Authors: John Sugden
3
. The stories gained from different informants by James Harrison,
Life
, 1, p. 12, and James S. Clarke and John McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1, p. 16, are broadly compatible, although the former authority has Nelson joining his ship at Sheerness and the latter at Chatham.
4
.
Raisonable
muster, ADM 36/7669;
Raisonable
pay book, ADM 33/676; Nelson to William, 20/2/1777, Add. MSS 34988;
D&L
, 1, pp. 46, 49, 56. Boyles later transferred to Sir Thomas Rich’s frigate,
Enterprize
, serving as midshipman and master’s mate in the Mediterranean. He lived to return to the
Raisonable
as her captain. Boyles died on 9 November 1816, leaving a widow, Mary, née Hawker. See ‘Biographical Memoir of the Late Charles Boyles’.
5
.
Triumph
muster, ADM 36/7688; Nicholas Tracy, ‘Falklands Island Crisis of 1770’.
6
. N. A. M. Rodger,
Wooden World
, p. 29. This is the finest general account of the eighteenth-century navy, but for naval administration see Daniel A. Baugh,
British Naval Administration
, an exceptionally comprehensive and well-written monograph. Michael Lewis,
A Social History of the Navy
, though sometimes inaccurate, offered insights into many previously neglected themes. Brian Lavery’s
Nelson’s Navy
is a comprehensive introduction to the navy at the time of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
7
. In addition to the above see N. A. M. Rodger, ‘Lieutenants’ Sea-Time and Age’.
8
. Suckling to Stephens, 24/11/1771, 1/12/1771, ADM 1/2481; Thomas Foley,
Nelson Centenary
, pp. 9, 11;
NC
, 14 (1805), p. 265; and David Syrett, ‘Nelson’s Uncle’.
9
. Suckling to Stephens, 27/6/1771, ADM 1/2481.
10
. For Townshend see
DNB
, 19, pp. 1048–50.
11
. Suckling (4 May 1726–17 July 1778) became a lieutenant on 8 March 1745, a commander on 3 January 1754 and a post-captain on 2 December 1755. For his ‘passing certificate’ see ADM 6/86, p. 101.
12
. Ron C. Fiske,
Notices of Nelson
, pp. 28–9; Ron C. Fiske, ‘A New View of Woodton Hall, Norfolk’; and (for Suckling’s London house) Suckling to Sharpe, 29/5/1776, in BL: A. M. Broadley, ‘Nelsoniana’, 1, facing p. 6.
13
. Will of Maurice Suckling, 3/8/1774, PRO: PROB 11/1044, no. 302.
14
.
Triumph
logs, ADM 51/1015 and ADM 52/2052, and NMM: ADM/L/T268.
15
. Fiske,
Notices of Nelson
, p. 7; Nelson memorandum, c. 1796, NMM: STW/2;
D&L
, 1, p. 2; Clarke and McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1, p. 17;
Dreadnought
muster, ADM 36/5403. Neither Nelson nor his father, who refer to the trip on the merchantman, name the ship concerned, but she can be identified from
New Lloyds List
, 26, 30/7/1771, 31/12/1771;
Lloyds List
, 10 and 21/7/1772; and the
Public Advertiser
, 30/12/1771. A search through the shipping news in the newspapers at Colindale and in the Burney collection at the British Library failed to reveal additional information. Few papers carried extensive port news, and some that did, such as the
Public Ledger
and the
Morning Chronicle
, are now missing strategic issues. The
Public Advertiser
, which is reasonably complete, yielded only one reference to the
Mary Ann
. Two maiden daughters of John Rathbone were later said to have run a boarding school in Kensington:
Notes and Queries
, 4th series, 10 (1872), p. 269.
16
. Nelson’s seasickness: Nelson to Davison, 13/1/1804,
D&L
, 5, p. 370.
17
.
Triumph
pay book, ADM 33/696.
18
.
Triumph
muster, ADM 36/7689–7690.
19
.
Kentish Gazette
, 21/7/1772, 1/8/1772;
D&L
, 1, p. 2.
20
.
Triumph
muster, ADM 36/7689–90;
D&L
, 6, p. 381.
21
. In addition to the musters see Richards to Suckling, 5/12/1770, ADM 1/2481. The succeeding quotation about midshipmen is from Nelson to Churchey, 20/10/1802,
MM
, 28 (1942), p. 319.
22
.
D&L
, 1, p. 2.
23
. Suckling to Stephens, 9 and 18/8/1772, and 14, 15, 18/10/1772, ADM 1/2482;
Triumph
logs, ADM 51/1015 and ADM 52/2052.
24
. Court martial of Edward Smith, 14/1/1773, ADM 1/5306.
