4 i'^ ■> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k ilo v.. ^ 1.0 I.I Ii^l2.8 |22 Hi ■ 40 11:25 III 1.4 I 2.0 1.6 V] v^ / o / -(^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. I45S0 (716) S72-4503 L17 i\ '^ rv <*^ 'O A 4^0 %^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D El □ D D n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou peiiiculAe I j Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de ia marge int6rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais. lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmdes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires; L'tnsititut a microfiimi le meille ur exemplaire qu'ii !ui a AtA possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique. qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger unn modification dans la mithode normale de filmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. D D D E n This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous. Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul6es The to tl H Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages ddcolordes. tacheties ou piqudes Pages detached/ Pages ddtachdes Showthrough/ Transparence The posi of tl film Orig begl the sion othc first sion or 11 I I Quality of print varies/ Quality indgale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplimentaire r~1 Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 fiimdes A nouveau de fafon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. The shal TINI whi( Mar diff< entii beg righ reqi met 10X 14X 18X 22X ant 30X y 12X 16X a^ 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada L'exempiaire fiim6 fut reproduit grflce A la gAn6rositA de: Bibliothdque nationale du Caion to tliein justiliabie. This course was sug«iested to nie by an officer of liigii rank, for tlie ohvious reason that, as the Koyal Engineers is a hody entirely distinct from tiie Sappers and Miners, and j)ossosses its own annals, any reference to, or par- ticulari/ation of, its services in a work professedly conlined to the corps, would not oidy be extraneous, i)ut tend to lessen its value, and weaken its interest with those for whose information it was especially written. Here, however, it should Ix; observed, that the Royal Sap- ])ers and Miners, though a separate and integral body of itself, is nevertheless, and has been from the commencement, officered by the Royal Engineers ; and whatever excellenc(! or advance- ment is traced in its career and public usefulness, whether as soldiers or mechanics, is fairly, in a great degree, attributable to tlie officers ; for, in every circutnstance of service and situa- tion, they have liberally opened up for them new channels of innployment to engage their faculties and energies, and have afforded them at all times scope and facilities to develop their mental and physical resources, and to tit them to perform with credit, not only the circumscribed duties of soldiers, but the more extended requirements of sap])ers, artizans, and profes- sional men. By the omission of all but special reference to the officers, room has thus been given for mentioning many non-commis- sioned officers and privates, who have attracted public attention and gained encomium for their meritorious services ; some for their skill and ingenuity ; others for their integrity antl devo- tion ; and others for their acquirements, their vigorous exertions and labours ; their ardour, their endurance, and their valour. While the recognition of such examples cannot fail to incite I'l.'KI'ACi:. VII nflicis to iMinilato till' military virtiirs ot' tlirir mon? ilistiii- j^ui.-liril |»r('(l(»('r.Sf*()rH ami coinrailes, it U rariu'stly IkijumI, that every iiu>nilu*r of tlio coriw will lie Inl to fiM'l a ptTMonal intcrost in its reputation and honour, and a jiridt' in its disci- pliru' and loyalty ; its usidulnrss and (dKcicncy in j)ea(H' ; its heroism and achicvi'mciits in war. Tho drawings wt ro exccutrd on stone l»y (leorge R ('amj)ion, Ksq., master of landseajK; drawin*^ at the Royal Military Aeademy, Woolwieh. In illustrations like those in the present volumes, it was scarcely jiossihle tries, characteristic of the duties and employnuMits of the corps. My respectful acknowledgments are due to Sir .Mm Hur- goyne, the Inspector-(jeneral of Fortifications, for making the suhject of my exi'rtiou> known in a circular from his own hand, to the officers of the Royal Engineers ; and in offering him the expression of my gratitude, I think it right with a feeling of sincere thankfulness to mention, that the success which has attended that kind appeal, has heen more, perhaps, than I could reasonahly expect. Smeral . To S. W. Fiillom, Esij., I licrc otYvr tlic ('XjM'cssion of my jiratcful thnnkii tor liis amiable ami disintcn'stcd counsel, elieer- fully aceorded on tlie many occasions I had to week it; and for kindly asnisting me in lookinj» over the sheets a^ the work |/a8t!)ed thron^h the |ire»8. on, I now fiuhmit the vcdnmes to my corps and the professi and am not without hope that they may also he acceptahle to a portion of the puhlic. As far as the sources of my iii** rmation and research have extended, the memoir will he found truthful and impartial. It was my aim to execute it with an integrity that would j)lace me heyond impeachment : I therefore feel some coniidence that in«lul«;(!nce will he show.i for its defects, and also for whatever error.s, through inadvertency, may have crept into the work. THOMAS CONNOLLY. Jioi/al SdpfMTs ami Miners Jiamicks, lV(Miliri(li, Mnrdt \H'}^}. %* Sliduld any otficersi «»f tlio Hoyal KngiiK'er.s or otluTf, ln' in |)<)!*Sf-si(iM of niateriuls (.'onciTiiing the corps which would tlinuv any additional light ii|M)n its hit^tory, the author would feel huudunMl hy ht-ing favoured with such infonnatiiui as tiicy niiiilit ted di.'posed to connnu!jicate. Further, he would re- spectfully heg, shoulil they tak(« the tronl)le to read the work and IIISTOllY OF TFIE [1772. The wliole of the civil meclianics were not dlscliarged from tlie (k'jiartment on account of tliis measure. Stich of them were retained as were considered, from tlieir ([ualifications and conduct, to he useful in the fortress, and they were ])laced under the superintendence of the non-commissioned officers of the company, who were ajjpointed foremen of the different trades. The foreign artificers were, with few exceptions, dismissi^d, and twenty English " contracted artificers," or " guinea men," were sent home. Previously, however, such of the good men of the number as were willing to be "entertained" in the company were ))ermitted the option of cnli.-sting, hut none availed theni- S(!lv(>s of the ofier. Tlu; officers of engineers who were first attached to the company were the following: — Lieutenant-Colonel William Green, captain. Captain John Phipps, Esq. C\ipt.-Lieut. and Captain Theophilns Lefanco, Esq. Lieutenant John Evelegh. And they were desired to take under their command and inspection the non-commissioned officers and j)rivate men of the company, and to pay particular attention to their good conduct and regular behaviour.'' * The order upon this subject is given at length, as it touches upon other matters besides the discipline of the company. " Cliicf L'iKjincer's Orders, OihrnWn; .31s< Miuj, 1772, " By the Governor's orders of the 20th May, the company of soldier-arti- ficers now raising and forming under the command of the Chief Engineer as captain, Captain Phipps, Captain-Lieutenant Lefance, and Lieutenant Evelegh, are appointed officers to the said company, and are, therefore, conformable to their respective ranks, henceforth to take under their command the conduct and inspection of the non-commissioned officers and private men of the said company, and to pay all sort of military attentions to their good order and regular behaviour, according to the rules and discipline of war;* also to the particular stauiing orders, as well as to the accustomary regulations of the garrison relative to all the required and expected duties of a soldier and an artificer, both when on, as well as when off, duty. Captain Phipps is also appointed to keep the accounts and to see the company duly paid their full » No provision was made this year for extending the Mutiny Act to the company; nor, indeed, was it noticed in any subsequent Act till 1788, when its introduction gave rise to much discussion in the House of Commons, in which the idea of subjecting artificers to martial law was complained of by the eloquent Sheridan. 9 7 1773.J ROYAL SArPi:US AND MINKIIS. 5 On the 30th June, the date on which the company was first mustered, the non-commissioned officers were — Sergeant-major Thomas Bridges.* Sergeants David Young, carpenter, and Henry Ince, miner. To these were added, on the 31st December, Sergeant Edward McDonald, and Corjwrals Robert Blair and Peter Fraser ; and r to sec it resist the united eifurts nf /■'ninee mid Sjmiit.'' — J)riiJ:'i;der's Sieije oj Gihndt'ir. The desire of the worthy general was realized. He not only lived to see what he wished, but materially to assist in the operations. " To carry on the work with vigour, an opening was made in the sea-line, whicli, as long as it continued so, made the fortress defenceless in that part. Simihir openings v ere nuule in the line some years before by a storm, which, being observed h\ Monsieur Crillon, w!io commanded at St. Hoque, he pro- posed a scheme fo: an attempt on the Kock. Heinembering this, the General always kept an ai xions eye upon the gap; but he concealed his fears, lest tliey should fill the pec jde witi'i alarm, and the French or Spaniards with notions of invasion. He would not post any additional guards or picquets there for its protection, but give private directions that all the guns and howitzers that could be brought into position in that part should be attended fo. He, how ever, did not cone eal his uneasiness from the Secretary of State ; and in urging upon Lord liOch;'ord the necessity for his being furnished with the means for completing the k stion, he facetiously remarked, " tliere is an idea of glory, my lord, in the bought of lieing killed in defending a breach made by tiie enemy, but to be knocked o' th' head in the defence of one of our own making would be a ridicu ous death." lUSTOKY OK TIIK iiii [1770. as threo rogiments, furni»hii)g a number of incclmnics for the fortifications, were about to leave \\\v Kock ; and also as the foreign artificers — several of whom had been re-engaged since the pressure of the works — were like birds of pass/in', ttban- doning the fortress when they pleased. This soldier- artificers could not do. To their attention and as^ .uity, there- fore, the progress of the bjistion and other works of the garrison were mainly attril)utable ; and General Boyd, in a letter to Lord Rochford, dated !)t\\ October 1775, gave them full credit for their services. " We can," wrote the General, " depend only upon th(; artificer company for constant work, and on soldiers occasionally. Had it not been for the artificer com- pany, we should not have made half the progress in the King's jJastion, {is well as in the other works of tlio garrison." On the 16th January 1770, His Majesty sanctioned an ad- dition to the company of one sergeant, one eorjwral, one drummer, and twenty privates, all masons, who were to be reduced again when the Hanoverian troops should leave the fortress." \\'ith this increase the company consisted of IIG non-commissioned officers and men. Steadily the works advanced ; soon the King's Bastion '" was finished , and the fortress was now in such a state of defence as greatly to alleviate the apprehension, which, a few years before, caused General Boyd so much anxiety. Though not exactly all that could be desired to oppose the onslaught of a determined and daring adversary, it was yet capable of a long and obstinate resistance ; and from the political phases of the period, it did not seer at all unlikely that its strength would soon be tried, and the prowess and fortitude of the garrison tested. " When the Hanoverian troops left Gibraltar, the company had the best character for efficiency and utility, and its numbers therefore were not reduced. '" At this bastion the company worked, by express orders, from gun-fire in the morning to gun-fire in the evening, as also on Sundays. All tlie work was of cut stone, and skilfully executed. A model of it, exquisitely wrought in polished stone, is in the Rotunda at Woolwich. It formerly belonged to George Itl. In 1820, George IV. presented it to the lloyal Military Reposi- tory. Vi is^:- 1770.] IIUVAL SAl'l'KllS AND MINKIIS. 177!)— 1782. Ji-alniisy of Spain — Doclarcs war witli I'lipliiml -Strfuptli of parrison at (;iliralt;ir — I'roparutioiis for dofi-nn' and employ incnt of coiii|i:uiy Sifge coimiu'iicc'cl Privations of tiie garrison — Grand sortie and ooiidiu-t of tlii; company — Its sul)Si'inicMit exi-rtions Origin of tlio suhtt-rranean gaiU-rii-s — Tliuir extraordinary prosecution — Princes-, Anne's battery —Third nnjimen- tation — Names of non-commissioned olUcers. (jiiiUALTAK, over siiico its capttiro l)y tlio pjij^lisli in 1704, had Ihmmi a source of niiicli jealousy and uneasiness to Spain, and her desire to restore it to her dominions was manifested in tlie fre(pient atteinjjts she made with tliat vi( w. Invariahly she was rej)idled by the in(h)niitahl(; bravery oft. e lJriti?h ; but a slave to her])urpose, slu; ,;{82 oIKc'cra and iiicii midcr (icncral Kliutt. Li(Mit.-(it'iicral Hoyd was sccoiul ill comiiiaiid. Of this ftuT** tlio cnj^incfrs and arrificcrs amounted to tlic follow in<5 nuinlKTa muler Colonel (ireen : — ( )flricers JSiTj^cants Dniinmcr.s . Hank and Till' . 'J'otal 8 (> 2 lOG' 122 No particular demonstration on the part of the Sjiaiiiards iinmi'diatcdy followed the closing of the communication ; hut (Jcneral Kliott, anticipating an attack u|imii tli(! Rock, made arrangements to meet it. All was activity and ])reparatioii within the fortress ; and the engineers with the artificers were constantly occu])ied in strengthening the defences. For hetter accomplishing their purpose, the company was divided into three portions (m the i^Srd August; and were directed to instruct the line workmen in the duties re(iuired of tlu'in. To jirevent misunderstanding with regard to the line non-com- missioned otiicers — who might under certain circumstances hecome litigious — the Chief Kngineer issued orders to the eH'ect, that all such soldiers coming into the king's works, were to take directions from the non-commissioned officers of the company in the execution of their professional duty. '^ On the 12th Sejitemher, General Eliott commenced opera- tions hy opening a Hre on the enemy, which was so unexpected, that the latter were surprised and dispersed. On recovering from the panic, they scarcely ventured to retaliate, nor indeed cared to do so ; for it appears their ohject was, not to suhject themselves to a costly expenditure of ammunition, shot, &c., I ' The company wanted two privates \o complete. " As foreseen by the Chief Engineer, disputes soon arose between the non- cjmunissioued oHieers of the company and the line, with regard to superintend- ence and direction. Tlie fact having come to the Brigadier's knowledge, he renewed, on the loth July, 17S1, his former order in a more imperative tone. 17Hi.) HOYAI. SAI'I'KIIS AND MINF.IIS. U hut to (listrcs:* the parrif»«)n liy famin»», aiul tlirrchy ohtain a Hurrcndrr. In tliis, liowrvfr. tlicy wcw (li.-aitjxtintcd ; tor tlir t'lidiiiinn liardiliooil of tin* gairiyoii, and the oci/isional arrival «)f rtdiot", tVurttratnl their <»l»ji'i't, and coinpidh'd the Spaniard.-* t«) iiavc rccdiir.'i' to tiu* more i-xpiMu^ivc and dillicult nwlliod of hcsic^in!]; the place' At this jjcriod tin* jirivations of tia* soldiers in the fortress were very severe, jnid many of them were constrained to supply their wants with thistles, dandelion, and otiier herhs. 'I'he following enumeration of some of the neeessaries of Tde, with thuir prices atlixed, will aliord uu idea of tin; extent of tho scarcity : — ». '/. <. (/. 2 (> to n <> per Ih. sometimes higher. 1 to I ."> inrlh. 10 to I jterlh. I '] a |iint. Miitton or heef Salt heef or pork IViscuit crundw iSIilk and water Kf'fjs (I each. A small cal)ljag(! . . . 1 (> each. A .-mall hunch of outward leaves (I each. Thus curtailed in their provisions, the wonder is, that the uKMi were at all capahle of suj)))orting lift', and keeping their oj)l)onents in check. But notwithstanding this dreadful j)riva- tion, tiicir courage and anlour were hy no means weakened ; and so the enemy found to their great mortification during the continuance of the siege. In Novemh(T 17S1, the Spaniards were very zealous in com- pleting their defences ; and towards the latter ])art of the month their hatteries ])resented an a])pearanct^ at ouco stu- ])end()us and fonnidahle. This proud hidwark naturally arrested the Governor's .-ittcntion, and as naturally engendered the determination to assault and destroy it. On the 2Gth ■"' Tlic strength of tlie company, including officers, when the provision supplies arrived, under Admiral liodney, in February, 1780, and again under Admiral Durhy, in April, 17SI, was, on hotli occasions, stated to he 124. See ' An autlientic and accurate Journal of tlie late tjiejje of Gibraltar,' pp. '22, 1 70. 12 HISTORY OF THE [1781. ■ I November, he desired a selection to be made from the troops for this purpose. To each of the right and centre columns a detachment of tiie company — in all twelve non- commissioned officci's as overseers, and forty ])rlvates — was attached, under Lieutenants Skinner and Johnson of the iMigineers ; and 160 working men from the line were directed to assist them. To the left column a hundred sailors were told off to do the duty of ])ioneers. The soldier-artificers were supj)lied with hammers, axes, crow-bars, fire-faggots, and other burning materials. Upon the setting of the moon at three o'clock on the morning of tlie 27th November the sortie was made. The moment Lieut.-Colonel Hugo, who iiad charge of the right column, took possession of the parallel, Lieutenant Johnson with the artificers and pioneers connnenced with great promptitude and dexterity to dismantle the works. Similar daring efforts succeeded the rush of Lieutenant Skinner's artificers and workmen into the St. Carlos' Battery with the colunm of Lieut.-Coloncl I)achenhausen ; but the number of the soldier-artificers attached to the sortie, whose ardour and labours were everywhere apparent, being both inconsiderable and insufficient to effect the demolition with the expedition required, the Governor sent back to the garrison for the re- mainder of the company to come and assist in the operation.^ They were soon on the spot and distributed through the bat- teries ; and the efficiency of their exertions was sensibly seen, in the rapidity with which the works were razed and in flames. Only one of tlie company was wounded.* General Eliott in his despatch on this sortie, observes, " The pioneers," meaning artificers, " and artillerists, made wonderful exertions, and spread their fire with such amazing rapidity, that '' Captain LuttrcU, in some remarks in tlie House of Commons in 1788, relative to tlie expediency of raising a corps of military artificers, stated, " that at Gibraltar, Avliere a similar hody had been kept up during the siege, they iiad bee.i of infinite service. When our troops had, in a sortie, possessed themselves rf some of the enemy's works, they could not destroy them until tliey had sent back to the garrison for the corps of artificers, who soou demo- lished them."— (.'<■«/, Mii'j. b8,]'(irt 2, 1788. * London Gazette, IS.'iSG. 52.') to 29 December, 1781. '1 its: r.OYAI. SAlTEllS AND MINKKS. 13 » '* in halt" an hour, two mortar batteries of ten 13-inch mortars, and three batteries of six guns each, with all the lines of approach, communication, traverses, &c. were in flames and reduced to ashes. Their mortars and cannon were spiked, and their beds, carriages, and ])Uitfoiins destroyed. Their maga- zines blew up one after another, as the tire a])proaclied them." '' Shortly after the sortie the rej)airs to the defences at the north front, and other works of the fortress, found full employment for the company. Leisure could not be pernatted, and the necessary intervals of rest were frequently inter:, upted by demands for their assistance, ])articularly in caissonning the batteries at Willis's." Sickness also set in about this time ; nearly 700 of the garrison were in hospital ; the working parties were curtailed ; and officers' servants and others, unused to hard labour and unskilled in the use of tools, were sent to the works to lessen the fatigue to which their less-favoured comrades were subj<:cted. Much extra duty and exertion were thus necessarily thrown upon the company, and they worked witli cheerfulness and zeal both by night and day, though fre- quently exposed to immi:?ent danger. In the sickness that prevailed, tliey did not share so much as might be supposed from the arduous nature of their duties, sixteen only being returned sick, leaving eighty-one available for the service of the works. On a tine day in May 1782, the Governor, attended by the Cliief Engineer and staff, made an inspection of the batteries at the north front. Great havoc had been made in some of them by the enemy's tire ; and for the present they were abandoned whilst the artificers were restoring them. Meditating for a few moments over the ruins, he said aloud, " I will give a thousand dollars to any one who can suggest how I am to f^et a flanking fire upon the enemy's works." A pause followed the exciting * London Gazette, 12,'2.5(). 25 to 29 December, 1781. ' To iKirrate the different services performed by the company during the siege, would not only be tedious, but necessarily incomplete, from no dctuiU'd record of them beiig preserved. A reference, however, to ' Drinkwater's History,' thougli particularization is not even there attempted, will afford a tolerable idea of their labours. 11 HI^ TOPiY OF TIIK ri78'-' oxclamation, when Sergeant- major Ince of tlie company, wlio w;is in attendance npon tlie Cliief Engineer, st(?i)pc(l forward and snggested the idea of forming galleries in the rock to effect the desired ohjcct. The General at once saw the propriety of tlie scheme, and directed it to be carried into execution.