by the officers of his command. "Among names," writes Lieutenant Low
in his _History_, "which will ever be held in affection by the
officers whose record of service is now 'as a tale that is told,' that
of Maitland, the gallant and chivalrous seaman, to whom the mighty
Napoleon surrendered his sword on the quarter-deck of the
_Bellerophon_, will ever be prominent; and this record of his worth
and nobility of character, and that other memorial on the walls of the
Cathedral Church of St Thomas, will testify to the grateful
remembrance in which his memory is held by the officers of the Indian
Navy."
NARRATIVE
On Wednesday the 24th of May, 1815, I sailed from Cawsand Bay, in
command of His Majesty's ship Bellerophon, and under the orders of
Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Hotham, whose flag was hoisted in the Superb. I
received sealed instructions, part of which were to be opened on
getting to sea, and part only to be examined in the event of my being
separated from the Admiral. Those which I opened contained directions
to detain, and send into port, all armed vessels belonging to the
Government of France.
On Sunday the 28th of May, we joined His Majesty's ships Astrea and
Telegraph, stationed off Isle Dieu, on a secret service; and the
following day, three transports, under charge of the Helicon, arrived
from England, having on board arms and ammunition, to supply the
Royalists in La Vendee, for whose support and assistance I now found
the squadron, of which the Bellerophon formed one, was destined.
On Tuesday the 30th of May, I received orders from Sir Henry Hotham,
to take the Eridanus under my command, and proceed off Rochefort, for
the purpose of preventing a corvette from putting to sea, which,
according to information received by the British Government, was to
carry proposals from Buonaparte to the West India Colonies, to declare
in his favour. I had likewise orders to reconnoitre the Roadstead of
Rochefort, and report to the Admiral the number and state of the ships
of war lying there. Accordingly, on the 31st of May, I ran into
Basque Roads, and found at anchor, under Isle d'Aix, two large
frigates, a ship corvette, and a large brig, all ready for sea, which
I afterwards ascertained to be the Meduse, Saale, Balladiere, and
Epervier. Nothing occurred worth mentioning until the 9th of June,
when the Vesuve French corvette came in from the northward, and got
into Rochefort, notwithstanding every effort to prevent her; the ships
under my orders having been driven to the southward, during the night,
by a strong northerly wind, accompanied by a southerly current. She
was from Guadaloupe, and immediately on passing the Chasseron
light-house, hoisted the tri-coloured flag.
On the 18th of June, I detained and sent to Sir Henry Hotham, the
AEneas French store-ship, commanded by a lieutenant of the navy, with a
crew of fifty men, loaded with ship-timber for the arsenal of
Rochefort; but he, being of opinion that she did not come within the
intention of the order, liberated her.
On the 21st of June, I detained and sent to the Admiral, under charge
of the Eridanus, the Marianne French transport, from Martinique,
having on board 220 of the 9th regiment of light infantry, coming to
France to join the army under Buonaparte. The Eridanus was sent to
England with her, and did not return to me, being employed on other
service.
On the 27th of June, the Cephalus joined us, bringing with her the
declaration of war against France; after which we were employed
several days, taking and destroying chasse-marees, and other small
coasting vessels.
On the 28th of June, I received intelligence, from one of the vessels
captured, of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo; and on the 30th, a boat
came off from Bourdeaux, bringing the following letter, without date
or subscription, written on very thin paper in English, and concealed
within a quill. I give the contents verbatim.
Copy of a Letter received by Captain Maitland, of H.M.S. Bellerophon,
off Rochefort, on the 30th of June, 1815, without date or
subscription.
"With great degree of certainty, being informed that Buonaparte might
have come last night through this city from Paris, with the new Mayor
of Bourdeaux, with a view to flight, by the mouth of this river, or La
Teste, the author of the last note sent by Mr ---- hastily drops these
few lines, to give the British Admiral advice of such intention, that
he may instantly take the necessary steps, in order to seize the man.
His ideas will certainly have brought him to think it natural, that
the British stations will be less upon their guard in this quarter
than any where else. The writer benefits by this opportunity to inform
the Admiral that, since the last note, some alteration has taken place
with regard to the troops spread in these two Divisions; in lieu of
800 to 1000 in this city, there are now 5000, which is supposed owing
to the intention of compressing the minds of this populace in this
decisive instant.
