In journeys he outrides the post, Knows every prince in Europe's face, From Paris Gazette a-la-main, A messenger comes all a-reek, Next day the post-boy winds his horn Mordanto gallops on alone, The roads are with his followers strown, His body active as his mind, A skeleton in outward figure; His meagre corpse, though full of vigour, So wonderful his expedition, When you have not the least suspicion, He's with you like an apparition. Shines in all climates like a star; In senates bold, and fierce in war; A land commander, and a tar: Heroic actions early bred in, Ne'er to be match'd in modern reading, But by his namesake, Charles of Sweden. Peterborough's haste was, in 1711, probably stimulated by the interest he took in the great public discussions on the policy of continuing the war with France. He argued in the affirmative with great ability, but without success. Although a strenuous Whig in principle, he was disliked by most of his own party, and greatly caressed in consequence by the Tories. After his return to England, he obtained the regiment of Royal Horse Guards, and the honours of the Garter, being installed 4th August, 1713. In November following, we find the Earl British Plenipotentiary to the King of Sicily and other Italian potentates; and in March 1713-14, he was appointed Governor of the island of Minorca. Under George I and George II the Earl of Peterborough was General of the marine forces in Great Britain. In October, 1735, he found it necessary to set sail for Lisbon for recovery of his health; "No body," to use Pope's expression, "being so much wasted, no soul being more alive." He was cut in the bladder for a suppression of urine; immediately after which cruel operation he took coach, and travelled no less a journey than from Bristol to Southampton, "like a man," says the same poet, "determined neither to live nor die like any other mortal." He died on his voyage to Lisbon, 25th October, 1735, aged seventy-seven. The Earl of Peterborough was twice married, and left two sons and a daughter by his first wife. To all the talents of a general and negociator this wonderful man added those belonging to a literary character. He associated with all the wits of Queen Anne's reign, was a lively poet, and his familiar letters are read to advantage amongst those of Gay, Arbuthnot, Swift, and Pope. He lived in great intimacy with the last, who boasts, that He whose lightning pierced the Iberian lines, Now forms my quincunx, and now ranks my vines, Or tames the genius of the stubborn plain, Almost as quickly as he conquered Spain. To Pope, Peterborough bequeathed on his death-bed his watch, a present from the King of Sardinia, that, as he expressed it, his friend might have something to put him every day in mind of him. The frame in which were lodged such comprehensive talents was thin, short, spare, and well calculated to endure the eternal fatigue imposed by the restless tenant within. The famous lines of Dryden might be happily applied to the Earl of Peterborough: A fiery soul, which, working out its way, And o'er informed the tenement of clay. His face, judging from the print in Dr Birch's 'Lives,' was thin; his eye lively and penetrating. Such was Charles, Earl of Peterborough, one of those phenomena whom nature produces once in the revolution of centuries, to show to ordinary men what she can do in a mood of prodigality. To this short sketch of the principal character in these ( Memoirs' the publishers would willingly have added some particulars of the author; but they are unable to say more on the subject than may be collected from the work itself, and the original preface. It is obvious that Captain George Carleton was one of those men who choose the path of military life, not from a wish to indulge either indolent or licentious habits, but with a feeling of duty, which should be deeply impressed on all to whom their country commits the charge of her glory, and of the lives of their fellow subjects. There is a strain of grave and manly reflection through the work, which speaks the author accustomed to scenes of danger, and familiar with the thoughts of death. From his studies in mathematics, and in fortification, he is entitled to credit for his military remarks, which are usually made with simple modesty. His style is plain and soldierlike, without any pretence at ornament; though, in narrating events of importance, its very simplicity gives it occasional dignity. Of the fate of the author, after deliverance from his Spanish captivity, we know nothing; but can gather, from some passages in his 'Memoirs,' that it did not correspond with his merit. While we hope that our present army possesses many such characters as the reflecting, manly, and conscientious Carleton, we heartily wish them better fortune. THE MEMOIRS OF CAPTAIN CARLETON. In the year 1672, war being proclaimed with Holland, it was looked upon among nobility and gentry as a blemish not to attend the Duke of York aboard the fleet, who was then declared admiral. With many others, I, at that time about twenty years of age, entered myself a volunteer on board the London, commanded by Sir Edward Sprage, Vice-Admiral of the Red. The fleet set sail from the buoy of the Nore about the beginning of May, in order to join the