** Upon orders being issued by the Chief Engineer, twelve good miners of the company were selected for this novel and difficult service, and Sergeant-major Ince was nominated to take the executive direction of the work. On the 25tli of May, he commenced to mine a gallery from a place above Farringdon's Battery (Willis'j, to communicate, tlirowjli the roc/i, to the notch or projection in the scarp under the Royal Battery. The gallery was to l)e six feet high and six feet wide. The successful progress of this preliminary work was followed by a desire to extend the excavation from the cave at the head of the King's lines, to the cave at the end of the Queen's lines, of the same dimensions as the former gallery. A body of well- instructed miners was expressly appointed for the duty," and on the Gth July, they began this new subterranean passage. On the 15th, the first embrasure was opened in the face of the rock communicating with the gallery above Farringdon's. To m i i " ^YlletlK'^ the Sergeant-major obtained the thousand dollars as a douceur from the (Jenoral is a (juesiioii never likely to be satisfactorily answered. The probability is, that he did not receive the reward for his suggestion in this form, but some daily alhuvanee couimensiuatc with his skill and the ini]iort- ance of the duty. I was informed by the late Quarter-master-sergeant Ih-itton Francis, Avho possessed a remarkable memory, and whose father was in the company before him, that Ince contracted for the work, and — such was the story current in his day — for all the excavations, he received one guinea per running foot. " The Chief Engineer's orders for the performance of this service were as follows:— " U2nd May, 1782. A gallery G feet high, and (J feet wide, through the rock, leading towards the notch nearly under the Itoyal I'attcry, to communicate Avith a proposed battery to he established at the .said notch, is immediately to be undertaken and commenced upon by 12 miners, under the executive direction of Sergeaut-nrajor Ince." Again: " Tjth July, 1782. A gallery of communication, G feet t- inches high, and G feet wide, through the intermediate rock, between the cave at the head of the King's lines, and the cave near the west end of the Queen's lines, is forthwith to be commenced upon by a body of miners and labourers expressly appointed for that service." — See also ' Drink water's Siege,' Murray's edit., 18-40, pp. 112 and 117. ^1 1782." 1U)YAL SAPPKIIS AND MIXEHS. icult the , he Ion's • the The the lo ;nced ice." effect tills, the mine was loaded with an unnsiial quantity of powder, and the cxplo-ion was so loud, that almost the whoh; of the enemy's camj) turned out at the report. The gallery was now widened to admit of the jdarement of a gun with suf- ficient room for its recoil, and when finished, a -4-pounder was mounted. ]Jefore the ensuitig Septeniher, five heavy guns were placed in the gallery ; and in little more than twelve months from the day it was commenced, it was pushed to the notch, where a hattery, as originally proposed, was afterwards estal)lished and distinguished hy the name of " St. George's Hall."'" At Princess xVnne's Battery (Willis';, on the 11th June, a shell from the enemy fell through one of the magazines, and, hursting, the powder instantly ignited and blew up. The V iiole rock shook with the violence of the explosion, which tearing uj) iiic magazine, threw its massive fragments to an almost incredible distance into the sea. Tiu'ee merlons on the west fiank of the battery, with several men who had run behind them for shelter, were blown into the Prince's lines beneath, which, with the Queen's lower down the rock, were ahnost filled with the rubbish ejected from the upper battery, as alto wiih men dreadfully scorched and mangled. The loss among the workmen was very severe. Fourteen were killed and fif- teen wounded.'^ Private George Brown, a mason of the coui})any, was amongst the former. In July the conij)auy could only muster ninety-two men of all ranks, including the wounded and sick, having lost twenty-two men during the siege by death, six of whom had been killed. This was the more unfortunate, as the siege was daily assuming a more serious aspect, the enemy were collecting in greater force, and the effect of their cannonade was more telling and ruinous. Naturally the Governor's attention was called to the deficiency ; and as his chief de])cndence rested u])on the soldier- artificers for the execution and direction of the more important works, he was not only anxious for their completion to the 1" ' Drinkwatcr's Siege,' Murray's edit., 184(;, p. 118 and note. " Ibid., p. 113. 10 IIISTOllY OF TliH 1782 authorized estaljlishment, but convinced of tlie desirableness of augmenting tliem. In this view lie was the more confirmed by the representations of Major-General Green, the chief engineer, and Lieutenant- General Boyd. As soon, therefore, as an oppor- tunity offered, he urgently requested the Duke of Richmond, then Master-General of the Ordnance, to fill up the company with mechanics from England, and also to n:ake v liberal in- crease to its establishment. His Grace accordingly submitted the recommendation to IlisMajesty, and a Warrant, dated 31st August, 1782, was issued ordering the company to be increased with 118 men. Its establishment now amounted to — 1 Sergeant-major. 10 Sergeants. 10 Corporals. 209 Working-men. 4 Drummers. Total 234 To carry out the wishes of General Eliott, the Duke of Richmond employed parties in England and Scotland to enlist the required number, which for the most part cc.isisted of car- penters, sawyers, and smiths. With great spirit and success the recruiting was conducted, and in less than a month 141 mechanics — more than enough to meet both the delicirnjy and the authorized increase — were embarked for the Rock on board the transports which accompanied the relieving fleet under Lord Hood. Twenty landed on the 15tli October ; a similar number next day, and the remaining 101 on the 21st. By this increase the carpenters were GO in number, the sawyers 31, and the smiths 57. The masons at this time were 30 strong. The non-commissioned oflicers,'^ as they stood immediately alter this augmentation, were as follows : — '* It is not intended to give the names of the non-commissioned officers entire at any future period. In this instance they have been mentioned, not so much for the interest of the general reader, as to preserve them. With those whose names have already been noted, these constitute the first race of non-commissioued officers in the corps. \ 178L'.J ROYAL SAlTKItS AND MLNEK.S. 17 Scrr/cant-major — Henry Incc. Scr (/cants : — • David Young, airjicntcr. Alexander Grigor. Edward Macdonald.''' James Smith, smith. I'obert Blytli," mason. Thomas Jackson, smith. '^ IJy the Chief Engineer's Order of 27th Oetober, 1781, Sergeant M'Donahl was ai)p()iiited to inspect and take care of all the drains througlioiit the fortress in thi! room of Sergeant-major Uridges, as also to keep the gratings loeked to prevent ingress or egress by their means. This duty was considered a very important one, both from the facility the drains afforded for the entrance of the enemy and for desertions from the place, and also from the health of the garrison being in a great measure affected by their state. Not unfre.n years in the 2nd Foot, and joined the company 14th June, 177"!. Hy his industry and frugality he amassed considerable pro- perty, and expended about 2(),(M)() dollars in buildings at the fortress. He was well known as a zealous freemason, and erected a wine-house at the corner of the Eleventh, since called South Parade, in which the meetings or lodges of tlie fraternity were held free of expense. He was much respecte ' by the inhabitants, and became very popular among them. On the .'Jlst January, 1>^(M), he was discharged from the corps, r.fter a service of nearly forty-two years, and died at the Rock about 1804. Ulyth had a nephew in the Tripoline navy, of wiiom a few particulars, for the most part never before published, may not be uninteresting. His name was Peter Lisle. When quite a youth, Pete.' was wrecked at Zoara, on the coast of Tripoli. He was one of three only who escaped. For a time he endured great hardships, but at length succeeded in getting on board a British mercliautman. In 1792 he was at (iil)rakar on board the ' Embden,' letter of marque, Lynch and Ross, owners. Tills vessel afterwards went to Tripoli with two consuls on board,, and Lisle, then chief mate, was placed in charge of the cargo, some of which was corn. On ari'iving at Tripoli, tlie barrels containing the corn were found to have been j)luMdered, and Lisle was called ujxin to account for the deficiency. This he coiild not do; a quarrel ensued between the captain iiiiil himself, and resigniii-.^ his situation, he landed, and entered the service of tlir i'ashav, . Having 1k> :i chief mate of an English vessel was a strong recomni.; .'ation in his favour, and he was at once appointed gunner of the castle. Associated with a strange people, lie readily conformed to their manners a; 1 cn-toms, eniliraced Malioniinedan tenets — at least in appearance— and assunieil liie lauie of Moura'l Reis. Aliout 17!t4 he was nominated captain of a xebeck mounting about ciLihteen guns, and in the course of time, by his naval skill and abilities, becaniv' the High Admiral of the Tripoline Fleet and >rinister of Marine. He maiiiea one of the Ikisliaw's daughteis, had a fine family, and enjoyed an ani[ile \(>1,. I. C 18 HISTORY OF THE [1782. Sergeants — continued. Robert Brand, mason. Joseph Makin, mason. Robert Daniel. Thomas Fincli,'^ carpenter. income. Besides a house in the city, he liad a villa anil gardens in the Meshiah among the date-groves, which exhibited evidence of great taste and care, and were enriched with many trees of various species brought by him from difte ent phices at which he touched in Europe. He was a prudent and sagacious coun- sellor, gave excellent advice to the Bashaw, which was always based on good common sense- a quality not superabundant in the Divan— and was of great service to Lord Exmouth during his Algerine expedition. His appearance was venerable, he dressed richly, commanded much respect, and when ad- dressing British officers — whom he always treated with great courtesy and hospitality — spoke with a broad Scotch accent, and sometimes entertained them with a relation of his own stirring; adventures. He was unpopuKir at times, as great politicians sometimes are. llkKpiiere says (1S1.'!\ " I'uor Peter was no longer an object of consideration u :tli any party." During the stay of Captain Lyon at Tripoli in 1818, Peter was in banishnient, but the consul and chief people gave him an excellent character. Later, however, he again rose into confidence, for when Ciiptain Beechcy was there in 1821, Mourad IJeis was much c(uisidered by his nighne:-s, and acted as interpreter on the occasion of the Captain's audience with the Bashaw. He also proved of great service to Captain W. II. Smyth, K.N. On the fall of the Bashaw— Usepli Karanuvnli— he retreated to Sfax in Tunis, since which his fate is uncertain. When in the zenith of his power and greatness he paid occasional visits to Gibraltar. On entering the bay, lie always fired a salute of four guns in honour of his uncle, Sergeant Bly th, w hom he treated with marked respect. This practice, however, he at length discontinued, owing to a shot, fired by mistake from one of his guns, having struck the wall of a ramp just above Ilargrave's Parade whilst he was paying his relative the usual affectionate compliment. '* Finch joined the company on the 2lst October, 1782, at the request of (he Duke of Richmond, in whose service he hud been employed at Goodwood. Anxious to secure him for the company, his Grace promised not oidy to make him a sergeant "t vnri\ but to give him a written Drotection to preserve to liim as long as he remained, irrcbpective of his conduct, the pay of that rank. ITnder these circumstances, he accepted the protective credential, enlisted, and sailed with Lord Hood for the Kock. Holding siich a charter, it was not to be wondered at if Finch sometimes overstepped the line of prud-nce. Not by any means particular in his appearance, nor scrupulous in his conduct or habits, he was not unfrequently broiight before his officers ; but no matter how flagrant his ofl'ence, the only punishment that could be awanled to him was suspension for a month or two from rank, but not from pay. Captain Ev(l('j;li, of the engi- neers, finding that Finch was becoming rather troublesome, and his sentences of but little eff^'ect, endeavoured to obtain the Duke's warrant from its possessoi', but he refused to s\irrender it, observing to the captain, " If you get hold of it, good-bye to my rank and pay." Finch, however, was a first-rate carpenter and foreman, and these qualifications more than counerbalanced his occasional delinquencies. He was discharged from the corps on the 1.3th April, 1802. «* « y,- I •s w •I [1782. 1782.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 19 filter. the Mi'shiah nd care, and oni dift'e eiit acious coiiu- scd on good ivas of great appearance d when ad- ;ourtcsy and •tained them ■ at times, us 'eter was no y of Captain il and chief lin rose into ad IJeis was e occasion of at service to Karanianli — When in the liraltar. On of liis uncle, ce, however, 1 one of his le whilst he .'qnest of liie Goodwood. inly to make serve to liim ■ that rank, nlisted, and t was not to ce. Not hy ct or hahits, low Ha grant s suspension of the engi- is sentences ts possessor, t hold of it, rpenter and ; occasional •il, 1802. ^ Corporals : — Robort NcwcU, mason. Jolin Morrison, mason. Hugli Sirrigo, airpcnter. John Harrison, mason. Josopli Chiuubors,"' mason. Jolni Fnisor, carpenter. Jamt^s Carey, carpenter. Tliomas Ilarrcnden, carpenter. Joseph Woodliead,'" mason. Antonia Francia, mason. And tlio officers were, in addition to tho?e mentioned at pp. 4 and 5, T.ieutenants William M'Kerras, John Johnston, and Lewis Hay. '« Chambers joined the company 21st September, 1772, from the 2nd Regi- ment of Foot, in which he had served two years. In IT'.tl lie was promoted to he sergeant-major, on the discharge of Ince. In the snnuuer of M'M) he was sent to Woolwich in a deranged state of mind, and on the 1st December of that year was discharged. Soon afterwards he was domiciled in a madhouse, where, his malady increasing, he was — it has been reported -smothered according to the practice then in vogue with regard to incurable cases. '" Woodliead joined the company With May, 1774, from the 12th Regiment, in whicli he had served seven years and a quarter. In Novcniber, 17i»l, he was promoted to sergeant, and was discharged 17tii .July, 1807, on 2,s. Id. a-day, after a service of upwards of forty years. At Gibraltar he was found to be invaluable in the construction and repairs of the sea-line wall. lie possessed a good share of intelligence; was a strong, portly, blustering mason, and well adapted for the heavy and laborious duties for which he was always selected. At Woolwich he was foreman of masons for many years, and was intrusted by Captain I lay ter, then Commanding Hoyal Engineer, with the building of the wharf wall in the Royal Arsenal — a work highly credit;\ble to the Engineer Department, and to Woodhead as the executive overseer. C2 '.1 Si 20 HISTORY OF THE (1782. 1782—1783. Siege continued— Magnitude' of tlie works — (^levaux-de-fiise from Landport Cihicis across the inundation— Prt-eis of otluT works— Firing red-hot shot — Damage done to the works of tlie garrison, and exertions of tlie company in restoring them — Grand attack, and hiirning of the battering flotilla — Reluc- tance of the enemy to (juit the contest — Kilns for heating shot Orange Hastion — Subterranean galleries Discovery of the enemy mining under the rock — Ulterior dependence of the enemy— Peace— Conduct of the company during the siege — Casualties. In August the siege daily wore a more important appcarancu, and tlie enemy were very diligent in concentrating their re- sources — unlimited both in means and materials — to make an extraordinary attack upon the fortress. To cope with these preparations General Eliott was no less alert. All was ardour and cheerfulness within the garrison, and every one waited impatiently for an opportunity to end the strife, which had held thousands close prisoners to their posts for more than three years. At this time the works were very extensive, and many im- portant alteratiojis were yet to he made in several of the batteries, to afford more effectual cover to the artillery. The workmen consequently were greatly increased. Daily, nearly 2,000 men of the line were handed over to the engineers for the service of the fortifications ; and tlie soldier-artiHcers were emjdoyed in their greatest force — two only being in hospital — to instruct and oversee them. In the more difficult works requiring experience, and the exercise of skill and ability, the company always laboured themselves. In the most vulnerable part of the fortress, from the foot of Landport Glacis adjoining Waterport, to the sloping palisades ■^ [1782. 17n2.] nOYAI. SAPPEIIS AND MINERS. 21 1 Landport -hot shot — ■oiupaiiy in lla— Rfluc- i)t Orange 2 under tlie le company pearancu, their re- make an itli these IS ardour e waited hieh had lan three Tiany im- batteries, workmen 000 men ervice of loved in ruet and )erience, f always toot of palisades on the rau.>e\vay aero?s the inundation, the 'greater part of the carj)enters of the company were oeenpled in fixing a ehevanx- de-frise. They completed the work without the least inter- ference from tlie enemy — a j^urpri^ing instance of his inattention or forhearance. Wiiile the chevaux-de-fri.«e was in course of erection, covered ways were heing constructed at the different lines on the north front, large and lofty traverses were raised along the line wall, the flank of the Princess Anne's Battery was rehuilt, the suh- terranean ])asfages were j)uslu d forward w ith vigour, a covered way from the Grand Parade to the Orange Bastion was com- jjleted. Green's Lodge and the Royal Battery were caissoned with ship-timber, and considerable alterations were made at Willis's. Indeed nothing was omitted to render the fortress capable of sustaining any attack to which it might be subjected from the enemy's innnense and well-armed batteries. These works and many others of a similar nature were in progress when tlie firing of red-hot shot from the north front, under General Boyd's directions, commenced uj)on the enemy's batteries. U'he effect was astounding, and the demolition of the enemy's lines in great j)art soon followed. Panic-stricken or confused, the besiegers returned but a tardy tire, and the injury sustained by it was of little moment. The bold attack of the garrison, however, aroused the enemy on the next day, and they opened a warm and ])owerful fire upon the Rock from 170 guns of large calibre. Nine linc-of- battle ships also poured in their broadsides, in which they were assisted by fifteen gun and mortar boats. Considerable injury was thus done to the north front, as also to the Montague and Orange Bastions ; the obstructions at Landport were in great measure demolished, and many other works were partially razed. The engineers with the artificers and workmen were unremitting in their exer'.!: ns, both during the night and in the day-time, to restore the defences where their importance, from their exposed situation, rendered immediate reparation desirable. At Landport, notwithstanding the sharp firing of the enemy, the carpenters of the company were constantly de- IlISTOin' OF THE ri782. taclicd to repair the fresh-recurrinj* l)roaclies, whicli, Driuk- wator states, " were kept in a better state than might bo expeeted." This attack and retaliation, however, were as yet only ])re- liniinary to the greater one which was to follow. Tlie interval was filled up by discharges of cannon, averaging 4,()()() rounds in the twenty-four hours. On the 12th September the com- bined fleets of rran(uj and Spain arrived Ix^fore the Rock with ten floating batteries, bearing 212 guns; while their land bat- teries, strong and terrible, mounted 200 heavy guns, and were protected by an army of 40,000 men. In their several statioi : the battering flotilla were soon moored, and the fleet anchorcnl in less than ten minutes. The first ship having cast her anchors, that moment the garrison artillery began to throw its burning missiles. A tremendous rejoinder from the enemy succeeded. Uj)wards of 400 j)iece3 of the heaviest artillery were disgorging their dreadful contents at the same instant. Of these the garrison only employed 90. For hours the balance of the contest was ecpud, the battering ships s(»emed invulnerable ; but, at length, the red-hot shot gave cviuence of their efficacy in the bursts of flame that issued from the flotilla. By the 14th the whole of the floating batteries were burnt : their magazines blew up one after another ; and it was a miracle, that the loss of the enemy by drowning did not exceed the numbers saved by the merciful eff'orts of the garrison. Notwithstanding this appalling reverse the enemy were still reluctant to quit the contest. Many proofs they had had of the unconquerable spirit of the besieged even whilst suffc'ring from pinching privation, and warring against such overwhelming odds ; but they still clung to the hope of compelling the sur- render of their invincible adversaries, though their repeated defeats should have taught them a far different lesson. This obstinacy, of course, necessarily caused other and more effectual preparations to be made in the fortress, to meet and withstand future attacks. Red-hot shot was considered to be the grand speciffc. To supply it in sufficient quantities, ri782. 17S2.J HOYAL SAlM'KItS AND MINKIIS. 23 , Drink- night be only j)re- ; intorval i() roundri the coin- Lock with and hat- Lind were cro soon is. The garrison jnicndons t)() i)icces I contents loved 90. battering •hot shot inic that 3 floating one after nemy l)y mercifiil were still ad of the ing from I'holminn; the snr- ropcated tlie com])any of artificers erected kiln.s in varion?* parts of tlic garri.oon. Kach kiln was capable of heating 100 >hot in little more than an honr. IJy this means, as Drinkwatcr writes, " the artiiifcrs were i-nablcd to >n|)ply the artillery with a con- stant succession for the ordn.mcc." The struiiiile continued for some time much less terrific than has just bce!i stated. From 1,000 to 2,000 roimds, however, were poured into the garrison in the twenty-four hours, and were followed up with more or less briskness for a few njoutlis, according to the varying caprice of the assailants. During this cannonade, the artificers under the engineers were constantly engaged in tlu; it)ned by an opening very near to tlio base of the cliff be exj)lored the entrance, and hearing the hum <»r voices and the strokes of banuners and picks bo was well a.