"It is supposed the British Admiral is already informed of the Grand
Army being totally defeated and destroyed, the abdication of
Buonaparte, &c. and the arrival of the allies near the Capital.
"An attempt should be made on this Coast, with no less than 8000 men
altogether. Immediate steps are wanted to put a stop to the supposed
flight.
"Should the attempt be made on the Coast from La Teste to Bourdeaux,
an immediate diversion should be made on this side; the success is
beyond any doubt.
"A sharp eye must be kept on all American vessels, and particularly on
the Susquehannah, of Philadelphia, Captain Caleb Cushing; General
Bertand and another goes with him. The two entrances of Bourdeaux and
La Teste must be kept close; a line or two is expected, on the return
of the bearer from the Admiral, or Chief Officer on the Station. As
this is writing, the news is spread generally, that the Duc de Berri
and Lord Wellington are in Paris."
The note alluded to had been received, and forwarded unopened, to the
Admiral in Quiberon Bay.
Though my attention was called so strongly to Bourdeaux, or la Teste
d'Arcasson, as the parts of the coast from whence Buonaparte would
probably attempt to escape, it was my decided opinion that Rochefort
was much more likely to be the port where the trial would be made. I
therefore sent the Myrmidon off Bourdeaux, the Cephalus to Arcasson,
and remained with only the Bellerophon, off Rochefort. From this
period, until my return to England, the ship was never, by day or
night, more than three miles from the land. Considering it of much
importance to communicate the intelligence contained in the letter
from Bourdeaux, to my commanding officer, with as little delay as
possible; as I had no vessel left with me, after detaching the two
ships under my orders, I sent the Bellerophon's barge, under the
charge of a lieutenant, with directions to endeavour to join some one
of the cruisers stationed off Isle Dieu. I gave him an order,
addressed to the Captain of any of His Majesty's ships he might fall
in with, to proceed without loss of time, to join the Admiral in
Quiberon Bay, with the despatch accompanying it. This boat was
fortunate enough to fall in with His Majesty's ship Cyrus, Captain
Carrol; who, in consequence, after hoisting in the barge, proceeded to
Quiberon Bay.
As the coasting-vessels were not worth sending into port for
condemnation, (and considering the circumstances under which the ship
I commanded was placed, I should not have felt justified in weakening
her complement, even for a prize of value,) I was in the habit of
using such captures, as marks for the men to practice firing at. The
Cephalus had a chasse-maree in tow for that purpose, when the letter,
inserted above, was received; and I detached her so shortly
afterwards, that Captain Furneaux had no opportunity of destroying
her, but was obliged to cast her off. After he had left me some time,
I observed the vessel drifting to sea, and determined to run down and
sink her. While approaching her in this view. I was sweeping the
horizon with my glass, when I discovered, at a considerable distance,
a small white speck on the water, which had the appearance of a
child's boat with paper sails; but I could plainly perceive something
that had motion in it; and, after firing on and destroying the
chasse-maree, I stood towards the object which had engaged my
attention, and found it to be a small punt, about eight feet long,
flat-bottomed, and shaped more like a butcher's tray than a boat. In
it were a young man about eighteen years of age, and a boy about
twelve, who had got into the punt to amuse themselves, and, happening
to lose one of their oars, were drifted to sea. They had been
thirty-six hours without refreshment of any kind, and with only one
oar and a bit of board, which they had formed into something like
another; they were quite exhausted with fatigue, and their hands very
much blistered. When we picked them up, there was a strong breeze
blowing off the land, so that there cannot be a doubt, had not
Providence sent us to their assistance, they must have perished. I
kept the boys on board two or three days, for the purpose of
recruiting their strength, and then landed them with the punt, close
to their village, to the great joy and wonder of their parents and
countrymen.