IV Northward Ho! (pp. 63–81)
1
. The best secondary account of the Phipps expedition is Ann Savours, ‘“A Very Interesting Point in Geography”’.
2
. Phipps,
A Voyage Towards the North
Pole, p. 11; Lutwidge to Stephens, 3/1/1774, ADM 1/2053.
3
.
D&L
, 1, p. 2; Suckling to Stephens, 11, 28/7/1771, ADM 1/2481; Lutwidge to Stephens, 28/7/1771, ADM 1/2053.
4
.
Triumph
pay book, ADM 33/696;
Carcass
muster, ADM 36/7567;
Carcass
log, ADM 51/167.
5
. My reconstruction of the voyage rests upon a fresh examination of all the primary sources. For the
Racehorse
these include Phipps,
Voyage Towards the North Pole
, and the manuscript upon which it was based in BL: King’s 224; the ship’s logs, ADM 51/757 and ADM 52/1416; and Thomas Floyd’s narrative published by Albert H. Markham, ed.,
Northward
. The view from the
Carcass
comes from the captain’s log, ADM 51/167; Lutwidge’s journal, ADM 55/12, which replicates the material in the captain’s log; two logs of the master, James Allen, ADM 52/1639[7] and ADM 52/1639[8]; and the anonymous diary published as
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
. Interesting views and charts of the expedition, some if not all produced by Philippe d’Auvergne, can be found in the William L. Clements Library, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
6
. For d’Auvergne see ‘Biographical Memoir of Philippe d’Auvergne’; G. R. Balleine,
The Tragedy of Philippe d’Auvergne
; and Ann Savours, ‘The Younger Cleverley and the Arctic, 1773–74’.
7
. The issue of slops:
Carcass
pay book, ADM 33/509.
8
. Markham,
Northward
, p. 125.
9
.
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
, p. 35; Markham,
Northward
, pp. 126–7, 130, 141.
10
. BL: King’s 224, pp. 27–8; Markham,
Northward
, pp. 133–5.
11
.
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
, p. 42.
12
.
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
, pp. 44–6.
13
.
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
, pp. 60–2; master’s log of the
Carcass
, ADM 52/1639 [7].
14
.
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
, pp. 62–3.
15
. Phipps,
Voyage Towards the North Pole
, pp. 59, 173, and BL: King’s 224, pp. 41–2, have the incident occurring on 30 July, as the
Racehorse
boat was returning from reconnoitring the island, but Floyd, who was in the party, says it happened on the outward journey on the 29th (Markham,
Northward
, pp. 181–4). The master’s log of the
Racehorse
for 30/7/1773 (ADM 52/1416) mentions the boat returning at 4.00 a.m. on 30 July, but none of the
Carcass
logs refers to the incident. See also James Harrison,
Life
, 1, p. 2.
16
.
Carcass
log, 31/7/1773, ADM 51/167.
17
. The first plate, by Edward Orme and dated 20/2/1806, was published in Francis William Blagdon,
Orme’s Graphic History
, facing p. 7. In 1808 another engraving by W. H. Worthington, after a painting by W. Bromley, was published.
18
. James Allen’s log, 4/8/1773, ADM 52/1639[7].
19
. ‘Biographical Memoir of the Right Honourable Lord Nelson’, p. 161.
20
. James S. Clarke and John McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1, pp. 1, 21–2. Lutwidge was presumably satisfied with this final account because he was privy to the proofs of the book: see the 1809 edition,
The Life of Admiral Lord Nelson
, 1, p. 8 in the list of subscribers.
21
.
D&L
, 1, p. 3.
22
. The master’s logs of the
Carcass
state that the ship’s second and third lieutenants commanded the hauling lines, but the anonymous diarist from the same vessel (
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
) has First Lieutenant Baird at the head of the enterprise. Several details in this account, while colourful, are at variance to the picture presented by the ships’ logs. Charts of the voyage are also contradictory at this point. Thus d’Auvergne’s chart has the course turning first southeast and then west on 7 and 8 August, while the ‘Plan of the North East Lands and Seven Islands’ shows the ships proceeding northeast before turning west (William L. Clements Library).
23
.
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
, pp. 81–3; Markham,
Northward
, p. 203.
24
. Phipps,
Voyage Towards the North Pole
, p. 72.
25
. Markham,
Northward
, p. 221.
26
.
Journal of a Voyage Undertaken
, pp. 93–4;
Carcass
log, 12/9/1773, ADM 51/167.
27
. Markham,
Northward
, pp. 223–8.
28
. Hughes’s passing certificate, 2/3/1780, ADM 107/8. He was confirmed as a lieutenant fifteen days later.