-'sured of their purpose. ( Tnnbing the steep again, he reported Nvbat he liad discovered. In consetjuence of this information a .stricter watch was ke))t upon the Tower to prevent communica- tion between it and the Rock, lland-grenadcs and weighty fviLnnents of stone were frefjuently hurled from above to terrify the miners, and choke up the entrance to the gallery; and tbougli these means did not make them relinquish their project, ' Joiiifil tlie company August, ]7'C), from the Mxh Foot, in mIucIi lie had served eleven years. Discharged about 1789. ■•^ IJeconnoitring appears to have been a duty that devolved upon sergeants of the company. On the ti'itli December, 1782, two soldiers attempted to desert fi'oni Mount Misery; one got down, though the rope broke, which accident ■was the cause of the other being retaken. A few days after a sergeant of tiie artiticers was ordered to reconnoitre the place where this deserter descended, and he got down low enough to discover the nnfortnnate man dashed to pieces :!i the foot of the precipice. — ' Drinkwater' Murray's edit., 184(), p. UK). ri7«2. ITfi.l.] noYAi. sAriM:i;s a > minf.i:s. mO il yet ^HMtly iiitt'rrii|itcil its pr >• r. ''lie notion oi" tli'' i'iit»in«'('r wlio pntpo.-rjil tlu' mini' niii.^t li.i 'i''<'ii tlk; n'sult ot' (l('S|u'r!ition, tor wli.it tniist li;i\e bcca tlic huim-'' of tliat mine, tliat wonltl liiivo crnmlili'il a Imil'c mass of compart rock, n»'arl) 1,4"() tcet of jKTjK'ndicnlar lu-iglit, into a roadwa}, by which to enter th(! fortress as thronuh a breach ? Since tlie llotilla had been burnt and tlu- th'et liad disap- peared, it was evi(hjnt that the enemy now depenih'd for a triumph on tiii'ir gun-l)oats and Iand-l>atterii's, and also tlii^ mine at tlu; Devil's Tower. l''or a time they warmly plied the fortress with shot and sludl, to which tin* <,Mrri.son responded with considerable animat'on. Intervals followed, induced by indeci>ion or ca|)rice, in \\hii'h the firing from the enemy was vi'ry desultory and inellicacious ; but that from the garri.^on was always well sustained. The soldiers of the Itock sceuicd to rise in .«'j)irit and activitVi as tho enemy declined in these? (pia- lities. With the latti'r, the barometer of their hoj)es fell with tlieir en(!rgi(!s. Still they fruitlessly laboured on, the mine under the Kock being tlii' ])rincij)al object of their attention, until relieved from th(* disgrace of another defeat, by the arrival (»f news from home of the signing of preliminarie.-s for a general pi-act;. 'J'lie intelligenci! was connnunicated t(^ tlu; garri.-on on the 2nd February. On the 5th, the last shot in tlu; conflict was fired from the fortress: aud thus terminated a sieixe, extending over a period of nearly four years, which, when all the circumstances connected with it are taken into account, can scarcely find its parallel in the clu'cjnicles of ancient or modern warfare. During the whole of this memorable defence, the conij)any of artificers j)roved themselves to be good and brave soldiers, and their usefuhiess and zeal on the works were consjilcuons. With their conduct and exertions in the performance of their various professional duties, their officers were always well pleased ; and, not unfreciuently, the (Governor and (Jeneral ]ioyd, in vitni'ssing their services, encouraged and flattered thum with expressions of their admiration. In later days, when the expediency of raising a (:urj)s of military artificers was (lis- 26 HISTORY OF THE ri7S3. cussed in the House of CoiPinons, Captcain Luttrell stated, " tliat during the si(5ge, the corps at Gibraltar had been found of infinite service."' The following is a detail of the casualties that occurred in the company at this siege : — ■ I?aiik Officers, Sergeants, and File. Total. Killed^ ... 1 6 7 AVounded, severely .0 7 7 49 Wounded, but recovered 2 3 30 35 Dead by sickness . . 23 23 Total 66 72 Besides which, two men having plundered the King's stores, were executed for the offence at the Convent in Irish Town, on the 29th May, 1781.'' It is, however, satisfactory to mention, that of the forty-three desertions rccoided to have taken place from the garrison, none were from the artificer company. One regiment was decreased eleven men from this cause, and another nine. ^ 'Gentleman's Magazine,' 58, part 2, 1788. ■• Sergeant John Iiichmond — date unknown. Corporal Charles Tabb i , ,^ Mason Adam Parsons } ^^^^ November, 1781. Mason Adam Sharp — 5th March, 1782. Mason George ]}rown — 11th June, 1782. ' Nailor Kobert Sliepherd — Kith .January, 1783. The name of the other man killed cannot be ascertained, as the documents of the company from the commencement of the siege to the 30th September, 1781, ai\' lost. * Tiie names of the criminals were Artificers Samuel Whitaker and Simon Pnttts. \- [1783. rell stated, been found •ccurrcd in le. Total. 7|49 35) 23 72 g's stores, Town, on orty-three ison, none decreased 1783.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. ciimcnts of nber, 1781, and Simon ■■'i '« 1783. Duo (L' Crillon's compliments rcspectins the works — Subterranean galleries — their supposed ineffieiency— Henry Ince — Quiekness of sight of two hoys of the company Employment of the hoys during the siege — Tlionias Uicli- niond and Jolin Brand — Models constructed by them. The cessation of hostili ies brought the commanders of the two powers together, and a most interesting interview took phice between them. During the visit of the Due de Crillon he was shown all the marvels of the Rock, hut the fortifications espe- cially engaged his attentior. Having been conducted to the hatterics on the heights, his Grace made some remarks on the formidable aj)pearance of the lower defences, and on the good state of the batteries in so short a jieriod. '* These," writes Drinkwater, " produced some compliments to the chief engineer ;" and when conducted into the gallery above Farringdon's Battery — now called Windsor — his Grace was })articularly astonished, especially when informed of its extent, which at that time was between 500 and 600 feet. Turning to his suite, after ex])lorlng the extremity, he exclaimed, " These works are worthy of the Romans." ^ For many years the galleries thus eulogized by the Duke were in course of construction, and are formed, as already stated, by deep excavations in the solid rock. Passing round the north face in two tiers,^ mounting about forty pieces of heavy ordnance, they command the approach to the fortress from the neutral ground, and render it almost imj)regiiable on that side. Large nuigazines and spacious halls — in like manner hewn out of the rock — are attached to them. The work, as a whole, ' Drinkwater's ' Siege of Gibraltar.' Murray's edit., 1840, p. I(i3. * Called Lower, or Union Galleries; and Upper, '>r Windsor Galleries. J m 28 HISTORY OF THE :s?,. executed }»rliicij)ally by tlie jumper und mining, is curious and interesting, and bears unequivocal evidence of ingenuity and of immen?e labour. Than these subterranean works no better testimony need scarcely be desired of the successful super- intendence of Sergeant-major Ince and of the skill arid exertions of tlie comj)any. Notwithstanding the formidal)le cliaracter of these defences, doubts seem to exist as to their real efficiency in a siege. Tiiese doubts have arisen from the idea that the rejjort of the explosion would not only be deafening, but that the smoke would return into the galleries and suffocate the nien.^ No experiments have ever been made with the view of ascertaining these particulars : speculation is therefore properly admissible. Once, indeed, in 1804, they were fired in salvo to dispel, if possible, the then raging fever ; ' and at distant intervals since, some of the guns have been discharged ; but no complaint was ever made — at least became public — of the inutility of these galleries from the causes stntcd. To expect a loud report is certainly natural, but much less so the recoil of the smoke, as a strong current of air is always passing in the galleries, and rushing with some force through the (Mubrasures. No matter how sultry the day, how still the air, or how fiercely the sun may beam upon the rock, in these galleries a strong breeze is constantly felt ; and the fresher the wind, from the outside, whether from the north east, and blowing directly into the end)rasures, or sweeping round the rock, the stronger is the ciu'rent within the galleries to force back or disperse the smoke. ]]ut little, therefore, of the vapour can find its way back, and that little must be much less annoying to the gunners than in an open field when, firing smartly in the teeth of the wind, the whole volume turns back and beclouds them as long as the cannonade continues. However, should the alleged defect be found on trial to exist, there is no reason to fear but that the military engineer will readily adopt some efiectual contrivance for 3 Walsli's ' Campaigns in Kgypt,' 1813, p. .5. Wilkie, 'On ]3ritish Colo- nies coiisitlcred as Military Posts,' in United Service Journal, Part ii., 1840, p. .'iTO. ■• Maule's ' Canii»aigns of Nortli Holland and lOgypt,' cSic, p. 303. tr. [1783. urious and .'imity and 3 no better fill super- 1 exertions ! defences, ge. These 1 explosion Lild return perinients ing these le. Once, " possible, 9me of the !r made — ;ries from certainly 5 a strong d rushinc tter how sun may Jreeze is outside, into the er is the ic smoke, ack, and than in rind, the as the efect be that the ance for tish Colo- ii., 1840, 1783.] IIOYAL SAPPKIIS AND MINEllS. 29 removing the annoyance, and for obtaining all that power and efficiency which the galleries were designed to possess and should be capable of commanding. Since these defences have always been highly praised by military men, and been visited both by officers and others as a s>j)ecies of marvel at the fortress, it will not be out of ))lace to introduce the projector — Henry Ince — to notice. He was a native of Penzance in Curnwall, was brought up to the trade of a nailor, and afterwards acquired some exj)ericncc as a miner. Early in 1755 ho enlisted in the 2nd Foot, and served some time with it at Gibraltar, where he had been much em])loyed on the works in mining and blasting rock. After a service of seventeen and a half years in the 2nd regiment, he joined the conij)any, then forming, on the 2Gth June, 1772. The same day he was })rom()ted to be sergeant. Having sliowcd superior intelligence in tile execution of his duties as a foreman, and distinn;uislied himself by his diligence and gallantry during the ?iege, he was, in Soptcmber, 1781, selected for the rank of Sergeant-major. In the followinn; year he suiriie&ted the formation of the anlleries, and was honoured by IxMug directed to conduct the work himself. This he continued to do until it was finished. As ''overseer of the mines," he had the executive charge of all blasting, mining, battery building, &c , at the fortress, and was found to '"» invaluable. He was active, ])rompt, and persevering, very .-hort in stature, but wiry and hardy in constitution ; was greatly esteemed by his officers, awd frequently the subject of conunen- dation from the highest authorities at Gibraltar. In February 1787, when the Duke of Richmond w;is endeavouring to economize the ordnance ex})enditure at the Rock, the emolu- ments of Sergeant-major Ince ckiimed his attention ; l)ut remembering his fair fame, his Grace thus wrote concerning him: — "I do not object to Sergeant-mnjor Henry luce being continued as overseer of mines at 4*-. per day, as I understand, from all accounts, that he is a meritorious man, and that lu; distinguished himself during the siege; but, as such allowanci', /// addition to his pa>/, is very great, I desire it may not be considered as a precedent ; and who ever succeeds iiim must 80 IIISTORY OF THE ri783. ll'^ Ml oiiiy receive 2s. iOd. per day, like the foremen in otlior branches, if he should be appointed a foreman." In 1791, after a period of thirty-six years' active service, he was discharged from the company, but was still continued on the works as an overseer. On the 2nd February, 17l)G, he was commissioned as ensign in the Royal Garrison Battalion, and on the 24th March, 1801, was promoted to be lieutenant. In 1802 the regiment was disbanded. All this time, however, Ince was attached to the departmr.it as assistant-engineer ; but at length, having worn himself out in the service of the fortress, he returned to Penzance, and died in June, 1809, at the age of seventy-two.^ Among the various stirring incidents narrated by Driiikwater, is the following, relative to the peculiar advantage of the boys of the soldier-artificer company during the siege. "In the course of the day," 25tli March, 1782, ''a shot came through one of the capped embrasures on Princess Amelia's Battery (Willis's), took off the legs of two men belonging to the V2nd and 73rd regiments, one leg of a soldier of the 73rd, and wound(Hl another man in both legs ; thus four men had seven legs taken off and wounded by one shot. The boy, who was •'• Iiice had a farm at tho top of tlie Kock, which fo? many years was called 1)y his name, lie had an only son, a clerk in the Commissariat department at Gibraltar, under Commissary-general Sweetlove, who, together with his wife, died in the fever of 1804, leaving an infant son, who was brought up by his grandmother. The eldest daughter of Lieutenant Ince was married at Gib- raltar to Lieutenant K. Stapleton, of the OOth Ritles, Mho exchanged with Lieutenant Ooker into the 13th Foot, and then sold out. One day Mr. Ince was trotting at an easy pace tip the rock, when tlie Duke of Kent, overtaking him, observed, "That horse, Mr. Ince, is too old for you." "I like to ride easy, your Royal Highness," was the subaltern's meek reply. " Ivight, but you shall have another, more in keeping with your worth and your duties ;" and soon afterwards the Duke presented him with a very valuable steed. The old overseer, however, was unable to manage the animal, and he rode again to the works on his own quiet nag. The Duke, meeting him soon after, imiuired how it was he was not riding the new horse, when Ince replied, he nas unable sufficiently to curb his spirit and tranquillize his pace. Ince then prayed his Koyal Highness to honour his servant by receiving the noble creature into his stud again. "No, no, overseer," rejoined the D\ike ; " if you can't ride him easily, put him into your jmchct '." The overseer rea- dily understood his Hoyal Highness, and exchanged the beautiful ttced for his worth in doubloons. -^ [1783. in other In 171)1, ?, ho was 0(1 on tlie G, ho was on, and on In 1802 , Inco was at longth, 'I'tross, ho tho ago of 'inkvvator, ' tho boys shot came Amelia's ing to tho 73rd, and lad seven who was was called )artnient at h Ills wife, t up by his ed at Gib- nged with the Duke for you." ek reply, vorth and I a very le animal, ting liini hen Inco his j)act;. ■ivinfj: tlio le Duke ; •seer reu- !d for his 178n.] ROYAL RArrEPiS AND MINERS. 31 usually stationed on the works whore a largo party was employed to inform the men when the enemy's fire was directed to that place, had been reproving them for their carelessness in not attending to him, and had just turned his head toward the enemy, when he observed this shot, and instantly called for them to take care ; his caution was, however, too late ; the shot entered the embrasure, and had the above-recited fatal effect. It is somewhat singular that this boy should be possessed of such uncommon quickness of sight as to see the enemy's shot ahno,>;t immediately afto" they quitted the guns. 1 lo was not, however, the only one in tho garrison possessing this qualifica- tion ; another boy, of about tho same age, was as celebrated, if not his superior. Both of them belonged to the artificer (:onq)any, and wore constantly j)laced on some ])art of tho works to observe the enemy's fire ; their names wore Richmond (not Richardson, as Drinkwater has it) and Rrand ; tho former was reported to have the best eye."" Joseph Parsons,' another youth of tho com])any, was also emi)loyed as a loohcr-ont on tho works ; and though iiis name has escaijod the notice of tho historian, ho was nevertheless no less efficient. It w;is an object that every one in the fortress should bo rendered useful in some way or other, and tho boys of the company — out of sympathy for their youth — were, for some time after tho conunencemont of the siege, em])loyed on tho works at Europa quarry, then but little annoyed by tho enemy's fire. At lengtii, inurjd to labour, and taugiit by events to expect danger, it was considered of greater advantage to occupy their time at the different bakeries; and on the lotii February, 1782, the Chief Engineer directed their removal to tho works and fortifications'^ with the vievv of looking out for the enemy's projectiles, and giving warning of tlieir .:i)proa(li. On tho 21st Jnne following, such of the boys as wore niasfms in the company were engaged under Mr. Hutchinson, a civil " ' Drinkwater.' Murray's edit., 1840, p. 1(I8. " Tursons joined the company in February, 177'J, and was dischar^a'd, as a private artificer, 1st January, 1809, on Is. Ad. a-day. " Order Book (Chief Engineer's) of 17th February, 1782. I i't 32 IIItJTUllY OF THE [1163. foreman, in rounding stones, agreeably to the instructions of Major Lewis of the artillery. These stones, according to Driukwater, were cut to fit the calibre of a 13-inch mortar, with a hole drilled in the centre, which being tilled vith a sufficient quantity of powder, were fired with a short fuse to burst over the enemy's workt,. It was an unusual mode of annoyance, and for its novelty was used for some time ; but not effecting the damage that was desired, it was ultimately laid aside.'' On the failure of this experiment, the boys returned to the perilous posts assigned to them on the batteries to look out. At tliis duty they continued as long as the siege lasted, and doubtless, by their vigilance in its execution, they were the 1. leans of saving many valuable lives, or otherwise preventing casualty. Of the two boys who have been so favonrably noticed by Drinkwater, it may not be unacceptable to devote a small space here to their brief but honourable history. Their names were Thomas Richmond'" and John Brand ; the former was known at the Rock by the familiar sobriquet of shelf, being the better looker-out; and the latter by the name of shot. Rich- mond was trained as a carpenter ; Brand as a mason. Their fathers were sergeants in the company. Richmond's was killed at the siege. As might be expected, the beneficial ser- vices of these boys at the batteries acquired for them no com- mon celebrity and esteem. The sii^ge being over, the youths were sent to Mr. Ceddes's school, at that time the principal seminary at GibraUar. This gentlem -n paid evevy attention to their instruction and im- provement, and, as a consequence, they progressed ra})idly in their studies. Being found quick, intelligent, and ingenious, some officers of the company patronized them, and placed them in the drawing room under their own eye, with the view of making them competent to fill better situations. Brand in time became corporal, and Richmond lance-corporal, which ranks i " ' Order-Booli ' (Chief Engineer's) of 21st June, 1782; and ' Drinkwiiter,' Murray's edit., 184(i, p. 118. '" Not Richardson, as Drinlvwater has it, p. 118. YT-'i 1783.J ROYAI. 8At*l'KUS AND MINKKS. 33 ft ructions Di'ding to 1 mortar, fl v'ith a liort fuse mode of ; but not itely laid turned to look out. sted, and were the rcventing :)ticcd by I a small eir names rmcr was being the t. Rich- Their d's was icial ser- no com- r ieddes's This nd im- ipidly in genious, 3ed them View of in time •h rankrf •inkwator,' they iield on the 8th May, 17S1I, when tliey were discharged from the corps, and appointed by the Commander-in-Chief assistant-draughtsmen." Having made considerable })roficiency in their traders, they were emj)loyed for some years })revious to their discharge as modellers, which art they continued to follow with great tact, skill and perseverance, until they ([uitted the fortress. After several trial models of various subjects, these young nuMi com- menced the gigantic t;'sk of modelling (libraltar, at which they worked with unwearied application for nearly thrci; years. Succeeding so well in this their first great and public under- taking, Brand '^ was directed to make a nuKlel in polished stone of the King's Bastion, and irichmond '•* a model of the north front of GiJjraltar. Nearly the whole of the years 17'J0 and 171)1 were spent in perfecting them ; and for these noble sjjeci- mens of art they were favoured with the flattering congratula- tions of the highest authorities at the fortress. The better to exemplify the a])preciation entertained of the models, and of the merits and talents of the modellers, they were recommended to the Duke of Richmond for commissions. His (irace innnedi- ately ordered them to proceed to Woolwich, to undergo sonu; slight i)rej)aratory training. That training was short — a few months sufficed, and then they were honoured with apj)()int- ments as second lieutenants in the royal engineers. Their commissions were dated 17th January, 1793.'"* Soon the young subalterns, rich in intelligence and full of ])romise, were sent abroad ; but before the close of the year, both fell a prey to the })revailing yellow fever in the W^est Indies.'^ The three models alludcMl to were brought to England in " ' Order-Hook' i Chief KiigineL-r's , 8tli May, 178!). '■■^ Assisted by Sergeant James Shirres. Tliis iion-coinmissioiied oflicer, after serving at the capture of Minorca, was made a sergeant-major, 2iid May, 1800, and on tlie 31st December, 1SU4, was appointed overseer in the royal engineer dejiartment, at Plymouth. '■' Assisted by Antonio Manjues, a Minorcaen artificer. '* ' London Gazette,' 13,494. 15 to 19 January, 179;). '* The education ." these youths is highly credital)le to the officers of engi- neers. Many similar instances of boys in the corps acquiring distinction by their talents, have subsequently occurred, the honour of which, in great niea- VOL 1 1) I if 1 34 TIFSTORY OF TIIK [1783. 