412 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  18,  1899. 
board,  as  they  would  deem  it  dangerous  to  themselves  were  I  to  get  away. 
At  the  same  time  I  must  confess  I  had  little  hopes  of  being  able  to  beat 
off  such  a  number,  and  devoutly  wished  myself  anywhere  rather  than 
where  I  was.” 
“  The  scene  around  me,”  he  continues,  “  was  a  strange  one.  The 
«aptain,  pilot,  and  one  or  two  native  passengers  were  taking  up  the 
boards  of  the  cabin  floor,  and  putting  their  money  and  valuables  out  of 
sight  amongst  the  ballast.  The  common  sailors,  too,  ha  t  their  cofiper 
■cash  to  hide  ;  and  the  whole  place  was  in  a  state  of  bustle  and  confusion. 
W  hen  all  their  more  valuable  property  was  bidden,  they  began  to  mak(^ 
some  preparations  for  defence.  Baskets  of  small  stones  were  brought  up 
■from  the  hold  and  emptied  out  on  the  most  convenient  parts  of  the  deck, 
iind  were  intended  to  be  used  instead  of  tirea-ms  when  the  pirates  came 
to  close  quarters.  This  is  a  common  mode  of  defence  in  varioits  parts  of 
tiina,  and  is  effectual  enough  w'hen  the  enemy  has  only  similar  weapons 
to  bring  against  them  ;  but  on  the  coast  of  Tokien,  where  we  were  now, 
till  the  pirate  junks  carried  guns,  and  consequently  a  whole  deckload  of 
i'tones  could  be  of  very  little  use  against  them.” 
The  pirate  fleet  were  in  a  hurry  to  begin. 
The  nearest  pirate  was  now  within  200  or  .300  3'ards  of  us,  and, 
fiutting  her  helm  down,  gave  us  a  broadside  from  her  guns.  All  was  now 
<lismay  and  consternation  on  board  our  junk,  and  ever}'  man  ran  below 
-i-xcept  two  who  were  at  the  helm.  I  expected  every  moment  that  these 
■jilso  would  leave  their  post,  and  then  we  should  have  been  an  easy  prey 
to  the  pirates.  ‘My  gun  is  nearer  you  than  those  of  the  jan  dous,’  said  1 
to  the  two  men,  ‘  and  if  you  move  from  the  helm  depend  upon  it  I  will 
•  ’  The  poor  fellows  looked  very  uncomfortable,  but,  I  suppose, 
thought  they  had  better  stand  the  fire  of  the  pirates  than  mine,  and  kept 
41 1  their  post.” 
‘  The  shot  from  the  pirates  fell  considerably  short  of  us,  and  I  was 
therefore^  enabled  to  form  an  op.nion  of  the  range  and  power  of  their 
guns,  which  was  of  some  use  to  me.  Assistance  from  our  cowardly  crew 
«as  quite  out  of  the  question,  for  there  was  not  a  man  among  them  brave 
■enough  to  use  the  stones  which  had  been  brought  on  deck.  Again  the 
nearest  pirate  fired  upon  us.  The  shot  this  time  fell  just  under  our  stern. 
J  still  remained  quiet,  as  I  had  determined  not  to  fire  a  single  shot  until 
1  was  quite  certain  my  gun  would  take  effect.  The  third  broadside  wh  ch 
lollowed  this  came  whizzing  over  our  heads  and  through  the  sails,  without, 
however,  wounding  either  the  men  at  the  helm  or  myself.  The  pirates 
now  seemed  quite  sure  of  their  prize,  and  came  down  upon  u-»,  hooting 
anr  yelling  like  demons,  loading  their  guns,  and  evidently  determined 
not  to  spare  their  shot.  I  knew  that  the  next  discharge  would  completely 
1  a  ve  our  decks.  ‘Now,’ said  I  to  the  helmsmen,  *  keep  your  eyes  fised 
<m  me,  and  the  moment  you  see  me  fall  flat  on  the  deck  you  must  do  the 
same,  or  you  will  be  shot !  ’  I  knew  that  the  pirate  who  was  now  on  our 
stern  could  not  .bring  his  guns  to  bear  on  us  w  ithout  putting  his  helm 
own,  and  bringing  his  gangway  at  right  angles  with  our  stern,  as  his 
guns  were  fired  from  the  gangway.  I  therefore  kept  a  sharp  eye  upon 
IS  helmsman,  and  the  moment  1  saw  him  putting  the  helm  down  I 
ordered  our  steersmen  to  fall  flat  on  their  faces  behind  some  wood,  and 
at  the  same  moment  did  so  myself.  We  had  scarcely  done  so  when 
and  the  shot  came  whizzing  close  over  us, 
sp  in  ering  the  wood  about  us  in  all  directions.  Fortunately  none  of  us 
were  struck.  ‘Now,  .mandarin,  now!  they  are  quite  clo-e  enough!’ 
