Her Majesty's ship _Collingwood_, Captain R. Smart, was lying off the
port of Callao, in China, on the 20th of August 1844. There were at the
time two mates on board, Mr Roderick Dew and the Hon. Frederick
William Walpole. The latter officer had, it appears, in the afternoon
gone on board a cutter-yacht, belonging to a gentleman at Callao. As
night came on there was a fresh breeze blowing, which knocked up a short
chopping sea. It was also very dark, so that objects at any distance
from the ship could scarcely be discerned. The officer of the first
watch on that night was Lieutenant Richard R. Quin, and the mate of the
watch was Mr R. Dew. In those seas the currents run with great
rapidity, and where the ship lay there was a very strong tide. Just as
the quartermasters had gone below to call the officers of the middle
watch, it being then close upon twelve o'clock, the look-out man forward
reported a boat ahead under sail. The lieutenant of the watch, on going
to the gangway, observed a small cutter on the starboard bow, which, as
well as he could make out through the obscurity, appeared to be hove to.
He judged from the position of the cutter that she wished to
communicate with the ship, but it was impossible to see what was taking
place on board of her. Shortly afterwards a dark object was observed on
the water on the starboard bow approaching the ship, but it did not look
like a boat. When it was at the distance of seventy or eighty yards, it
was hailed by the sentry. An answer was returned, but too indistinctly
for the officers aft to understand what was said. The sentry, however,
on the forecastle seems to have made out the answer, for he instantly
sung out the startling cry of "A man overboard!" No boats were down at
the time; and in that hot tideway in another minute the drowning man
would have been swept past the ship, and carried in all probability out
to sea, where he must have perished. Mr Dew was forward. Whether or
not he knew the person who was in peril of his life, I cannot say;
probably any human being would equally have claimed his aid; but without
a moment's hesitation he jumped fearlessly overboard, and swam to the
assistance of the man he supposed was drowning. He struck out bravely,
but could not at first succeed in the object for which he was aiming.
Meantime the order for lowering a boat was given; but long before she
was got into the water the figure of a human being was discerned close
to the ship. The sentry again hailed, when a voice, which was
recognised as that of Mr Walpole's, answered with a cry for help. Mr
Dew cheered him up by letting him know that he was coming to his
assistance; and very soon after he got up to him, and found him clinging
to a small boat full of water, and, as he was encumbered with a heavy
pea-coat, holding on with the greatest difficulty. Mr Dew, who was
lightly clad and fresh, enabled him to guide the swamped boat up to the
ship, near which the current was of itself carrying her. As they passed
near the gangway, a coil of rope was hove to them, which they getting
hold of, the boat was hauled alongside, and Mr Walpole and his gallant
preserver Mr Dew were brought safely upon deck. Mr Walpole then gave
an account of the accident which had befallen him. He had shoved off
from the cutter in her dinghy, which was very soon swamped; and as the
tide would not allow him to regain the vessel, he was being carried
rapidly to destruction, and would, he gratefully asserted, have
inevitably perished, had it not been for the heroic conduct of Mr Dew,
who, under Providence, was thus the means of preserving his life.