[This somewhat curious incident in the under-current of
history, is given on the authority of Mr H. G. Austen, of
New Square, Lincoln's Inn, to whom the facts were
communicated by his father, Sir F. W. Austen, who commanded
one of the ships under the orders of Sir George Cockburn on
the occasion referred to in the narrative.]
It is well known that when the French republican armies were
overrunning the north of Italy, and commencing that wholesale system
of plunder which was afterwards carried out to such perfection by
Napoleon's marshals, the then reigning Duke of Florence offered the
magnificent collection of pictures which adorned the Pitti Palace, to
the English nation for the comparatively small sum of L.100,000--a sum
which, as the late George Robins might have said, with less than his
customary exaggeration, was 'hardly the price of the frames,
gentlemen.' Mr Pitt seems, unfortunately, to have been less sensible
of the value of the collection than scrupulous of asking parliament
for the money; and the opportunity was lost of redeeming the national
character, by such a set-off against the republican dispersion of the
noble collection of Charles I. This circumstance is well known; but it
will probably be new to most of our readers to learn, that many of the
best pictures which had thus failed to become British property 'by
purchase,' narrowly missed becoming such 'by conquest;' and that, in
fact, they were for some hours in British custody. Such, however, was
the fact, and the following narrative of the circumstance alluded to
may perhaps not be considered devoid of interest.
It was in the latter part of the year 1799, that a squadron of British
men-of-war was cruising in the Gulf of Genoa. It was known that the
French were on the point of evacuating Italy, and these ships had been
detached from Lord Keith's fleet, to watch that part of the coast, and
to intercept, as far as possible, all communication between the ports
of Italy and France. The squadron consisted of four vessels, under the
orders of the present admiral of the fleet, Sir George Cockburn, then
Captain Cockburn, whose pendant was flying in the _Minerve_ frigate.
Whilst some of the vessels kept pretty close in, so as to cut off all
communications alongshore, others kept a look-out more to seaward, for
any vessels that might attempt to make a straight run across the bay.
One afternoon, four sails were discovered to seaward running towards
the coast of France. The signal to chase was immediately made, and
each of the British cruisers started off in pursuit of one of the
strangers. Our concern is with the _Vincejo_, a brig of eighteen guns,
commanded by Captain Long, which happened, from her position, to be
the most advanced in the chase. She was standing off-shore on the
larboard tack, with her head to the south-west, when the chase was
discovered somewhat to leeward, standing nearly due west, with the
wind on her starboard-quarter. The latter was a smart-looking ship of
600 or 700 tons, displaying no colours; though from the course she was
steering, and her evident intention to avoid being overhauled, no
doubt was entertained that she was an enemy.
Both vessels sailed well; and as the stranger gradually edged away,
the _Vincejo_ got more and more into her wake. A stern chase is
proverbially a long chase; and though it was apparent from the first
that the British, though much smaller, was the faster vessel, it was
many hours before she was enabled to get within range. About dusk,
however, this was effected, and the first shot from the _Vincejo_
produced an instantaneous effect on the chase: her head was thrown
into the wind, and she appeared at once resigned to her fate. Great,
of course, was the anxiety of the captors to learn her character, and
comparatively keen the mortification which followed, when, in reply to
their hail, the words 'the _Hercules_ of Boston, in the United
States,' were twanged across the water in unmistakable Yankee tones.
Here was 'a lame and impotent conclusion.' England was at peace with
the United States; and if the character of the stranger corresponded
with her hail, she would prove after all no prize. The captors,
however, were of course not to be put off without examination; and a
boat was immediately despatched from the _Vincejo_ to board, and see
what could be made of her. The officer who was sent on board was
received by the captain with a good deal of bluster and swagger: he
loudly asserted his rights as a neutral, and threatened the vengeance
of Congress if they should be infringed. His account of himself was,
that he had come out from Boston with a cargo of 'notions,' which he
had traded away at Leghorn; and finding some difficulty in getting a
return cargo, he had agreed with some invalid French officers to take
them home, and he was now bound for the first port in France he could
make. This account appeared to be confirmed by his papers, and by the
presence on board of several gaunt, sickly-looking figures, who had
all the appearance of being military invalids. There were no visible
signs of any cargo; and after a somewhat cursory examination, the
lieutenant returned to his ship, after telling the skipper, more for
the sake of annoyance than from any expectation of its being realised,
'that Captain Long would certainly detain him.'
This threat had the effect of determining the Yankee skipper to
proceed on board the _Vincejo_, and try his eloquence on the captain;
and in this expedition he was accompanied by some of his passengers.
After their several natures they assailed Captain Long: the Yankee
blustered and bullied; the Frenchmen were all suavity and politeness:
'They were quite sure M. le Capitaine was much too generous to take
advantage of the chance which had thrown them into his hands--a few
poor wounded and disabled invalids on their way home! The English were
a brave people, who do not make war on invalids. What object could be
gained by making them prisoners? Assuredly, M. le Capitaine would not
think of detaining them.' Captain Long was sorely puzzled how to act.
