CAPTAIN MURRAY'S MEMOIR OF ADMIRAL DURHAM.

ALTHOUGH not a St. Vincent or a Nelson, the late Admiral Sir Philip Durham was an officer of great courage and promptitude, with a zeal for -the service which, if not sufficient of itself to create a commander, must form one of his constituent elements. Time and chance added some features to his career independently of his personal merits. Living to the age of eighty-three, and having entered the Navy in 1777, (at the then rather late age of fourteen years,) lie was connected with the his- torical period of the great American war, and Lord Howe, D'Estaing, Rodney, and Don Juan de Langara, who commanded the Spanish fleet in the first action off Cape St. Vincent, in 1780. He was Aide-de-camp to the veteran Kempenfelt ; was on board the Royal George. when she heeled over and sunk at Portsmouth, in 1782, and was among the com- paratively few who were saved. In 1793, Commander Durham took the first French ship that was captured on the breaking out of the Revolu- tionary war; and, by a singular coincidence, in 1815, the last fort at Guadalonpe lowered her colours to the broadside of Admiral Durham ; so that the first and last tricoloured flags during that long series of ware

were strack to him. In 1805, he joined Sir Robert Calder ; and by his intelligence and vigilance discovered the French &et., which ended in an abortive action and Sir Robert's disgrace. Joining Nelson, the Admiral told Captain Durham he must go home with Sir Robert Calder and some Captains to give evidence at the approaching court-martial. When he got on board the Prince of Wales, he found the Admiralty only said, "if willing " : but he declared he was not willing ; refused to sign a public letter applying for leave to quit his ship ; got into his boat, joined the Defiance, and was present at the battle of Trafalgar, where he distin- guished himself and was wounded. Some characteristic anecdotes of the three Admirals are connected with hint on this occasion : Nelson buoyant and cheerful going into action, which everybody must covet; Collingwood considerate and kind, but not over just, since evil-doers ought not to be shielded by the merits of others ; and Villeneuve wishing the past undone.

"After the battle, a boat came alongside, the Defiance, containing Captain Hardy, (Nelson's captain,) who looked into the cabin where Captain Durham was lying on the sofa, and said, hope you are not badly wounded. I have a word of comfort for you: one of the last tlungs Nelson said before the action began, was, ' Hardy, what would poor Sir Robert 'Calder give to be with us now? fell your friend Durham. he was the most sensible man of the party, to stick to his ship.' • • "Captain Durham went on board the Enryalus frigate to see Admiral Coiling- wood. He found him writing in his cabin. He inquired as to the state of the fleet. Captain Durham mentioned several ships, and was praising the noble con- duct of some of the frigates. The Captain of the Euryalus hinted that there had been a want of exertion on the part of some particular ship. Collingwood started up and said, Sir, this has been a glorious victory for England and for Europe— don't let there be a reflection against a cabin-boy.' This quite silenced the Captain of the Euryalus.

"Captain Durham then quitted the cabin, to return to the Defiance; and on going on deck observed a French officer leaning on the capstan. He entered into conversation with him; and found he was the French Admiral, 'Villeneuve, who had been brought on board the Enryalas. He said, 'Sir, were you in Sir Robert Calder's action ?' The Captain replied that he was, and had commanded the ship that first discovered the fleet, and had remained with them for four or five hours till Sir Robert Calder came up. Villeneuve sighed, and said, 'I wish Sir Robert and I had fought it out that day. He would not be in his present situation, nor I in mine.'" The active services of Durham continually brought him into contact with great men or distinguished personages;. and, it would seem under circumstances that produced anecdotes—at least a good many are told about him. Captain Durham commanded a ship in the expedition to Quiberon, when the unfortunate French emigrant army was cat to pieces, entirely through its own supine neglect ; though it was long an article of belief with many Frenchmen, and may be yet, that Pitt contrived it to get rid of them. Here Captain Durham met the Count d'Artois, after- wards Charles the Tenth, in a small cottage with a stone floor, and " it sa dernibre tasse de cafe et point de snore"; which our hero remedied as well as his stores permitted. Some years afterwards, he fell in with the Duke of Orleans : in 1799, a species of accident brought George the Third on board Captain Durham's ship, where he dined, and had a mysterious dis- cussion. Durham was also St. Vincent's Captain when the great Admiral finally struck 'his flag,—sailor-like' it would seem, "making use of some violent expressions" against the Admiralty, though he had been First Lord himself. Finally, in his old age, Admiral Durham had the honour of maneuvering the fleet off Brighton for the gratification of Queen Vic- toria. The reader must seek for the particulars of all these in the Memoir, except some traits of the three Kings.

GEORGE THE THIRD.

While at Weymouth, the King came on board to take a sail, (the San Fiorenzo being under repair); and soon afterwards two boats came alongside, containing Lord Loughborough and Mr. Wyndham. They remained a long time in con- versation with his Majesty; who seemed much agitated, and on one occasion raised his hat with both hands off his head, and exclaimed, "Never ! I would sooner lose my. crown." Captain Durham and Sir Harry Neale, who were walking the deck at the time, supposed the subject that agitated the King so much was the Catho- lic question, about which the Ministers had come to see his Majesty. The King dined on board; and there being three tables, the Captain requested Lord Loughborough to take the head of one and Mr. Wyndham the other; his Majesty dining at the other table with a party of ladies of rank. It was customary for the Captain to present the King with the first plate; which Captain Durham did, but presented it on the wrong side. His Majesty turned sharply round and said, " What, what !—not much accustomed to this, I see: go and get your dinner."