1793 by desiro of General O'llara. The large model of the entire rock was deposited in the niusemn in tiic Royal Arsenal, and tlu; other two were presented to His Majesty Georjie III. Private Joseph Bethell had charge; of the fiist model,'" and Private Thomas Hague '^ of the other two. The large model, from being lodged in a public place open to visitors, was well known. It was an object of considerable attraction, " and was sure, is due to tho officers. Assistance and encouragement they never fiiil to give in cases where their efforts are likely to meet with success, and num- bers have thus qualified themselves to fill important situations with efficiency and credit, in their own profession, and afterwards in civil life. Kichniond and Brand, however, are the only two instances in which commissions have been given from the ranks of tlie artificers, or sappers and miners, into the corps of engineers. '" Drinkwater says (p. 108), " that one of the works of these young men, while pursuing their studies at Woolwich, was to finish the large model of the rock of Gibraltar." The historian has certainly been misled here ; the model was finished before it left the fortress, and did not reach the Arsenal until after its makers had beer commissioned, and left England for the West Indies. The placement and adjustment of its several parts were intrusted to a military artificer named Bethell. He was to have been assisted by another private, who accompanied him for the purpose, from Gibraltar ; but having broken his leg at Woolwich, his services were thus lost. Private .John McXanghton, a carpenter of the Woolwich company, was put to the model in his place. I knew McNanghton well, and he assured me that the model was not touched by any hands but his own and Bethell's, and that on no occasion were the modellers present during its fixation. McNanghton seems to have been an excellent artificer, and always an active soldier. During the mutiny of Parker, he was employed in repairing Tilbury Fort, and hi erecting temporary defences below Gravesend. He afterwards served under the great Abercrora- bie in Egypt ; next was employed in constructing the towers on the Sussex coast, at the time of the projected invasion of Napoleon : and, lastly, was many years in Newfoundland. He was discharged 24111 January, 1815, on Is. 4d. a-day, and died at Woolwich in April 185;3, aged 84. '" Hague was a tall, intelligent mechanic, a fine modeller, and a smart sol- dier. On account of these qualities, he was selected to take charge of the models for George 111. Having put them together on their tables at Bucking- ham Palace, His Majesty, the Queen, and royal family, with other illustrious personages of the court, came to see them. Hague was cited before them to explain the model, and to point out the places rendered interesting by the late siege; his obser .ations were listened to with attention, and His Majesty awarded him a gratifying proof of his royal approbation. Soon afterwards Hague returned to (Gibraltar, and on the .'31st March. 181.5, was discharged and pensioned at Is. 8(/. a day. He was subseciuently employed as a modeller in the grand store ; was married in 1 S27 ; and died at the Kock about 183,3, up. wards of 100 years old. 1783.] HOYAI- SAPPFRS AND MINEIIS. young men, model of the l' : the model lal until after Indies. The o a military ther private, fg broken his Ndughton, a is place. I not touched ion were the ave been an mutiny of g temporary It Abercrom- n the Sussex y, was many on Is. 4d, a smart sol- large of the at l^ucking- T illustrious fore them to iting by the His Majesty n afterwards >charged and modeller in )ut ism;?, up. much admired," so Driiikwater writers, " for beauty of (»xecutioii and minute corrociiicsis." '"* A visitor to tlio arsenal in those days corroborates the just encomium of tlie historian, and thus records his impressions : — " I walked yesterday morning to W'oohvirh Warren, that immense rej^ository of military arts, tlie paUiuliiim of our empire, where one wonder succeeds another so raj)idly, that the mind of a visitor is kept in a continual gaze of admiration. Should 1 b(; asked what has made the strongest imj;ression oi? mini}, it is a magniticent view of the rock of Gibraltar, which was made there, formed of the very rock itself, on a scale of twenty-Hve feet to an inch, and presents a most perfect view of it in every point of })erspective." ''■* Nine years after its placement, tlie museum in the arscmal was fired by an incendiary, and this celebrated modid was luifo'-tunately destroyed.^"^ The other two models, which held '" ' Drinkwater.' Murray's edit., 1840, p. lUS. '" To tliis the visitor adds a description of tl-.e model, which is adj^)ined here, (m account of the model itself having long since been destroyed. " First then," says tiie writer, "are the Spanish lines; then the perpendicular rock, rising bold from the neck of the neutral ground, whieh is not m.'ny feet above liigh-water mark. On the east, or lef baud, is the Mediterranean Sea; and on the west, within the mole or pier, is the Hay of (iibraltar, in wiiich the largest ships in the Hritish Navy maj ride safe. The garrison, town, and forts, are to the westward, whence the rock rises with a more gradual acclivity to the summit, — the east side of which is also perpendicular, ai'-.l inlnbited by monkeys. On tlie highest point is the Levant Hattery, whijh is nearly three times and one half the height of St. Paul's ciiurch, or VM') leet above the level of the sea. Tlie southern extremity of the iu',j;lei of this rock towards Kurojta Point, being too large for the room, and ' s important, is cut off. 'I'his de- scription ought to fill a volume." — (n'nUeinKii.'i M":i't-:ine, part 2, 1798, p. (148. ^" This was on the :22iid May, 18n:i. The account given at the time of this disgraceful act is as follows: — *' A dreadful fiiv liroke out at Woolwich, and from the investigation which has taken place into this ci lamitous circumstance, there is l)ut too niiicli reason to believe that this disaster >vas not the mere effect of accident. The fire broke out, at one and the same time, in three different places, liesides which a great mass of combustit)le materials have been disco- vered. The loss to Government will be immense. The damage done to the Model-room is particularly to be lamented, as several choice works of art have been destroyed, witiiout the power of reparation; however, the injury done to the lieautiful model of the rock of Gibraltar is not so great as was :it first re- ly le easi presented, it having sustained but a sliglit damage, wl.ich can 1 repaired, and the whole restored to its original state."— /Aj'/sAv/'s AhiumI 1> 2 30 HISTORY OF TFIK 1783. i|d a plaro in Buokinghnm Palaco for about twonty-sovon years, were jjreseiited in 1^20 l)y (ieorgo IV. to the Royal Military Repository at Woolwich. They are now daily exhibited in the Rotunda, and are, ])erhaps, about the best specimens of workmanship and inj^enuity in the place. That of the King's Bastion is finely wrought, and is really beautiful ; that of the north front, bold and masterly. 13oth claim tlu; particular attention of visitors, exciting at once their surprise and admi- ration. Register, 18()2, p. 404. The journalist is wrong in his remarks concerning the state of the model after the fire. It was completely destroyed, and not even the fragments are now in existence. Some persons, indeetl, with whom I have V ^'iversed, l)ear out the ciironicler in his record, and artirm that the model u-(in repaired, and is nmr in the Rotunda ; but they have given me a fair infer- ence of the mistaken character of their recoUectitms, by uniformly referring me to the model of t'le mirth fnnif, executed by Hidimond and Manpies, which, at tlie very time tiiat the fire occurred, formed one of the curiosities of Bucking- ham Palace. Drinkwater (p. 108, Murray's edit. ) attests the fact of its destruc- tion ; and in this he is borne out by the 'Repository Detail of Arms,' i*tc., printed in 1822. I i that catalogue (at p. 9 — 21 ) is a list of the arms, models, &c., of the oriijinal institution preserved from the fire of 1802, and collected by Sir William Congreve, but no mention is made of the model in question. This, then, is the best attainable evidence of the certainty of its demolition, coupled with the acknowledgment, at page ^rl of the same catalogue, that the " North end of Gibraltar," the model mistaken for the one destroyed in the Arsenal, was presented to the Repository by George IV. Had the large model of the Rock been preserved, Sir William Congreve would most certainly have noted it in the detail. • Aim. 17«3.J ROYAL SAPPKKS AND MINERS. 37 ^n yi'ars, Military libited in •iinoiis of le King's lat of the )articular lid adnii- icerninp the ml not even ith whom I [It tlu- model I fuir inf'er- ily referring ijiu's, which, of Hucking- ' its destruc- Arms,' i*tc., rms, models, lid collected in question, demolition, ut, that the oyed in the aige model rtainly have ■:k 1783. State of t'lf fortress F.xecutioii of the works depended upon the company — Casuahies filled up by transfers from the line l'(imi)osition — Wecruiting — Relieved from all duties, garrison and regimental — Anniversary of the de- struction of tiie Sj)anish battering flotilla. F()i{ about six months previously to the termination of hosti- lities, the sii'ge had been carried on with fearful vigour, and the destruction it occasioned, revealed to a mournful extent the efficiency of the eh«jmy's cannonade. The tiers of batteries on the north front, the whole of t'.ie fortifications along the sea face, and indeed every work of a permanent character, were considerably damaged or thrown down. Tlie town too was little better than a great ruin, and its houses were levelled to the rock, or were left standing in tottering fragments, or at best in their shells, despoiled and untenanted, as so many monuments of an unbounded calamity. The inhabitants, conscnpiently, were comj)elled either to leave the fortress, or to locate them- selves under canvas ; or, to seek a comfortless retreat in the dark caverns of the rock. Such was the sad state of Gibraltar at the close of the siege, and the work of restoration, therefore, was both extensive and pressing. The reconstruction or repair of the fortifications and other public works at the fortress, in great part depended upon the company ; and the more so, since the numbers of the line com- ])etent to work as tradesmen were inconsiderable. Assistance from the civil population of the place was neither given nor ex- pected, as the works in the town secured to them abundance of employment and excellent wages. Policy, therefore, dictated i I 38 IIISTOUY OK TIIK l7Hy. 1 the cxjHMlicncy of pJiyinj? pjirticular r(\i,'anl hotli to tlic minio- rical and |iliysi(;al cflicicncy of tlu? conijKUiy. At tlio ('Ir— Labourers- Keeruiting, reinforcements — Dismissal of foreign artificers— Wreck of brig ' Mercury ' — Uniform dress — Working dittt— Names of officers — Privileges. On the 30th June the Duk(» of Richmond divitU'd the com- pany into two, owing to tlie professional duties of the Chief Fngineer rendering it impracticahU' for him to pay ])roper attention to the discipline and interior management of so large a hody. The two senior officers at the fortress were appointed to take immediate charge of these companies, and each was authorized to receive an allowance of 56/. lOs. per aninun in lieu of all charges for repair of arms, &c. The Chief Engineer, nevertheless, continued in command of hoth companies. In the estimates, however, annually presented to Parliament, the corps was not recognized as heing formed into two companies, possihly with a view to prevent the memhers of the House of Commons heing drawn into a profitless dehate upon a fancied attempt to increase the corps ; a dehate which, very likely, would not have heen productive of compliments to his Grace, as by his exten- sive but lately rejected schemes for national defence he had made himself in some respects obnoxious to the House and to the country. By this time there were many men in the corps, who from length of service and other causes were no longer fit for the duties of the department ; and there were others also, who from continued misconduct were worthless and burdensome. Captain Evelegh, returning to England about this period, lost no time in making the Duke of Richmond acquainted with the state of >i r ( ( |e had from the line, whose services were worth acceptance, heing either irregular in conduct, or possessing hut little pretension to ahility as tradesmen. Me- chanics were therefore generally received at thirty-tive to forty-five, and oftentimes at the hald age of fifty. Neither age nor height was an insuperahle disqualification, provided the candidate for transfer or enlistment possessed sufficient stamina for a few years' hard wear and tear. It was not therefore to be expected that they could serve long in the companies, more especially, as the works of the fortress being always im- portant and pressing, the men were obliged to labour zealously to meet the exigency, exposed to all the fitful changes of wind and temperature. In the course of the interview with the Duke of Richmond, Captain Evelegh })roposed that an augmentation of 41 labourers should be made to the companies. Of the necessity for this his Grace was not so well persuaded, for knowing t^ie ready disposition of the Governor of Gibraltar to provide men for the services of the works, he felt assured that no difficulty would be found in obtaining any number required from the line, on a proper representation of their need being made. He would not therefore sanction the measure ; but, as his Grace was aware, from the extent of the works in progress, that the demand for mechanics was very great, and as he was much averse to the employment of civil artificers, he considered it would be a far greater public benefit to increase the corps with mechanics instead of labourers. He therefore, in September, took upon himself the responsibility of augmenting the com- T-^i 1T8G.J ROYAL SAPPERS AND MIXERS. 4,} mbodied, it became iii- is. At all r mechanics y years of )se services conduct, or men. Me- lirty-tive to Neither age rovided the lent stamina ot therctbre 1 companies, 5 always im- nr zealously ges of wind Richmond, 1 lab(mrers ;sity for this [t tlie ready men for the [culty would |e line, on a He would Grace was \s, that the was much ;)nsidered it corps with Se{)temher, hg the com- panies with forty-one masons and bricklayers. The strength of the corps was now fixed as under : — 1 Sergeant-major. 10 Sergeants. 10 Cor])orals. 4 Drummers. 250 Private artificers. Total 275 Each company was to consist of 137 non-commissioned officers and men. His Grace, moreover, ordered that such of the artificers as were not sufficiently skilful at their trades, to the number of forty, were to be employed as labourers, if required, hut he did not contemplate that any such could be found in the corps. From this slight innovation, however, soon after followed the authorl/ed enlistment of labourers as a part of the establish- ment, — a measure not in any sense welcomed by the old arti- ficers, who conceived they were losing caste and position by the association. Means for obtaininj; transfers and recruits at Gibraltar were now considerably straitened. The Duke of liichmcmd, there- fore, undertook to furnish the number authorized to be added to the corps, and to supply the constantly-recurring casualties. Upon this duty his Grace employed several officers of engineers in the manufacturing districts of England and Scotland. Captain Rudyerd was the chief recruiting officer in North Britain, and he seems to liavc been the most successful in obtaining recruits. Married men' with families were not ' The regulation with regard to the wives and families of recruits going to Gibraltar, as established by the Duke of Richmond, is sufficiently curious, by comparison with the present very limited system, to be mentioned here. On tht Ittli September, 178(i, the Duke arranged that to every 20 jnen, 10 women and 10 children should be allowed to accompany them. If there Mere more than that number witii a party, lots were to be drawn, and those who did not gain prizes were to find their own passages ; the lots were not to divide fa- milies, liut were to be drawn by the men until the number allowed was com- pleted. If encouragement had been given to any men to hope that their families would be provided with passages, the bargain was to be faitlifully adhered to. 11 44 lliSTOIlY OF TIIK [1780. ii I ! t ii I'l 1 !!• debarred from enlistment, if their personal appearance and talents as tradesmen were favouraMe. More attention was now paid to age than heretofore ; and none were received over thirty-five years old, unless mider extraordinary circumstances. The bounty allowed to each candidate was 13/. 13s. Qd. Five batches^ of recruits, nundjcring in the whole 183 arti- ficers, were sent to the Rock in rapid succession ; but as they were long in arriving, it was considered expedient to hire civil artificers from Portugal and Italy to expedite the works. How- ever desirable it might have been to adopt this course, the Duke of Richmond disaj)proved of it. lie had always a great aversion to th(3 engagement of civil artificers, whether from England or from places (m the Continent, arising from the great expense attending their employment and their general irregular conduct. His Grace, tiierefore, ordered that the foreign anificer.-! should be discharged on the arrival of the soldier-artificers' recruits, which was accordingly done. Of the second party of recruits, it may be permitted to take a more than passing notice. It was composed of 58 men, all mechanics, " in the prime of life," under Sergeant Sherritf, 28 women, their wives, and 12 children, in all 101 persons. They embarked at Leith on the 21st September, on board the brig ' Mercury,' Thomas Davidson, master. The crew consisted of 11 men. They sailed with a fair wind ; l)Ut on the 23r(l, when nearii.'O" the coast of Flanders, they ,vere a great deal buffeted by a boisterous gale. At three o'clock on the morning of the 24th, Sunday, they saw and recognized the steeple of Ostend, and, accordingly, shaped their course towards the chops of the - Of the following strength : — 21 men lotli Sept. 1780, embarked on board the 'New Eu- plirates,' and landed Gth Oct. 58 „ 21st Sept. 1786, embarked, at Leith, on board the brig ' Mercury.' Wrecked 24th Sept. 2.5 „ fith Nov. 178G, landed. ;J5 „ 2.'?rd Mar. 1787, landed. 44 ,, l.'jthand IGth Apr. 1787, landed. "t < Total 183 ,, About 100 of this nruiber were bricklayers and masons, ■— the craft'' mosc recjuired at the Rock. "■I [iTcSG. 1786. TJOYAL SAPPERS AXD MIXKUS. 45 irance and t3ntion was :;eivc(l over uni stances. 6f/. e 183 arti- l)ut as they ;o hire civil rks. llow- course, the ays a great ether from f from the eir general (1 that the 'ival of the ne. tted to take 58 men, all Sherritf, 28 -ons. They d the brig consisted of :23rd, when al buffeted ing of the of Ostend, lops of the ew Eu- |)ct. tlio brig 1 Sept. 1 masons channel. A storm now sot in, and as danger was apprehended, tlie caj)tain and crew were anxious and vigilant. Skill and exerti(jn, however, were of no avail, for at seven o'clock in the evening slie struck upon a sand-bank, about six miles off Dnnkirk. The wind continued blowing hard to the north, while the sea, "running mountains high,'' dash 'd tlu^ frail bark to and fro with a furv that broke her masts, d(>stroved her bul- warks, and tore her sails into shreds. At nine o'clock she went to pieces, and melancholy to add, Ai on board j)erislied but thre(!. The survivors were John Patterson, ship's car- penter ; Walter Montgomery, blacksmith ; and Daniel Tiioin- son, mason. The two latter were recruits. On fragments of the wreck they floated all night, and at ten o'clock next morn- ing, Patterson and Montgomery, just ready to relinquish their hold from cold and exhaustion, were picked up by a ])ilot-boat and taken on shore at Dunkirk. The other sufferer, 'I'homson, was found some hours after in the surge, helpless and shiv(,'ring, clinging to a s))ar. At once he was conveyed to Mardyck, three miles to the westward of Dunkirk, where he only lived a few (lavs. Of Walter Montiromerv nothinu' further is known As at the time he was reported to be very ill, he probably died at the place where he was lodged.^ No information can be obtained relative to the dress of the com})anies until I7SG.' T/icii^ the uniform was a plain red coat, double-breasted, with two rows of large flat brass buttons down the front, placed at ecjual distances of two inches apart. The buttons were one inch and a quarter in diameter, and bore the Ordnance device of three guns and three balls. The left breast buttoned over the right at the pit of the chest, from which upwards the coat turneil back in the form of lappels. ■' ' Morning Chronicle,' lotli October, 17SG, and jieriodical press generally. In most of the papers Daniel Thomson is, by mistake, naniwl Daniel Campbell. Fifteen bodies were washed ashore between Nieuport and Ostend, on the 27th and-28th September, and it is not a little remarkal)le that, of this small number, no less than fnwtcen should have been those of vioimn.