, and having run to the westward of Cape Finisterre, worked up towards the Azores, so as to fall in with any vessels which might be bound from the Spanish West Indies to Cadiz.

Scarcely had we altered our course, when, on the 6th of February, we fell in with and captured a large ship, the Carolina, bound from the Havannah to Cadiz, and laden with a valuable cargo. After taking out the crew, we despatched her to Plymouth.

Having learned from the prisoners that the captured ship was part of a convoy bound from the Havannah to Spain, we proceeded on our course, and on the 13th captured a second vessel, which was still more valuable, containing, in addition to the usual cargo, some diamonds, and ingots of gold and silver. This vessel was sent to Plymouth as before.

On the 15th, we fell in with another, La Fortuna, which proved the richest of all, as, besides her cargo, she had on board a large quantity of dollars, which we shifted into the Pallas, and sent the ship to England.

On the 16th we captured a fine Spanish letter-ofmarque, with more dollars on board; but as a heavy sea then running prevented us from taking them on board the Pallas, these were therefore despatched with her to Plymouth.

Whilst securing the latter vessel, we observed at sunset an English privateer take possession of a large

174

ARRIVAL OF THE PRIZES.

ship. On seeing us-evidently knowing that we were an English man-of-war, and therefore entitled to share in her capture-the privateer crowded all sail and made off with her prize in company. Unluckily for this calculation, the prize was subsequently taken by a French squadron, when it turned out that the captured vessel -the Preciosa - was the richest of the whole Spanish convoy, having, in addition to her cargo, no less than a million dollars on board. Singularly enough, the privateer belonged to my agent Mr. Teed, from whom I afterwards learned the value of the vessel which his captain's mistaken greed had sacrificed.

The sensation created on the arrival of the prizes at Plymouth was immense, as the following curious extracts from a local paper will show.

"February 24. Came in the Caroline from Havanah with sugar and logwood. Captured off the coast of Spain by the Pallas, Captain Lord Cochrane. The Pallas was in pursuit of another with a very valuable cargo when the Caroline left. His lordship sent word to Plymouth, that if ever it was in his power, he would fulfil his public advertisement (stuck up here) for entering seamen, of filling their pockets with Spanish 'pewter' and 'cobs,' nicknames given by seamen to ingots and dollars.

"March 7.- Came in a rich Spanish prize, with jewels, gold, silver, ingots, and a valuable cargo, taken by the Pallas, Captain Lord Cochrane. Another Spanish ship, the Fortuna, from Vera Cruz, had been taken by the Pallas, laden with mahogany and logwood. She had 432,000 dollars on board, but has not yet arrived.

"March 23.- Came in a most beautiful Spanish letterof-marque of fourteen guns, said to be a very rich and valuable prize to the Pallas, Captain Lord Cochrane.”