CAUSES OF THE DISASTEE. 59 



It is to be remarked that long after the Captain had sunk, the admiral of the 

 squadron thought that he saw her, although it was very evident afterwards that it must 

 have been some other vessel. In his despatch to the Admiralty,* which very plainly 

 indicated that he had some anxiety in regard to her stability in bad weather, he 

 described her appearance and behaviour up till 1.30 a.m. more than an hour after her 

 final exit to the depths below. In the days of superstitious belief, so common among 

 sailors, a thrilling story of her image haunting the spot would surely have been built 

 on this foundation. 



In the old fighting-days of the Royal Navy, when success followed success, and prize 



after prize rewarded the daring and enterprise of its commanders, they did not think 

 ;, very much of the loss of a vessel more or less, but took the lesser evils with the greater 

 goods. The seamanship was wonderful, but it was very often utterly reckless. A captain 

 trained in the school of Nelson and Cochrane would stop at nothing. The country, 

 accustomed to great naval battles, enriched by the spoils of the enemy who furnished 

 some of the finest vessels in our fleet was not much affected by the loss of a ship, 

 and the Admiralty was inclined to deal leniently with a spirited commander who had 

 met with an accident. But then an accident in those days did not mean the loss of 

 half a million pounds or so. The cost of a large ironclad of to-day would have built a 

 small wooden fleet of those days. 



The loss of the Captain irresistibly brings to memory another great loss to the Royal 

 Navy, which occurred nearly ninety years before, and by which 900 lives were in a 

 moment swept into eternity. It proved too plainly that " wooden walls " might capsize 

 as readily as the " crankiest " ironclad. The reader will immediately guess that we refer 

 to the loss of the Royal George, which took place at Spithead, on the 28th of August, 

 1782, in calm weather, but still under circumstances which, to a very great extent, explain 

 how the Captain at the best, a vessel of doubtful stability capsized in the stormy waters 

 of Biscay. The Royal George was, at the time, the oldest first-rate in the service, having 

 been put into commission in 1755. She carried 108 guns, and was considered a staunch 

 ship, and a good sailer. Anson, Boscawen, Rodney, Howe, and Hawke had all repeatedly 

 commanded in her. 



From what small causes may great and lamentable disasters arise ! " During the 

 washing of her decks, on the 28th, the carpenter discovered that the pipe which admitted 

 the water to cleanse and sweeten the ship, and which was about three feet under the 

 rater, was out of repair that it was necessary to replace it with a new one, and to heel 

 ler on one side for that purpose." The guns on the port side of the ship were run out 

 of the port-holes as far as they would go, and those from the starboard side were drawn 

 in and secured amidships. This brought her porthole- sills on the lower side nearly even 



* Admiral Milne, in his despatch dated from H.M.S. Lord Warden, off Finisterre, September 7th, 1870, 

 stated that, at a little before 1 a.m., the Captain was astern of his ship, ." apparently closing under steam." 

 The signal "open order" was made, and at once answered; and at 1.15 a.m. she was on the Lord Wardens 

 (the flag-ship's) lee quarter, about six points abaft the beam. From that time until about 1.30 a.m. I constantly 



itched the ship. . . . She was heeling over a good deal to starboard," &c. "We have seen that she went 



awn shortly after the midnight watch had been called. 