—Ucueni/ AdwrtUer. J'uhlic Advertiser, 9th October, ITSC. •* I have been informed that previously to 178fj, the coat was somewhat similar in colour, cut, and ornament to tiiat shown in Plate I., but that the breeches were blue instead of white. s ■ i ) i ii '>«fi Iir ,11 46 11IST(»RY OF THK r 178(5 i ■ § '.m{ Is;. I I \ I (ii llll 1' M The cuff's and collar were orange-yollow, laood round with narrow red ferreting. The collar was turned over like the ceinnion roll collar, and was ornanieiited with a red rectan- gular looj) at each side. Down the front of the coat to the ends of the skirts, narrow yellow ferreting was sewn, as well as upon the inside edges of the skirts, which were very broad, descending to the leggings, and were buttoned back at the bottom to show the white shalloon lining. Small ])laited frills about five inches long, were worn at the breast, to the right ; .ind full ruffles at the wrists. Over the black leather stock, a white false collar fell down about an inch. The waistcoat was white cloth, bound with yellow ferreting, and came well down over the abdomen. At the bottom, it was cut so that the angle or corner of each front separated about seven inches. The ])()ckot-holes were slashed ; each slash was two inches deep, and bound round. The buttons were small and flat, similar in device to the coat-buttous. The breeches were white, of a texture like kerseymere, and secured below the knee with three small buttons. The leggings were black cloth, reaching to the knt^e and strapped under the shoe ; they buttoned on the outside, and were fas- tened to a small button above the calf of the leg. The buttons were like those worn on the waistcoat. The hat was cocked, the same is that commonly worn ; the cock was in the front directly over the nose, with a cockade to the right of it sup- porting a black feather. In other respects it was quite plai'\ The arms and accoutrements consisted of white leather cross- belts, black cartouch-box, and musket and bayonet. The breast-plate was oval, bearing the Ordnance device : above the balls was the word Gibraltar; below the guns Soldieu- Artifickrs. The sergeants had swords, silver mounted, w^th a plain guard of one bar only ; tassel, white leather. The dis- tinctions with regard to ranks were as follows : the sergeants had clothing of a suj)erior fabric ; their breeches and waist- coats were kerseymere ; the lace (m their coats was gold ; they also wore a crimson sash with tassels, imder their coats, and laced shoulder-straj)s. All the other ranks wore linen or cotton ferreting ; but the corporals had gold-fringed shoulder- imt. 1787.] ROYAT. SAPPERS AND MIXERS. nind with r liko tlio ;d rectan- lat to the m, cas well «ry broad, ck at the liti'd frills the right ; jr stock, a stcoat was well down : the angle hes. The ; deep, and ir in device i!xture like dl buttons, id stra})ped were i'as- le buttons IS cocked, the front of it sup- uite plaii\ her cross- et. The above the SOLDIEII- uited, with Tlie dis- sergeants fuul waist- kvas gold ; leir coats, linen or should(n'- knots, and the lance corporals one gold knot on the rigiit shoulder.' (Plate I.) The working-dress was a plain long red jacket in winter, and a linen one in sunnner, with a single row of large brass buttons, wido a))art, down the front. It descended to the hij)s, opened from the eliest u])vvards to show the shirt, and from that point downwards to show the waistcoat. Convenient to th(> hand on each side was a huge poc^ket covered with a broad slash. The collar and cutis were of yellow cloth, the former turned over or rolled, and at the small of the back were two large buttons. Under the jacket a waistcoat was Horn — in suinnjer linen, in winter flannel — of the same cut as the regimental one. but not laced or ferreted. Similar in material were the j)antal()ons ; and to these were attached a pair of black gaiters, of linen or cloth, corresponding with the season. They reached a little above the ankle, and buttoned on the outside. No particular regard was paid to the neck covering. Stocks of l(>atlier, or velvet, or silk, or bhit'k handkerchiefs, were indiscriminately used. A white hat completed t\u) suit. It was about six inches high, had a straight pole with yellow band of an inch in width, and a broad brim edged with a yellow tape or ferreting. Plate II. The description of working-dress worn by the non- connnis-sioned officers has not been a.scertained, nor can any record be discovered of the precise uniform dre-s adopted for the drunnners, or of the peculiar badge, that distinguished the sergeant-major from other sergeants The only complete record that has turned up to research, showing the names of the officers who were attached to the com- panies since the year 1772, ib a return for 1787, by which i'. seems the following officers did duty with them : — •' This novel way of clistinguisliing tlie pon-coniniissioned officers led to fre- (lueiit misconception and mistake in the ga'-rison. When dressed with the l)ayonet belt only, Strangers regarded the corporals as the highest rank, and lance-cor- porals the next. Sometimes when taking an excnrsion into Spain, sentries have i)re.'-ente(l arms to tin n:, and guards even have tnrned out to pay the com- pliment due to field otiicerL 1 This military hlunder continued, with greater or less observance, until the adoption of chevrons, about 18ur>. i^ t 48 IIIST0I5Y OF THH [178-; II! iy tl! ■! ■A 'i' j liij:' i Captain Tlobort Pringlo, cliii'f onginocr. (Captain William Skinner Cainj)l)ell, died 24th April, 1787. First Lientcnant, Thomas Skinner. First Lic!utenant, William Kerstiman. Joined 25th May, 1787. Second Lieutenant, Samuel T. Dickens. Second Lieutenant, Thomas Smart. Draughtsman, .James Evans." A])out this time, it a))pearing to be of some consequence to cut and form a ditch immediately under the (^rillon Battery, situated on the south tlank of the King's, Prince's, and Queen's Lines, a strong }»arty was set to work by order of the Chief Engin(»er, They executed their laborious task in a compara- tively short ])eriod, which elicited the warmest praises of General O'lJara. To mark his sense of their services, how- ever, in a form more gratifying than words, he gave permission to the compani(;s to ])ass to the neutral ground, and out of garrison, on Sundays and all holidays without a written j)ass, or restraint of any kind. With this privilege was also conceded the liberty to appear on such occasions in whatever apparel their fancy suggested, except in their uniform coats. It was not uncommon, therefore, for the non-commissioned officers and the respectable ])ortion of the ])rivates, to stroll about the garrison or ramble into Spain, dressed in black silk or satin breeches, white silk stockings, and silver knee or shoe-buckles, drab beaver hats, and scarlet jackets, tastefully trimmed with white kerseymere. Governor O'llara was a constant visitor at the works, and took much interest in their })rogress. Even as early as the morning gun-fire, he was perambulating the fortifications and batteries, and worming his way among the mechanics. Almost to the last nuui, he could call each by name, and knew the best artificers too well ever to forget them. Familiar with their zeal and exertions, he regretted sometimes to find that a few " These officers Mere also present with the corps in 1788; but after that year until 1737 no record has been discovered. 17.^7.1 ROYAL SAPPERS AND MIXERS. 4f) men were absent from tlio works undornoinn scMitoncos of con- finomont to tlio barracks. This induced the General to rehix a litth» in strictness towards the conij)anies. None of tlio men would he sutfiT to be punislied for intoxication, or other slight oll'cnces committed when off duty or on the works, in order that he might have them all enijdoyed. This slackening the reins would, no doubt, be looked upon now-a-days as a mon- strous and culpable dereliction, however j)lausil)le might be the object intended to be gained by it. To justify or condemn the act is obviously out of place here. It is sinijdy mentioned as a fact ; and while it remains a singularity in military jurispru- dence, the main point that originated it must not be over- looked, viz., the estimation in which the Governor held the corps for their services in the restoration or improvement of the works of the fortress.^ ',1' i> -I (I :, and las the ps and Klmost [le best II their a few ^er that ^ This laxity of discipline seems, in time, to have become general among the troops at the fortress, ami the extent to which it was carried both by officers and men was little short of disgraceful. — Wilb'e's Uritish Colonics con- sidcrcd as Militarj Posts, in United Service Journal, 2, 1840, p. 379, VOL. I. E ', Lioutenant-Colonel Hugh Dobbicg, of the engineers, seems to hav(» been impressed witli the necessity of raising a corj)s of artificers for service in this country. He liad made several excursions through Kent and a part of Sussex, no doubt with the object of ascertaining the ])rubabilities tliat existed for resisting any attempt at invasion. ^Vhcther such was his intention or not, tliese professional tours appear to have assisted his views greatly, in all that was essential to prepare the coinitry to repel aggression. He therefore made large demands for cutting tools ; conceiving, as he states, " very extensive ideas of their use in all cases," and recommended the formation of a corj)s of artificers. In his letter to General Lord Amherst, of the 30th July, 1779, he wrote : "I must take the liberty of mentioning how very advantageous to the service it would be, if a corps of artificers was to be selected from the army. The present establishment of pioneers to each regiment will prove in no case sufficient or equal to the purpose of advancing an army through such a country as this." As if to show that his proj)osal was no crude idea, nor the dreamy suggestion of some needlessly-alarmed engineer, the Colonel dipped a little into the history of the subject, to claim '■0^ i77:i.l i;oYAi- SAi'ri:i;s .\xi) mixkks. large Icneral nnist Ito the Uectcd to each [iirpose hor the 31", the claim respect for it on the ground of its niiti'juity, niid pointed out the way in wliicli tiie nieasnro conld he ("trocted. IFr says, "The ijreat attention of tlie nneients to tliis particnlar was wonderfnl, and tlic liiglie.-t point of jn-rfcction in the Honian legion was, that when it niaih; detachments, thongh ever so small, they carried with them a jnst projiortion of the conijx)- nent parts of its excellent system — artificers of all denomina- tions. Modern arnnes ditler from those of the ancients scarcely in nothing hut the arms they use ; in all other points, we cannot imitate them too exactly. I am sensible the snhject is not new to your lordship, and if it did not strike mo as a thing ai)solutely necessary for the good of His Majesty's service, particularly at this time, 1 should not have troubled your lonlshij) thereon. "It is a most essential jjart of the soldier's duty, I allow, to ht! as ex])ert as possible at covering themselves with earth- works ; but then, there is also a necessity for a band of leading men caj)able of instrueting others, and of conducting works with more regularity than has bt'cn usually done where 1 have yet been uj)on service, as al-o with greater di^J)atch. " 1 will not presume to point out to your lordship the means of establi^hing such a corps, nor how far two men j)er comj)any would go towards making it numerous enough for the purpose from the militia alone ; but I will ventur'3 to say, had such a body of men been constantly here, these linct: (Chatham) vvotdd have b(»eu nearly completed : and you know what state they are in at present." Colonel Debbieg's attempt to revive an old practice, consti- tuting one of the nulitary glories of the ancients, was certainly worthy of the best attention, involved as England was at the time in a struggle with France and .S})ain ; and it would have been more so, had allusicm becMi made to the beneficial services of the companies at Gibraltar. Omitting this is singular enough, and readily urges the sup})osition, that then' name and duties were scarcely known beyond the scarps of the Rock, even to the engineers themselves. However, I^ord Amherst, Huich as he may have appreciated the represented perfection of ■^ ,i r.'j IIISTOllY OF TFIM [1783. 'i t ■'i!i tlio Romnn Icprion in the orpanization of its drtaclimpnts, was not by any means (li.sj)os(Ml to inrnr tlu; r('s|)onsihility of'rt'|)ro(lij('ing that system in the Knjj;li-li army; and on the lltii Augnst following ('oinmnnicat(Ml his sontimonts on tlie snhject to tlic C(»lon('l. " Your idea," writes his lordsliii), " ahont forming a corj)S of artificers from tin; army, is a very good one, as fur as that sueli a corps would he very desirahle ; hut at a time when it is a mat(!rial suhjeet of consideration to increase the army hy every possible mean-, the forming such a corps cannot he thought of. In the case of any service haj)pening in this country, the general business of the j)ioneers nuist be done l)y the aiile-bodii'd men amongst the peasants of the country." Ilia lordshij) here confesses the (h -liableness of tin; measure, but at tin? same time re|)udiates it as inexpedient, because the army requires to be increased ! No rejoinder or exjdanation appears to have bt!en made by Colonel Debbieg ; and the pro- posal, somewhat modified, was left to be iterated at a subseijuent ])eriod by diaries, third Duke of Richmond. On the aj)pointment of the Slu'lburne admuiistration in July, 178o, his Grace was nominated Master-General of the Ordnance. Immediately after his installation, he caused the fortifications to be examined, and finding they were in such a state as to need the intervention of the House of (Jommons to put them in repair and completeness, he demanded largo sums of money for the j)urj)ose in the Ordnance estimates for 1783. His Grace's projects were on a scab? of great magnitude, and his estimates were necessarily large ; but in order to curtail the amounts as nnich as ])()ssil)le, and thus win the concurrence of both parties to liis plans, he proposed to employ a considerable part of the royal artillery as artificers and labourers in the arsenal at Woolwich, Purfleet, and the outports, giving them only half the wages then paid to civil mechanics for perform- ing similar work, whereby it was computed that a saving of 12,000/. to 15,000/. a-year would be realized, and that the services of the ordnance being more regularly performed, the regiment would liave a body of artificers, always available for M 1784.) HOYAL SAIMTHS AND MINEPfl. Rft aru:o !s for and tlie 3 of ruble the tlicra "orm- ig of the the for m nctivc (liitv in the event of a war, for wliich they would he much i(M|uired.' 'I'here was nothing in this sujiget^tion to exfitt! al.irni or j)arti('ul;ir rennirk. No new coijw was re- eoinnietKh'd to he raised, hut simply the ad.ipt.'ition of menus ah'eady disposahh; Cwhieh wouhl havt! to he mniutJiiiied unchT tiuy eireiimstaiK'es) to a twofohl ohjeet, as also to lip;hten the exi.stin«i jiressure u|)<'n tiie financt's of tlie .^tate. 'I'iie prnjiosal, iieinti merely incidental to the j'raviM" matter with which it ^tood connected, uave rise to no discussion ; and it is presumed, thouffli no specilic orixnnization of artilic(M's sneli as liis Grace? contemplated took place, that artillery soidi( rs were employed in great numhers at the different stations mentionid in his (trace's famous report. With the change of ministry in April, 17H.?, tlie Duko of Richmond quitted his post as Master- (ieneral ; hut resigned it jiirain in the' followinu^ l)eeend)er on the formation of the Pitt C.ihinet. I'he fortifications continued to be his Grace's hohhy. Yearly he rcMpiested large sums for the erection of new works and the repairs of old ones, Consjqu(;ntly, public attention was excited to review these apparently (exorbitant it(!ms of ex- jH'nditnre, and, as may he expected, very little was done towards effecting his Grace's views. Money was voted for the ])urpose hut none was expended. In 17H5, his Grace's plans for national defence were more extensive than ever, and were brought forward as usual hy Mr. Pitt. Though anxious to carry out the gigantic projects pro- posed, still, from the growing inquisitiveness of the country, and })robal)ly the misgivings of the Minister himself as to their maturity and utility, Mr. Pitt submitted them for the opinion of a Board of genf.'ral and flag officers. Guided hy their recommendation, he again introduced the subject for the con- sideration of the House, but on the 27tli February, 1786, it was rejected by the casting voice of the Speaker as a " measure totally inexpedient and dangerous." In no way discouraged, however, on the 17th May following, he ventured to submit a similar question to the House con ' ' Jourual House of Commons,' 14th February, 1783; vol. xxxix. p. 208. n» I'l h'.'M 54 jriSTORY OF THE [178(5. i 'ii Up siderably reduced in its demands. But as the subject of the fortifications had long been before the public, had also been well investigated, and was extremely unpopular both in the House and out of it, it may occasion no wonder to state, that the Duke's favourite scheme was again set aside ; and its noble projector, subjected to rc))eated and vexatious disappointments, was made a butt for' the keen attacks and provoking taunts of individuals, who scru})led not to lay bare his Grace's engineer- ing, and to question his firace's professional attainments. In this last defeat, however, some little concession was made to Mr. Pitt, by which he was permitted to make an estimate for im})roving and completing the old works at Portsmouth and Plymouth dockyards, which on being presented was ultimately agreed to." In the diminished estimate for 1786 the amount asked '•* If a particular acquaintance Avitli the Duko's plan of defunce, Sec, be desired, it can be obtained by referring to a work entitled ' Observations on the Duke of Richmond's Extensive Plans of Fortification,' published first in 1785, and apain in 1794. This work, M'hieh was brought before the public in an anonymous form, is known to have been written by Lieutenant James Glenie, of the engineers, who, after serving in the corps for a few years, was compelled, as he says, p. 241, to leave it, "to avoid being ruined by the expense of continually moving from one station to another." The attack made by this gentleman appears to have been conducted with much force and talent, displaying an intimate acquaintance wilh the principles of his profes- sion. It made a great impression on the public mind, and augmented to a considerable extent the popular ferment against the new fortifications. Several of the engineers joined in opinion against them, among whom was Colonel Dc'bbieg, who, for some expressions that he ventured, reflecting upon the Duke's plans, was tried by a General Court-martial in 1789. In the con- cluding paragraph of the later edition of Mr. Glenie's essay, the author promised to take an early opportunity of delivering his sentiments at full length respecting the corps of rf)yal military artificers and horse artillery, Avhich, he stated, were un(iuestionably great impositions on the public; but this promised crpose I have not succeeded in procuring. If it never appeared, the gallant officer, very probably, prudently relinquished the idea, or suppressed the MS., from a conviction tliat it was as unnecessary as unmerited. It is certainly curious that Mr. Gler.ie and Colonel Debbieg, who v ere the most violent and persevering of the Duke's opponents, should have differed in opinion al>out the usefulness and importance of the co'-ps -f artificers, liy tiie only evidence as yet disci/vered, it is obvious that Mr. d. :iie would willingly have disbanded it ; Colonel Debbieg, on the other hand, only a few years before aspired to the honour of originating it. lii^ % 1787.] KOYAL SAPPEliS AND MIXEPS. .j;> was quite inadequate to effect the purposes designed ; and to enable his Grace the better to accomplish them, lie suggested to Mr. Pitt the necessity of raising a corps of military artificers on the model of the companies emjdoyed at Gibraltar. Expe- rience had demonstrated beyond all dispute their excellen(;y as artificers and soldiers, and tlu; economy of their services. He had watched and studied their discipline and advantage for some years, and with these incentives, he felt no hesitaticm in urffino; their innuediate formation. Better reasons could scarcely have beini desired by Mr. Pitt, who readily gave his assistance in obtaining a warrant from the King to sanction the measure, lie did not attempt, however, to enlighten the House upon the matter before appealing to His Majesty, knowing that it would be treated with unmerited distrust, and probably crushed under a weight of prejudice and misconcep- tion. Strictly speaking, there was nothing unconstitutional in this manner of proceeding ; it was warranted by many precedents, but it gave rise in a subse(iuent sessicm of Par- liament to some observations which required Mr. Pitt to (explain his conduct in the affair. The warrant was signed on the 10th October, 1787- The Ordnance estimates for that year were not brought forward until a late hour on the 10th December ; and, as but little time was afforded for discussing their merits, and par- ticularly the novel measure of embodying a corps of military artificers, a motion was made that their consideration should be adjoiu-ned to the next day. It was lost by a large majority, and the sums asked for were voted without debate. In this vote was involved the formation of the corps. Tliat a measure on so extraordinary a principle, and so hateful to the sentiments of the country generally, should have passed without scrutiny is remarkable ; but Mr. Sheridan, on ' the 17th December following, thinking that the estimates were iiiq)rudently hurried through the House, introdnced them again to notice. At the same time he endeavoured to bring the suggestion of raising a cor})s of mechanics into contempt. He called the project singular and extraordinary; ridiculed 4' V. tl ■i 66 HISTORY OF THE [1787. the idea of putting the artificers under martial law, and thereby to ahridu^e their liberty. Moreover, he did not con- ceive that men, capable of earning half-a-crown a-day, would enlist as soldiers and work in their respective occupations at one-third of that sum for the mere, douceur of military dis- cipline. Then, with regard to the economy of the measure, he remarked, " That in the report of 1783, the Master-Ge- neral had stated, that by suffering some of the artificers at Woolwich, Sheerness, &c. to be put into companies, the artillery would never want artificers ; and a saving of 15,000/. would be made to Government. Before, therefore, any new plan of raising a distinct cor])s of artificers was authorized, it would be proper to know what the saving made in consequence of the original plan had amounted to ; because, if no great saving had been made, the plan now jjroposed would evidently be attended with additional expense to the public.^" Mr. Sheridan did not embody this subject in his motion. His remarks upon it were merely incidental to his speech on the intended fortifica- tions in the West Indies, and elicited no discussion. The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied to Mr. Sheridan ; but he spoke only to the motion, and made no allusion whatever to the new corps. 'J'hus quietly did the Duke of Richmond gain a project, which there was reason to expect would not be granted without decided indications of n^pugnance and hostility. The scheme, however, though it easily received the ap- ])roval of the House of Counnons, was doomed, ere long, to have a severe sifting. In both Houses the question was very roughly handled by the opposition. Had it been brought forward as a specific measure at first, it would, in all probability^ have been rejected or passed by a scanty majority ; but being covered by a vaster and more momentous (juestion, it escaped observation and slip})ed through the Commons concealed under the wings of Its parent. The time, however, had arrived, when the subject, stri])j)e(l of its covering, should be laid bare, and fairly and openly discussed ; but after a warm debate, the project was again !:^anctioned, and the formation of the corps confirmed. ^ Dodsley's 'Annual Kejiistur,' 1788. Second edit., 1790, p. 96. * tl( Bi ii; I' -^rm 1788.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND ^MINERS. 