Frigate Commander (5 page)

I was not much edified by the conversation which entirely turned upon trifles. I believe I may say with certainty that from dinner being taken off the table, until tea, the subject never changed from dogs except once when I made an unsuccessful attempt to introduce ships. After supper a dispute arose on the different modes of shaving; I discovered from the infinite weight Mr Robert Drummond laid on every minute circumstance of this operation that he might be rendered the most wretched of mankind by any mistake of his valet.

Moore returned to the
Dido
to await the outcome of his discussion with Philip Stephens. Meanwhile there was much work to be done on the frigate and Moore took a close interest in the way that Sandys managed both ship and crew. Shortly before, the frigate had been supplied with spare fore and main topmasts, and Sandys reasoned that it would be better to try these out while the ship was at anchor, rather than find them unsuitable on a critical occasion at sea. There may have been another reason; Sandys may rather cleverly have thought of this exercise as something to occupy the hands and minds of a bored ship’s company.

14 Jan 1788. We began at half past seven in the morning and we had the top gallant masts fidded before three o’clock in the afternoon and we gave them [the crew] their full time to breakfast and dinner at the usual hours. I think this was pretty well done with a new ship’s company who do not as yet know one another. One thing gives me great pleasure, which is that we have had no punishment inflicted since the ship has been in commission, neither has there been any relaxation in the discipline. I must except two fellows who were guilty of an unnatural crime, and who were detected very soon after the ship was put in commission and were kept in irons upwards of a month and at last punished with a dozen lashes each, they were then put in one of the boats and an opportunity given them to desert which (in consequence of frequent broad hints that such a step would be highly satisfactory to the Officers) they accordingly did. This was a most disagreeable affair, there was no doubt of the fact as they themselves confessed, mutually accusing each other of enticing. Had I been Captain of the ship I would have turned them both ashore’.
²¹

Whilst homosexual activity was not unknown in the navy, it was not common – or at least it was not frequently either reported or recorded. There was little privacy in a ship of war, so it would have been highly unlikely that anyone practicing what Moore termed
‘unnatural acts’
would have been undetected for long. Furthermore, Sandys’ treatment of those involved in homosexual activity is actually not uncommon. Many officers, who had the issue brought to their attention, were shocked, then embarrassed and uncertain what to do with the culprits. A dozen lashes was probably a rather lenient punishment at the time, and Sandys, like those other Commanders who had to deal with the issue, found the simplest solution was to get rid of the men involved – thus getting rid of the problem.

At the end of January 1788, Sandys received orders to fit out the frigate for foreign service. Moore decided to wait no longer. He wrote directly to Philip Stephens asking to be superseded and his request was granted. Once again, Moore returned to the family house in Clifford Street and found himself kicking his heels and occupying himself partly in reading
‘and a great deal in what may be called doing nothing’.
He also attended debates in the House of Commons where he followed political events and anything that related to the Royal Navy. Like other officers, he also paid close attention to the by-election for the constituency of Westminster, when Lord Townshend was returned, beating Admiral Lord Hood. This election aroused particular naval interest, for

During his election many battles were fought between the Irish Chairmen on the party of Lord John Townshend, and a body of sailors from Wapping on the side of Lord Hood. I believe the sailors were on every occasion beat.

Moore followed the street battles with particular interest. The London chairmen, or carmen, were physically very strong, whereas the sailors were generally from merchant vessels in the river, and were unable to match the physical abilities of their opponents. Furthermore, the chairmen, knowing the London streets well, were able to ambush the groups of enthusiastic seamen at every turn. This was made especially easy, as the sailors were quickly recognizable from their mode of dress, whereas the chairmen tended to blend with the ordinary populace.

Moore’s professional awareness also noted a couple of other factors: the sailors’ ability to fight often suffered because they were quite often drunk; and, because they came from a wide number of different ships, they lacked coordination and were unknown to each other. He doubted if the carmen would have had the upper hand if they had encountered fifty sailors drawn from a single ship. This though, could not have effected the outcome of the election. Moore thought he knew the reason for that!