On the first of July, we spoke a ship from Rochefort, the master of
which gave information, that the frigates in Aix Roads had taken in
their powder, and were in all respects ready to put to sea; also, that
several gentlemen in plain clothes, and some ladies, supposed to form
part of Buonaparte's suite, had arrived at Isle d'Aix: in short, upon
the whole, that there was little doubt of its being his intention to
effect his escape, if possible, from that place, in the frigates. On
receiving this information, I anchored the Bellerophon as close to the
French squadron as the batteries would permit, kept guard-boats rowing
all night, and prepared my ship's company for the description of
action in which I thought it was probable they would be engaged. I
trained one hundred of the stoutest men, selecting them from the
different stations in the ship; it being my intention, after firing
into and silencing one frigate, to run the Bellerophon alongside of
her, throw that party in, and then, leaving her in charge of the first
lieutenant, to have proceeded in chase of the other.
His Majesty's ship Phoebe joined us this evening, and brought with her
the Bellerophon's barge. Captain Hillyar having orders to take a
station off Bourdeaux, I recalled the Myrmidon from that service.
On the 7th of July, I received a letter from Sir Henry Hotham,
together with fresh orders, from which the following are extracts:--
Extract of a Letter from Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Hotham, K.C.B.,
addressed to Captain Maitland of H.M.S. Bellerophon, dated Quiberon
Bay, July 6, 1815.
"It is impossible to tell which information respecting Buonaparte's
flight may be correct; but, in the uncertainty, it is right to attach
a certain degree of credit to all: that which I now act on, is
received this morning, from the chief of the Royalists, between the
Loire and the Vilaine.
"Although the force of the Bellerophon would be sufficient for the
ships at Isle d'Aix, if they were to give you an opportunity of
bringing them to action together, you cannot stop them both, if the
frigates separate; I am, therefore, now anxious you should have a
frigate with you: therefore if any of them should be with you, keep
her for the time I have specified; but if you have no frigate, and
this should be brought to you by a twenty-gun ship, keep her with you
for the same time; she will do to keep sight of a French frigate,
although she could not stop her.
"If this is delivered to you by Lord John Hay of the Opossum, do not
detain him, as her force would be of no use to you, and I want him
_particularly_, to examine vessels which sail from the Loire."
Extract of an Order from Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Hotham, K.C.B.;
addressed to Captain Maitland of H.M.S. Bellerophon, dated Superb,
Quiberon Bay, 6th July, 1815.
"Having this morning received information that it is believed Napoleon
Buonaparte has taken his road from Paris for Rochefort, to embark from
thence for the United States of America, I have to direct you will use
your best endeavours to prevent him from making his escape in either
of the frigates at Isle d'Aix; for which purpose you are,
notwithstanding former orders, to keep any frigate which may be with
you, at the time you receive this letter, in company with the ship you
command, for the space of ten days, to enable you to intercept them in
case they should put to sea together: but if you should have no
frigate with you at the above time, you will keep the ship delivering
this, (which will probably be the Slaney or Cyrus,) in company with
the Bellerophon, ten days, and then allow her to proceed in execution
of the orders her Captain has received from me."
The Slaney brought the letter and order, parts of which are extracted
above, and having no frigate in company, I detained her as part of the
force under my command, though she was, on the 8th, sent down to the
Mamusson passage, with orders for Captain Green of the Daphne, and did
not return until the evening of the 11th.
On the 8th of July, I was joined by a chasse-maree bringing a letter
from Sir Henry Hotham, part of which is as follows:--
Extract of a Letter from Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Hotham, K.C.B.,
addressed to Captain Maitland, of H.M.S. Bellerophon, dated Superb,
Quiberon Bay, July 7, 1815.
"Having sent every ship and vessel out from this bay, to endeavour to
intercept Buonaparte, I am obliged to send the chasse-maree, which has
been employed in my communications with the Royalists, with this
letter, to acquaint you that the Ferret brought me information last
evening, after the Opossum had left me, from Lord Keith, that
Government received, on the night of the 30th, an application from the
rulers of France, for a passport and safe conduct for Buonaparte to
America, which had been answered in the negative, and, therefore,
directing an increase of vigilance to intercept him: but it remains
quite uncertain where he will embark; and, although it would appear
by the measures adopted at home, that it is expected he will sail from
one of the northern ports, I am of opinion he will go from one of the
southern places, and I think the information I sent you yesterday by
the Opossum is very likely to be correct; namely, that he had taken
the road to Rochefort; and that he will probably embark in the
frigates at Isle d'Aix; for which reason I am very anxious you should
have force enough to stop them both, as the Bellerophon could only
take one, if they separated, and that might not be the one he would be
on board of. I have no frigate to send you; if one should join me in
time, I will send her to you, and I hope you will have _two_
twenty-gun ships with you. I imagine, from what you said in your
letter by your barge, that you would not have kept the Endymion with
you, especially as the Myrmidon would have rejoined you, by the
arrangements I sent down by the Phoebe for Sir John Sinclair to take
her place off the Mamusson; therefore, I trust that my last order to
Captain Hope will not have deprived you of his assistance, but hope it
may have put him in a better situation than before. The Liffey is
seventy or eighty miles west from Bourdeaux, and the Pactolus, after
landing some person in the Gironde, goes off Cape Finisterre, where
the Swiftsure is also gone; and many ships are looking out in the
Channel and about the latitude of Ushant.
