"Four against one, more than three thousand pounds of broadside against your eight hundred or so, is no cause for shame, Sir Frederick. Your prizes will fetch little, I am afraid, for I will not be able to buy in the national ships. But you have two stores and the yard will probably wish to relieve you of them at a very fair price. What of this mass of Greeks, Sir Frederick?"
"I was very short of men, sir, and called for volunteers. The local people were half-starved and only too pleased to serve, whilst their families could be brought away as well. Left behind and the Turks would have slaved them, if they were lucky."
"They are a difficulty, Sir Frederick, for the Peace of Amiens has given the island of Malta back to the Knights, who are pensioners of France in effect. The word that came from London was that the island was not to be handed over until the French have met their obligations under the treaty, about which Whitehall has doubts, it would seem. So I must continue to fortify the harbour and will retain a squadron. Whilst I remain, the Greeks will be employed and their families can use part of the barracks. If I must go then the Lord alone knows what will happen. What of your losses, Sir Frederick?"
"Heavy, sir. My first and Mr Backham's, so that Lieutenant Lucas was made Active's premier, force put. My second took the post, sir, and did as well as he could, for a youngster with too little time in the rank... He is a hard-working and brave man, and will become a good captain I doubt not, but not for a few years yet."
"Priam, 74, is in and will continue in Malta for some months. She lost a lieutenant to a griping in the gut on the way out. Your man being junior still, he would probably be no more than Third or Fourth if he was sent to her."
"If you will bear him in mind for a sloop or gunbrig when the occasion arises, sir? He will take the post I doubt not, for he is not rich and would not fancy the beach."
"Send him to me, tomorrow if you would be so good. I will tell him that he is one of my people now - he will realise that you have taken care of him, sir."
"I lost a good master's mate, sir - slowly to splinters and mortification, and there are two mids I would wish to keep with me, if it be possible."
"Easily dealt with, Sir Frederick. A few of my ships will remain in commission, but there will be at least six to go home and be laid up - there will be young men aplenty seeking a berth."
"I sent my best master's mate into Active, sir, to support Mr Backham who was cruelly short-handed. I believe him to be very worthy of his commission."
"I can make him, Sir Frederick, but I cannot employ him. As a master's mate he can stay in Trident, and take his chance at a later time - the choice must be his."
Davidson would have at least fifty pounds in prize-money due, the invasion fleet being a good prize; he chose his commission and a return home. He would be able to afford a year on the beach, he believed, but he might never get a chance at a cocked hat again.
"I would ask you to consider yourself a follower, Mr Davidson - when I or another of my friends gets a ship then your name will be remembered. Please to correspond with Mr LeGrys at frequent interval."
Fortescue ordered Trident into his yard - he could not justify sending her back to Portsmouth in her condition.
"The Press is no longer lawful, Sir Frederick, so your men cannot be compelled to serve once their commission is complete. All who demand will be returned to Portsmouth. Your master and Mr Bennet will stay with Trident, are pleased to do so. I can stretch a point and leave Mr McGregor aboard as well, in recognition of his service - he has done well, you tell me. For the remainder, it is England for you, sir."
Book Five: The Duty and Destiny Series
Chapter Five
"Captain Sir Frederick Harris, my lord."
The porter, having formally announced Frederick, bowed his way out of the First Lord's presence.
"He only does that because he knows I have no use for tedious formalities, Sir Frederick. I am sure he is an unregenerate follower of Mr Pitt! Be seated, if you please."
The First Lord remained standing for a moment, stretching his legs, cramped from hours at his table.
"Your original orders came direct from this office, Sir Frederick, so I thought it appropriate that you should report back to me, although, of course, you were sent out by my predecessor. You were to be, I quote from a note of your verbal briefing, 'a ferret in the Ottoman chicken run'. Your actions were to remind them of their weakness vis a vis other European powers, to tell them to tread very carefully indeed, and yet not to provoke them to outright war. To humiliate, in other words, and to drive them eventually into armed neutrality, huddling behind their barricades and not interfering with their betters. I might add that I was aware of the policy and was, and am, in agreement with its aims, if not all of the methods chosen."
"Yes, my lord." If in doubt, say as little as possible, take no position, be ready to compromise; above all say no word that may give a handle, a hostage to fortune.
"You have achieved the prime aim, Sir Frederick. The Ottoman envoy to the Court of St James made it very clear that your actions had shown 'a contempt for the laws of neutrality and extreme disrespect for the Sublime Porte'. He stated, however, that to an extent you were forced to extremes to counter the even more unscrupulous French, and that your actions prevented the French from fortifying and holding the island they had unlawfully taken. He presented you with a huge great big diamond star in recognition - in front of the Prince of Wales and I had to damned near fight His Royal Highness to secure it for you!"
The First Lord picked up a package on his desk, drew out a large, and to English eyes, an extremely vulgar piece of jewellery.