There is not a doubt of the very great influence of the houses of Cavendish, Russell, Bentinck and some others, those three are particularly important from the great property they possess in, and about London, as the Metropolis no doubt leads in a great degree the rest of the country. But the voice of the people in the great trading and manufacturing towns, such as the City of London, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow etc, I think will be less influenced, from their dependence resting on that which no Nobleman can give or take away – I mean foreign trade. The shop keepers about Westminster were really afraid to vote any other way than one, for fear of losing the custom of those overgrown families.’

Shortly after, Moore learned that Captain Cornwallis had been ordered to take a squadron out to the East Indies and he hurriedly applied for an appointment, only to be told that he was too late; the squadron’s Lieutenants had already been selected. Moore’s only recourse was to appeal to his patron, the Duke of Hamilton, who arranged a meeting with the new First Lord of the Admiralty, the Earl of Chatham. The First Lord was affable but non-committal. Moore could only wait, for in truth he was only one of a vast number of unemployed naval officers whose prospects were bleak unless another war broke out. Still kicking his heels, his attention was caught by an advertisement in one of the London papers during the first week in November, inviting naval lieutenants to assemble at the Cannon Coffee House for

a meeting for the purpose of taking into consideration a plan for procuring an augmentation of their pay.

This seems to have been something of a radical step, and although Moore supported the cause he was wary. Nevertheless, curiosity drove him to walk past the Cannon Coffee House at the time the meeting was taking place and, being recognized, he was obliged to enter. The meeting did not allay his fears:

I own I do not wish to put myself forward amongst a small number, as I see no good purpose it could effect immediately to myself, on the contrary my name being brought forward as an agitator might very possibly hurt me, I therefore certainly had I known what was going on would not have entered the room; but after I was in, I must have appeared ill affected to their cause had I left the room. I therefore remained. Some resolutions were proposed, amongst others a form of memorial to the Earl of Chatham setting forth the case of the lieutenants, and soliciting his countenance to their petition.

It was also proposed that letters should be addressed to the lieutenants of ships lying at the various ports around the coast, inviting them all to attend a larger meeting in a month’s time. This was generally endorsed and when it was proposed that the names of those present should be listed,
‘... I did not hesitate to set my name down with the rest’.
However, he was alarmed that his involvement might be misconstrued and privately resolved not to attend the next meeting which, he reasoned, would do just as well in his absence.

The fact that the Lieutenants’ plan is not mentioned again suggests that it did not get much further. In fact, Moore’s attention was soon drawn elsewhere by the news that the King was ill. Moore, like many other naval personnel, was particularly interested because it was widely believed that the King’s death would lead to the collapse of the government and such

... a change would be fatal to my present views in the Navy, as my friends are for the most part attached to Mr Pitt.

Even when it became clear that the King’s illness was mental rather than physiological, Moore felt his future threatened:

I am much afraid that the King’s illness will ruin the chance I had of going out in a Flag ship early in the Spring, as in case of a Regent, a total change of Administration seems inevitable.

As the crisis rolled on, Moore continued to fret about his career, fearing that he was beginning to get out of touch:

I begin to think that I ought to be at sea again. A man ought to be knowing in his profession. Theory, in order to be useful, should be accompanied by Practice ... A Sea officer should not be long out of employment, or he is apt to acquire rust.

Yet at the same time he was afraid of weaknesses in his own character which could retard his professional advance:

I am very apt to be diffident of my own abilities, and have always a fear of not acquitting myself well, it is a melancholy thing that this fear does not spur me on to the greatest exertion; but indolence is the bane of many a man possessed of a tolerable share of good qualities.

