158 HEREDITY AND DEVELOPMENT OF NAVAL OFFICERS. 



at night and, by making false signals, confused and rendered futile the signals of 

 the commander in chief. Accompanied by the Amazon, Pellew in the Indefati- 

 gable fell upon the French frigate Droits de I'Homme, returning from Ireland toward 

 France. With one frigate on the right and the other on the left of their quarry 

 they forced it through a thick and gloomy night in a westerly gale upon the west 

 coast of France. The Amazon could not beat her way off against the wind and 

 was also lost on shore, but the Indefatigable, after a fight with the gale for 24 hours, 

 cleared the last promontory and escaped serious damage. In 1802 Pellew was 

 a member of Parliament. In 1804, having been created rear admiral and com- 

 mander in chief in India, he cleared the Indian ocean of French cruisers. In 

 1814 he was created Baron Exmouth. In 1816 he destroyed the Algerine fleet, 

 shattered the sea defenses of Algiers, and forced the Bey to liberate the 3,000 white 

 men he held as slaves. For this victory Pellew was made viscount. He was 

 shortly after retired and made vice admiral of England. He engaged in various 

 activities and died in 1833. He married Susannah Frowde, and had 4 sons, of 

 whom 2 became clergymen and 2 naval officers, respectively admiral and captain. 

 A son of the latter died at 28, a lieutenant in the navy. 



Of Edward Pellew's brothers, Israel became an admiral. He had dis- 

 tinguished himself under Nelson at Trafalgar and on other occasions. Another 

 brother was a surgeon, and another, as ensign, was early killed in the battle of 

 Saratoga. The father of this fraternity was Samuel Pellew, who commanded 

 a post-office and packet on Dover Station. His mother was a Langford. Of the 

 reactions of the parents and their families little is known. 



Pellew was a typical hyperkinetic. He was not a great strategist, but a 

 brilliant, dashing frigate commander, corresponding to a cavalry leader on land. 

 A hyperkinetic tendency must, we may infer from other studies, have shown itself 

 in one or both of his parents. 



"Throughout his youth the exuberant vitality of the man delighted in these 

 feats of wanton power. To overturn a boat by press of canvas, as a frolic, is not 

 unexampled among lads of daring; but it is at least unusual, when a hat goes 

 overboard, to follow it into the water, if alone in a boat under sail. This Pellew 

 did, on one occasion, when he was old enough to know better, being at the moment 

 in the open channel, in a small punt, going from Falmouth to Plymouth. The 

 freak nearly cost him his life, for, though he had lashed the helm down and hove-to 

 the boat, she fell off and gathered way whenever he approached. When at last 

 he laid hold of her rail, after an hour of this fooling, barely strength remained to 

 drag himself on board, where he fell helpless, and waited long before his powers 

 were restored. It is trite to note in such exhibitions of recklessness many of the 

 qualities of the ideal seaman, though not so certainly those of the foreordained 

 commander-in-chief. Pellew was a born frigate captain." l 



FAMILY HISTORY OF EDWARD PELLEW, FIRST VISCOUNT EXMOUTH. 



II (F F F), Pellew, a captain In the navy. 



II 1 (F F), Humphrey Pellew (died 1721), a merchant of importance who had a tobacco 

 plantation on Kent Island, Maryland. II 2, Judith Sparnon (died 1753). II 3, (M F), Edward 

 Langford. 



III 2 (F), Samuel Pellew (born 1712), commanded the post-office and a packet on Dover 

 Station. Ill 3 (M), Constantia Langford. Ill 4, James Frowde. 



Fraternity of Propositus: IV 1, Samuel Pellew, a collector at the port of Falmouth; surgeon 

 at the stockyards, Plymouth. IV 2, Sir Israel Pellew (died 1832), an admiral in the Royal Navy. 



1 Mahan. 1913. Page 432. 



