288 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



Lord Gambier's agent, on the 

 part of Lord Cochrane, claiming 

 the whole head-money for the 

 ships actually engaged in perform- 

 ing the service. It has been the 

 constant practice of these Courts 

 to restrain the distribution of 

 head-money within much narrower 

 bounds than that of prize, and it 

 has always been considered as a 

 reward for real actual service, 

 and a meritorious personal exer- 

 tion. A mere honest wish to 

 share in the danger of an enter- 

 prise, however praiseworthy, is 

 insufficient to entitle a party to 

 share in the reward ; but in cases 

 of united force for a general pur- 

 pose, it is considered as a conflict 

 of all with all, for it would be 

 hardly possible, in the confusion 

 of a general action, to distinguish 

 the particular combats of indi- 

 vidual ships, removed as they 

 must be by the extent of the hne 

 of battle, for mere elongation will 

 not break the unity of a joint 

 transaction. The present must 

 be considered either as a com- 

 bined or a separate attack. It 

 might happen, that the use of 

 the whole force under Lord Gam- 

 bder might be improper ; that 

 other descriptions offeree might 

 be more efficient ; or that the 

 commander of the armament 

 might think it necessary to assign 

 particular stations to particular 

 vessels. The question to be con- 

 sidered is, was it the transaction 

 of a fleet associated for one com- 

 mon purpose, or was there a dis- 

 sociation? It is evident that it 

 must have been the wish of the 

 Lords of the Admiralty to destroy 

 the ships of the enemy which 

 were blockaded by the British 

 fleet. Lord Gambier's letter to 



Lord Mulgrave, dated the 11th 

 of March, 1809, shows that it 

 had been the subject of conver- 

 sation before Lord Cochrane was 

 applied to : — " My dear Lord ; — 

 The advanced work between the 

 isles of Aix and Oleron, which I 

 mentioned in my last letter, I 

 find was injured in its foundation, 

 and is in no state of progress ; 

 that it is, therefore, no obstacle 

 to our bombarding the enemy's 



fleet, if 



you 



should be dis- 



posed to make an attempt to 

 destroy it. The enemy's ships 

 lay very much exposed to the 

 operation of fire - ships ; it is 

 a horrible mode of warfare, and 

 the attempt very hazardous, if 

 not desperate ; but we should 

 have plenty of volunteers for the 

 service. If you mean to do any 

 thing of the kind, it should be 

 with secrecy and quickly, and the 

 ships used should not be less than 

 those built for the purpose, at 

 least a dozen, and some smaller 

 ones." Notice is also given on the 

 19th to Lord Gambler of the 

 preparations, with a view to 

 enable him to make an attack on 

 the enemy, either conjointly with 

 the line-of-battle ships, or sepa- 

 rately, by what other means he 

 should think fit to employ, and 

 also directions to him to employ 

 Lord Cochrane in the service. It 

 appears, therefore, from the docu- 

 ments mentioned, that the general 

 command of the whole enterprise 

 was given to Lord Gambier. 

 Here is a blockade, and what 

 service can be more of a com- 

 bined nature than that of block- 

 ade? The fire-ships formed a 

 part of it ; they were fitted out 

 from the fleet, and were manned 

 by volunteers from Lord Gam- 

 bier's 



