Frigate Commander (9 page)

Regardless of the situation abroad, the
Orestes
had her own duty to perform, and Moore soon took her out once again, to patrol along the Dorset coast. They searched a number of suspicious vessels and

saw lights along shore towards Lulworth, which I believed were signals to some Smuggling vessels expected on the coast; I therefore sent away three boats well manned and armed under the command of the 1st, 2nd and acting Lieutenants, who rowed all night to intercept any vessels which might attempt to run in for the shore. Yesterday morning they returned having seen nothing of what they were on the look out for.

Unperturbed by this lack of success, Moore anchored again at Portland, where his curiosity took him on a long walk to the ancient Iron Age fortification of Maiden Castle,

which is said to be the completest Roman Fortification in England. It is about a mile on this side of Dorchester, situated upon a hill, and surrounded by a triple ditch and rampart of great depth and height. I could only observe one entrance which is on the east side. I always thought the Roman Camps had four gates but this station is said to have been altered by the Saxons. There is a curious remnant of Antiquity, about 1/2 a mile nearer to Dorchester, called Mambury, which is said to have been a Roman Amphitheatre, I examined it, it stands close to the high road from Weymouth, is of a circular form with one entrance, it did not by any means answer my ideas of a Roman amphitheatre. I could see nothing but a thick earthen wall surrounding about an acre of level ground. There are no remains of any building. I think it well calculated for a Rural place of exercise, as a great number of people might stand on the high bank or wall and perfectly well see whatever was performing within the circle. I wonder the Boxers have never pitched upon it for the scene of their exploits, it would answer their purpose admirably well.

Now that Moore had his own – albeit temporary – command, he could take his own turn at trying to impress his friends. He decided to invite his patron, the Duke of Hamilton, to join him for a cruise. However, no sooner did he receive confirmation that the Duke had accepted the invitation, than he began to have second thoughts:

I have so pimping a cabin, that it was a bold step in me to ask the Duke to go out with me; indeed I would not have done it had I not known that he hates pomp and despises smugness and as I have the warmest affection for him, and know that he loves the sea and is partial to Sailors, I have some hopes of contributing to his health and amusement.

The Duke of Hamilton arrived at Weymouth on 19 April with his two servants, and was welcomed on board the
Orestes
with a salute of
‘the usual’
number of guns. Unfortunately, the weather promptly turned very rough and although the Duke suffered no ill effects, the two servants were
‘perfectly miserable the whole time’.
As the weather worsened, Moore put into Spithead for shelter and whilst there an unfortunate incident forced him to delay any planned departure. It is once again an indication of the interest that Moore took in his crew that he should have recorded the details so deliberately in his journal.

Whilst anchored at Spithead, Peter Gordon, Boatswain’s Mate, was permitted to go on shore to visit his wife.
³⁰
Deciding to bring her out to visit the
Orestes
, he went to hire a boat from the hard at Portsmouth. There he was approached by two watermen, who offered to ferry them both out to the ship in their wherry for a shilling. Gordon said that he would give them no more than 3d (
thruppence
, or three old pence) for the trip and the two watermen agreed. However, half way to the ship they suddenly returned to their original demand for a shilling and repeated this again on arrival at the side of the
Orestes
. Gordon refused, proffering the agreed 3d, at which the watermen attacked him, striking him with one of the sculls and beating him severely. Carried on board the ship, Gordon was treated by two surgeons both of whom declared his life to be in danger, and Moore had to send him on shore to the naval hospital (where, happily, he later recovered). Positively incensed, Moore had the two watermen arrested and committed to prison. He then reported the matter to the Port Admiral who, in turn, passed the matter to the Admiralty. The Admiralty solicitor then prosecuted the accused men on a charge of assault and intent to murder but the trial jury refused to accept the accusation of murderous intent. Moore was furious:
‘The circumstances of this outrage were of so villainous a nature that I wonder how they
[the jury]
could act with so little candour.’
In fact, he learned the reason when he next put into port and found, to his disgust, that the two watermen were finally acquitted at the following Quarter sessions
‘to the astonishment of every person in the Court’
, when the jury stated that they could not believe the evidence of the witnesses. The real reason was, in fact, that two members of the jury were in the business of leasing wherries to watermen, and they were therefore acting in their own interest in protecting the accused.

When Moore took the
Orestes
to sea again, he had on board not only the Duke, but also Captain Charles Hamilton with whom Moore had served much earlier in his career. He decided to head for Guernsey where they dined with the Governor, enjoying his excellent claret ‘
which we all did justice to’.
Dinner almost certainly involved a discussion on the current state of Europe for Moore could not see how Britain could avoid being drawn into a war:

I am one of those who rejoice in the downfall of Arbitrary power in France, but I by no means go along with those men who wish to make Revolutions in Great Britain ...

Moore was consistent in his belief that the English constitution had advantages which

... are the effect [result] of old custom and habit which have changed the real essences although the nominal are preserved. I think that we are as free as possible, consistent with security, in fact, although not in appearance.

After dinner, regardless of the claret, Moore returned to the ship knowing that the Guernsey road
‘... is a very wild one ...’
where ships were known to drag their anchors and be lost during storms.