Frederick stared in distaste: it was if anything even worse than the bribe he had been offered on the Barbary Coast - it was the sort of thing one might expect a Nabob to wear, back from India with his lakhs, rich and happy to announce the fact. There was a vast, and slightly off-colour, diamond surrounded by sapphires and with a ruby at each cardinal point, the whole set in massive gold. It was big enough that it must be named, probably the 'Harris Diamond'.
"Am I obliged to wear it, my lord?"
"On formal dress, certainly, Sir Frederick. If you chose to make your bow at a levee, for example, then you would be expected to display it."
That was a two-edged honour, Frederick realised - His Royal Highness would remember the jewel and would not be pleased to see it flaunted under his nose.
"I can see why His Royal Highness would have desired the piece, my lord. It would fit in at Brighton, even more at Carlton House."
Jervis noted the comment - agreeing with it but unable to say so in public. The Prince of Wales was a vulgar little beast, but Royal Princes must not be criticised, indeed, legally, could not be.
"You will have seen the contradiction in the envoy's words, Sir Frederick. First he accuses you, then he offers exculpation. The first to placate the French; the second to ensure that we do not take offence. They are frightened of both countries, and we may safely assume that they will not enter into alliance with France; we, of course, don't want them! What they will do about Russia or Austria is less certain, and also only obliquely to be influenced."
The First Lord sat and pulled pen and ink to him, ready to make a record of the next part of the interview.
"That said, Sir Frederick, and your partial success noted, you came very close to defeat in the final action, sir. Had the French courier arrived a day later then Trident would certainly have been overwhelmed. It seems to me that you could have avoided the engagement, and, outgunned as you were, should have done so."
The First Lord’s record as a fighting captain and admiral allowed him to make such a judgement.
Frederick acknowledged that he was qualified to criticise and chose his words very carefully. Jervis was renowned for his unbending ethical code, would almost never permit expediency to rule the day.
"In honour, my lord, I could not. The convoy from Morogos contained the better part of one thousand of women and children, brought aw
ay for their own safety, their menfolk volunteered for service on condition that they would be protected. I made that pledge, my lord, of my own volition. I would not break it by running away to save my own skin."
Jervis grunted, having expected a far more vainglorious reply.
"And the skins of your crew, to whom you also owed a duty, and the ship itself?"
"I value my men, sir, but they are not civilian women and children."
The First Lord stayed silent a moment then reluctantly nodded. Politically he wanted Frederick’s hide, but he was above all an honest man of unbending standards.
"I might have done the same, Sir Frederick. Honour first, sir, above and beyond any other consideration. I had thought that you had been solely concerned to pursue your own glory, had fought arrogantly and without judgement, and was tempted to appoint a Board of Inquiry, but see that I must not do so.”
A politically primed Board, its report carefully but vaguely damning, would have led to a court-martial.
"No captain who is tender of his honour will be condemned by me, sir. Your reputation is that of a fire-eater, pure and simple. I see you are more than that. I am glad to discover it to be so, I would add."
If Jervis could not produce a court-martial then he must support Frederick’s actions, as he was following Admiralty orders. If he slighted Frederick then he would have to sacrifice other senior officers who must have known of his orders and had acquiesced in them. The need now was to put an acceptable gloss on the affair.
“As it stands, overall you did the French great harm, destroying one frigate and taking another, as well as lesser national ships. Besides that you put three into the dockyards at Venice, two at least to stay there for many months. I believe that we may place that information in the hands of certain of the newssheets."
The hacks of the press could be relied upon to make a great puff of the victories, and of the wise leadership of the Admiralty that had led to them. Captured French ships were always popular as well.
"I had some luck, my lord. It was a pity that the frigate we met in night action burned, but I dared not close her, having seen a number of blue coats in her waist. How many there were aboard I never discovered."
"Soldiers? On passage, perhaps?"
"So I believe, my lord, though the French prisoners said little of them."
"Because they left them behind when they abandoned ship, I suspect, Sir Frederick!"
"Probably, my lord."
Both were very willing to attribute dishonourable conduct to the French.
"A boarding party would not do well against companies of experienced foot, and the French soldiers are often very good indeed."
Jervis thought for a few seconds, tapping his pen against his teeth.
"It is not impossible, Sir Frederick, that the French had embarked soldiers - and siege guns, as we have seen - to attempt a stroke against Malta. For all we know you may well have thwarted an invasion which would have been hard indeed to stop onshore."
Frederick had no idea whether that was a realistic possibility, but he could not object to it. It redounded to his credit if he had saved Malta, however unwittingly.
"We had hoped for more, Sir Frederick - islands in a state of insurrection, so we wished. I can see that events did not turn out as you intended, sir, and will comment no more on that head. I will say, Sir Frederick, that the Board will not send you to sea again during the Peace, however long it may last. It would be a gratuitous insult to the Ottoman to give you the favour of employment while many other captains remained on the beach, might just drive them towards the French. But, I must support you in the eyes of the Navy and the government and so you may expect to see a Marine on your doorstep when war breaks out again, unless you have decided to swallow the anchor meanwhile."
Frederick wondered if that was a hint, decided to ignore it.