j"  companions,  who  did  not  wish  to  have  another  broadside 
I  e  the  last.  I,  being  of  the  same  opinion,  raised  myself  above  the  high 
sera  of  our  junk,  and  while  the  pirates  were  not  more  than  20  yards 
*11  ycfl'Dg,  I  raked  their  decks  fore  and  aft  with  shot 
an  all  from  my  double-barrelled  gun.  Had  a  thunderbolt  fallen 
amongst  them  they  could  not  have  been  more  surprised.  Doubtless 
many  were  wounded,  and  probably  some  killed.  At  all  events,  the  whole 
^  ^  fewer  than  forty  or  fifty  men,  who  a  moment  before 
crow  ^  the  d“clr,  disappeared  in  a  marvellous  manner,  shelterii  g  thern- 
se  ves  behind  the  bulwarks,  or  lying  fiat  on  their  faces.  They  were  so 
comp  etely  taken  by  surprise  that  their  junk  was  left  without  a  helmsman  ; 
.er  sails  napped  in  the  wind  ;  and  as  we  were  still  carrying  all  sail  and 
as^ern^’  course,  they  were  soon  left  a  considerable  way 
Another  junk  now  bore  down,  and  the  same  tactic.s  were  resorted 
0,  with  the  result  that  its  helmsman  was  killed,  and  it  was  left  witli 
le  sails  flapping  uselessly.  Two  other  junks,  when  they  saw  what 
la  happened,  prudently  forebore  to  venture  nearer,  and,  the  peril 
emg  over  up  came  the  heroic  crew  to  hoot  and  yell  at  the  pirates 
ley  had  a  few  minutes  before  held  in  such  terror.  Two  days  after- 
\var  s  another  pirate  fleet  appeared  on  tlie  scene,  to  be  beaten  off  in  a 
simi  ar  way.  let  later  on  the  Chinese  crew,  to  whom  gratitude 
anpeared  to  be  unknown,  refused  to  complete  their  contract  by  landing 
u  ur  une  in  Chusan,  and  had  to  he  brought  to  their  .‘^enses  by  being 
threatened  with  the  contents  of  the  redoubtable  double-barrel. 
(To  be  concluded,  with  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Fortune.) 
,  Wild  Flowers.” — Numbers  7  and  8  of  this  admiral 
pu  ication  contain  plates  of  Lady’s  Smock,  Bitter  Cress  or  Cuck 
blower,  AVallflower,  Yellow  Horned  Poppy,  Shepherd’s  Needle,  E 
Meadow  Clover,  Anemone,  Germander  Speedwell,  Garlic  Mustard 
^auce  Alone,  Black  Bryony,  Cross-leaved  Heath.  Blackthorn,  Hounc 
ongue.  Carrot,  Corn  Mint,  Field  Scorpion  Grass,  Lady’s  Mant 
Groundsel,  Henbit,  dwarf  Thistle,  and  Starwort. 
DEATH  OF  MR.  MALCOLM  DUNN,  V.M.H. 
All  gardeners,  and  many  more  than  gardeners,  wl  o  enjoyed  the 
friendship  of  the  long  an  !  trusted  gardener  at  Dalkeith  Palace  will 
mourn  his  loss  most  deeply,  and  their  grief  will  not  be  the  less  because  of 
the  suddenness  of  the  melancholy  event.  Apart  from  his  liability  to 
attacks  of  asthma,  Mr.  Dunn  rarely  showed  signs  of  weakness.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  activiiy  and  energy,  and  with  his  high  spirit  was  combined 
a  warm  heart.  He  was  ever  ready  to  help  in  whatever  way  he  could  the 
advancement  of  gardening,  and  to  assist  bis  fellow  men.  He  was  a 
subscriber  to  almost  everything  he  deemed  good  in  connection  with  the 
art  he  loved,  and  of  which  he  was  acknowledged  as*one  of  its  most 
capable  exponents. 
Our  first  visit,  to  Dalkeith  unfortunately  happened  in  Mr.  Dunn’s 
absence,  but  in  response  to  an  iuquiiy  he  promptly  forwarded  to  us 
some  particulars  as  to  the  extent  of  the  glass  department,  which  had 
impressed  us  b}'  its  magnitude.  Our  last  intentional  visit,  a  little  more 
than  two  years  ago,  was  cut  short,  so  to  say,  on  the  threshold.  On  the 
evening  of  the  appointed  day  he  was  summoned  by  telegraph  into 
Perthshire,  on  the  occasion  of  the  sudden  death  of  his  sister,  and  his  end 
appears  to  have  been  similarl}'  unexpected,  and  equally  sudden. 
