I have issued my private commands to the officer, under whose orders you will be placed, that all distinction of rank shall be waived, and that the title of Prince be lost in the common name of the sailor. In presenting you with this book, I consider it the best gift which a father can make to a son, in the situation in which you are about to be placed; in the midst of the dangers by which you will be surrounded, place your confidence in that God who can rule the tempest, and turn the sword of the enemy from you. You will, I fear, meet with many, who will turn your pious devotions into ridicule, but be not diverted by their sneers, from the performance of your duty to your God, and rest assured, you will thereby gain the respect and esteem of your superiors, and what you will find still more valuable to you, you will enjoy the consciousness of inward piety and rectitude, and which will carry you through the hour of trial and danger, with cheerfulness and composure. Now, go, my son, may the God of battles be with you, and should it please him to return you safe to the arms of your parents, may they receive you without a stain upon your honour-may you return to them an ornament to the glorious profession to which you are about to belong, and it will be a proud day in the life of your father, if by your courage and your skill, you may have contributed to the defeat of the enemies of your country, and to the security of your father's Crown."

It was on the 15th of June 1779 that Prince William was rated as a midshipman on board the Prince George of 98, guns then bearing the flag of Rear Admiral Digby at Spithead. With the view of removing from his mind as much as possible, all idea of the superiority of his rank, his equipment was rather of a secondary character, than such as might be supposed to be furnished to a son of the King of England. The ridiculous foppery of a court dress, was laid aside for the plain blue jacket and trowsers of the sailor, and the little three cornered cocked hat was abandoned for the slouched low crowned hat of a member of a middy's cabin. To say that Prince William expressed at first any particular pleasure at the situation in which he found himself, contrasting it as he did with the

royal splendour which he had just quitted, were to give him credit for a greater share of professional enthusiasm, than in reality belonged to him, or which could be expected from him. The transition from a power of command, to a state of the most unlimited obedience, from the power of control, to a station of direct submission, was too sudden to be immediately relished by a youth, who though possessing one of the principal requisites for his profession, namely courage, had in secret, argued the point with himself, touching the necessity of his entering a profession at all, considering the prospects which his rank in life held out to him. There is however one anecdote related of him, on his introduction into the midshipman's cabin, which shows that he had treasured up the counsels of his father, and that he was determined to act in conformity with them. Being seated at the midshipman's table, the youngsters of it did not know how to address him. Although they knew him to be a son of the King of England, yet there was a spirit of independence about them, which would not let them look upon him in any other light than their equal, subject in every respect to the same duties as themselves, and his superiors in rank according to the date of their commissions. There was something in the title of "your Royal Highness" too high sounding for them, and one of them, possessing a little more effrontery than the others, asked him "by what name he was rated in the books?" "I am entered," replied the royal youth, "as Prince William Henry, but my father's name is Guelph, and therefore if you please, you may call me William Guelph, for I am nothing more than a sailor like yourselves." This trait of affability gained him the esteem of his youthful associates, nor did he by any after-conduct ever forfeit it.

Another anecdote that is related of the young Prince, is strongly corroborative of his natural generosity, and highmindedness. A quarrel once arose between him and a brother midshipman; high words passed between the parties, till at length the Prince's opponent, losing all command of his temper, struck the Prince a severe blow on the face. He was a weak,

delicate boy, considerably younger than William Henry, so that retaliation would have been perfectly safe. But his Royal Highness with that patient forbearance, which characterized his after life, scorned to take advantage of a circumstance like this. While his youthful companions were standing round in mute expectation, some hoping for, others dreading an affray, the insulted Prince calmly observed, that he was quite sure his friend would speedily regret having been guilty of conduct so ungentlemanly, and that, therefore, he was content to wait for an apology till his passion had subsided. As the courage of the young Prince was beyond question, and his superiority over his antagonist in personal strength most manifest, joined to the fact, that the quarrel had been none of his seeking, this could not fail to excite the admiration, and call for the applause of the juvenile heroes, who are not slow to appreciate, however, backward they may be to imitate an example of generous forbearance. The offender whose principal fault was an infirmity of temper, was so moved at the noble conduct of the Prince, that he instantly asked pardon for his rashness, and the affair was apparently forgotten.

