repeat his signals, keeping my flag flying while in presence of the enemy. Given on board the Victory, at sea, the 1st of January, 1796. To Robert Calder, Esq., First Capt. of H.M.S. Victory, Capt. of the Fleet, &c., &c. J. JERVIS. By command of the Admiral, Not to be opened till the flag, half white, half black, i.e., the white stripe uppermost, is hoisted on board the Admiral, that the commander-inchief is slain or disabled from continuing the command. The commander in the second post is to take upon himself the command and government of the fleet, although the flag of the commander-in-chief remains flying. To Vice-Admirals J. JERVIS. Sir Hyde Parker, Robert Linzee, Esq. Secret instructions to the same effect were repeated to Sir William Parker, and Sir Roger Curtis, 1st June, 1798. CHAPTER VII. Value and interest of real Letters-Beneficial change in Dock yard Regulations-Letters to Commissioner Coffin-Duties of Naval Commissioner not well defined-The office under that name discontinued To Rear-Admiral Mann-To Consul Udney-To the Right Hon. William Wyndham-To Chevalier Acton-To Sir William Hamilton-To the Right Hon. William Wyndham-To the same— To Consul Udney-To Sir Gilbert Elliot, afterwards Lord MintoTo Commodore Nelson-To Consul Gregory-To the Viceroy of Corsica To Nelson-To Consul Gregory-To Mr. Wyndham-To Sir William Hamilton. We now arrive at that period of Sir John Jervis's career when his own letters may be made the medium of recording and illustrating his various public acts and operations-a medium which it would be well if the biographers of really distinguished men like him would oftener and more copiously use, in place of their own crude, or flat, or inefficient relations. To readers who are qualified to appreciate and benefit by works of the class to which this aspires to belong-works which, if they are not history themselves, furnish the best materials for it- there is nothing so acceptable as the actual letters which have emanated from the hand of the party treated of, at the very moment when the subject of them was present to his thoughts. They render all second-hand relations insipid by comparison, even when (as may be deemed the case with a few of the following) the topics themselves may be of minor importance. The following letter to Commissioner Coffin shows the great inconvenience to which the service was exposed, by the commissioners in the dock yards, especially on foreign stations, having a power and control over the king's stores, quite independent of the commandersin-chief of the fleet. The new arrangementby which the person having charge of the naval arsenal is a flag-officer, generally subordinate to the one holding the chief command-has entirely obviated that serious hindrance to the service; and the union of the official duties relating to the same subject at home, under one head at Somerset House, will, I hope, be found conducive to the same excellent purpose. A bill was brought into Parliament by Sir James Graham, when first lord of the Admiralty, in 1834-5, by which the Navy Board was done away with altogether, and the office taken into the hands of the Board of Admiralty. My dear Sir, To Commissioner Coffin. Victory, off Toulon, 1st Jan., 1796. I accept your assurance of not intending to offer any personal incivility to me, in the opposition you give to the measures I have directed as essentially necessary to carry on the public service, under the peculiar circumstances of the war, and the critical situation of the island of Corsica; but unless you relax in your determination not to accommodate any other branch, particularly that of the hospital, where I hope your humanity will interpose, I do not see the possibility of going on. With respect to the Temeraire, I have written to the Admiralty that she should be ordered to Ajaccio, to be equipped under your direction, in a manner suitable to the importance of the object. L'Eloise would have been appointed, had not this purchase been made; so that I consider the equipment of her, to all intents and purposes, as a ship of his Majesty. In this instance, a war with Algiers may be occasioned by any delay. I therefore request you will reconsider my application, and pay attention. to it. Captain Calder had written details relative to the store-ships, before the Gibraltar communicated with us, the object of which is to have one of his Majesty's store-ships, with an assortment of stores adapted to our wants at sea, prepared to cruise with us; another to be placed at San Fiorenzo, and a third at Ajaccio; it appearing to me very dangerous to deposit them on shore; and this distribution will best answer the exigencies of the fleet. To show how extremely desirous I am to take every transaction which happened at Corsica in good part, I make no observation upon the manner of expelling the hospital stores from the seminary; being convinced you acted from principle, although your zeal may have produced some impropriety in the conduct of those who carried your orders into execution. Allow me to repeat the anxious concern I feel for the safety of your person, and to express a hope that you will not put it to the hazard of a Be assured I am, Corsican shot. Very sincerely your's, VOL. I. J. JERVIS. M |