Mr.  Dunn,  who  was  a  rather  ardent  politician,  attended  a  Conservative 
meeting  in  good  health  and  spirits  on  Tuesday  night,  the  9th  inst,,  went 
home  in  a  pouring  rain,  caught  a  chill,  and  peritonitis  set  in  on  W ednesday. 
He  suffered  much,  the  doctor  attending  him  four  or  five  times  ;  death 
ensuing  at  half-past  twelve  on  Thursday  morning,  May  lllh.  Age, 
sixty  one.  "We  have  thus  health,  sickness,  death,  crowded,  as  it  were, 
into  a  .span,  as  the  subject  of  these  lines  was  well  on  Tuesday',  seriously 
ill  on  Wednesday,  dead  on  Thur.sda3',  and  buried  on  Saturda3'. 
Just  a.s  we  were  commencing  a  brief  record  of  the  career  of  Mr.  Dunn 
a  tribute  of  appreciation  arrived  from  Mr.  E.  P.  Brotherston,  and  as  it 
contains  the  chief  incidents  of  his  gardening  and  home  life,  it  is  inserted 
hereunder.  Though  our  portrait  (fig.  91)  was  taken  some  years  ago  ic 
represented  the  deceased  as  he  was  to-day,  as  in  appearance  he  had  not 
aged  materiall)'. 
'  The  announcement  in  the  Friday  papers  of  the  sudden  death  of  the 
late  IMalcolm  Dunn  on  Thursdr3'  last  (May  11th)  came  as  a  great  shock 
to  the  many  gardeners  who  knew  him.  In  physique  Mr.  Dunn  surpassed 
the  majiirity  of  men,  and  no  doubt  it  was  largel3'  owing  to  having  been 
blessed  with  a  constitution  of  abnormal  vigour  that  he  was  able  to  over¬ 
take  the  large  amount  of  work  that  daily  passe  d  through  his  hands.  By 
those  who  knew  him  intimately,  a  lung  stretch  of  3'ears  of  working  life 
was  confidently  expected,  and  indeed  all  who  have  lately  come  in  contact 
with  him  have  been  impreased  with  his  abounding  vitalii3'.  Whether  the 
fact  that  fora  few  years  past  the  deceascii  gentleman  thought  it  prudent 
to  be  a  little  careful  in  his  dietary*  had  any  hearing  on  the  acute  inflam¬ 
mation  of  the  stomach  which  after  less  than  a  day’s  excruciating’  suffering 
was  the  terminatii  g  cause  of  so  bright  a  career  cannot  be  said.  We  only 
know  that  a  chdl  was  caught  either  at  or  after  a  meeting  he  attended  at 
Dalkeith  on  the  Tuesday  evening,  that  acute  jiain  developed  during 
the  succeeding  night,  and  on  Thursday  morning  l^Ialcolm  Dunn  was  with 
those  who  sleep. 
The  general  estimate  of  his  age  has  proved  incorrect,  his  years  having 
been  fewer  in  number  than  anybody*  seems  to  have  guessed.  Si.\ty-five 
to  sixty-eight  was  the  term  one  heard  mentioned  ;  as  a  fact,  he  was  only 
sixty-one,  but,  a  hard  worker  all  his  life,  how  much  he  had  been  able 
to  crush  into  that  period  no  one  can  ever  rightly  know*.  It  is  generally 
thought  that  Mr.  Dunn  was  a  native  of  the  town  of  CrielT,  in  Perthshire  ; 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Auchterarder. 
Though  for  long  years  his  family*  has  been  located  at  Crieff,  he 
received  the  elements  of  education  at  the  parish  schoo',  an  institution 
that  was  devoted  to  teaching,  as  opposed  to  the  cramming  My  Lords 
have  seen  fit  to  substitute.  His  gardening  career  commenced  in 
Strathallan  Gardens,  where  he  served  his  apprenticeship.  While  there 
he  botanised  the  district,  and  sometimes  during  the  summer  months 
passed  the  night  out  of  doors  in  his  eagerness  to  traverse  as  much  ground 
as  possible. 
In  1859  he  was  in  the  gardens  of  Sprotsboro’  Hall,  Yorks,  whence 
he  passed  to  Trentham,  and  while  there  worked  in  the  vineries.  At 
this  time  the  famous  discussion  on  the  identity*  of  a  certain  Grape  caused 
him  to  take  a  greater  interest  than  he  otherwise  might  have  done  in 
the  large  collection  of  varieties  of  Grapes  then  cultivated  there.  In 
1861,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-three  years,  he  had  charge  of  a  garden 
and  large  orchard  in  Worcestershire,  and  there  studied  cider  making, 
and  obtained  some  curious  information  concerning  the  manufacture  of 
“  champagne,”  the  details  of  which  he  was  not  averse  to  relate  at  the 
fireside  of  his  friends. 
