Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez Volume II Part 6

Sir James disappointed in not returning home.--Extract of a letter to his brother.--The French send s.h.i.+ps to the West Indies.--Squadron detached after them.--Death of General O'Hara.--Sir James receives orders to superintend the evacuation of Minorca.--Arrival of H.R.H. Duke of Kent.--Sir James arrives at Minorca.--Definitive treaty of peace.--Proceedings there.--Island given up to Spain.--The Caesar arrives at Gibraltar.--Proceeds to England.--Anchors at Spithead.

Destined to remain with his squadron at Gibraltar, Sir James suffered a severe disappointment in being prevented from returning home. He occasionally visited Tetuan; and, after the preliminaries of peace were signed, he had communication with the Spanish authorities. On the 19th of January he was surprised by the appearance of four French line-of-battle s.h.i.+ps in the eastward, which pa.s.sed through the Straits of Gibraltar; on which he wrote a letter to his brother, whence the following is extracted:

Caesar, Gibraltar, 20th January 1802.

I had the pleasure yesterday to receive your affectionate letter, by way of Malaga, which, although of an old date, was very acceptable. The letter it enclosed from our brother Sir Thomas was the first I have seen from Guernsey for several months. Our accounts from England extend to the 6th instant, by way of Lisbon. Although no public despatches have been received, we have reason to expect the next arrival will bring the news of the definitive treaty being signed; at the same time it is rather surprising to see the French detaching s.h.i.+ps from all their ports. Yesterday, four sail of the line and a frigate appeared to the eastward, which unquestionably must be Gantheaume's squadron. I detached the Phaeton with the intelligence, and am preparing four s.h.i.+ps to follow them to the West Indies, taking it for granted they are going to St.

Domingo.

I enclose a letter for Nicholas, who I hope has arrived before this time. It is satisfactory to be informed that Ceylon is a healthy situation. I hope before many years we shall see him amongst us in the enjoyment of good health and a competent fortune, for few are more deserving than he is.

Nothing has joined from Lord Keith since my last; but I understand his lords.h.i.+p is expecting his orders of recall, which will leave me no chance of going to England for some months. I have no apprehensions of being ordered to Jamaica; but, if I should, I hope none of my friends will suffer uneasiness on my account. My chief dislike to the station would be its prolonging my absence from home, as, in other respects, I would as soon be there as in any other station whilst I remain employed.

I am well pleased with the motto ("In Deo spero") you have subst.i.tuted. It is the one I had fixed upon before; but wis.h.i.+ng to have reference to the action made me adopt the other, though not without much consideration, as I allow it appeared as if I no longer had that TRUST which I hope will never forsake me in any event through life.

On the 21st of January Sir James detached the Warrior, Defence, Bellona, and Zealous, of 74 guns each, to follow the French squadron to the West Indies. These s.h.i.+ps were placed under the command of Captain Tyler, of the Warrior, who was senior officer, and had directions to proceed to Jamaica and join Sir John Duckworth, the then commander-in-chief on that station: at the same time the Phaeton, Captain Morris, was despatched to England with the intelligence of the above circ.u.mstances. The Leda, Captain Hope, had been sent to Cadiz to receive for safety the specie belonging to the merchants, and to obtain information respecting the movements of the s.h.i.+ps in that harbour. It was then ascertained that the French s.h.i.+p Duquesne, of 80 guns, had arrived there in distress, having parted from a convoy bound to St. Domingo. She was accompanied by a French frigate; and, both having troops on board, no doubt could be entertained of their destination, as well as that of the squadron under Rear-admiral Gantheaume. Several transports and troop-s.h.i.+ps arrived from Malta and Egypt, having on board part of the army employed on the reduction of Alexandria, and were despatched to England.

An unexpected event now plunged the garrison of Gibraltar into deep affliction. The gallant and highly-respected governor was seized with a malignant illness, which terminated his life in five days. With this mournful intelligence Sir James despatched the Penelope frigate to England, and another frigate to Lord Keith, at Malta. The following is a copy of his letter to Mr. Nepean on that occasion:

SIR,

I request you will be pleased to inform my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that I have thought it necessary to despatch the Penelope to England, in order that the King's ministers may be apprised as speedily as possible of the loss his Majesty's service has sustained in the death of Governor O'Hara, who departed this life early this morning. I cannot on this occasion refrain from expressing my deep concern at the loss of an officer from whom the naval service in particular has always experienced the utmost attention.

I am, sir, Your obedient humble servant, JAMES SAUMAREZ.