Many years afterwards, we believe about the time that his Royal Highness was appointed Lord High Admiral, the quondam midshipman, whose promotion had not kept pace with his merit, chanced to come in contact with his royal shipmate, On hearing his name, his Royal Highness instantly inquired whether he was not the hero of the scene which we have just described, and on being answered in the affirmative, his Royal Highness with great good humour referred to the particulars of the occurrence, and from that day to the day of his death, his youthful foe never wanted a friend. The illustrious benefactor, and the grateful object of his bounty, have now alike yielded to the last mortal enemy; but the memory of them. lives after them.

A few days after Prince William was received on board the Prince George, she weighed anchor for Torbay, there to join the channel fleet under the command of Sir Charles Hardy. The whole was then to sail to the westward, with the

view of preventing the French and Spanish squadrons from forming a junction. In this, however, as has been previously mentioned, they did not succeed. The enemy being then nearly double in the number of their ships, and relying on their superiority, vauntingly crossed the channel and came in sight of Plymouth, just as a convoy of stores was entering the harbour from Portsmouth. From some reason, which was never properly explained, the enemy did not molest the convoy, but permitted it to pass into the Sound without the slightest molestation. The whole coast was in a state of alarm, and it was confidently expected that Plymouth would be taken by surprise, as at that time it was in a very bad state of defence. The enemy were at one time close in shore, and so much did the beauty of Mount Edgecumbe strike the Spanish admiral, that he declared he should claim it as his part of the prize, if they succeeded in carrying the town.

The gasconading of a Spaniard is proverbial, and put a Spaniard and a Frenchman together, and they will conquer the whole world, if boasting could assist them in the achievement. Plymouth was already in the possession of the Frenchman, and the Spaniard was comfortably and nobly domiciled at Mount Edgecumbe; but they knew that Sir Charles Hardy was at sea, and they also saw the fortifications of Plymouth bristling with cannon, ready to pour out their contents upon the invading ships, and judging that they should most probably place themselves between two fires, they very prudently resolved not to expose themselves to any fire at all, and sheered off down the channel, to the great astonishment and satisfaction of the garrison and inhabitants of Plymouth.

On the arrival of the Prince George at Plymouth, she was placed under the command of Admiral Rodney, Admiral Digby's division being about to be sent with other vessels to throw supplies into Gibraltar, the whole being under the command of Admiral Rodney, as Commander-in-Chief.

During the stay of the Prince George at Plymouth, Prince William paid a visit to his royal parents at Windsor, a measure that by no means met with general approbation, and was

considered by the youthful associates of the Prince as an act of favouritism not exactly consistent with the rules and discipline of the navy. The necessity of the step was by no means apparent, and as for the expediency of it, it was a very questionable point. The circumstance of leave of absence being about the same time refused to another midshipman, whose father had just died, occasioned no little ill blood in the cock-pit of the Prince George, and the royal midshipman came in for no little share of the irony and ridicule of his messmates in going to see his mother, at the same time, that during his absence an additional duty would be imposed upon them, to which they did not consider they were in any degree bound to submit, whilst he was taking his pleasure at Windsor. Prudently speaking, it was certainly not a very politic act on the part of the royal parents, at a time perhaps, when he was beginning to be accustomed to the privations and discipline of a man of war, to bring him back again to the scenes and splendour of royalty, with which, if he drew the comparison with his situation on board a ship, the latter would not rise very high in his estimation. It was like bringing a boy from school to his home, when the pleasures of the latter are so keenly enjoyed, that the discipline of the former becomes more hateful and irksome.

Prince William rejoined his ship about the end of November, and during the voyage to Gibraltar, he performed all his duties punctually, according to the orders issued by his superiors; and perfecting himself, by the most assidious study in the science of naval tactics.

On their passage out, they fell in with a Spanish fleet of store ships under convoy of seven men of war, and captured the whole, in number twenty-two. One of the captured vessels was named the Prince William in honour of his Royal Highness.

This may be considered as the first affair in which his Royal Highness "fleshed his maiden sword," and as he is particularly mentioned in the despatch of Sir George Rodney,