"I will be very happy to spend time ashore with my family, my lord - but assure you that when the call comes I shall not refuse it."
"I am not at all sure that I will be able offer you an independent command again, Sir Frederick, but I will not send you on blockade duty. You may expect to be part of a detached squadron - if there is such a thing mooted at the appropriate time."
That would be seen as a mark of favour, would be noted inside the service.
"Official business thus concluded, Sir Frederick, I must mention to you that a certain Lieutenant Eeles was lost whilst serving as first on Active and under your command. He had a number of friends..."
"Might I say that he needed them, my lord? He had learned almost nothing during his years of service, though Captain Backham assured me that he had some ability and might eventually have made good, though not in his current post. He was incapable of the duties of a premier, my lord. From all I gathered, from my coxswain particularly, my lord, he died more from ignorance and inexperience than from any necessity of duty."
Jervis, like any other captain who had served his time, knew that truth was often better discovered other than from written reports. Few captains would wish to criticise a dead officer - there was little point to perpetuating ill feeling. The lower-deck grapevine could be relied upon to a far greater extent.
The Parker clan had political influence but were unreliable, inclined to vote according to conscience rather than party. Jervis owed them very little.
"One of the sons of privilege?"
"Yes, my lord. He was posted to Active to get him out of the way for a while, my lord, he having been indiscreet in the company of a general's lady. I would add that my first thought was the obvious one of old soldier and young wife, but it was not so, my lord! On enquiry whilst waiting for my passage home I discovered that the lady was of an age with her husband and had long been in the habit of indulging herself with much younger men, who became somewhat richer for the exercise!"
"Little presents, I presume, Sir Frederick? A diamond tie-pin or ruby finger-ring, say?"
"Golden guineas, I am assured, my lord. A salaried basis, one might say."
Jervis scowled, finding that concept disgusting.
"Not my cup of tea, sir! No doubt they earned their wages, Sir Frederick - it might well be harder work than I would fancy!"
The First Lord, puritanical at heart, thought for a moment, then smiled, seeing the opportunity to do the Parkers down whilst in no way harming the Navy.
"I would beg of you to say nothing of this, Sir Frederick. I will seek the favour of a word with an admiral of my acquaintance, and will inform him of the horrible rumour that has come to my ears and ask how best it might be quashed. So damaging to the service as it would be, a lieutenant no better than a man-courtesan!"
"I presume I must not know the identity of the admiral, my lord?"
"All must be in confidence, sir - but I expect you may be greeted quite warmly by members of the Parker clan."
Frederick smiled his thanks, and mentally noted that he must tell Lord Alton that the Parkers were to be good for a vote or two in this sitting of Parliament.
"Before you go, Sir Frederick, there is also the matter of Captain Nassington, who asked to be relieved of his command. Admiral Fortescue has sent a report about him, of course, and makes it abundantly clear that in his opinion he must never serve again. I have received a brief communication from Mr Critchel, to suggest the same thing. Nassington also has friends - outside the service in this instance – including an uncle who is a peer with a pair of votes in the Commons besides. They have begged me to employ him, indeed promote him as a sign of confidence in him, and to bring a Lieutenant Lucas, his Premier, before a court. Conflictingly, I have seen that Lucas came to you and that you chose him for the Active when need arose, and that you have named him in your own reports. What is the story, sir - off record!"
"Yellow, my lord! Nassington is a coward who should have hanged at his own yardarm, but who could muddy the water enough by jeopardising his own officers. A vicious man, my lord."
Frederick told the story, making much of
the swivels purchased for his protection.
Jervis was outraged, the more for being unable to take direct action.
"He will never serve again, Sir Frederick, that I promise. It is possible to do a little, unofficially. The Lord Chancellor's people keep a list of apparently prominent persons who must never be honoured or made magistrate or be considered as Lord Lieutenant; Mr Nassington's name will be discovered on that list by the end of tomorrow. The Prime Minister's permanent servants keep another such set of records, primarily of characters who must never be offered office in any administration. Generally speaking, these are men who have been in converse with the French or Austrians, traitors in effect, but against whom not enough has been proved to take direct action - but very nasty gentlemen who could be the cause of scandal are also listed. Nassington will be in his place, again by tomorrow's close of business!"
"I am glad to hear that, my lord. The man is a disgrace to us and to our uniform."
"I agree, sir."
"Might I beg for Lieutenant Lucas, my lord? He became one of my people and so I have a duty to him, and he is a most able young man. He is of impoverished family - father a younger son, a rector in a rather poor living - and would benefit from a patron."
"Active is still in commission at Malta, is she not? I will send a note to Fortescue that he should look after the young gentleman. I will at the same time endorse his actions in the whole affair. I think, as well, that I should speak to Mr Critchel, just to allow him to drop the word in the ears of Captain Nassington's friends."
"Thank you, my lord. I should mention the man's name to my uncle, Lord Alton, thus to add to the pressure. I think it would be as well to ensure that he will never be welcome in London. Do you know if he has a home in England, my lord?"
Fortune And Glory (The Duty and Destiny Series, Book 5) Page 13