Frigate Commander (10 page)

exceedingly fretted by the stupidity and carelessness of one of the seamen; on his coming down, I ran up with a rope’s end to the fellow, determined to thresh him, when the poor man saw my intention, he stood with his hat in his hand and his eyes fixed upon the deck, ready to submit to my brutal rage, but his respectful humility had completely brought me to my senses, and filled me with shame and confusion; I could as soon have thought of cutting his throat as of striking him.

The incident had taught him a crucial lesson in command and he had never forgotten it.

As the month progressed, more and more ships assembled at Portsmouth, forming a squadron under Admiral Lord Hood, and Moore had the chance of meeting many of the commanders of these ships. Like Moore, most of these were part of a new generation of officers, promoted since 1790. Moore was impressed by what he saw:

there are a great many fine young men coming forward in our service. They vie with each other in having their ships in good order, and I think the spirit of Tyranny and Oppression, which at one time was too frequently visible among the Captains, seems to hide its head.

Shortly after, Admiral King arrived and hoisted his flag in the
Assistance
. The
Bonetta
was dispatched to Guernsey to purchase wine for the Admiral, and the
Bonetta
’s officers took advantage of the opportunity to lay in their own stock. Moore conned the ship into Guernsey himself, as the ship’s Master had never been there. Such a task caused Moore no worries, as he had a more pressing issue to deal with. The First Lieutenant, John Eaton, had placed the
Bonetta
’s Captain of the Maintop in confinement, on a charge of neglect of duty. Moore, having considered the case, was determined that the seaman should not be flogged, but was worried how the Lieutenant would respond to having his authority apparently undermined. He wrestled with the problem all night;

In the morning, I sent for the Lieutenant, told him that altho’ the man certainly deserved punishment, yet from his good character I was very averse to punishing him; at the same time I asked him his opinion of the former conduct of the seaman, he answered that the man was one of the best in the ship, and that it was for me to determine. I was highly pleased with this, and ordering the hands to be turned up, I pointed out to the people the fault the sailor had been guilty of, warning him how he gave room for complaint in the future, and concluded by informing him that the good character he had, previous to his crime, born saved him on the present occasion; but that he owed his being forgiven to the lenity of the Lieutenant.

Giving Lieutenant Eaton the credit for such leniency was a clever move, for not only did it save face, it credited him with a sense of fairness which was rightly Moore’s. Notwithstanding this attempt to smooth ruffled feathers, Moore’s problems with his First Lieutenant re-emerged back at Spithead. Once again he found himself spending the night in his cabin raking over the issues:

I do not find that every thing goes on in this ship, exactly as I wish it, the fault, I think does not lie with me, however, I am determined from this morning henceforth, that it shall either be much better or infinitely worse.

The following morning, he summoned Lieutenant Eaton to his cabin and later that day recorded the details of this difficult confrontation:

I have had an explanation with the 1st Lieutenant who has been sullen and dissatisfied ever since I came on board. He remarked to me that he thought the ship was not in such good order as she had been in and every body was taking notice of the changes. I told him that I did not know what state she had been in before I took the command of her, but that [now] she certainly was not kept so clean and neat as she ought, and I saw no reason why she should be thus neglected, as in my opinion blame must lie on the Lieutenant for a ship being in a slovenly state, unless the Captain threw obstacles in the way of her being in a proper state. He hinted, that he did not wish to serve, but did not like to quit the ship when she was on the point of sailing. I said, that I did not wish to lose him, but that he knew best what was for his own interest; but, I told him, as a friend, that he had best not think of quitting the ship at this moment. I concluded by telling him my opinion of the manner that the duty should be carried on. That the common daily duty of the ship should be transacted by the 1st Lieutenant, under my orders, that I looked to him for taking care that the ship was kept clean and in order; and that if I wished anything to be altered I would let him previously know of it. I prest him to let me know if he felt himself hurt by any part of my conduct since we had been together, as I had remarked that he seemed dissatisfied, but had attributed it partly to ill health, and partly to concern for the situation of his friend Captn. Elliot. He declared, that he had no fault to find with me, but was hurt to observe that the ship was no longer in that order that she had been in; I replied that it lay with the first lieutenant to keep her in the highest order, for I did not wish to be giving directions for washing the decks or squaring the yards. We parted apparently satisfied on both sides. I certainly blame myself for suffering him to take things so very easy as he has done, but I was prevented by the consideration of the very excellent character I had of him from my friend Elliot, and by the idea I had of his being in a very bad state of health; but at the same time, I do not stand acquitted in my own opinion for allowing the matter to go thus far without clearing scores. It certainly however was odd enough in him to talk first of a neglect which certainly was his own, and of the relaxation occasioned by his not doing his duty.