It must be owned, that the circumstances were suspicious. Here was a
vessel just come from a port in possession of the enemy--for the
French still occupied Leghorn--bound avowedly for the enemy's country,
and with enemies on board. Were not these grounds enough to detain
her? On the other hand, the captain's story might be true: no
appearance of any cargo had been discovered; Captain Long doubted
whether the presence of the Frenchmen on board would be sufficient to
condemn the vessel; and there seemed something pitiful in making them
prisoners under such circumstances, even if the laws of war would have
sanctioned it. After some deliberation, he took a middle course, and
announced that he should keep the American ship by him till daylight,
when, if his senior officer should be in sight, he should take her
down to him, to be dealt with as Captain Cockburn might decide: if, on
the other hand, the _Minerve_ should not be in sight, he would, on his
own responsibility, allow the _Hercules_ to proceed on her voyage. In
the meantime, both vessels should return towards the point fixed on by
Captain Cockburn as a rendezvous. 'And this,' he observed, 'ought to
satisfy all parties, as the _Hercules_ would be thereby brought nearer
to her destination, which was more than her captain deserved, after
the needless chase he had led the _Vincejo_.' This announcement
seemed extremely unpalatable to the Yankee captain; and from a very
energetic discussion which took place in under-tones between him and
his passengers, it was evident they were dissuading him earnestly from
some course which he was bent on taking. This was pointed out to
Captain Long as an additional circumstance of suspicion, that there
was something wrong about the American; and he was strongly urged to
detain her, at all events, till he could get the opinion of Captain
Cockburn: but he adhered to his decision. 'Ay, ay,' said he to the
representations of his first-lieutenant; 'it's all very well for you,
gentlemen. You share in the prize-money, but not in the responsibility
of our captures; _that_ rests upon me. And as I really think there is
no ground for detaining the fellow, I'll not do more than I have
said.'
Morning came; and with its first dawn many anxious eyes on board both
vessels were scanning the horizon in hope or fear. The vessels had
made good much of the distance they had run in the chase, and the bold
cliffs of the coast between Genoa and Nice were distinctly visible
from the mast-head to the north and west, but no _Minerve_ greeted the
searching gaze of the _Vincejo's_ look-out. The frigate was nowhere to
be seen. The first-lieutenant of the _Vincejo_ having communicated
this fact to Captain Long, and made one more effort to prevail on him
to detain the _Hercules_, till they could rejoin their senior officer,
was most reluctantly compelled to give the order for communicating to
the captain of that ship that she was free. The American did not wait
for a second permission. Sail was made with all speed; and long before
the _Vincejo_ had reached her rendezvous, her late prize was safe in
the harbour at Nice. When Captain Long had reported to Captain
Cockburn what had taken place, the latter was by no means disposed to
approve of his junior's decision. He thought the circumstance
extremely suspicious, and quite sufficient to have justified the
detention of the American; and not being under the influence of the
gaunt aspects and energetic pleadings of the Frenchmen, he was not
inclined to admit the weight of their arguments. 'I think,' said he,
'you might as well have brought her to me: I daresay I could have made
something of her.' From the other captains of the squadron, too,
Captain Long had to undergo much good-humoured raillery for his
tender-heartedness and gullibility; raillery which certainly lost
nothing in force, when in a few days the real nature of the adventure
became known.
The French having soon afterwards abandoned Leghorn, Captain Cockburn
sent one of his squadron into that port for supplies. The intelligence
she brought back was truly mortifying. On the arrival of the _Theresa_
at Leghorn, it appeared that the _Hercules_ was the object of much
interest there, and great eagerness had been displayed to learn
whether anything was known of her fate. When the facts were
communicated, they were received with absolute incredulity. 'Captured,
examined, and let go! It was impossible. Nothing to condemn her! Why,
she was loaded with booty. The plunder of Italy was on board her.
Pictures, church-plate, statues, the _élite_ of the spoilers'
collections, had been sent off in her. She was actually ballasted with
brass guns!' It was too true. Upon further inquiry, it appeared,
beyond a doubt, that the vessel which had been so unfortunately
dismissed as not worth detaining, had French plunder on board, which,
on a moderate estimate, was valued at a million and a half sterling;
and what made it still more vexatious was the discovery, that a
detention of the vessel even for a few hours longer, would have led to
the disclosure by the captain of the real nature of his venture. He
had with difficulty been prevailed on to undertake the transport of
the articles in question, and had only at last consented to do so, on
an express agreement, that if he should be detained twenty-four hours
by a British cruiser, he should be at liberty to make terms for saving
his vessel by denouncing the contents of his cargo. No doubt it was
his intention to do this at once, against which the Frenchmen had been
so earnestly remonstrating; and had Captain Long persevered in
detaining him, nothing could have prevented the discovery, even if the
American himself had not made the disclosure. A little ebullition of
temper was to be expected when the news of what they had missed was
circulated among the squadron. The captains' shares might be
considered as worth L.40,000 or L.50,000, a sum which it would require
considerable philosophy to resign with equanimity. Whether the country
could properly have benefited by the capture, may be a question for
jurists. It might have been argued, that the captor of stolen goods
could not be entitled to retain them against the original owner. It is
probable, however, that no very nice inquiry would have been made into
the title of the French possessors, and that it would have been
considered a case in which, to use the language of Roderick Dhu, it
was perfectly justifiable--
'To spoil the spoiler as we may,
And from the robber rend his prey.'