DORSETSHIRE AND TRAFALGAR.*

OF all the books the preparation and publication of which can be traced to the centenary of Trafalgar, and the consequent revival of the memory of Nelson, this is one of the most informing, if not the most valuable. It does not throw new light of the first importance upon the great naval battle, although it contains a brief letter dealing with it from the man whose name will always live with Nelson's ; but for the first time it gives accurate portraits of three of the minor heroes of the Napoleonic War,—all Dorset- shire men, and of the kind whom another Dorsetshire man, also a Thomas Hardy, has recently been celebrating in his Dynasts. Of the three—Thomas Masterman Hardy, Charles Bullen, and Henry Digby—Nelson's Flag-Captain was, of course, the greatest. Yet until a few months ago the places of his birth and baptism were matters of historic doubt. Last July a Nelson and Trafalgar Exhibition was held at Dorchester, the capital of Hardy's county, under the direction of the Rev. S. E. V. Filleul, Rector of All Saints' Church there, assisted by a local Committee. As a result there were brought together in one room a number of rare relics connected not only with Lord Nelson, but with the lives and exploits of Thomas Hardy, Cap- tain of the Victory,' Charles Bullen, Captain of the Britannia,' and Henry Digby, Captain of the Africa.' Among the exhibits were several autograph letters written by Hardy to his brother-in-law, John Callard Manfield, a former Mayor of Dorchester, who in the days of Trafalgar and for some years previously carried on the business of a solicitor. The presence of these autographs led to the discovery of other bundles of Hardy's letters extending from 1798 to 1839, shortly before his death. Mr. Manfield died in June, 1808. The latter portions of the Hardy correspondence are addressed to Joseph Hardy, the Admiral's elder brother, who survived him. The authors of this volume have also been able to unearth a letter written by Thomas to Joseph Hardy at the age of thirteen, and others of his communications of a minor character. Then, "from two roughly bound folio volumes of stamped receipts in the possession of Messrs. Moggs, of 109 Strand, the writers have been enabled to compile a complete and accurate muster-roll of the Victory on the 21st October, 1805. The earlier of these records, dated August, 1806, deals • The Three Dorset Captains at Trafalyar—Thomus Masterman Hardy, Charles Batten, Henry Digby. By A. M. Broadley and li. U. Bartadot. London: John Murray. [15s.]

with the division pro rata of the £300,000 voted by Parliament for the whole of the Trafalgar Fleet; while the latter, begun in April, 1807, shows in the minutest details the

distribution of the sum total of the Trafalgar Prize Money and Bounty Bills." From such original material, and from the works of standard writers dealing with our naval annals between the years 1780 and 1840, the authors have been able to construct -a book equally interesting from the personal and from the public point of view.

The authors of this book devote a good deal of space—not unwisely, however, or to boredom—to the -associations of Dorsetshire with the Navy, and to the ancestry and profes- sional training of Thomas Masterman Hardy, who was born in the same year as Wellington and Napoleon. Is 'early as 1796 he found himself, as a Lieutenant, with Nelson in the Minerve,' a large ship secured' from the French. He him- self was captured with a vessel which he had taken from the enemy and brought into Cartagena. An exchange was effected, however, and he was able to regain the 'Minerve' at Gibraltar on February 9th, 1797. The next day demonstrated Nelson's affection for Hardy :— " The Minerve with the Spanish in chase was passing through the Straits of Gibraltar to join the Admiral Sir John Jervis, when a man fell overboard, and Hardy, without the slightest hesitation, jumped into the jolly-boat, and put off with her crew to save the drowning sailor. The boat, and Hardy in it, were being fast borne by "the current towards the leading enemy's ship. It seemed as though he must be taken prisoner ; but Nelson, who knew the value of a brave man, said: 'By G—, I'll not lose Hardy ; back the wizen topsail.' It was instantly done ; the effect was-elec- trical. The Spanish saw the Minerve slowing down, and at once themselves started shortening sail, and this allowed Hardy to be picked up by the Minerve."

So Hardy was able to take part in the victory of Cape St. Vincent. In the following May be got his first command, "off his own bat," as Nelson put it. He was entrusted with the task of "cutting out" of the bay of Santa Cruz a ship of sixteen guns. He performed the task in broad daylight without losing a single man, although he received a wound in the head from the effects of which he after- wards suffered at intervals. He was promoted to be Com- mander, and was appointed at the age of twenty-eight to the command of the prize, which was used largely in main- taining communications between St. Vincent and Nelson. He was with Nelson at the battle of the Nile in 1798, and became his chief's Flag-Captain on board the Vanguard.' His simple and numerous letters to his brother-in-law Manfield tell of Nelson's doings at Naples—but not of his liaison with Lady Hamilton—and of the battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar. It is thus he speaks of the "crowning mercy" :- "Oct. 27th, 1805.