It is vital that the modern reader understand that the daily routine of running a man-of-war was the direct responsibility of the First Lieutenant, though within the officer corps there were differing views as to the degree of autonomy which this officer should be allowed in carrying out this role.
³²
Towards the end of the Napoleonic wars it was clear that many frigate commanders who had learned their craft during the testing wartime years, understood that it was important for the First Lieutenant to feel he had the full confidence and backing of his commanding officer and that this could only be achieved by allowing the First Officer room to exercise his duties without having his chief looking over his shoulder the whole time. Moore’s discussion with Eaton was clearly an attempt to clarify or even re-establish the parameters of the latter’s responsibilities, and to indicate where, when and how Moore might indicate if he thought corrective measures necessary. Eaton, for his part, may have been suggesting that Moore was too lax or disinterested, and was leaving too much on the shoulders of his first officer. In many ways this may have been a common situation. Eaton had been used to Captain Elliott’s manner of commanding the
Bonetta
. Elliott may well have taken a much closer involvement in the day-to-day running of the ship and, if this had been the case, Eaton’s responsibilities would have been lighter. The arrival of Moore, with a more
laissez-faire
approach to command, may have given Eaton more responsibility than he was willing or able to cope with. This seems particularly likely, following Moore’s intervention on behalf of the Captain of the Maintop. Moore’s sudden intervention would have appeared as a sudden
volte-face
, indicating disapproval of the First Officer’s attempts in enforcing and maintaining order on board, which, in fact, was the case. It is also possible that there was an entirely different reason behind Eaton’s response. He may, just possibly, have considered that he himself had a claim as successor to Elliott. Eaton’s subsequent career seems to confirm that he may have had some difficulties. After he left the
Bonetta
he was appointed First Lieutenant of the frigate
Aquilon
in 1794, before being promoted to the rank of Commander. In 1795 he became Acting Captain of the
Glory
, which, as a 90-gun ship, suggests that he was either acting as a Flag Captain or that the ship was not really in full active service. Whatever the situation, he was not promoted to Post Captain, and in 1797 he committed suicide.

On 4 August, the
Bonetta
and
Assistance
weighed anchor for Newfoundland. Moore was conscious that in taking his first real command off to a foreign station for the first time, he was stepping over an important threshold in his career
;

I feel some degree of awe when I reflect on the situation I am in at this moment; the lives of a hundred men depend in a great measure on my conduct. My own reputation as an Officer, and consequently my future advancement in the service are much interested at this moment, and may be decidedly marked by the events which may take place within these three months.

As they worked their way down Channel, Moore went on board the
Assistance
to dine with the Admiral and receive his orders. He was to sail to St John’s, re-provision at Trinity, and then cruise between Cape St Francis and Cape St John, protecting the fisheries and collecting Greenwich Hospital Money from the merchants of Newfoundland,
³³
for which he personally would receive a one-eighth share of all he collected. He was then to rendezvous with the Admiral at St John’s on 6 October. He had also been given a clearer idea about his duties in Newfoundland, which included being given a Surrogate Commission so that he could convene Courts of Justice on the station. This was an inherent part of the Navy’s responsibilities, as representatives of the British government, towards the colony. But it was not a prospect that Moore looked forward to:
‘I could wish to dispense with this dignity, but there is no remedy.’

As they headed out into the Atlantic, Moore was still less than satisfied with the situation on board the ship:

As far as I have observed of the ship’s company, they are in general orderly and quiet, the ship is, however, not in that state of order and method which I wish to have her in; this is owing to a relaxation of the subordinate parts, which I fear will not mend until a change of men brings an alteration of measures. I hate cavilling and jarring, but I must have my eyes about me.

In fact, he now believed that Lieutenant Eaton would soon asked to be superseded and he was secretly pleased, because he believed that his Second Lieutenant was highly capable and deserved to be made up to First.

On 3 September 1792, after an uneventful passage, the
Bonetta
sailed into St John’s Harbour, with its remarkable narrow entrance flanked on either side by high ground. Anchored in the harbour they found the frigate
Circe
, commanded by the young Alan Gardner, son of a Lord of the Admiralty.

Alan who commands the
Circe
has met with most rapid promotion, I do not believe he is now above 22 years of age and he is more than two years Post Captain. I think him one of the finest young fellows I know in the service, and I believe a most excellent officer at this moment, but if he lives, I firmly believe he will be one of the most shining characters in the Navy. He is at present a lad of fire, with an uncommon flow of spirits, which, as is usually the case, leaves him low and dejected at intervals, in proportion as it had lifted him above the medium. His ship is apparently in excellent order ...
Gardner himself was full of
‘wild pranks’; He has been bred in an excellent school for seamen, and had the command of a ship when he was barely 17. I love the fellow, and we are very good friends.

Such pleasantries aside, Moore did not like St John’s. The harbour was lined with fish stages and ‘flakes’ for drying fish –
‘the smell from which is very offensive’
. However, he had another reason for regretting his stay in the harbour:

While we lay at St John’s I had the mortification to find it absolutely necessary to flog three of the best men in the ship. They had got beastly drunk and behaved in a mutinous manner. There is no circumstance incident to my profession that is so revolting to my nature as this business of punishing, but it is absolutely necessary sometimes. The very following day one of the Boatswains mates and one of the marines were confined for drunkenness and rioting; on this occasion I tried the effect of lenity. On our coming into this Port
[Trinity]
I called the ship’s company upon deck and represented to them my displeasure at their conduct during the short time we were at St John’s, I assured them that it was a most disagreeable thing to me to punish and I pointed out to them that every one of those who had misbehaved were in the first place intoxicated. I then expressed my hopes that I should see a different conduct for the future, but warned them against drunkenness at sea, or smuggling spirituous liquors on board in a harbour as these were amongst the offences which I never would forgive. I then informed them that one day in the week, the messes might depute a man each in whom they could confide, and these men should have a boat to attend upon them in order to their trucking their provisions against what vegetables or other articles they might want from the shore.