French fleet, then at anchor in St Helen's Road, under the command of the Count de Estrée. But in executing this design we had a very narrow escape; for De Ruyter, the admiral of the Dutch fleet, having notice of our intentions, waited to have intercepted us at the mouth of the river, but by the assistance of a great fog we passed Dover before he was aware of it; and thus he miscarried, with the poor advantage of taking only one small tender. A day or two after the joining of the English and French, we sailed directly towards the Dutch coast, where we soon got sight of their fleet; a i sand called the Galloper lying between. The Dutch seemed willing there to expect an attack from us; but in regard the Charles man-of-war had been lost on those sands the war before, and || that our ships drawing more water than those of the enemy, an engagement might be rendered || very disadvantageous, it was resolved, in a council of war, to avoid coming to a battle for the present, and to sail directly for Solebay, which was accordingly put in execution. We had not been in Solebay above four or five days when De Ruyter, hearing of it, made his signal for sailing, in order to surprise us; and he had certainly had his aim had there been any breeze of wind to favour him. But though they made use of all their sails, there was so little air stirring that we could see their fleet making towards us long before they came up; notwithstanding which our admirals found difficulty enough to form their ships into a line of battle, so as to be ready to receive the enemy. It was about four in the morning of the 28th of May, being Tuesday in Whitsun week, when we first made the discovery; and about eight the same morning the blue squadron, under the command of the Earl of Sandwich, began to engage with Admiral Van Ghent, who com • Afterwards James II. By the treaty betwixt England and France, 6,000 of the British troops were to assist the French army against the Dutch. The two fleets of France and England joined the 2d May. The English consisting of 100, and the French of 40 sail. The States had 72 large ships and 40 frigates. manded the Amsterdam squadron; and about nine the whole fleets were under a general engagement. The fight lasted till ten at night, and with equal fury on all sides, the French excepted, who appeared stationed there rather as spectators than parties; and as unwilling to be too much upon the offensive, for fear of offending themselves. During the fight the English admiral had two ships disabled under him; and was obliged, about four in the afternoon, to remove himself a third time into the London, where he remained all the rest of the fight, and till next morning. Nevertheless, on his entrance upon the London, which was the ship I was in, and on our hoisting the standard, De Ruyter and his squadron seemed to double their fire upon her, as if they resolved to blow her out of the water. Notwithstanding all which the Duke of York remained all the time upon quarter,deck; and as the bullets plentifully whizzed around him, would often rub his hands and cry, Sprage, Sprage, they follow us still." I am very sensible latter times have not been over favourable in their sentiments of that unfortunate prince's valour; yet I cannot omit the doing of a piece of justice to his memory, in relating a matter of fact, of which my own eyes were witnesses, and saying, that if intrepidity and undauntedness may be reckoned any parts of courage, no man in the fleet better deserved the title of courageous, or behaved himself with more gallantry, than he did. 66 The English lost the Royal James, commanded by the Earl of Sandwich, which about twelve (after the strenuous endeavours of her sailors to disengage her from two Dutch ships placed on her, one athwart her hawsers, the other on her starboard side) took fire, blew up, and perished; and with her a great many brave gentlemen as well as sailors; and amongst the rest the earl himself, concerning whom I shall further add, that in my passage from Harwich to the Brill, a year or two after, the master of the packet boat told me that, having observed a great flock of gulls hovering in one particular part of the sea, he ordered his boat to make up to it; when, discovering a corpse, the sailors would have returned it to the sea, as the corpse of a Dutchman; but keeping it in his boat, it proved to be that of the Earl of Sandwich. There was found about him between twenty and thirty guineas, some silver, and his gold watch; restoring which to his lady, she kept the watch, but rewarded their honesty with the gold and silver. This was the only ship the English lost in this long engagement. For although the Catherine was taken, and her commander, Sir John Chi- lunteer on board the Charles, commanded by Sir Sir Philip Carteret, Mr Herbert, Mr Cotterel, Mr Poyton, Mr Gose, with several other gentlemen unknown to me, lost their lives with the Earl of Sandwich, on board the Royal James; Mr Vaughan, on board the Catherine, com I must not omit one very remarkable occurrence which happened in this ship; there was a gentleman aboard her, a volunteer, of a very fine estate, generally known by the name of Hodge Vaughan. This person received in the beginning of the fight a considerable wound, which the