Frigate Commander (49 page)
Whilst one feels in danger of straying into not altogether desirable territory, it has to be questioned whether these relationships were in fact broken by family interference. We know that Moore tended to entrust his love letters to his mother, but it is also clear that the Lockes were a particularly close family. So close, in fact, that some found it claustrophobic, especially under Mrs Locke’s direction.
There is also another possibility – and the only one which would fit in with the tradition of the Locke family – which is that Moore’s first love did not actually marry another and that there was a reconciliation which lasted until 1803. However, Moore does not tell us this in his journal and without real evidence, such a romance is beyond the intentions of this particular book.
Tom Wareham
March 2004.
Notes
Dr Moore’s other works included an updated edition of
Society and Manners
in 1781, which included Italy; the novel
Zeluco
in 1786;
A Journal During a Residence in France
, 1790; the novel
Edward
, 1796; and the novel
Mordaunt
in 1800.
Debrett’s Complete Peerage, 1834.
R. Parkinson,
Moore of Corunna
, p.6.
Moore, Journal, Vol 12, 30 July 1798.
Moore Family Papers, British Library, ADD57321.
Capt. Molloy was eventually dismissed from the navy in 1795 following criticism from Lord Howe of his conduct during the Battle of the 1st June 1794. He died in July 1814. See James,
Naval History of Great Britain
, Vol I, p.201.
John Moore to Dr Moore, 7 Jan 1780, Moore Family Papers, ADD57320.
Ibid.
Moore, Journal, Volume 11, July 1797.
For example, Robert Barlow, Richard Bowen, Edward Buller, Michael de Courcy, John Hancock, Richard King, Josias Rogers, John Borlase Warren.
Old DNB, entry for Isaac Coffin.
In such executions, several seamen from all of the ships assembled were given the task of hauling on the rope by which the victim was hanged.
The poet Thomas Gray.
The naval area of Plymouth – now known as Devonport.
‘Crimps’ encouraged seamen to get drunk, and then sold them to merchant vessels in need of a crew, the Crimp pocketing a substantial bounty in the process.
A Blue Ensign with a harp and crown.
To those already mentioned should be added Lord Hillsborrow, who invited Moore to dinner one night after the
Perseus
had ferried him across to Carrickfergus.
French armed forces were mobilized to support a ‘rebellion’ in Holland. England mobilized naval forces in response to an appeal from her ally, Prussia, who was also allied to Holland. The French fleet was also mobilized in reaction to the English naval armament, but on October 27, the French and English governments came to a peaceful settlement. See W. Laird Clowes,
The Royal Navy
, Vol IV, p.102.
Flagship: the ship bearing an admiral.
Here then was another advantage of interest. It could be used in such a way as to give the appearance that an officer himself was innocent of any approach made on his behalf.
Unfortunately, a page has been cut from the diary at this point, seemingly just as Moore was about to expand his thoughts on this issue.
A stroke.
In 1790, the Spanish laid claim to Nootka Sound, on the western seaboard of Canada. A fleet was assembled under the command of Lord Howe and a second fleet under Admiral Cornish was sent to reinforce the West Indies.
Norbury Park or House, in Mickleham.
Now Dinefwr Park.
Moore was a devotee of
The Ossian.
Published during the 1760s,
The Ossian
consisted of a series of ancient Scottish poems and tales collected by James Macpherson. By the 1790s, controversy was raging as to whether these were genuine or not. Although it was eventually accepted that the work was a fake created by Macpherson himself,
The Ossian
became a literary gem in its own right.
Interestingly, another young officer who was shortly to become a famous frigate captain, Thomas Byam Martin (also a close friend of Moore’s) also knew Riou and described him thus: ‘
A pleasing gloom hung over his manly countenance, unlike anything I ever witnessed in any other person. His eye was peculiarly striking, beaming with intelligence, while every feature seemed to indicate all the qualities that most exalt and adorn our nature . . . There was a pensiveness of look and a reserve in his manner which sometimes made strangers regard him as cold and repulsive, but this first impression was soon removed, and all who knew him loved him
.’ Letters & papers of Sir Thomas Byam Martin, I, pp.43 – 44. Riou was killed in 1801 at the Battle of Copenhagen, cut in two by round shot.
Shortly to inherit a Baronetcy and change his name to Harry Burrard Neale.
The Third Mysore War 1789 – 1792.
This could obviously have been a euphemism, but the journal gives no suggestion that this was the case.
See, for example, Anselm Griffiths,
Observations on Some Points of Seamanship with Practical Hints on Naval Economy
, 1828.
For a comparative view on the degree of autonomy which should be given to the First Lieutenant of a frigate, it is worth looking at the Standing Orders issued by Moore’s friend , Edward Riou, when he was captain of the
Amazon
. See B Lavery, Ed.,
Shipboard Life and Organisation 1731 – 1815,
NRS, 1998, pp.127 – 129.
This was a levy, which appears to have been charged on the merchants of Newfoundland for the presence of naval vessels deployed to protect their interest.
Which was manned by the 4th Regiment.
In fact Moore was ignoring the fact that Maude had been promoted to the rank of Post Captain in 1790 and was, therefore, significantly senior to him.
The French government formally declared war on both the British and the Dutch on 1 February, but Murray’s Squadron does not seem to have been immediately aware of this.