Then, on 10 February, came news that he had been hoping for; he was appointed Second Lieutenant of the 50-gun
Adamant
, which was currently fitting out at Sheerness. It took him several weeks to assemble all of the clothing and equipment that he needed, but on 2 March he travelled down to Chatham and dined with the ship’s Third Lieutenant, William Hope, who was to become a firm friend. The following day the two Lieutenants took a boat down river to join the ship. Sheerness was not a popular port, as many officers were to comment over the following years. Its facilities were poor and the town was regarded as unhealthy. Moore found it depressing and referred to it as
‘this wretched place’
. The
Adamant
was soon joined by her new commander, Captain Knox, and men were subsequently arriving to form the crew. But there was nothing for them to do and Moore soon found himself getting homesick, even though he was not far from home.

Then, on 14 March, came devastating news. Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, his patron and imminent commanding officer, had died suddenly of ‘
apoplexy’
²²
in Edinburgh. Moore was stunned:

I never met a sea officer who gave me the idea of being possessed of half his science; and independent of the loss I sustain in being deprived of such a friend, I believe I should, by sailing with him, have acquired much useful knowledge in my profession which now I am not so likely to obtain. His death is certainly a National calamity.

The problem was that whoever replaced Douglas would probably demand his own choice of Flag Captain and Lieutenants – or at least their own First Lieutenant. He could only wait and see what happened. Meanwhile he was having to sleep in an uncomfortable cabin in the sheer hulk and he was desperate for a break. When Grosvenor, the ship’s First Lieutenant, suddenly arrived one evening to relieve him, Moore set off immediately for London. A longboat from the
Scipio
was leaving Sheerness for Chatham that night and, requesting a ride, Moore landed at Chatham at one o’clock in the morning. It being a fine spring night, Moore decided that rather than try to find accommodation at this late hour, he would set off for London – on foot! It was a long and not altogether easy walk, especially as parts of the road had been the haunt of highwaymen and were infamous for footpads.

I was rather afraid for the first four hours as the road between Chatham and London, by Gravesend, is sometimes dangerous, however I walked unmolested to London, where I arrived at ten in the morning ...

an extraordinary feat for even a young naval officer.

Eight days later, Moore returned to Sheerness by boat. His stay in London, however, had been very useful, for at a ball at the Pantheon, given by White’s Club, Moore had met Lord Chatham, First Lord of the Admiralty. Chatham informed him that Admiral Sir Richard Hughes was appointed to replace Douglas but that Moore need not worry because he would particularly recommend the Lieutenant to the newly appointed Admiral. However, Moore still had qualms.

I was at that time rather uneasy, as I knew that Sir Richard Hughes had a son whom he wished to have promoted from the situation of a midshipman to a lieutenancy in the
Adamant
: and I was under some apprehension, that, he might stand between me and the only chance I at present have of promotion. My father had an opportunity of speaking to Lord Chatham, soon after I came to Town: his Lordship assured him that I should remain in exactly the same situation as if Sir Charles had lived, and that I was certainly the second on the station for promotion.

Moore’s fears were justified, but not in the way that he had anticipated. Sir Richard Hughes’ choice for First Lieutenant of the
Adamant
was the Hon. Henry Curzon, son of Lord Scarsdale. Moore was flabbergasted because Curzon was junior to him on the Lieutenants List. Dr Moore was sent hurriedly to the Admiralty to seek an explanation. The Admiral, it was discovered, had assured the First Lord that Moore was junior to Curzon. In fact there was a Lieutenant Moore who was lower on the list, but it was not Graham Moore. Chatham was deeply embarrassed and immediately offered to rescind Curzon’s appointment. However, at this stage the influence of a very pragmatic mind asserted itself. Henry Curzon was known to the Moore family and well liked, added to which he was a very fine officer. Having his appointment revoked would benefit nobody and could make life difficult for Graham who would be serving on Sir Richard Hughes’ flagship. Agreeing to let the appointment stand would, on the other hand, implicitly put the First Lord in Moore’s debt – albeit in a very modest way. With this resolution, Moore’s position on the
Adamant
was also secured, and on the last day of May 1789, she slipped from her moorings and set sail for Nova Scotia.