General Burnet succeeded, _pro tempore_, to the command of the garrison; and Captain Gaskill, the late governor's aide-de-camp, was the bearer of the despatches to Government. It was about this time that the 54th regiment, commanded by Colonel Ross, arrived from Egypt to relieve the Cambrian Rangers, part of which went home in the Penelope, and the remainder in the Dido, troop-s.h.i.+p.

The colours were hoisted half-mast on board all the s.h.i.+ps until the 3rd of March, when General O'Hara's funeral took place; on which occasion the boats of the squadron, joined by those of the foreign men-of-war, rowed in procession to the Ragged Staff, while minute-guns were fired by the flag-s.h.i.+p and the garrison. The solemnity of this scene could not but be rendered more impressive by the recollection of the invest.i.ture of Sir James with the Order of the Bath, in which the venerable and gallant general had performed so distinguished a part only a short time before.

This event was followed by one of the same mournful description, namely, the death of Admiral Brenton, father to the gallant captain of the Caesar, a venerable and highly-respected officer. As family affairs required Captain Brenton's presence in England, he exchanged with Captain Downman, of the Dorothea, by mutual consent, and with permission from the Admiral. This exchange accordingly took place on the 17th March 1802, when Captain Downman joined the Caesar.

On the 22nd of March Sir James received orders from Lord Keith to proceed with the Caesar to Minorca, for the purpose of superintending the various duties that might become necessary on the evacuation of that island; but as the order was grounded on a report which had reached his lords.h.i.+p from Toulon and Ma.r.s.eilles that the definitive treaty of peace was signed, which proved to be premature, Sir James postponed his departure until more authentic information should arrive, and he acquainted the Lords of the Admiralty of this circ.u.mstance by a letter to the secretary, dated on the following day.

Lord Keith himself, however, arrived in the Foudroyant, from Malta, on the 26th of March, and, being in expectation of orders to proceed to England, he did not interfere with the duty of the squadron.

On the 24th of April, there being no doubt that Minorca would soon be given up to Spain, Sir James received the following orders from Lord Keith, appointing him to conduct that service:

By the Right Hon. Lord Keith, &c.

Whereas orders may be immediately expected for the evacuation of the island of Minorca, and as I think it indispensable that that service should be conducted by an officer of rank, ability, and experience, you are hereby required and directed to proceed thither in his Majesty's s.h.i.+p the Caesar, to be in readiness to take upon you the charge and execution of that duty, following such directions in that behalf as I have already forwarded to the senior officer there, copies of the most material of which are herewith enclosed, and such other instructions as you may hereafter receive from me; communicating with me or with Rear-admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, at Malta, on all occasions when the necessity of the service on which you are employed may so require.--Given on board the Foudroyant, Gibraltar, 24th April 1802.

The following is a copy of the orders alluded to:

In the event of orders being received by you over land, or the arrival of instructions by sea which may not have reached me, for the evacuation of the island of Minorca, you are hereby specially instructed to carry them into effect in the manner most consistent with the directions which you shall receive.

You will enter into immediate communication with the officer commanding his Majesty's land forces, and co-operate with him on all necessary occasions for carrying the evacuation into effect; and you will furnish to him, and to other officers of rank and their families, the best accommodation of which the disposable room in the s.h.i.+ps will admit. In such case it will be inc.u.mbent on you to obtain, without a moment's loss of time, an exact estimate of the tonnage that will be required as well for the embarkation of the troops as of the stores, &c.

The above will be sufficient to show the arduous duty Sir James had to perform. The number of troops to be embarked at Minorca was 5,247; at Malta, 6,529; at Elba, 418; and at Egypt, 4,631; in all, 16,845. These were destined partly to England, and partly to Ireland; to transport which, men-of-war and merchant-s.h.i.+ps were collected from all quarters.

On the same day Sir James received from Lord Keith a copy of a letter from the secretary of the Admiralty, dated 1st April 1802:

I transmit to your lords.h.i.+p herewith, by command of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, for your information, a Gazette Extraordinary, containing an account of the signature of the definitive treaty of peace at Amiens, on the 27th of last month, by the Plenipotentiary of his Majesty, and the Plenipotentiaries of France, and Spain, and the Batavian Republic. If no unforeseen event should happen, their lords.h.i.+ps think it probable that the ratification will be exchanged in the course of three weeks from this time; but, whenever it shall take place, the earliest notice thereof shall be given to your lords.h.i.+p, &c.

The same despatch brought information that his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent (father of her present most excellent Majesty) had been appointed governor of Gibraltar; and, in consequence, the following orders were issued by Lord Keith:

Foudroyant, Gibraltar, 28th April 1802.

General Memorandum.

