'Lieutenant Stewart's ardour in the cause of humanity was only
equalled by his judgment in affording relief. When he reached the
Queen Charlotte, he dropped his tartane under the bows, where almost
all the remaining crew had taken refuge. Little more than an hour had
elapsed, after this assistance was given, before the ship blew up. All
that had been left unburnt immediately sunk down by the stern, but
when the ponderous contents of the hold had been washed away, she for
an instant recovered her buoyancy, and was suddenly seen to emerge
almost her whole length from the deep, and then, turning over, she
floated on the surface, with her burnished copper glistening in the
sun.'
Such was the fate of the Queen Charlotte, which, excepting the Ville
de Paris, was the largest ship in the British navy.
With the gallant vessel perished six hundred and seventy-three of her
men and officers; amongst whom were Captain Todd and Lieutenant
Bainbridge. These two officers, with heroic self-devotion, remained to
share the fate of their ship, occupied to the last in endeavouring to
save the lives of the men.
Before Captain Todd fell a victim to the flames, he had the presence
of mind to write the particulars of the melancholy event, and to give
copies of his account to several of the sailors, charging them to
deliver it to the admiral if they should be so fortunate as to
escape.[5]
The following daring exploit is related of Lieutenant Bainbridge in
James's _Naval History_. We transcribe it as affording a striking
example of the union of undaunted courage with endurance in the
character of a British sailor.
"On the evening of the 21st of December, the British hired 10 gun
cutter, Lady Nelson, while off Carbareta Point, was surrounded and
engaged by two or three French privateers, and some gun vessels, in
sight of the 100 gun ship, Queen Charlotte, and the 36 gun frigate
Emerald, lying in Gibraltar Bay. Vice-Admiral Lord Keith, whose flag
was flying on board the former ship, immediately ordered the boats of
the two to row towards the combatants, in the hope that it might
encourage the Lady Nelson to resist, until she could approach near
enough to be covered by the guns of the ships. Before the boats could
get up, however, the Lady Nelson had been captured, and was in tow by
two of the privateers.
"Notwithstanding this, Lieutenant Bainbridge, in the Queen Charlotte's
barge, with sixteen men, ran alongside, and boarded with the greatest
impetuosity; and after a sharp conflict, carried the Lady Nelson,
taking as prisoners seven French officers and twenty-seven men.--six
or seven others having been killed or knocked overboard in the
scuffle. Lieutenant Bainbridge was severely wounded in the head by the
stroke of a sabre, and slightly in other places."
We have seen how, a few months afterwards, this brave officer
patiently anticipated death in a more terrible form on board the Queen
Charlotte.