29
. The watch is now in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
30
. Nelson’s deductions were: 1s. 8d. for slops, 5s. 9d. to the Chatham Chest (a naval charity founded in Elizabethan times), and 2s. 11d. to the hospital (
Carcass
pay book, ADM 33/509).
V East Indies Adventure (pp. 82–106)
1
. Farmer to Stephens, 31/8/1773, 12/9/1773, ADM 1/1789; John Charnock,
Biographical Memoirs
, pp. 16–21;
DNB
, 6, pp. 1074–5. For details of individual ships see David Lyon,
Sailing Navy List
.
2
.
Triumph
pay book, ADM 33/696;
Seahorse
pay book, ADM 34/749; court martial of George Farmer, 21/2/1776, ADM 1/5307. The extent of such frauds in aid of sea time is difficult to gauge. Michael Lewis,
Social History of the Navy
, exaggerated their prevalence, but N. A. M. Rodger, ‘Lieutenants’ Sea-Time and Age’, may have defended the navy too strongly. Certainly he erred (p. 271) in denying that Lord Cochrane had gained fictitious sea time before joining his uncle’s ship, the
Hind
: John Sugden, ‘Lord Cochrane’, pp. 37–8; Brian Vale,
Cochrane, the Unhappy Hero
, forthcoming.
3
. Bentham to Kee, 28/10/1773,
Notes and Queries
, 4th series, 10 (1872), p. 269.
4
. For the personnel see
Seahorse
pay book, ADM 34/749, and James S. Clarke and John McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1. p. 22.
5
.
D&L
, 1, p. 3. On Pole see
NC
, 21 (1809), pp. 265–95.
6
. Details of the voyage of the
Seahorse
depend primarily upon the logs of Farmer (ADM 51/883), Surridge (ADM 52/1991) and the lieutenants (NMM: ADM/L/S222–23). For Nelson’s positive memories of the period see his letters to William, 28/1/1782, 19/3/1784, Add. MSS 34988.
7
. Hughes to Stephens, 2/11/1773, ADM 1/164; Farmer to Stephens, 14/10/1773, ADM 1/1789;
Seahorse
pay book, ADM 34/749.
8
. Captain’s log, 5/12/1774, ADM 51/883, and master’s log, 13/1/1774, ADM 52/1991.
9
. Muster of the
Tweed
, ADM 36/7523; Surridge’s passing certificate, 10/9/1777, ADM
107/7;
Steel’s Navy Lists
; Pitcairn-Jones, ‘Sea Officers’ Lists, 1660–1815’, PRO. We are indebted to Admiral S. W. Roskill for suggesting the importance of Surridge in his introduction to Russell Grenfell,
Horatio Nelson
.
10
. Nelson to Cornwallis, 13/10/1788, Hist. MSS Commission,
Various Collections
, 6, p. 341; Clarke and McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1, p. 23.
11
. Master’s log, 17/1/1774, ADM 52/1991; Farmer report, 12/3/1774, ADM 1/164.
12
. Floggings were entered in ships’ logs, although often haphazardly.
13
. Court martial of Drummond, 30/5/1774, ADM 1/5306.
14
. The pay book records changes in personnel, but see also Hughes to Stephens, 12/3/1774, ADM 1/164.
15
. Master’s log, 6/5/1774, ADM 52/1991.
16
. Hughes to Stephens, 1/4/1775, 2/7/1775, ADM 1/164.
17
. Captain’s log, 19–20/2/1775, ADM 51/883.
18
. Hughes to Stephens, 11/10/1775, 22/3/1775, ADM 1/164.
19
. Court martial of Henery, 19/2/1776, ADM 1/5307.
20
.
Seahorse
pay book, ADM 34/749; Clarke and McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1, pp. 22–3; Cornelia Knight,
Autobiography
, 2, p. 286.
21
. Clarke and McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1, 23.
22
. Court martial of Henery, 19/2/1776, ADM 1/5307. For Keeling, as for Sullivan, the
Seahorse
was a first ship. He was rated master’s mate, but was described in the courtmartial record as midshipman.
23
. Court martial of Farmer, 21/2/1776, ADM 1/5307.
24
. Clarke and McArthur,
Life and Services
, 1, pp. 22–3; Ron C. Fiske,
Notices of Nelson
, p. 7;
D&L
, 1, pp. 3–4; Christopher Lloyd and J. L. S. Coulter,
Medicine and the Navy
, pp. 329–47.
25
. James Bond and William Tennant of the East India Company and William Perry, Claud Lernoult, Jos. Davies and James Anderson of the Navy signed sick certificates for Clerke, Fortescue and Evans in February and March 1776, enclosed in Hughes to Stephens, 22/3/1776, ADM 1/164.