CHARLES THE TENTH.

After the death of Louis XVIII., Sir Philip Durham went to Paris to be present at the coronation of Charles X., which he attended as a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Write Militaire.

A few days after he arrived, a grand ball was given to the King at the Hotel de Ville; and being invited to it, lie went and placed himself next to the Duke of Northumberland, with a view of getting his Grace to present him. The King, on going round, observed him, and immediately took him by both hands, and said, "I am delighted to see a British Admiral here; but parf.cularly one who was so kind to me dans ma misire."

Charles X. never forgot the Admiral's attention to him Li his misfortunes; and when he was staying at Holyrood, honoured him with a visit at Fordel, and par- took of some shooting.

LOUIS PHILIPPE.

After the events of 1830, he was dining with Louis Philippe at the Tuileries, with a party of about fifty. His Majesty placed Lady Durham next the Queen; and desired him to sit next the Duchesse De Broglie, who was upon the King's right hand. After dinner, the King said, "Admiral, I have a question to ask you. You often told me we should meet at the Tuileries: we have now met: what was your reason for say ng so? " Sir Philip was rather taken aback, but rose and said " I have had the honour of meeting your Majesty in various coun- tries; and from your Majesty's many noble qualities, added to the known pluck of the Bourbon; I. formed my opinion that your Majesty was the fittest man to govern France." Upon which the King bowed his head to the table, and desired him to drink a bumper of Bordeaux.

Although not commanding on any great occasion, Admiral Durham was distinguished for single services ; having taken, at various times, two first-rates, eight French frigates or other men of war, ten privateers, and between fifty and sixty sail of merchantmen. His services to the mercantile marine were deemed so considerable as to be frequently no- ticed by addresses from Lloyds's and other commercial bodies, or more solid pieces of plate. His promptitude was as great as that of Nelson. On one occasion, a Lord of the Admiralty, urging haste, asked when he would be ready to go to his command : Durham answered, "Out of this room" : so a Board was got up, and the instructions prepared in the course of the day. When he received his last command during the war,

the First Lord wished him to sail as soon as possible; but there was a letter from the Commissioner at Portsmouth saying the Venerable could not be got ready under twenty-six days. The Admiral took his orders, got together as many of his old officers as he could, turned all the work- people out of the ship, and immediately dropped down to St. Helen's.

On this voyage lie displayed great calculation and seamanship in the capture of two frigates. He and his captain differing on a question of identity respecting a distant sail, he took his long glass and mounted to look at her himself: as he was going up the fore-rigging, he over- heard the men saying, "D— it, what a rum Admiral we have got! he is going aloft !"

The death of the veteran was characteristic. At the age of eighty-two, he lost his wife suddenly ; which so affected him, that home became irk- some, and he determined to go to Italy for change of scene, though it was the depth of winter. At Rome he was attacked with inflammation of the lungs ; which, after a month's treatment, was subdued ; and he got

on to Naples, though harassed by a cough, accompanied by great pros- tration of strength. These things, at eighty-three, would seem to have been a sufficient warning; but the veteran expected distinct orders from Captain Death. "It was on the 31st of March, seeing the doctors remain by him the whole day, that his fears were first raised for himself, and lie asked them whether there was any danger. The doctors answered that they still hoped he might do well, but

expressed their fears of his recovery. This seemed to occasion him much sur- prise; but he resigned his mind with that calm and Christian assurance to the terrible intelligence which marked his conduct throughout his last moments, and simply said, Doctor, this is a short warning; I had not the least idea of death.' He was then lying on the sofa: soon afterwards he summoned the last remnant of his strength, rose, and dressed himself, and sat at his table. He then pro- ceeded, with the utmost composure, to name his dying requests to Mr. Bontein, who had never left him, and had shown him the most unremitting attention during his fatal illness. He entered into the most minute details with respect to remembrances that he desired to be given to some of his intimate friends; he gave a written order to Mr. Bontein to take his body to Scotland, and even spoke of his monument in the church of his parish. The last words he dictated were, ' I now resign my body and soul into the hands of its original Maker, trusting to his mercy, now that I so earnestly call upon him.' To each of his bequests and instructions Sir Philip placed his signature, in a firm hand. The sacrament was then administered, at his desire; and, after having received it with the most marked attention, he rose and walked to bed unassisted.

" This was, however, but the dying effort that nature had made before she sank for ever: for almost immediately his strength seemed entirely to leave him; he lingered out a few hours between life and death, when the vital spark was extin- guished without a struggle. Sir Philip Durham died on the 2d April 1845, at the advanced age of eighty-three."

In our notice we have rather indicated the spirit of' Sir Philip Durham's life and character than attempted a particular account of his career ; which may be agreeably followed in Captain Murray's volume, from the foundation of the family in the days of Bruce. It is, however, rather a professional memoir than a biography ; and the book would be more complete for some fuller particulars of the hero's life on shore; for even Lady Durham comes suddenly upon us, like a dramatic surprise. Cap- tain Murray's unpretending volume is one of the few books of our time that might be improved by being extended.