A week later, to the sound of a 15-gun salute, Moore landed the Duke and Captain Hamilton back at Weymouth, where they picked up the Duke’s carriage, hoping to make Salisbury before nightfall. Moore then sailed back round the Solent to Lymington where a boat landed him near Sir Harry Burrard’s estate at Walhampton;
‘Sir Harry’s seat is a fine one, laid out with great care, and trouble, but in poor taste’.
Over dinner, Burrard announced that he intended to resume command of the
Orestes
in three to four weeks’ time. Any disappointment Moore experienced at this news was offset by a letter awaiting him at Portsmouth; William Elliott, the commander of the
Bonetta
, had written to say that poor health was forcing him to apply to the Admiralty to be superseded, and that Moore might want to apply for the command. The
Bonetta
was a 14-gun sloop built at Perry’s Yard at Blackwall on the Thames in 1779 and was smaller than the
Orestes
, but she would be a permanent command. In no time Moore had dispatched a letter to the First Lord and seemingly also to the Duke of Hamilton for on 25 May, he heard from his mother that the Duke had received a letter from Lord Chatham confirming his appointment to the
Bonetta
. The
Bonetta
was bound for the Newfoundland station.

5

Newfoundland (May – November 1792)

On receiving confirmation of his new appointment, Moore immediately travelled to London to convey his thanks to the First Lord and express his contentment with the Newfoundland station. Once back at Portsmouth, he received a request from Elliott that he retain two of the eight Midshipmen currently serving on board the
Bonetta
. It was the first time that Moore had to solve the tricky issue of returning favours by giving employment to other men’s protégés whilst simultaneously trying to help his own:

I must get rid of three or four of them to make room for my own friends;
and at the same time he was beset by his usual distress at leaving England:
I am now in all the dismals of parting from the dearest friends I have upon earth, this is a distress incident to my profession, which I never can be so hardened to, as not to feel a great depression of spirits for several days after it takes place.

His feelings were exacerbated by the fact that he had again seen the two Dennison girls and had formed something of an attachment for the younger of the two, though this was not to last. But

Now I must return to my old Mistress the Sea with a heavy heart, which I struggle to cheer by the consideration that I am doing what is right.

On 1 June 1792, Moore went on board the
Bonetta
, and read his commission. As a commanding officer he now had a servant, whom he described as
‘a mere boy’
and who was too inexperienced to assist him with fitting his mess and preparing for the voyage to Newfoundland. Once the formalities of introductions and settling in to his new cabin had been accomplished, he had time to take stock of his situation:

It will be some time before I find myself quite at home here, both officers and men are entire strangers to me; all this will come round by degrees.

It was a feeling experienced by all new commanders arriving in their ship for the first time. Happily he had been able to resolve the dilemma about the Midshipmen. Two had requested a transfer into other ships. He had meant to discharge a third, but had agreed to retain him on the proviso that the young gentleman’s friends persuaded Captain Gower of the
Lion
(74) to take

young Perkins who was under my care in the
Adamant
; they have succeeded far beyond my hopes, for Captn Gower very handsomely told me to send for him when I thought proper, that he would rate him Midshipman, and give him a month’s leave to go and see his friends.

On Perkins’ arrival at Portsmouth, Moore, who was delighted to have been able to get his protégé taken by Gower, took him on board the
Lion
and introduced him to his new commanding officer. The arrangement meant that Moore was able to satisfy his own interests and retain all of the remaining Midshipmen appointed by Elliott. This was a handsome return of favour, though only time would reveal their quality.

Before three weeks had passed, Moore was beginning to feel more at home:

June 17. I begin to feel myself rather more chez moi; The Officers I think well of, and the men seem to be of the right sort. I shall be glad when our Orders arrive; the sea will roll and toss us together presently.

On the following day, however, one of the more unpleasant responsibilities of command presented itself in unwelcome fashion. One of the
Bonetta
’s lieutenants arrived on board with a man who had deserted the ship before Moore’s arrival. He had been one of the ship’s Quartermasters and was reportedly ‘
a good seaman
’. Moore questioned the man and found that he could give no real reason for deserting, but that having stayed on shore a certain time beyond his leave, he had become afraid to return for fear of the retribution which would follow. The ship’s complement was already now complete as the man had been replaced, so he could no longer be admitted onto the ship’s books. Uncertain how to deal with the dilemma, Moore went to see Sir Andrew Hammond, to explain that although it might be necessary to punish the man for desertion, he would happily enter such a good hand on the ship’s books; he certainly did not want to risk the severity of a court martial. The Admiral suggested that another, less valuable hand be discharged into the frigate
Iphigenia
, thus enabling Moore to retain the ex-Quartermaster. Thus far, Moore was satisfied, but he now had to see punishment carried out. As he had previously noted in his journal, he knew that one of the first tasks of a new commanding officer was, from the outset, to establish a tangible sense of discipline on the ship. The Quartermaster had to be punished as an example both of the severity with which the crime was regarded according to the Articles of War, and of the new Commander’s determination to establish order on board his ship. Moore’s loathing of the event is unquestionable:

This morning I had to commence the shocking and revolting business of flogging, by giving this man two dozen lashes, which, much against my nature, I saw severely inflicted.

It was perhaps of the greatest significance that, at the time Moore had to oversee the first punishment on board his first real command – involving a crew that his own behaviour, abilities and personality would help mould – he should give more than usual thought to the power and responsibility vested in him as ruler of his ship. One thing that he regarded as vital was his ability to control his anger. It was an ability in which many officers failed completely, resulting in an increasing spiral of punishment on board increasingly unhappy ships with deeply resentful crews. The more enlightened officers were already learning of the need to control their feelings,
³¹
and ensure there was a cooling off period before reacting to a misdemeanour. Moore recorded in his journal a telling memory of an incident which had occurred whilst he was a Lieutenant on board the
Perseus
. One day he had been supervising the reefing of the ship’s topsails and had become