DEAR 11lAxprELD,—We have on the 21st obtained a most glorious victory over the combined fleets, but it has cost the country a life that no money can replace, and one for whose death I shall ever mourn. Our Dear and ever to be lamented Lord fell in the Action, and as it fell to our lot to lead the Fleet into Action, our loss has been rather great (54 killed and 80 wounded). However, I have come off unhurt. The weather ever since the Action has been so bad that we have had some Difficulty to save our shattered ship, and have had no communication with any of the Fleet. Thos. Bartlett is well, and has written by this convey- ance. It will also be satisfactory for Sam Clark (of Possum) to know that his son is well. The Victory is in so nude a state that she must be ordered to England, at any rate you will soon see me, and I am determined to remain on shore some months."

Hardy survived Nelson for thirty-four years, dying in harness as Governor of Greenwich Hospital on September 20th, 1839, having served the State under four Sovereigns.

Some of the most interesting portions of this book are those which illustrate Hardy's character as a man and quality as a commander. Thus :—

"One of the most prominent characteristics of Hardy's generous and kindly nature was a solicitude for the comfort and happiness of those placed under his command. His anxiety about the young officers and sailors of his various ships (as constantly shown in his letters to Dorchester) is often quite touching. Even at that period, when the Navy served as a sort of refuge for the very dregs of society, he believed in treating the British sailors as rational human beings instead of as animals amenable only to fear of punishment. In the matter of discipline, Sir Thomas Hardy was far in advance of his times. He was the first who had the courage to trust to the honour of his men and to dispense with the patrol of boats round the ships for the prevention of desertion."

In Captain Basil Hall's " Remains" is Hardy's reply to a query

put to him as to the behaviour of the French privateer 'Milan,' captured by the 'Endymion' on November 8th, 1810, after a prolonged chase :—

"This Frenchman's conduct may teach us the important lesson that an officer should never surrender his ship whatever be the force opposed to him while there remains the slightest possible chance of escape. The privateer you speak of had very nearly slipped through your hands ; and had he knocked away one of your sticks, probably would have done so. It is always useful to have good practical examples of what perseverance and well- directed zeal may accomplish, especially with very small means. I think I have known more than one ship captured, which might, perhaps, have baffled their enemy had they been as stoutly defended as your little privateer. Don't let us forget her example ; for it is no matter whence instruction comes, from friend or foe, provided it be good."

Of personal "incidents" in a quietly successful career there were few. Yet a report was spread in 1816 that Hardy's wife had eloped with the Marquis of Abercona. He fought a duel over this affair, and recovered £1,000 from the Morning Herald for publishing the preposterous story, and wrote to his brother :— " I am certain you will do me the justice to believe that I would not have brought my name under the discussion of the public, if I could possibly have avoided it, but the infamous attacks which have been made on my wife left me no alternative, and I hope by following it up with moderation and firmness that I shall soon get the better of our enemies. Louisa is, of course, very much annoyed, but she has borne up against it with the greatest fortitude."

The best compliment ever paid to Hardy he received a few months before his death on September 20th, 1839, of "torpor or paralysis of the intestines." It was in the form of a letter to Lady Hardy from Sydney Smith. By way of recognising some social courtesies from her, he sent her a volume of sermons, which she acknowledged. His answer is characteristic :— " DEAR LADY HARDY,—I would rather have the approbation of Sir Thomas Hardy than that of several bishops. If bishops approved, the sermons must be pompous, intolerant, and full of useless theology. If Sir Thomas likes them, they are true, honest, and useful ; and if you add your sanction, then at least I am not dull, and I feel that I am helping to pay off the debt we all owe you for looking so well as you do and talking so agree- ably."

Charles Bullen, who was Captain of the 'Britannia' at Trafalgar, was a gallant seaman who distinguished himself

under Howe, Duncan, and Nelson, and became a Knight Commander of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order (January 13th, 1835), and on February 25th following was dubbed Knight Bachelor, receiving his promotion to Flag rank when he was in his seventieth year,—January 10th, 1837. His work being done, he retired from active service on March 12th of the same year, and settled at Southampton. There his wife died, after half-a-century of married life. In 1843 he was accorded a Good Service pension of £300 a year, and at the age of eighty-four became Admiral of the Blue. About a year later he died.

Henry Digby, who commanded the 'Africa' at Trafalgar, and died in 1842 at the age of seventy-two, was a seaman of the same type as Bullen, with perhaps a little more dash. As a young sailor, he was singularly lucky in capturing valuable prizes. According to himself, his "share of the plunder" before he was thirty amounted to £57,000, to which he added £6,300 more in the following six years. The ship he commanded was the smallest line-of-battle ship at Trafalgar, and it was rather badly knocked about. As he put the matter in a brief letter to his uncle immediately after the battle, "I have lost all my masts in consequence of the action, and my ship is otherwise cut to pieces, but sound at bottom.

Out of so many great prizes, it has pleased God that the elements should destroy most, perhaps to lessen the vanity of man after so great a victory." Ten years after Trafalgar, it having been declared by some one that Nelson disapproved of Digby's inanceuvring in the battle, Hardy wrote emphati- cally : "I beg to assure you that Lord Nelson expressed great satisfaction at the gallant manner in which you passed the enemy's line, and I assure you he appeared most fully satisfied with the conduct of the Africa." Promotion came to Digby by seniority. The death of an uncle made him proprietor of the Minterne estate in Dorset. But be did not sever his connection with t.e Navy, and he died Admiral of the Blue.