"Buonaparte is certainly not yet gone; I presume he would naturally
await the answer from our Government, which only left London on the
1st; my own opinion is, that he will either go with a force that will
afford him some kind of security, or in a merchant vessel to avoid
suspicion.
"The orders from the Admiralty, received last evening, are, that the
ships which are looking out for him, should remain on that service
_till further orders, or till they know he is taken_, and not regard
the time of ten days or a fortnight, which they first named: therefore
you will govern yourself by that, and keep any ship you have with you
till one of those events occurs, without attending to the ten days I
specified in my letter to you by the Opossum yesterday, and make the
same known to any ship you may communicate with. The information you
sent me, which had been transmitted to you from Bourdeaux, is now
proved to have been erroneous, by our knowing that Buonaparte was at
Paris as late as the 30th of June, and that paper must have been
written on the 29th, as you received it on the 30th. The Eridanus will
not rejoin you; she has been stationed, by Lord Keith, off Brest.
"Let me know by the return of the chasse-maree, particularly, what
ships you have with you, and where the other ships are, as far as you
know, and what position you keep in. If you had ships enough to guard
Basque Roads, and the Channel between Isle d'Oleron and the long sand
(where a frigate may pass), you would be sure of keeping them in, by
anchoring; but that would afford you little chance of taking
Buonaparte, which is the thing to be desired; therefore I think you
would be better off the light-house, where I dare say you keep
yourself; and on that particular subject I do not think it necessary
to give you any instructions, as I depend on your using the best means
that can be adopted to intercept the fugitive; on whose captivity the
repose of Europe appears to depend. If he should be taken, he is to be
brought to me in this bay, as I have orders for his disposal; he is to
be removed from the ship in which he may be found, to one of his
Majesty's ships."
Nothing of consequence occurred on the 9th; but on the 10th of July,
at daylight, the officer of the watch informed me that a small
schooner was standing out from the French squadron towards the ship:
upon which I ordered everything to be ready for making sail in chace,
supposing she might be sent for the purpose of reconnoitring. On
approaching, she hoisted a flag of truce, and joined us at seven A.M.
She proved to be the Mouche, tender to the ships of war at Isle d'Aix,
and had on board, General Savary Duc de Rovigo, and Count Las Cases,
chamberlain to Buonaparte, charged with a letter from Count Bertrand
(Grand Marechal de Palais) addressed to the Admiral commanding the
British Cruisers before the port of Rochefort.
Soon after the Mouche arrived, I was joined by the Falmouth, bringing
me a letter and secret orders from Sir Henry Hotham, some extracts
from which I shall insert for the better understanding what follows,
previous to entering into what passed with Buonaparte's attendants.
Extract of a Letter from Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Hotham, K.C.B.,
addressed to Captain Maitland, of H.M.S. Bellerophon; not dated, but
must have been written on the 8th of July, 1815.
"I sent a chasse-maree to you yesterday with a letter, and you will
now receive by the Falmouth, officially, the orders which I therein
made you acquainted with.
