APPENDIX I. 
1. A Memorial by the late Captain Arthur Wakefield, R.N., to 
Earl Minto, First Lord of the Admiralty. 
My Lord, 2Sth Fehnmry, 1837. 
Returning the ether day to England, after passing 
three years on a foreign station as Senior Lieutenant of 
H.M.S. " Thunderer," having spent nearly 27 years in his 
Majesty's service, nearly 25 years in active employment, and 
upwards of 20 years on foreign stations, including two years 
and a half on the coast of Africa, the first intelligence I re- 
received was of a coming general promotion, and the next 
that 25 Lieutenants, 16 of them my juniors, and 5 of the 
latter serving on the station which I had just quitted, have 
obtained the rank of Commanders, whilst I remain a Lieu- 
tenant of 16 years' standing. Since then I have been led to 
entertain a hope that, as has unavoidably happened before on 
similar occasions, my exclusion from the recent promotion 
may have occurred through accidental oversight ; for which, 
however, I take blame to myself alone, because, wholly occu- 
pied by the service, I have perhaps neglected to bring my 
claims fully to your Lordship's notice. In truth, my Lord, 
during a period of active service, with which that of few 
ofiicers of my age will bear comparison, I have never been 
in the habit of making applications to your Lordship or your 
predecessors, but have, as a principle or rule of conduct 
deliberately pursued, sought promotion by one means only, 
namely, fagging at the hard work of the profession, trusting 
always that in time a claim to notice would be established, 
such as could not but have eflfect with the Lords Commis- 
sioners of the Admiralty, even though unsupported by soli- 
citations from myself or my friends. 
In the hope then that, provided my only claim to advance- 
ment, services, and character, had been sufficiently expressed 
in due time, I should at least have been included in the 
recent promotion, I would now respectfully petition that the 
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