57 ap- to & iing len and ect :d. A summary of the debate, which originated in tlie introduc- tion, for the first time, of tlie corj).s of artificers into the Mutiny liill, and whicli is given in Dodsley's ' Annual Register' for 1788,'' is subjoined. On tlie 12tli of Marcli, tlie report of the Connnittee on tlie iMutiny Bill was brouglit up ; and on reading the clause for incorporating in the army the newly-raised corps of military artificers, the same was strongly objected to as a dangerous innovation, and as militating against the most favoured prin- ciples of the constitution. The same syst(!m, it was said, might next be extended to shipwrights, and so on to every description of persons in th(; service of the executive government ; and therefore the House was called upon to repel so alarming an innovation in limine. In defence of the measure it was urged, that it would b(^ attended with an annual saving of 2,000/., upon an expenditure of 22,000/.; and that it was necessary to extend the military law to the corps in question, as the only means of keeping them together, and preventing their desertion of the public service in time of war. This disposition to adopt a new principle of expetliency and economy, upon a subject which went to the diminution of the liberties of the subject, instead of the old principle of actual necessity, was severely reprobated. Several country gentlemen declared, that if the House should agree to put 600 Englishmen under martial law, merely for the paltry consideration of saving 2,000/. per annum, they would betray their constituents, and would be devoid of those feelings for the constitution, whicii ought to make their distinguishing character. It was denied that any necessity for so extraordinary a surrender of the liber- ties of a part of the conununity was made out ; it having never been asserted, nor being indeed true, in fact, that there was any difficulty in procuring artificers for the Ordnance service ni time of war. The sense of the House being taken on the clause, there appeared, ayes 114. noes 67.'' * Dodslej's ' Annual Uegister.' Second edit., 1790, pp. I2'j, 12'!. ^ Clause Lxxv. I'ublic Acts, 28 Geo. III., vol. i., p. 3(;9. This was not a siKcific ehui.--i' to meet the case of the urtideers, but the same which has existed, \vit!i possibly slight variations, since its first insertion in the Act. It merely I % A '"'■ *l f "•"""^^ -— I 58 lirSTOllY OF TIIK [1788. t ■ I.. Tlio same subject was again discussed on the tliird reading of thi; Mutiny Bill, when it was asked, whether any part of the corps was already enlisted and embodied? This question being answered in the affirmative, it was strongly contended that the authors of the measure had been guilty of an illegal act, in raising a body of men without the consent of Parliament ; and that it was a violent and arbitrary measure to subject those men to military law, who at the time of their enlij^ting, were evidently not included in the Mutiny Act. On the other hand, Mr. Pitt contended, that, by a liberal interpretation of the King's prero- gative, government was authorized, on the late alarm of war, to raise the corj)s in question : and Sir Charles Gould, the Advo- cate-General maintained, that every soldier enlisted, became, ipso facto, subject to be tried by martial law. The House again divided on the question, ayes 142, noes 70. Upon the conunitment of the Bill in the Upper House, the Duke of Manchester rose and declared his intention of o))posing the novel clauses that it Ci)iitained. He was an avowed enemy, he said, to the extension of military law, unless in cases of absolute necessity ; and that the present Bill went unnecessarily to extend that law, by making a number of artificers subject to its severe effects, who had hitherto enjoyed their liberty in coinmon with their fellow-subjects. Could it be proved neces- sary for the defence of the kingdom, he should not entertain the least objection to the increase of the army ; but in a time of profound peace, the adoption of a measure of so singular a nature as the present, called for jealousy and cauti jn. The Duke of Richmond entered into a full explanation of tl.e plan of which he had been the author. It h?d occurred to him, he said, that the formation of a regular corps of artificers, who would in future wars, be applicable to any service when included the corps by name, and made other necessary alterations to embrace classes of persons heretofore inadvertently omitted. Why it should have caused so mucli discussion, more especially with reference to the fornuxtion of the corps, is almost marvellous, since a more fitting opportunity Avas afforded for that purpose, when the Ordnance estimates were presented and passed in Deceu.ber of the previous year. What were Mr. Siieridan, Mr. Courtenay, and the other opponents of the Duke of liichmond's schemes about, to allow this measure to steal a successful march upon tliem ? ri; 17S8. r>YAL SAl'PKKS AND MIXKHS. 69 ion of •red to ilicers, when wanted, eitlior at '.' 'io or abroad, could not but b{; attended witli very benefieial consetiuences. In all the armies abroad, such a corps made ])art of those armies, and as their utility was unquestionable, he liad concluded that there ought to be such a corps in our army, and therefore he had considered it as his duty to submit the proposition to I lis Majesty, who ha-' approved of it, and it had been since laid before the House of Connnons, and voted by that branch of the legis^lature. \\']\\\ regard to l)utting them in the Mutiny Bill, being a part of the army, en- listed regularly as soldiers, like other soldiers, they ought undoubtedly to become sui)jected to the s-nue law, as the policy of the State had consitlered it as right that all soldiers should continue in such a state of subordination. At the same time, it was not to be considered as any hardship, since no species of trial, however popular it might be, was, he believed, more fair and candid than trials bv court-martial. lie added, that the corps of artificers proposed to be formed, was not only highly useful, but, at the same time, so far from being an additional expense, they would prove a saving, because the ditierence be- tween getting such a number as heretofore, and having them formed into a regular corps as intended, would render the usual ex])ense less by 2,000/. Lord Porchester objected })rincipally to that })art of the new establishment which subjected the artificers to the arbitrary punishment of the Master-General of the Onl nance. In one instance they might be reduced for want of skill, of which the jNIaster-General was made the sole jndge, to the rank of labourers, and thereby be deprived of one-third of their pay ; and in another, he was also the sole judge of the quantum to which their pay should be reduced in cases of idleness or mis- behaviour. Lord Carlisle ridiculed the strange reason given for adopting the new project, that it would be a saving of 2,000/. a year. If their lordships were to be governed by such arguments, they would be led into so absurd a matter as the calculation of what the surrender of the rights of the subject was worth per man ; and if the rights and liberties of GOO artificers were worth just u m 60 HISTORY OF THE [1788. 2,000/., thoy would see that, the noblo lord valued the rights of every individual exactly at 3/. 10.<:. each. Lord Cathcart and Lord Rawdon were of opinion, that the plan formed by the noble duke would be attended with many considerable military advantages ; and the question being at length put, the clause was carried without a division. The corps now, for the first time, was made legally amenable to the provisions of the Mutiny Act ; and, for a few years at least, was permitted to go on with its organization and duties without being again noticed or interrupted by the opposition in Parlia- ment." ^ The last reference to the military artificers in Parliament was made by Mr. Courtenay on the 21st April, 1790, when, moving for a conimitt<»e to inquire into the expenditure of the public money by the Duke o*" Richmond from the 1st January, 1784, he stated, among a variety of mr^tter, that the corps of which his Grace was the founder, " were neither soldiers nor arti- ficers," — Gcntlcmnns Mnijazini', part 2, 1 790, vol. 60, p. 720. This was followed, in 1 794, by Mr. Glenie, who, in a second edition of his ' Observations,' announced that the corps was unquestionably a great imposition on the public. 17.S7.J ROYAL SAPPERS AND MIXERS. 61 1787—1788. Coiistitution of corps — Master artificers — Officers — Rank and post of the corps— Captains of companies, stations— Allowance to Captains, Adjutants — llccruiting — Labourers—" Uiclimond's whims" — Progress of recruiting — Articles of agreement — Corps not to do garrison duty — Sergeant-majors — Uniform dress — Working dress—" The Queen's bounty" — Arms, &c. — Dis- tinction of ranks — Jews' wish. The King's authority " for establishing a corps of royal mili- tary artificers," alluded to in the preceding chapter, was con- veyed in a warrant, dated 10th October, 1 787, to Charles Duke of Richmcmd. It was to consist of six companies of 100 men each. Tiie constitution of each company and the pay of its different ranks were fixed as follows : — s. (i. 1 Sergeant-major . . 2 3 Sergeants . . each 1 3 a-day^ 4 Corporals . . each 1 7 5» 2 Driunmers Privates — 12 Carpenters 10 Masons . . 10 Bricklayers . 5 Smiths . . 5 Wheelers . . ' each 9 »» 4 Sawyers . . 8 Miners 2 Painters . . 2 Coopers . . 2 Collar-makers 30 Labourers each 6 J^ Working pay, in addi- tion, not exceeding 9c/. a-day to each non- commissioned officer and man for the days actually employed on the works. a- f rll (L' HISTORY or TIIK 'J7d^ Tho sergeants consisted of ii carjx'ntor, a mason, and a smith, who were styled masters ; and tlie corporals were a master hricklayer and a master wheeler, one foreman of miners and a foreman of lahourers.' The civil master artificers had the offer of enlisting and heing ap])ointe(l to these ranks. Those who refused, were discharged as soon as the military estahlishment was complete. Officers of the ro;' •! eng'.* -ers were aj)j)ointed to command the corps. All servi.f * n* , e particular stations .-it which tho com})anies were forinii./ ittached to do duty with them. When re([uired to j)a. ade v ' ■ other reginunits, the C()rj)s was directed to take ])()st next on the left of the royal artillery. The officers were to fall in with the cor})s.- Th(« Duke of Richmond located the corupanies at the prin- cipal dockyards or military stations, and ordered the following officers to command th(>m : — Colonel llob(>rt Morse, Woolwich. Colonel William Spry, Cluitham. Colonel John Phipp?, Portsmouth. Lieut.-(\)lonel James Moncrief, Gosport. Lieut.-( •olonel Fred. George Mulcaster, Plymouth. One company was ultimately divided between the islands of Guernsey and Jersey.^ ' Thus the higher branches of promotion were reserved to the three first classes of tradesmen, and none but men of tlie latter trades were to be promoted to the rank of corporals. This rule, thougii enforced as much as practicable, was necessarily deviated from in the lapse of a few years for the benefit o^T the service. '■* The authority for this was not embodied in the warrant for raising the corps, but conveyed ia a letter to the Duke of Richmond, dated 10th October, 1787. With regard to the officers falling in with their companies, it was necessary to issue a special order, as, by a previous warrant of the 25th April, 1787, the royal engineers were to take rank with the royal artillery, and to be posteu on the right or left of that regiment, according to the dates of their commissions. At Gibraltar, it was the custom of the companies with their otficers, to take tlie right of the ariillery ; and they were always inserted first in the Governor's states and returns. This was a local arrangement occasioned, probably, on account of the companies being stationary ;)t the fortress. ^ Tlu! conipanies at Gibraltar, although similarly constituted, paid, and officered,, remained a distinct and separate body until their incorporation with the corpsf. in the year 179/. 1787. IIOVAI. SAI'l'KliS AXn MINKItS. r,:\ s of The officers above named wore tlie coinniaii(liiig royal en- gineers at tlie respective stations.^ To each was aHowcd the sum of no/, per annum for defraying certain incidental itenis connected with his (company : and a lieutenant of engineers was aj)pointt!d adjutant, with an extra allowance of '2s. a-day, to assist in conducting the drill and in maintaining discipline. Tlu' recruiting was carried on by the ca})tains of companies, assisted by seven other oflicers of engineers, with several trans- ferred soldiers of tlu? royal artillery at Landguard Fort, Tynumouth, Dover, Guernsey, Kdiid)nrgh, Fort (leorge, and Berwick. They were not restrained from putting into operation any measure wiiich seemed to bi; best calculated foi* obtv i- ing recruits. There was no standard as to height fixed ; but labourers were not eidisted over twenty-Hve years of ag(\ vj-' k. v artificer over thirty, unless he had been employed as a mechi. ' c in the Ordnance department, and known to be an "xpert workman of good character. All reci-uits, however,;, o iier previously under the Ordnance or not, were " to be strong able-bodied men, free from all infirmity, and duly (pialified for their several trades and occupations." The miners were all got from Cornwall. The bounty given at first was five guineas to each attested recruit ; which, on the 21st November, 17(S7, was reduced to the usual peace allowance of three guineas. These general instructions for recruiting were soon after- wards^ much altered by the Uuke of Richmond, who was anxious to make the corps as perfect as possible with regard to tradesmen. On the decision of his Grace all the men were afterwards enlisted as labourers at (mL a-day. The bounty was continued at three guineas. (i rowing lads from sixteen to eighteen years of age, not under five feet foui inches high, were j)referred before all others, and were instructed in the trades most required by the corps. Over eigliteen years of age none were taken less than five feet six inches. This was a measure of just pn^caution, as several men had it m * From tliis arraiigemeiU, it sometimes occurred that even a general offu: was I'lijit.iin of a company. * In a letter bearing date 19th March, 1788. vr •V-s, (U IITRTOnY OF THE [1787. alrcudy enlisted as nrtifirers, who upon a fair trial were found to know but littlo of their eraft. The Duke now thought to insure his object by enlisting every man as a hibourer, and after a few months' experience of his abilities promoting him to be an artificer, or retaining him as a labourer, until recom- mended for preferment. On promotion to artificers each man received a bonus or reward of two guineas, an additional Sd. a-day j)ay, and was distinguished from a labourer by being allowed finer clothing and a gold-laced hat." " I think," wrote his (iracc, " that this method, although the slowest, will in the end be the best means of accjuiring a good corps of artificers." AVhatever may have been the result of this change, it shows that the Duke was interested in the most trifling concerns of the corps ; so much so indeed, that tiie men were awan; of it, and familiarly styled his measures and arrangements " Richmond's whims." Great exertions were made to give effect to the Duke's orders and wishes, particularly at Portsmouth and Plymouth, where the dockyards were to be fortified on a j)lan apjjroved by his Grace. About three months after the date of the war- rant, upwards of 100 men had been enrolled, besides several artificers transferred from the royal artillery to form the nucleus of each company. The growth of the corps was slow at first and continued dilatory for a year and more ; after which, however, as the prevailing ])rejudices began to die away, greater success was apparent. As the enlistment of mechanics to work at their trades under military discipline was quite new to the country, the greatest care was taken to prevent misconception and complaint. The Duke of Richmond was sensibh' that both his plans for national defence and for the establishment of a corps to accom])lish them, were sources of suspicion and watchfulness on the part of the opposition ; and hence he was cautious, particular, and " For every labourer promoted, a guinea was granted to the master artificer, either civil or military, who had the credit of training him, as a compensation for his services and aa encouragement to future exertion. This was sanc- tioned by his Grace in a letter dated Gth December, 1791. 1787.J IIOVAI. SAI'PF.nS AND MfNKllS. explaiKitory, evcti to indulgonn;, Tlio recruit was rcquirod to sign certain articles of agrceineut, showing tiilly liis oMigations to the service, and tho.se of the public towards liimst'If. Among the terms was prominently j)laced his engagement " to he liabh; to all military duties, subject to the articles of war, and all other militiiry discipline like other soldiers, and to serve* in any part of the world to whicli his Majesty might order him."' To protect the comi)anies from being unnecessarily interfered with, and to insure their constant employment on the works, directions were given to the commandants or governors of the dirt'erent garrisons where they were stationed, not to call upon them to do any duty that would ty u row of amall huttotis, clglitocn in inunlKM*, on tin- oiit('r scam. To prcvcMit them twisting tlioy wore stcadiiMl hy a button at tlir hcnd ol' tin* knee. T\\v cockiMl liat, worn transvcrsidy, was ornanu'utcd witli a hindinc; of gold lace, a siiort riul fcatliiM', liorsc liair ros(!tt(', and gold loop and l)utton. Tho hair was clubhcd and powdered. Plate III. Tlur working drtvss was a plain wliitt; raven duck, or canvas frock, reaching nearly to the ankles, with a rolling collar, and brass buttons down the front ; white duck waistcoat and pantaloons, tongued and buttoned at the bottom, and plain black f(dt hats. Leather stocks atid frilled shirts were also worn. 'J'he hair was (jueutMl b\it not powdered. IMate IV. Two suits of this dress weri' furnished to every man aiUMially — each suit lasted si.\ months. They were also proviiled with a pair of sergct brt;eches and a tlaniud waistcoat. Under what circumstances and on what occasions tlu'se articles were to be worn, was never det''»-'nined, and tlu^ men were therefore at liberty to (lisj)ose of thcni as they pleased. To distinguish them from the necessary items of the working dress, they were denominated "'I'he Queen's Bounty." Tlie arms of the rank and file were those common to the period — firelocks, pouches, and cross belts of buH' leather j)ipe- clayed. The st-rgeants had pikes and long narrow thrust swords — the latti'r purchased at their own expeuse : the gripe Wilis steel, with a single gilt guard; the scabbard was black leather, mounted witli a gilt lij), top and button, aud the shoulder belt, with a frog to hold the sword, was pipeclayed like the privates. The sergeant-majors wore swords and belts the same as the sergeants, but no pikes. Tiie drummers were armed with brass-handled swords, short in the blade, but broader than the sergeants, antl black scabbards with brass mounting. All ranks had a square breast-buckle to their belts ; those of the superior ranks were gilt. The distinctions in regard to rank were as follows : — Labourers, coarse clothing, yellow tape lace on their coatees and hats. Artificers, clothing of a much finer quality, same kind of tape lacing on their coatees, but gold lace on their hats. u. but ITHH.) HOYAF, SAITEHS \S\) MrNKHS. 07 Drnmincrsy sanu; clotliiiig as artilicors, with tlii.s didrroiiee — instead of plain yellow tape, tliuy had hroad livery lacL' of a «[uality like tape, hearing the Ordnance arms of three guns and three halls, extending from the collar downwards in paralliil strij)es. Corjiora/s, same as artificers in every respect, hut, in addition, small gold-fringed knots on the shoulders." S',) Strenf^tli of Company. Cajitains. Woolwich . 47 Cbatliam . 47 Portsmouth 72 Gosport . 69 Plymouth . 104 Guernsey 6 Jersey . . Colonel Robert Morse- Colonel William Spry. Lieut.-Colonel Fred. Geo. Mulcaster. Lieut.-Colonel James Moncrief. Lieut.-Colonel Edward W. Durnford. Lieut.-Colonel Alexander Mercer. Formation not yet commenced. The company at Plymouth was above the established strength, arising from the works there being more im- portant than at any other station. In May the strength of the half company at Guernsey was twenty-three of all ranks, and at Jersey twenty-one. Symptoms of discontent were frequently shown by the civil mechanics in the Government service at the authorized employment of the military artificers. They looked upon the measure as a political move, or as a dangerous experiment to ascertiiin how it would work ; and then, if found to answer, to extend a like control to the other workmen in the Crown estiiblishments. This notion they imbibed, from the expressed apprehensions of some leading men of the liberal party in parliament ; and, as a consequence, they were jealous of the military artificers, whom they treated with great disrespect. A species of rivalry was thus induced that rather increased than allayed the feeling of mutual animosity. The civilians were not sparing of their tainits, nor were the military artificers as temperate in their retorts as might have been wished. Qi.arrels naturally ensued, individual feuds were frequent, and in this way did the civilians endeavour to hold up the military artificers to ridicule and disgrace for the purpose of goading the Govern- ment to disband them ; but how far they succeeded the existence of the corps at this day affords a satisfactory reply. At one of the stations the bad feeling that existed between the civil and military artificers was exhibited in an altercation that originated between the latter and some sailors, in which the dock workmen interfered. This brought about a serious Bi . il > m u I'd *i ro HISTORY OF THE riTsn. rupture, the particulars and consequences of whicli arc given below. Matches for wrestling and cudgelling between soldiers and sailors vven> arranged to take place in a field adjoining Stoke Church, near Plymouth, on tlu> afternoon of the 4th June — the King's birthday — on which occasion the soldier-artificers, in connnon with the civilians, were granted a holiday. The victors were to be rewarded with buckskin breeches and silver cups. But few of the military would venture to take part in the annisements, so that the company and the sailors, and some mechanics of the dock-)ard, were the ])rincipal actors. The men of the soldier-artificers wlio entered the lists were chiefly from Cornwall and adepts at wrestling. They only went, how- ever, to witness the games — not to join in them ; and it was not till they were challenged that they entered the arena. Having done so, they exerted themselves according to the fcishion of their country, and succeeded in gaining almost the whole of the prizes ; which, as was natural, they bore away with suitable demonstrations of pride and pleasure. A dispute arose between a couple of rivals about the unfiiir award of a prize. It was given to a sailor although it was fairly earned by a military artificer. The misunderstanding would have been easily settled had it been left to the wrestlers themselves to decide ; but the dock people interfered, and fomented the (juarrel, directing their abuse in particular to the soldier-artificers. For a time the latter calmly submitted to these insults, and yielded the ju'ize for the sake of peace ; but roused at length to retaliate, they sought satisfaction in the ordinary way by fighting. Overpowered, however, by numbers, they were very severely treated and driven into barracks, where they remained for two or three hours. At last, breaking this self-imj)osed restraint, they again appeared \v. ':■■■ t(nvn, having taken the precaution to prepare themselves with pick-handles and short sticks, concealed about their per- sons, to resist any attempt at violence on the part of the civi- lians. The better to co])e with their opponents, they walked into the streets, when occasion required, in small parties or f 11 1789.] UOYAL SAPPERS AND MlNKIfS. sections ; vvhicli, liowevor, h;u\ thn unfortunate semblance of defiance, and excited the sailors and dock men to renew their insolence. Thns aggravated, the military artificers fell upon the civilians and drove them pell-mell through the town. Intelligence of the resumed affray soon spread, and numbers of holiday folk joined the ranks of the rabble. Armed with bludgeons, staves, and broom-handles, the civilians paraded the sti-.'ets, and find- ing a small party of the military artificers refreshing them- selves at an inn, the rabble entered ;ind furiously attacked them. Against such overwhelming odds the little party could not hold up, and being easily mastenMl, they were forcibly ejected from the house and pursued to the barracks. Wiiat had happened was, as yet, merely a series of individual or sectional encounters — the preliminaries to something more serious. Galled by a second reverse, the military artificers now mustered in full strength, together with their non-commis- sioned officers, and sallied into the street, brandishing brooms, pick-handles, clumps of wood, and vari(ms other immilitary wea])ons. Some marines and a few other soldiers, sympa- thising with the company, joined in the imhappy broil. Hy this time the civilians and sailors were also considerably strength- ened, and every moment crowds were pouring in to swell the hostile mob. The instant the two parties came in sight the conflict re- commenced. Closely and warmly it continued for about an hour, when the civilians gave way, running in all directions from the field and leaving the military victors. The mob, however, soon rallied, and assembled more nmnerous than before, on the government ground betwi'en Cumberland and St. George's Squares, to make another and a final struggle for the ascendancy. Thither the military artificers with their partisans hurried. Nothing dismayed by the numbers col- lected to oppose them, they resumed the combat. Pokers, bars of iron, and bludgeons were used with merciless fury ; stones of all sizes, broken bottles, and croikery-ware were thrown, and weapons even were pressed into the riot. 1 he scene that en- 'r tl ' !l il I '» 72 HISTORY OF THE ri79L ft'j'jJ wu J frightful, and the civilians continued the contest with much rancour and ohstinacy. They were routed once, but suddenly turning, tliey dashed at the coldiers again with a frenzy that deserved a better result. The effort exhausted them ; the spirit of the soldiers was stirred afresli, and, plunging among the enraged but feeble throng, they spared none that had the daring to confront them. Beaten at every point by a handful of soldiers, the civilians faced about, and retreated pre- cipitately from the contest by the nearest avenues. The military artificers and soldier.