"I send you four late and very interesting French papers, by which you
will see all that has been done and said on the subject of providing
for Buonaparte's escape from France: you will see that the Minister of
the Marine had been directed to prepare ships of war for that purpose;
that they were placed at Buonaparte's disposal; and that two frigates
in particular had been provided for him: also that it was announced to
the two Chambers, that he left Paris at four o'clock on the 29th;
likewise that it was believed in Paris, he had taken the road by
Orleans to Rochefort; and I have no doubt that the two frigates at
Isle d'Aix are intended for him, and I hope you will think so too, and
I am sure you will use your utmost endeavours to intercept him. I am
sorry I have not a frigate to send you; I have literally none but the
Endymion under my orders. Captain Paterson is off Brest, by Lord
Keith's order; and the Phoebe is also ordered to that station, when
the Hebrus arrives off the Gironde.
"The attention at home appears to be paid chiefly to the ports in the
Channel, but I have received no additional means whatever to guard
those of the Bay. I have long been expecting a frigate from the Irish
station, but none has yet appeared; and I have written to Lord Keith
for two frigates; but they cannot join me in time, I fear."
Extract of an Order from Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Hotham, K.C.B.,
addressed to Captain Maitland, of H.M.S. Bellerophon, dated H.M.S.
Superb, Quiberon Bay, 8th July, 1815.
"The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having every reason to
believe that Napoleon Buonaparte meditates his escape, with his
family, from France to America, you are hereby required and directed,
in pursuance of orders from their Lordships, signified to me by
Admiral the Right Honourable Viscount Keith, to keep the most vigilant
look-out for the purpose of intercepting him; and to make the
strictest search of any vessel you may fall in with; and if you should
be so fortunate as to intercept him, you are to transfer him and his
family to the ship you command, and there keeping him in careful
custody, return to the nearest port in England (going into Torbay in
preference to Plymouth) with all possible expedition; and on your
arrival you are not to permit any communication whatever with the
shore, except as herein after directed; and you will be held
responsible for keeping the whole transaction a profound secret, until
you receive their Lordships' further orders.
"In case you should arrive at a port where there is a flag-officer,
you are to send to acquaint him with the circumstances, strictly
charging the officer sent on shore with your letter, not to divulge
its contents: and if there should be no flag-officer at the port where
you arrive, you are to send one letter express to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, and another to Admiral Lord Keith, with strict injunctions
of secrecy to each officer who may be the bearer of them."
Messrs Savary and Las Cases, who came on board, from the Schooner
above mentioned, at seven o'clock on the 10th of July, presented the
following letter to me:--
"Le 9 Juillet, 1815.
"Monsieur l'Amiral,
"L'Empereur Napoleon ayant abdique le pouvoir, et choisi les Etats
Unis d'Amerique pour s'y refugier, s'est embarque sur les deux
fregates qui sont dans cette rade, pour se rendre a sa destination. Il
attend le sauf conduit du Gouvernement Anglais, qu'on lui a annonce,
et qui me porte a expedier le present parlementaire, pour vous
demander, Mons. l'Amiral, si vous avez connoissance du dit sauf
conduit; ou si vous pensez qu'il soit dans l'intention du Gouvernement
Anglais de se mettre de l'empechement a notre voyage aux Etats Unis.
Je vous serai extremement oblige de me donner la-dessus les
renseignemens que vous pouvez avoir.
"Je charge les porteurs de la presente lettre de vous faire agreer
mes remercimens et mes excuses, pour la peine qu'elle a pu vous
donner.
"J'ai l'honneur d'etre,
Monsieur l'Amiral,
de Votre Excellence, &c. &c.
Le Grand Marechal Cte. BERTRAND."
"A Monsieur l'Amiral commandant les Croisieres avant Rochefort."
TRANSLATION.
"SIR,
"The Emperor Napoleon having abdicated the throne of France, and
chosen the United States of America as a retreat, is, with his suite,
at present embarked on board the two frigates which are in this port,
for the purpose of proceeding to his destination. He expects a
passport from the British Government, which has been promised to him,
and which induces me to send the present flag of truce, to demand of
you, Sir, if you have any knowledge of the above-mentioned passport,
or if you think it is the intention of the British Government to throw
any impediment in the way of our voyage to the United States. I shall
feel much obliged by your giving me any information you may possess on
the subject.
"I have directed the bearers of this letter to present to you my
thanks, and to apologise for the trouble it may cause.
"I have the honour to be,
Your Excellency's most obedient, &c. &c.
Grand Marshal Count BERTRAND."
"To the Admiral commanding the Squadron before Rochefort."