Thomas Maxtone was promoted to Commander in February 1796, but was drowned in the following September when his brig sloop, the
Bermuda
, disappeared without trace in the Gulf of Florida. It was assumed that she must have foundered.
i.e. a 32-gun frigate.
See James,
A Naval History of Great Britain
, Vol I, p.110.
Edwards never fully recovered. He was promoted to the Rank of Commander in June 1795, and died as a result of the long-term effects of his wound in January 1823, the same month in which Brenton’s accusation was published.
Clerk’s work was published in 1782.
Presumably Moore means ‘on the quarterdeck’ here.
Marshall, Vol 2, p.195.
See Lyon
, Sailing Navy List
, pp.149 – 150.
See Hepper,
British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650 – 1859,
p.78
.
Despite some effort in trying to identify the object of Moore’s passion, I have been unsuccessful. There are a number of clues to her identity but these are inconclusive. Tantalizingly, in January 1796, Col. John Moore wrote two letters to his mother in which Graham is referred to in connection with the youngest daughter of the Minchin family who were, on that occasion, visiting Newport on the Isle of Wight. It is possible, therefore, that Miss Minchin was Moore’s ‘secret’ love.
This explanatory comment suggests that Moore did intend that his journal should be read by others at a later point.
See Duffy,
Soldiers, Sugar and Seapower
, p.106 et seq.
The action took place on 13 June. See James Vol I, p.369.
Susan Gordon, daughter of the Duke of Gordon. She had married William Montagu, Duke of Manchester, in 1783.
Moore is referring to the engagement with the French private frigate
Citoyenne-Francais
in 1793. See James, Vol I, p.101.
Melampus
,
Diamond
,
Syren
and the sloop
Cynthia
were all present during this capture.
There is a discrepancy here with the punishments recorded in the First Lieutenant’s log. According to this, two men were punished on 7 September for drunkenness, but no more after that until 10 October when the marine Henry Sillard received twelve lashes for insolence. It seems quite probable that the First Lieutenant wrote up his logbook at some period after the events recorded – and that he was unable to recall the punishments accurately.
The battle took place on 14 February 1797, but Moore doesn’t refer to it until around 17 March.
In fact, almost by the time that news had reached London, John Moore had been struck down with a much more severe attack of the fever, and had to be invalided home.
That is, goods or provisions belonging to the royal party.
This could have been meant literally. All of Moore’s money at this time was in public funds.
James,
Naval History
, Vol II, p.103.
Moore used the term ‘civil war’ in his journal – which suggests that this was the phrase used by the Master of the Irish vessel.
Moore subsequently learned that this included the 100th Regiment.
i.e. from the
Endymion
.
It is worth noting that, rather cleverly, by referring to the victim of the abuse in this way, Moore had cleared him of any suspicion of ‘telling tales’.
Here, as on so many other occasions, Moore was prophetic without really seeing the irony of his remarks.
i.e. Whitehouse Bay.
Dr Johnson had accused Macpherson of being a charlatan in his
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
, published in 1753. Macpherson died in 1796 without ever really refuting Johnson’s claim – which in a sense would have been impossible.
Curiously, Moore’s thoughts had turned to Nelson just five days after the Battle of the Nile had taken place.
Lord Ranelagh, The Hon. Charles Jones (1), was the eldest son of the Irish 4th Viscount Ranelagh.
i.e. sailing as close as possible towards the wind.
i.e. sailing with the wind from nearer the stern.
The force consisted of four frigates under the command of Commodore Daniel Savary. See Laird Clowes,
The Royal Navy
, Vol IV, pp.343 – 344.
The force actually consisted of a 74 and nine frigates. They sailed from Brest on 16 September, but were shadowed by a frigate squadron under the command of Richard Goodwin Keats in the
Boadicea
. See Laird Clowes, Vol IV, p.345.
The Franco-Irish force under General Humbert defeated Hutchinson’s much smaller force on 27 August. Hutchinson’s force consisted largely of militia, who lacked the spirit of the small but well disciplined body of French troops.
This was erroneous, as Savary’s squadron returned to Brest without hindrance.
This was possibly the Third Lieutenant, Cuthbert Ellison. He was never promoted to Commander, and died in 1801.
An Authentic Account of An Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China
, published in 1797.
Humbert had not received the support he had expected from the Irish, and by the time he reached Ballinamuck, his army was down to less than about 2,000 men. He was surrounded, and after a brief engagement, surrendered honourably to vastly overwhelming forces.
For a full account of Warren’s action, see James, Vol II, pp.139 – 163.
For a more detailed explanation of this see Wareham.,
The Star Captains
, Chapter 2.
Actually a pretty good £65,000 at modern-day prices.
Moore strikes an almost sarcastic note at this point because the
Nymphe
and
Melpomene
, simply by being in sight, could claim a share of the prize money. This was a common bugbear among frigate captains who had fought hard actions only to see another English ship turn up at the last moment. See for example the engagement between the
Amethyst
and the French frigate
Niemen
. See Wareham,
The Star Captains
, pp.186 – 192.
Thomas Grenville, Statesman, and brother of William Windham Grenville, the Foreign Secretary.
In fact the rumour was worse than the truth. The
Proserpine
was indeed wrecked, on 1 February 1799, near the Island of Neuwerk. After attempts to save the ship had been foiled because the ship was surrounded by ice, the 187 men, women and children on board set off to walk six miles across the ice to the island. All but fourteen made it to safety. See Hepper,
British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail,
p.90.