^, flushed with success, would have pursued them, and repaid their ins^jlence in a manner not soon to be forgotten; but by the activity of C'aptain Jonathan Passing- ham, of the 38tli Regiment, who paraded the town with the main guard from the lines, the intention was frustrated. The conflict lasted for several hours, and many of each party were left for dead. Several, however, soon recovered, and it was then found that the casualties were — one military artificer killed, and two severely wounded ; and on the side of the sailors and dock men, one killed, two mortally wounded who died, and three severely wounded.' Of the less serious wounds and accidents, from which very few escaped, no notice ap[)ears to have been taken. For three days the company was conP;.e<) t< barracks by order of the Commandant, to aliay the | <>pi.Ltr excitement. But whatever may be thought of the part taken by the military artificers in this riot, certain it is that it taught the dock work- men a good lesson, and had the effect of repressing their in- sults and annoyances, and making their future demeanour more respectful. Several recruits having enlisted in Scotland for the compa- nies at Gibraltar, passage was provided for then] on board, it is Vcp )rted, ' The Caroline' emigrant ship, and they were landed at the io.rre.,s or \he 16th April, 1791. When in the Bay of Biscay the vessel encountered a white squall, accompanied by teriilic thunelt * and lightning. Her main and foremasts w ere caxrv '] ■Mva), a huge hole was burst in her larboaid quarter, ' 'Public Advertiser,' June 11th, 1789. 1792.1 and the storm thi the deck exertions ning. A Each nu sengers a and fragr t'hance f<; dread alt ance of tl larboard ' The CaJ to tiie R- song, wri " The Be In Jan was empl earthen b; wooden bj wall of tl the hill, tain Hollo and were might be j 'J'he Pr the army, place to purpose Wi the Duke The regii Foot ; tw artillery, s * It should celebrated in Naval and N: verse, coujpo; '■?• ',, . IVJ'2. KOVAL SAITEHS AXU MINERS. 73 and the sea rolling in, soon filled the gun-room. During the storm three guns fell overheard ; five men were washed from the (leek uilo the sea ; and the captain, in the midst of his exertions, was killed on the quarter-deck hy a stroke ol light- ning. All hope now for the safety of the ve^-sel was gone. Each moment her final plimge was expected, ^d the pas- sengers and crew, ehnging to spars and boxes, shreds of sails, and fragt"''nts of the dismantled bulwarks, as the last and only chance for their lives, awaited in sus})ense the time when the dread altliot Heath, early in July, under the Duke of Richmond, the iMaster-General of the Ordnance. The regiments present were the 2nd, 3rd, 1 4th, and 29th Foot ; two regiments of light dragoons, two battalions of artillery, and one conn)any of military artificers, made up of <4r * It should be remarked that the song here alluded to is not the one so just; ■. celebrated in the navy, written by Andrew Cherry, and embodied in ' Dibdiu i, Naval and National Songs,' but one of eight verses, with eight lines in each verse, composed, it is said, by a homely mariner named John Williams. t 74 IISTOIIY OF THE '1792. i I men from tlio Woolwich, Clrithain, Portsmoutli, and Gosport companies, under Lieutenant-Colonel Moncrief, royal engi- neers. Tiie H(,'rgcant-majo;s of these four companies were present. A large (juantity of intrenching imjjlements and trades^men's tools accompmied the ])arty. The encampment lasted for about a month the troops marching from one jjosition to another, and manoeuviing in a body, as if in actual warfare. During this time there were three grand field-days and two sliam battles ; at the v hole of which his Majesty was present, as also, on some occasions, were the Prince of Wales and the Dukes of York and Gloucester. The company of artificers manoeuvred with the troops when not otherwise required ; but more generall) ^hey wore employed in making bridges over small rivulets, for the passage of the troops, throwing up occa- sional earthworks, as well as mining and constructing wooden redoubts. One of tbe mines was sprung on the 4tb August, and created quite a spectacle. It raised the earth in a solid mass about thirty feet in diameter, throwing ^ts contents to a considerable distance. A?i()ther mine was exploded on the 7th August, Tuider on(^ of the advanced redoubts, witli equal success ; but the third and last mine was the largest, and almost amazing in its effects. Of this mine some particulars have been preserved. Ujion a round hill was erected one of Colonel Moncriefs square wooden redoubts, that the results of the mine under it might be better discerned. The artificers broke ground against Ihe side of the hill, ] 52 feet from the redoubt, and about 20 feet below the summit of the hill. The first gallery wr>s drlwn 1/!2 feet in length, about 3 feet wide, and ''i feet higi), from wlu ice commenced a turning 22 inches wide and 3 feet high, w-iicb stretched under tbe redoubt. A second turning of 6 f^et wa^ made for the chamber, into which was put a wooden box of gunpowder lined with pitched canvas. The quantity 'f powder used was 72 lbs., and was exploded by means of a wooden trough containing a canvas pipe filled with ])owder. ^ >'bt>n fired, the whole redoubt was lifted up about 40 feet, and disappeared in fragtnents, dust, and smoke, leaving a I'i-ge chasm where it stood, ii^arly 40 feet wide and 20 feet he de, ics A icli /as. by 1792.] ROYAL SAPl'KKS AND MINERS. (O deep. It was a niagnificLMit slirlit, and called forth the spon- taneous acclamations of the throng that witnessed it, and the pra'ses of the Duke of Richmond.'' These were iha first field services in which atiy of the military artificers had been em- ployed. They returned to their respective stations about the 8tli August.' Tiiis year the black felt round hat superseded the cocked hat. The drunnners' livery lace was a mixture of black, red, auf^ yellow worsted — the ( )r(lnauce device was not woven in it as h.rmerly. It was sewn on the coats in the same style as the privates' lace. Worsted wings of the three colours intermixed were now worn by the drummers for the first time. The quality of the cloth in all ranks was somewhat deteriorated this year. Plate V. To suit the seasons, the working dress was considerably altered. In summer a plain raven-duck jacket was substituted for the long frock of 17^7. I he duck waistcoat for summer was abolished. In winter a blue jacket with black cuffs and collar w^as worn, precisely similar in cut and make to the duck jacket. With this jacket a flannel waistcoat was worn, and serge trowsers or pantaloons of the same form or style as the original pantaloons. To the " Queen's Bounty," consisting of a pair of serge breeches and an under serge waistcoat, was added a second serge waistcoat. The shirts were now worn quite plain in front : the hair continued to be queued ; and the sergeants and corporals to be undistinguished in rank in the working dress. Plate VI. ^ For full information concerninf;f these experimental operations and ma- noeuvres, see the ' Public Advertiser ' fur .Inly Htli, August 7th, and Aufrust lOth, inci. * To show how interested and considerate the Duke of Kiclmiond was, in even trivial matters connected witli the corps, it may be mentioned that on the 28th September, 1792, he ordered that six married private labourers, who had been at Bagsliot Camp under his command, should ea^h be paid half-a-guinea as a donation tor the inconvenience and expense tliey were subjected to in being absent from their families. I IIISTOKY OF THE [1793. I' I 1793. War with France — Artifk ^rs (Icnianded for ibreign sprvicc—Conscqiicnt t'fft'c'ts -Detachnu'iit to West Indifs— FVvtT at Antigua — DetachnK-nt to FlancU-rs— Siege of Valenciennes— Wateniown Camp — Keinforceiuent to Flandors— Siege of Dunliirk — Nieuport — Another reinforcement to Flan- ders 'I'oulon— Private Samuel Myers at Fort Miilgrave — Formation of four companies for service abroad— Establishment and strength of corps. Louis XVI. having bctMi dragged to the scaffold and he- headed, tlie event became the subject of grave consideration in the British Cabinet, resulting in the dismissal of the French ambassador in London, and in the declaration of war by the Convention agninst Great Britain. Immediately following this publication of ho-iilities, Hritish troops were sent to Holland to co-operate with those of the Stadtholder against the common enemy, as well as to the West Indies for the reduction of the French settlements tluM'e. The new jiosition into which England was thrown by the declaration of war, gave prominence to a feature in the royal military artificers, which had almost been lost sight of; — that was, the liability of the men to serve in any part of the world wherever their services might be required. Although every care was taken to prevent misconception on this point, by ob- taining from every recruit a signed agreement, expressive of his willingness to comply with this condition, still, it was regarded by all, as a mere formal arrangement, never to be acted upon ; and in this notion they were afterwards strengthened by tlie fact, that when candidates were desired for service at Gibraltar, none were sent there unless with their own free consent. Now, however, their forgotten agreements were shown to be binding. ph 1793.] ROVAL SAITKHS AND MIXRKS. and accordingly, men were doinaiidod from the Eiijj;lish compa- nies for active service in FlandtTS and the West Indies. As may be supposed, the order occasioned no little surjjrise and regr(!t, as at this period, tlie military artificers were living under circumstances of the most favourable charp'ter — treated indeed more like citizens than soldiers. Many were married and had families ; some few had property in land and houses ; and all, or nearly all, had ])roHtiible engageuients in civil life, which they were permitted by their officers to follow, after the demands of tlie service had bt;en attended to. To avoid there- fore the chance of being sej)arated from such advantages, .several obtained their dischargi's by providing substitutes at consider- able cost, whilst a far greater number took the very dishonour- able alternative of deserting. During the year 17113, the desertions were, perhaps, more in number than in any other year since the corj)s' formation. The Plymouth comj)any was called upon to furnish one cor- poral and seventeen private miners for the service of the Engineer department in the West Indies, who, end)arking in February, in due time, arrived at Grenada. Dividcil between that island and Antigua, they had scarcely commenced their duties before the unhealthiness of the climate began to be felt among them. Fever, the prevailing scourge of the islands, seized them, and ere the close of the year, all, except Private W^illiam Trevethick, had died I lie survived his comrades about two and a half years ; and with his decease, was com- pleted the extermination, by fever, of the first foreign detach- ment of the cor[)s. At Antigua, it should l)e mentioned, that the malady was conveyed on shore through the unconscious impiudence of one of the party. He had gone on board a vessel called the ' Experiment,' which had just arrived in English Harbour in great distress, having lost nearly all her hands by fever. Of the existence of the disease in the ship the artificer was not aware, and he slept in a blanket belonging to IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 IM 12.5 uitt ... y£ 111 ■u u |40 i 2.0 ib. % /Q '4 ^. ^^. V # '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) S72-4S03 iV k \ rv a>^ ^°^^ %%^ ) 80 HISTOHV OF Till [IT'.K?. I i' cut on the spot, formed into faj^got?, and hastily thrown over the streams in \'wvf of the troops. At Bi-ighton, the party was daily occupied in hridge-making, and became very expert in that description of field service.^ A few days previous to the dispersion of the camp, the Duke of Richmond ordered another selection of four non-commissioned officers and ninety-eight artificers and labourers, to be made from the English companies to reinforce the corps in Flanders ; and in order that the party should be formed of the most efficient men, his Grace desired as many as could be spared to be taken for the service from the Brighton detachment. To press as lightly as possible upon individual interests, volunteering was freely allowed, and the remainder were obtiiined by casting lots. The companies at Woolwich, Portsmouth and Gvisport, were also required to provide their quota ; and being collected at head quarters, they sailed late in August, and in a few days arrived at Ostend. With this reinforcement, the military arti- ficers in the Low Countries amounted to 7 non-commissioned officers, 41 artificers, 104 labourers and 1 drummer; total, 1.j8. Immediately on landing, they were marched to join the com- pany then before Dunkirk, and were employed in the operations for the reduction of that fortress until the 7th of September, when the Duke of York was compelled to abandon his position. On returning to the Artillery Park, the artificers exerted them- selves in spiking all the guns that could not be carried with the army and in disabling their carriages, as well as in throwing ^ During the formation of one of the bridges, Mrs. Fitzherhert (who had paid a visit to the Prince of Wales at Brighton) was riding by alone. Sergeant Jolui Johnston, who was in charge of the party, recognizing the favourite, very politely touched his cap in compliment to her, and she immediately pulled up. After asking a variety of questions concerning the work, she praised the men for their exertions, and desired that each should receive an extra day's pay. For this purpose she gave the sergeant sufficient money, and taking a note of his name, commended him for his civility and promised to remember him. Very shortly afterwards he received the offer of an ensigncy in u regiment in the West Indies, and sailing thither in November, received his commission in the 29th Foot, Ist May, 179G. It was supposed that Mrs. Fitzherhert, true to her promise, had exerted her inHueiice and obtained this appointment for him. George Hoss. the other sergeant present with the party, was commissioned as Lieutenant in the Carnarvon Militia in October, 1796, 17(3. J ROYAL SAPl'EnS AND MINKKS. 8L al)()ut 500 lKin\'\s of gunpowder into Mio rivi-r ;in I destroying nearlv all tho intrencliinj; tools. In this sii'i'i', throe artifictM's were killed — Privates ^^'iHiam Dnuniiiond, John Fairhairn, and John Wilt-on ; and one was missing— Private Thomas Howell ; hut of the nund)er wounded, no record can he found. Colonel Moncrief, the chief engineer, was dangerously wounded in repulsing a sortie hy the enemy on the Gth of Se|)temher, and died a few days after at Ostend, when; he was interred under the tlagstaH' hy some of his own company. A portion of the corps was employed in ()(;toher in tiie defence of Nieuport, hut in what manner cannot now he ascer- tained. Indeed, from tho paucity of information, either verhal or documentary, rendering it impraclicahlo to trace, with any- thing like distinctness, the services and movements of the military artificers during the remainder of this and the suh- se([uent campaigns in the Low Countries, unsatisfactory gaps will necessarily appear in this narrative at times, when tlie most interesting details might have heen expected. Whilst the siege of Nieuport was ])rogressing. Sir Charles Grey with his exj)edition arrived at Ostend, and learning the critical situation of the garrison determined to relieve it ; hut )io sooner had he made arrangements for doing so, than the enemy retired and left the fortress and the field in (juiet possesssiou of the allies. To Sir Charles Gn^y's force was attacheil 2 non-commissioned officers and 28 artificers, under Colonel Elias Durnford, R.E., drafted from England, with which number tho corps in Flanders was augmented to 182 of all ranks. Soon afterwards winter setting in, and the strife in the Low Countries being suspended for the season, a company was recalled from thence, and, on arrival at Spithead, sailed with the fleet for active service in the West Indies. In September, a detachment of 1 Serjeant — Edward Smith — 2 corporals, and about 20 privates, were selected from Captain Nepean's company at Gibraltar, and sailed with the armament under General O'llara for Toulon on board II. M. ships ' Egmont' and ' Terrible.'* The officers of engineers with the * Private Joshua Cook of the Woolwich company was sent to Touloii as VOL I. G I if ^^ .^n ^A •« ■.if ■ i iiW| i -i«i >iiilmr L-'Mitenant .John Duncan, royal artillery, assistant engineer. At one of the guns all the artillerymen were either killed or disabled, for the ])ost was a dangerous one ; and the gun was consequently silent, though in a position to do nnich service. Observing this, jNIyers, having given general instruc- tions to those who were under him as to the manner in wiiich they were to perfin'ni their work, repaired with some volunteers to the battery and manned the gun. For a considerable time Ik; laid and fired it himself with a precision and effect that checked the fierceness of the enemy's caimonade, and attracted the notice of General Dundas. Highly approving of the zeal and gallantry oi' the self-constituted gunner, the General made him a corporal on the s])ot, and would have honoured him with a higher rank, only it was found that the custom f>f the corps did not admit of this distinction being conferred. Throughout the remaining ))eriod of the defence, Myers divided his attention between this gun and the works, attending to both with an ardour and fearlessness that gained him much jiraise. Early in the next year he was killed in Corsica. Two (»f the English companies out of six having already been sent abroad, and the nature of our relations with France ren dering it highly probable that more would be demanded, the Dt onU'i'ly to Colonel D'Aubuiit, U.K., and served in that capacity in Toulon and Corsica \inlil the Colonel returned with him to England. '■11^ in 111- ne lud 1793.] IIOYAI. SAITKIIS AND MIXKCS. 