When his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, who is expected at Gibraltar, arrives in this bay, the flag-officers and captains then at the anchorage are to attend in their boats with their flags and pendants hoisted, and to row in succession, the flag-officer or officers following the commander-in-chief, and the captains next, two by two, according to seniority; and, as soon as his Royal Highness shall have landed, the officers are at liberty to return to their s.h.i.+ps.

When the royal standard is hoisted in the boat in which the Prince is to land, the s.h.i.+p he came in is to fire twenty-one guns; and, as the boat pa.s.ses the flag-s.h.i.+p, twenty-one guns shall be fired from all the s.h.i.+ps commanded by post-captains, beginning when the Foudroyant shall have fired her second gun; the guards to be turned out, and the drums to beat a march, but the s.h.i.+ps' yards are not to be manned.--By order of the commander-in-chief.

We need scarcely add that his Royal Highness was received with every mark of respect due to his ill.u.s.trious name, and to the high situation in which he had been placed.

The Caesar sailed from Gibraltar about the 1st of May, and on the 6th arrived at Mahon. When Sir James entered upon his important mission, he communicated immediately with General Clephane on the subject of the evacuation of the island of Minorca; and measures were taken for the embarkation of the troops and stores as soon as the ratification of the treaty of peace arrived, which took place on the 17th of May.

Sir James at the same time received the welcome information that he was, with the Caesar, to carry the last division to England. It was determined to send the Dreadnought and Genereux with the first division of transports, consisting of ten sail, in which were the 79th regiment and ordnance-stores, under command of Captain Cornwall Berkeley, of the Genereux. These were to proceed to Gibraltar; but the Dreadnought, Captain Vashon, had orders to proceed direct to England with the second battalion of the 40th regiment, which was embarked in that s.h.i.+p at the same time the troops at Porto Ferrajo and Elba sailed on the 2nd of June. Some of the transports having returned from Gibraltar, the embarkation continued, and the island was finally given up on the 16th June. The orders given on this occasion, will be perused with interest.

Copy of articles agreed upon between Rear-admiral Sir James Saumarez and General Clephane, for the evacuation of the island of Minorca, and for delivering it to the authorities of his Catholic Majesty the King of Spain.

Rear-admiral Sir James Saumarez, Bart, and K.B., Commanding his Britannic Majesty's squadron in the port of Mahon, and Major-general William Douglas Maclean Clephane, commanding the troops upon the island of Minorca, being duly authorised on the part of his Britannic Majesty by his royal sign manual, and Don Juan Miguel de Nines y Felia, &c. having communicated his power and authority to receive the same, have agreed to the following arrangements, viz.

1st. Brigadier-general Moncreiffe is appointed to arrange with his Excellency the Captain-general, &c. &c. the speediest time for admitting his Catholic Majesty's troops by the gate at Ciudadela, and the troops of his Britannic Majesty will evacuate at the same time by the gate of Mahon.

2nd. On the following day Major-general Clephane will be ready to receive his Excellency the Captain-general upon the glacis of Fort George, and deliver the keys thereof in due form; immediately after which the British troops will embark.

3rd. The fort of Fornells, and the towers on the coast, will be given up in due time to the engineer, Don Raman.

4th. Captain Framingham, Royal Artillery, will deliver up the ordnance and the ammunition found on the island at the time of the capture thereof as nearly as possible, and now collected at the following places, viz. Fornells, Buffera, Adaya, and Fort George.

5th. The royal a.r.s.enal shall be given up in its present state.

Two line-of-battle s.h.i.+ps' lower-masts and bowsprits, British property, will be left in store until means be furnished by the British Government to remove them.

6th. The papers found in the secretary's office will be restored.

7th. The revenues of the island are to belong to his Catholic Majesty from the 23rd day of May last, that being the day appointed by the definitive treaty for the cession of the island. In consequence of the judge and other civil officers having been employed by the British Government, their salaries have been paid up to the 17th June.

Signed and sealed at Mahon, the 14th day of June one thousand eight hundred and two.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

Caesar, off Port Mahon, 16th June 1802.

SIR,

I beg to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that the island of Minorca has been this day given up to the Spanish Government; and Major-general Clephane, with the last division of troops, embarked immediately after having put them in possession of Fort George. I shall proceed with all despatch to Gibraltar with his Majesty's s.h.i.+p Caesar, and the Pomone, and Port Mahon brig; and have detached the Camelion to Barcelona, to land Major-general Clephane's and my despatches.

I have detached to the island of Malta 3,250 tonnage of transports not required for the services of this island; and I have given directions to Captain Bowen, of his Majesty's troop-s.h.i.+p Alligator, to remain in Mahon harbour ten days from the time of the embarkation, and then proceed for Malta, and follow the orders of Rear-admiral Sir Richard Bickerton.

I herewith have the honour to enclose, for their lords.h.i.+ps'