great confusion during the battle would not give them leave to inquire into, so he was carried out of the way, and disposed of in the hold. They had some hogs aboard, which the sailor, under whose care they were, had neglected to feed; these hogs, hungry as they were, found out and fell upon the wounded person, and between dead and alive, eat him up to his very skull, which, after the fight was over, and the ship retaken as before, was all that could be found of him. Another thing, less to be accounted for, happened to a gentleman volunteer, who was aboard the same ship with myself. He was of known personal courage in the vulgar notion of it, his sword never having failed him in many private duels. But notwithstanding all his land-mettle it was observed of him at sea, that whenever the bullets whizzed over his head, or in any way incommoded his ears, he immediately quitted the deck, and ran down into the hold. At first he was gently reproached; but after many repetitions, he was laughed at, and began to be despised; sensible of which, as a testimonial of his valour, he made it his request to be tied to the mainmast. But had it been granted him, I cannot see any title he could have pleaded from hence to true magnanimity; since to be tied from running away can import nothing less than that he would still bave continued these signs of cowardice if he had not been prevented. There is a bravery of mind, which I fancy few of those gentlemen duellists are possessed of. True courage cannot proceed from what Sir Walter Raleigh finely calls the art or philosophy of quarrel. No! It must be the issue of principle, and can have no other basis than a steady tenet of religion. This will appear more plain if those artists in murder will give themselves leave coolly to consider, and answer me this question, -Why he, that had ran so many risks at his sword's point, should be so shamefully intimidated at the whiz of a cannon ball? THE NAMES OF THOSE ENGLISH GENTLEMEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES, AS I REMEMBER, IN THIS ENGAGEMENT:- -Commissioner Cox, captain of the Royal Prince, under the command of the admiral; and Mr Travanian, gentleman to the Duke of York; Mr Digby, captain of the Henry, second son to the Earl of Bristol; Sir Fletchvile Hollis, captain of the Cambridge, who lost one of his arms in the war before, and his life in this : Captain Saddleton, of the Dartmouth; the Lord Maidstone, son to the Earl of Winchilsea, a vo In this engagement Sir George Rook was youngest lieutenant to Sir Edward Sprage; Mr Russel, afterwards Earl of Orford, was captain of a small fifth rate, called the Phoenix; Mr Herbert, afterwards Earl of Torrington, was captain of a small fourth rate, called the Mouck; Sir Harry Dutton Colt, who was on board the Victory, commanded by the Earl of Ossory, is the only man now living that I can remember was in this engagement. But to proceed: the Dutch had one man of war sunk, though so near the shore that I saw some part of her mainmast remain above water; with their Admiral Van Ghent, who was slain in the close engagement with the Earl of Sandwich. This engagement lasted fourteen hours, and was looked upon as the greatest that ever was fought between the English and the Hollander. I cannot here omit one thing, which to some may seem trifling. though I am apt to think our naturalists may have a different opinion of it, and find it afford their fancies no undiverting employment in more curious and less perilous reflections. We had on board the London, where, as I have said, I was a volunteer, a great number of pigeons, of which our commander was very fond. These, on the first firing of our cannon, dispersed, and flew away, and were seen nowhere near us during the fight. The next day it blew a brisk gale, and drove our fleet some leagues to the southward of the place where they forsook our ship, yet the day after they all returned safe aboard; not in one flock, but in small parties, of four or five at a time. Some persons at that time aboard the ship, admiring at the manner of their return, and speaking of it with some surprise, Sir Edward Sparge told them that he had brought those pigeons with him from the streights; and that when, pursuant to his order, he left the Revenge man of war, to go aboard the London, all those pigeons, of their own accord, and without the trouble or care of carrying, left the Revenge likewise, and removed with the sailors on board the London, where I saw them; all which many of the sailors afterwards confirmed What sort of instinct this could proceed from I leave to the curious. to me. Soon after this sea engagement I left the fleet. And the parliament, the winter following, manifesting their resentments against two of the plenipotentiaries, viz., Buckingham and Arlington, who had been sent over into Holland, and expressing, withal, their great umbrage taken at the prodigious progress of the French arms in the United Provinces; and warmly remonstrating the inevitable danger attending England in their ruin; King Charles, from all this, and for want of the expected supplies, found himself under a necessity of clapping up a speedy peace with Holland. This peace leaving those youthful spirits, that had by the late naval war been raised into a |