To die in the path of duty, whatever that duty may be, is as honourable
as to fall when engaged on the field of battle, or on the deck in fight
with an enemy; and for either lot, British officers have ever shown
themselves ready.
Among those of whose services the country has lately been deprived, none
stood higher in the estimation of all who knew him than Commodore James
Graham Goodenough. A brief notice of his career may induce others to
follow his example. He was the second son of the Dean of Wells, was
born in 1830, and sent at the age of eleven to Westminster School, of
which his father had once been headmaster. He there gained the
character he ever maintained of a brave, noble, and kind-hearted boy,
who hated all evil doings or evil things. He was diligent and
successful in his studies, and was beloved by all his companions.
In 1844 he joined HMS _Collingwood_ as a naval cadet, and in her
proceeded to the Pacific station. Here he spent four years, gaining
from his messmates the same warm regard he had won from his
schoolfellows. Ready for the performance of every duty, he was the
leader among his companions on all occasions. He was a good linguist,
and equal to the best in navigation and seamanship, as well as in all
exercises. His chief characteristic was the thought of others rather
than himself. When the _Collingwood_ was paid off, he joined the
_Cyclops_, commanded by Captain Hastings, and in her continued some time
on the coast of Africa. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in
1851, passing the best examination at college. In that rank he served
on board the _Centaur_, the flagship on the Brazilian station. He next
served, during 1855, on board the _Hastings_, commanded by Captain
Caffin, a Christian officer, whose advice to his young midshipmen when
joining is worthy of being noted: "If you are a Christian, nail your
colours to the mast and fight under them; you will be sure, in the end,
to overcome your opponents!" While belonging to the _Hastings_, he was
gazetted as having served with the rocket-boats at the bombardment of
Sveaborg. After commanding the gunboat _Goshawk_, he proceeded to
China, where he joined the _Calcutta_, flagship; and was gazetted on
four occasions: for the capture of a large snake-boat from pirates in
the Canton River, for being thrice in action in boats for the
destruction of Chinese war-junks, for gallant services at the assault
and capture of Canton, and for services on shore at the capture of the
Chinese forts in the Peiho River. He now obtained the rank of
commander, and returned for a brief time to England. After this he had
for three years the command of the _Reynard_, on the China station. He
next served as commander on board the _Revenge_, in the Channel
squadron, and in 1863 was promoted to the rank of captain. During a
residence on shore of about eighteen months he married. In 1864 he was
sent by the Admiralty to America to visit the dockyards of the United
States, and, at the end of that year, he went out to the Mediterranean
as captain of the _Victoria_, flagship of Sir Robert Smart.
For five years, until 1870, he was in command of the _Minotaur_. The
high esteem in which he was held was shown by his having been selected
to assist in the revictualling of Paris after the Prussian siege, and
also in distributing the peasant relief fund, when, accompanied by his
wife, he gained the affection of all with whom he came in contact.
In 1871 the Admiralty again employed him to visit and report on the
naval dockyards of Russia, Austria, Italy, and France,--another proof of
the confidence reposed in him.
At length, on the 22nd of May 1873, he was appointed to command HMS
_Pearl_, as commodore on the Australian station. He went out with the
determination of doing his utmost for the advancement of science and for
furthering the cause of humanity. In the duties he had undertaken he
was engaged for nearly two years, during which, while cruising through
various parts of the Western Pacific, he never failed when visiting
islands inhabited by savage races to endeavour by every means in his
power to establish with them a friendly intercourse. On the 12th of
August he had landed at Carlisle Bay, on the island of Santa Cruz,
accompanied by an interpreter, through whose means, according to his
usual plan, he was engaged in communicating with the natives, when,
after a conference with some who appeared to have no hostile intentions,
as he was in the act of stepping into his boat, a savage, a few yards
off, shot a poisoned arrow, which struck him in the side. The example
thus set was followed by the other natives, and several of the British
were wounded. The boats immediately returned to the ship, but,
notwithstanding the efforts of the surgeons to counteract the effects of
the poison, the commodore felt that death was approaching. His great
anxiety during the following days of intense suffering was to impress
the principles by which he had been guided on those serving under him.
As he lay in his cabin and his last hours were passing, not a murmur
escaped his lips. The only regret he expressed was that he had not
strength enough to praise God sufficiently for all His mercies. "The
day before his death, believing that he would not live out the night, he
had all his officers summoned to his bedside," writes his chaplain,
"where, in lovely and loving words, he spoke of the truth and the
infinite love of God, and the readiness he felt to go. He had a word
for each--a word of love--as, at his request, each kissed him and said
good-bye. He then caused himself to be carried on to the quarter-deck
and placed on a bed there, the ship's company being assembled to hear
his last words to them. He earnestly desired that no revenge should be
taken on the natives of Santa Cruz. In these last words to the men he
spoke to this effect: `We cannot tell their reason, perhaps they had
been injured by white people, but we cannot communicate with them, not
knowing their language; perhaps some day, it may be twenty or thirty
years hence, some good missionary, some Christian man, may go among them
and find out why they did this.' His heart was full of God's love to
himself. He spoke of this love, and exhorted all to love God, telling
them how he had loved them all, even when having to punish them, seeing
good in them to love. Many such words were spoken before he said
good-bye, blessing them all in the name of God. He passed away in
perfect peace at 5:30 p.m., on Friday the 20th of August 1875. Thus
died, in the performance of his duty, as true and noble a sailor as any
of the gallant officers who have graced our naval annals. The two young
seamen, Smale and Rayner, who had been wounded at the same time as the
commodore, died within a few hours of him."