83 Duke of Riclimond iTprcsoiitc*! to lils Al.ijesty tlio licnefit tliat would result to the service, if a corps of artifn't is and lal)ourers were formed ex})ri,'ssly for einploynient ahroad. His Grace tiie more readily reeoinmeuded this measure, as the various stations from whicli detaelmieiits were sent were compelled to hire civil tradesmen to supj)ly their plac(!s, at wages coiisiderahly higher than the estimate s warranted ; and whilst it checked im])rove- ment in tiie lahourers, which his Grace was anxious to see developed, it also erijipled, in some degree, the general efficiency of the companies. Goncurring, therefore, in his Grace's pro- position. His Majesty granted a AVarrant under date the 11th Septtniiher, 1793, for raising a cor])s of royal military artificers and lahourers, to consist of four companies and to be distri- buted as follows : — Flanders . . West Indies Upper Canada 2 companies 1 „ 1 The command and composition of the companies were to be similar in every respect to the English companies ; they were to be stationary in the countries where they were appointed to serve ; and the men were to receive the like advantages in pay, allow- ances, and clothing. A distinct position would seem to have been givcm to these foreign companies by the Warrant, but they nevertheless, though designated a corps, were comprehended with the English companies in one united body, and depended uj)on the latter ccmipanies for the maintenance of their strength and efficiency. Such, however, it may be observed, was not the case with the companies at Gibraltar, which yet remained a separate and independent body, though differing from the home and foreign companies only in non-essentials of a local character. The Warrant just alluded to does not appear to have been carried out in the manner intended. Instead of sending a rein- forcement to Flanders to complete the companies there to the authorized establishment, one company was withdrawn from thence and sent to the West Indies ; while as regarded the latter 2 ■ i ■ ■ ■ < M *A^' .1 ■ i m.' ■.:^,¥* J^' y,^ :^^^ 84 IIISTOUY OK TIIK li< '< II [I79;i. station, in addition . ^ the company onk-rcd, a party also cm- barked with it, forming, with tlie detatinnent ah'i-ady in tliose ijilands, tlie nn(;leus of a second company. Tlie total nund.'cr of artificers and lahonrers in I'landers after this change was 82 of all ranks, and in the ^V'esr Indies 12lj. On what gronnd this reversionary alteration was adopted is not jn'ccisely known ; bnt it may reasonably be assigned to the pressing appeals from the West Indies for more men, andtiie inactive position of affairs in the Low Countries pi.'rmitting it to be effected without detriment to the service. The company for Canada was never cnd)odied, though the idea of forming it was cherished until December 17'J8, when it was abandoned. At the end of the year the establishment and strength of the corps were as under : — Total. 600 400 Home companies Foreign companies . Total . Strength 588 1000 establishment Wanting to complete . 412 1794.J ROYAL SArPEKS AM) M1NKH,<. 85 179 i— 1795. It • Working dress — rominuiy sails for West Iiidii-s — Martiuique-- Sjtiiitetl con. duct of a (k'farliint'iit tliere — (iuadaloiipe — Mortality — Toulon — Flanders — Heinforccment to company there — Keturn of the company — Works at (Jravesend — Irregularities in tlie corps — Causes -Redeeming (pialities — Appointment of Jfegimental Adjutant and sergeant-major — ('onsf(l and their j)laces supplied by other:- from the Portsmouth ;niil Ciiosport comj)anies. .Vfter being ])rovided with the necessary Held etpiipmeut, the comj)any sailed with the fleet from Spithead on the ord November, 1703, and arriviul at Barliadoos the Oth .lamiary, 17U4. Its strength on landing was ninety-four of all ranks, including its sergeant-major — Matthew lloey. From Parbadoes the com])any proceeded with the expcdititm luider General Sir Charles Crey and Admiral Sir John Jervis to Martini(jU' : and having laudrd. commenecd and conipleterl. I If /H 4\ il .V no IIISTOUY OF TIIK 1 794. (luring tilt; night of tlu; lOtli rVbruary, the cn'ctiini of tho recjuinMl Imtterics on Mount Mathcrino against Pigeon Island. On tho !?urron(lcr of this island on the morning of tho 11th, a portion of tlu; company, under LioutcMiants Fletcher and Durn- ford, liA'l.y was formed in line with a brigade of the royal artillery and a part (»f the 7()tli regiment, to protect tho stores then landing, and to supjxu-t the left of the army in tho attjiek upon the heights of Souririe. 'Vhv. ])ost was soon carried ; and the entire company subseciuently participated very essen- tially in tho siege of Fort Bourbon. After a iMonth's unceasing exertion before that fort, it was captured on the 25tii March, and Martinicpie theu became the prize of Britain. In noticing the services of the company, Sir Charles Grey, in his despatch of 25th March, writes: — "Colonel Durnfonl, with the corj;s of engineers, have also a claim to my warmest approbatitm for their exertions in placing and constructing the batteries.'' The casualties were one killed— Private ^^ m Simj)son, on the 11th February at Pigetm Island — and _ wounded.' AfttT tho successful attack on Souririe, (Jorjjoral James Kerr of the royal military artificers, and a detachment of tlio company under his onlers, were employed on field duty at noon- day in front of the army. A very suj>erior force of the eni'my atteniptcd to surprise them, but as soon as they perceived I'leir danger, they retired and defended themselves in so steady, sj)irited, and soldierlike a manner, as to command the admira- tion of many officers and others. Nearly the wh(de of tho company wore subsequently em- ployed in tho reduction of the Islands of St. Lucia and Guada- loupe ; but what services were rendered by them in thoso captures have not been recorded. Sir (Jharles Grey having succeeded in the enterprise with which he was intrusted, li^ft Major-Genoral Dundas in command at Guadaloupo and made arrangements to return homo. The fever peculiar to the country, soon afterwards made its appear- ance in the island and the General died. Takincj advantage of this event and tho daily increasing sickne^.s, tho French rote ' ' Loiidou Guxctte Kxtraoraiiiary,' April 2l2iid, 1794. 1701. J KdYAL SAl'I'KKS AND MIM.IiS. against the Hritl.-li suu\ ri'look Tort rirur crKptv. Sir Cliarlcs (ircy, l)i*arin^ of tlu' (lisistcr and anticipatini; its c()nso(|U('ii('t's, iTtnnu'd with all lia-tc t(t (iiiadaloupc and rfsuincd tiio connnand of tin; troops. At t\m time tin* company was divided into ahnof^t (Mpial j)roportions at each of tliu .se(|uently they snpi'rintetided tho erection of liatteries, &e., against Point ii I'itre in thu (.■ndeavours to recover Orandeterre ; hut as ail attempts to r«'gain this branch of the island were now ahandoned, the detachment was removed to Camp Berville for the purpose of j)reventing Jiasseti'rre falling into the hands of tlu; enemy. I lere the artificers were enifaiicd in various works for the defence of tin; camp, and shared in repulsing the three attacks made (»ii tiie position in .Sei)teiul)er and ( )ct()her. Hy climate, fatigue, ami j)rivation, their numbers gradually dwindled away ; and when the post was caj)ture(l on the 7th Octobi'r, only ten men were living. Six of these were taken prisoners," with Lieutenant Durn- l()rd, 11 E. ; and the other four, under Lieutenant lOvatt, 11. K., served at the defence of Fort Matilda from the I4th October to the loth December, the date of its ('vacuation.'' During that protracted struggle, the services of these; four men, esj)ecially S.M-geaiit John Morris and IVivate Samuel Hows, wer(> foimd to be j)arti.'ularly useful in every rep})eet. The yellow fever continued its ravages throughout the year with frightful violence and carried olf nu)re than half of the comj)any. In May the sickness was very g"'neral among the * I'rivatcs Willimn lUuTcll, .lolin riiiik, Al),aliam M:ivIk-:uI, HoluTt Tor- riiice, William Fleming, :;iul Tiioiiias Wagg. Four of tlit; iiumlKT soon died; and tiie two fii>t, ou lioiiig rcK'used, joined tiic rcinuaiit of a company at St. i)oniii!g(» on tlie ISih April, ITlti;. ^ 'L'.niloii (l.i.'.jtii',' ."/Uli June t<» Hli .Inly, IT'.t"). fit. \ \n '^4 % :,'S f*' ^MM 88 HISTOUY OF TIIK [17{)4. Hi . artilicers. Tluit month twonty-fivc died ; and of the- survivor!*, vrry few were fonnd suffieiently effective for tlie service of the works. In June the party at St. Lucia, wliicii so far had escaped tlie prevailing scourge, was removed to Martiiiiqiie t(» hasten tlie restoration of Fort liourhon. But litth^ advantage, however, was obUiined l)y this arrangement, as nearly the wli(»le of the men were inunediatidy seized hy the sickness. At the close of the year sixty-fi\(; non-connnissioned officers and privates had trihiit('(l atnoii^ the I'oi-tsiiioutli and (iosport (■r)in|)ani(>s and tim (lucriihcy and .Jt-rscy lialf coiiipairK's. 'I'wflvc were \vh at Lisle sick and j)ris(tii(!rs of war: llircc of tlicin died, srvcn rc- tiiriH'd to rinj^dand at (litrtTciit periods, and the other two — J'rivates CJeorii^e Horn and .lohn ilristo -continued to In! recorded as pri -oners iMitil I'ehrnary, ITJ'T; when, not haviiij^ njoined their corps, they were .-trnck oil' the stn-nj^th. \\y the reduction of the ll.mdiM's coni|)any the estahlishnieut of the corps was diminished from l,(l()() to 'SOO of all raidvs. Ahont this period, n detacinnent of one sergeant, thirty-threu carjK'nters, and twodriunmers, under ('ai)tain C. Ilolloway, U.K. was sent to (jnivesend to make various repairs and additions to the defences on tho shores of the Thames, an the state of European politics aiul our unsettled relations with I'Vanco renderi'd these precautionary measures ah.«olutely indispdisahle. They were j)icki'd men, of good (|ualili(;ation ; and to distin- guish them from the; corps emj)loyed at W (tolwich, I'urtleet, and (.'hatliam, were pcrujitted to wear «i very long fantastic feather of hiack, topj)ed with crimson. Tilhury r«)rt and the Hlock- liouso at Gravescnd were thoroughly rt'j)aired hy this detach- ment, and the requisite arrangements and applianci's for es tablishiiig a conununication across the Thames, hy means of barges for the j)assage of an army, were etfected hy them. They also constructed two batteries for four 24-pounders each, with temporary wooden barracks for artiilery-inen, at Shoni- inead and Hop Point, below Gravescnd. These services were barely tiiiished when thirty of the detachment were recalled to join the exj)editions for St.. Domingo and the (/aril)bc(» Islands. 'J'he party remaining was shortly afterwards increased to one sergeant and fifteen carpenters. Detachments of varied strength were also em])loyed in strengthening the defences on the coast of Sussex, and in repairing the castles at Hurst, ('owes, and Yarmouth. Druukeimess and irregularity were now very ])revalent in the corps. 3Iany of the mcii, from their abandoned habits, to kc i7u:..] UdYAL SAIM'KKS AND MINKUS. l»l were iusonsiliU; cithor to ndvico or pimi'lniKMit : \vliil>t otluTs, \Vliosi» mi»nil (''Hidnct could not lie i'i'|iro;nln'd, wen* iicylit^i'Ut of til It jiropi'i' ri'.''|n'i't tor pcrstmal rlcniirmcss and a|)|n'araii('i^ wliich U one of tiu' Hr.st considerations of a soldier in every well- regiilatL'd regiment. In souio degree to clieuk these evils, a U'w of the most ineorrigilde among tliii lalt<»nrers were dismissed from the corns, or were either tnrnecl over to the navy or sei't to the West Indies. lint even tlu-sc severe hnt neeessary measure's faileil to prodnc*; that wholesonu; impression on tin; hahitual delinquents, which it was rcasonahlo to auticipatu would he the residt. The first symptoms (»f disordi'r in tlu; conduct of the men ajjpcared when they found they were liahh; to l)c sent ahroad if occasion re(|uired their services. Led hy their constitution and (Muployment to consider thenj-eives permanently settled, they were quite unprej)ared for any iunovatio. wjjich had a ten- dency to suhvert their position or to interrupt the advancement of their individual interests. The married men |)articular!y received it witli une{[uivocal dissatisfaction, Unwilliiiu; to suhmit to the change, which struck at the root of thi'ir pri- vileges, several deserted ; and otluMv, not daring to involve themselves in the C()nse([uences of so serious a step, remaineil only to drown their discontent in dissipation, and thus to hring discredit upon tlie corps. This, however, was not the only source of demoralization. F.ver since the formation of the corps little or no attention had hecu paid to its military eiliciency. Discipline was alnii).««t eutiridy rernuiuished, and drill was an unfashionable exercise. The former was relaxed on account of the men being regarded more; in the light of civilians than soldiers, and the latter was nominally given uj) on the plea, that it was of far greater public bi'iietit to keep them constantly on the works than at drill. From the leniency of the one, numbers paid but little regard to authority on military matters, and were only too ready to evince a spirit of disarte(!tion when anything o(;curred to infringe upon liberties or privileges that the usages of the corjjs had given them a sort of right to enjoy ; and from the neglect of the otiier, tlit;y li IIISTUUY OF TIIK [179; ) I •!i' were awkward and dirty in appoaranco and slovonly in thoir attiiv. By tlio many well-intcntiotUHl and orderly men in tlio corps the laxity of the discijjline and infroquency of the drill were certainly recognized and aj)])reci:ited as indidgences ; bnt the advantages bestowed were; mor(> than coiniterhalanced by the evils they induced ; for several men — not labourers only, but artificers — distinguished by their abilities as tradesmen, but unable to profit by the mildness of the disci))line, plunged into all the exces.-es of disorder and drunkenness. Yet, with all this m.isconduct and want of training in soldier-like principle and bearing, they always exhibited an active ])nde in their fair name as mechanics, and committed, com])aratively, but few oiiences on the works. Another element in producing the irr(\gnlarity complained of is traceable to the manner in which the corj)s was recruited. From the difficulty of obtaining good tradesmen with satis- factory testimonials of previous conduct, the j)ernicious system of rec eiving men without characters was resorted to. Ability as tradesmen vvas the great sj)eeific, conduct being a non- essential qualification. Consequently, in the removals from the line es])ecially, many men were transferred to the military artificers, whose dissolute habits rendered their influence both mischievous and demorallzina;, although, from their merits as mechanics, they were found far too valuable to dismiss, and too useful to be subjected to a protracted punislnnent. But with all this dissipation and disorder there was much in the corps to approve, much to admire. The non-conunissloned officers, the majority of the artificers, and a goodly number of the labourers were well-conducted men, ai uph nuhtary i laract^n* and apj)earauce m a beconnng manner. Oil th(! works, besides being able and expert artificers, they were found to be industrious and efficient, sup[)ortiug and assisting their officers in ev.ry duty or enterj)rlse of difficulty or danger with readiness and zi'al. Though differinoint- nuMit, on the L'ith May, of Lieutenant John KowK'y, \{ \']„ to he lU'gimeutal Adjutant to tho corj)s. To each comj)any, from its formation, an adjut;nit had hcon and continued to he jittached ; who, however, Irom the paramount imj)oi1ance of tho works and other circumstances, was too engrossed hy his atten- tion to professional duties and details to he of nuich service to his company. The Regimental Adjutant was stationed at Woolwich, and through him was carried on all the corre- spondence of tho cor{)s. His office, however, was at W Cst- niinster. To assist him, therefore, Company Sergeant-major Anthony llaig, who was an excellent drill-mast(!r and a talented noU'Conimissioiicd officer, was promoted to he regi- mental sergeant-major on tho Staff at Woolwich with the pay of o.s". a-day. These a})pointments were innnediately followed hyan altera- tion in the system of recruiting as conducted hy tho ollicers commanding comi)anies. Experience had proved that such a system was detrimental to the corps, and that its discontinuance would narrow the sources from which some of tho exi.-ting evils originated and were fed. With this view, the ])articular charge of tho service was intrusted to the Regimental Adjutant. Re- cruits were now enlisted for general service, and when ready to join the corps, were, in the first instance, sent to Woolwich. On their arrival they were clothed, equi})ped, and suhjected to tho same drilling as infantry soldiers under the sergeant-major and adjutaut ; and, when trained, were posted to tho comi)anies, whether at home or abroad, most in want of men Even this slight modification i)roduced a more than corr(;si)onding im- ])rovement in tho corps, and revived in some degree, at the •M-V: r?. 'I 'M. 1 1' I W'f til %'' Ic I 94 ni STORY OF THE [1705. (lifTerent stations, tlio discipline and drill. At Portsmouth especially, . 'it a later j iiod, under Colonel Evelegh, the dis- ci))linary arrangenumts were so satisfactorily enforced and sustained, that it was a custom for some years to remove all the irregular men to that station, to place them under the operation of a strict and wholesome surveillance. Woolwich now became the head-quarters of the corps, and all invalids were ever after sent to it from the different stations for discharge, instead of being disposed of, as heretofore, by the captains of companies. '1 Ins year the working jacket was somewhat altered. Broad skirts, with jjocket slashes, were appended to it, and, for the sake of giving a more military appearance to the men, a yellow worsted lace triangle was sewn between the two back buttons, and a frog was added to each side of the collar. These orna- ments on the S(Tgeant's jacket were of gold lace. The hats of the privates were changed from white to black felt and the sergeants, in addition to the gold band, wore rosettes and crimson plumes. See Plate VII. All ranks wore clothing of precisely similar fabric. .■ r nnr,.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 0.-) 1705-1796. Coinpaiiit'S to St. Domiiigo and the Caribbee Islands — Reduction of St. Lucia — Conduct of company at — Gallantry in forming lodgment and converting it into a battery — Attack on Pombarde— Distribution and conduct of St. Domingo company — Mortality in the West Indies - Detachment to Halifax, Nova Scotia — Dougal Hamilton — Detachments to Calshot Castle and St. Marcou. AVar, couplctl witli fever, had by this time made considerable havoc among the troops in the West Indies, and reduced tlie force to a number totally inadequate for the services of the different islands, much less to resist efficiently the encrocTch- ments of a vigilant enemy, and to check the insurrectionary demonstrations of a disaffected negro population. In some respects to supply this deficiency, reinforcements having been a])plied for, two expeditions were fitted out at Spithead, and sailed in November, 1795, under Sir Ralph Abererombie, for St. Domingo and the Windward Islands. To each expedition a company of sixty non-commissioned officers and men of the military artificers were attached, equipped with tools appropriate to their trades, in addition to their arms. The company for St. Domingo, under Lieutenant Crozier, ll.E., was formed by men drafted from the Woolwich and Chatham companies ; and that for the Caribbee Islands, under Lieutenant Gravatt, R.E., by men from the Gosport, Portsmouth, and Plymouth companies. Both companies arrived — after a long and dangerous passage, particularly in clearing the Channel — in March, 1796. In disposing of the two companies, Sir Ralph despatched, under Lieutenant Crozier, thirty-three non-commissioned officers and ^ 1 ^1 oc IIISTOIIY OF '11 IK riTon. i79(;. i I^H-'i is;! jirivatcs, iiicludiiii.' two incn wlio lind brcii prisdiicr? (tf \v;ir :\t (iiiadaloiipo, to St. Domingo, dctniniiig the rciiiuindcr to ai't under liinjsclf with tlio Canhboun company, whicli now readied the strength of f;eventv->'iven of all raidvs. The reduction of Sr. Lucia was early the intention of Sir Ralph, and the exp(>dition accordingly sailed thither. The company of artificers, under the corrnnand of Captain Hay, U.K., land(>d on the 2(»th April, and at once were told oif for the duties of the siege. In addition to the construction of .*-(mie extensive hatteries to act against ^Nlorne Fortune, they supei*- intended the formation of a communication by means of a new road from ('hoe Ray to the Morno. I)y the 24tli May the English had pushed uj) to within 500 yards of the fort, and the garris(m capitulated on the 2()th jNTay. From the nature of the ground and other circumstances, the o))erations for the reducti(m of the fort were extraordinary and ardnous, and the exertions of the comj)any conspicuous. These attracted the notice of 8ir lialjjh, who, through the medium of Captain Hay, conveyed his thanks to the military artiticers for their good conduct and soldierlike behaviour at the siege. In the attack on the enemy's advanced posts at Mornc For- tune on the 24th May, a detachment of about twenty non- connnissioned officers and men of the com])any, under Lieu- tenant Fletcher, R.E., with hands})ikes, axes, and picks, rushed gallantly forward and formed a Inlgment, which was rapidly converted into a battery of five 24-pounders to breach the body of the place. The exertions of this party greatly con- tributed to the success of the assault and to the fall of St. Lucia. Lieutenant Fletcher was wounded as also two rank and file.^ Of the other casualties in the company from the opening of the siege to the assault no record has been pre- served. The detachment of thirty-three non-commissioned officers and men, under Lieutenant Crozier, R.E., arrived at Cape Nichola Mole, St. Domingo, on the 2nd May, and Captain AV. M'Ker- ' ' London Gazette Kxtraortlinary,' July 4th, 179C. i79(;.j ROYAL SAPPKIIS AXl) MINHHS. 97 ras, R.E., assumed the command of it. On tlic 8th June following, about twenty of the party were engaged in the attack on Boini)arde, in which one private — John M'Donald — was mortally wounded, and one sergeant — Hugh Taylor — was taken prisoner.''^ On the llth June, the St. Domingo detachment was further increased by the arrival from St. Lucia of one sergeant and fourteen privates, under Lieutenant Stewart. Of the idterior active services of this detachment, nothing can be satisfactorily traced. It was, however, broken up into small parties, and disposed of at St. Marc, Jeremie, Grande Ance, the Mole, and Port au Prince, superintending, under their officers, the execution of various works which were deemed essential for defence, on account of the arrival at (]ape Fran{;ois of Rochainbeau, Santhonax, and several other republican> of consequence. In these and former works the men seem to have exerted themselves with zeal, and to have obtained commenda- tion for their good conduct *' Indeed, I must say," writes Captain M'Kerras to Sir William Grecm, the chief engineer, under date July, 1796, "that I have never seen a better set of people in every respect and manner than they were." To a great extent the fever still prevailed in the West Indies, and had raged with fearful violence during the months of June and July. It was not confined to any particular island but was general throughout the group. Never had a more melancholy scene of mortality attended any expedition than befell those to St. Domingo and the Windward Islands. Of the company of military artificers at the former island, twenty- five had died in June and July alone, and by the end of the year it was reduced to nineteen men only. The Caribbee Islands' company, during the same period, suffered still more severely ; inasmuch as it was diminished from seventy-seven to thirty-one of all ranks ; whilst the company that served at the captures of Martinicjue, St. Lucia, and Guadaloupe, in 1794, had frittered away by deaths and invaliding to eighteen non- * ' London Gazette,' 'J.'Jrd to 2(ith July, 179G; takes notice of the private woi' ided, but not of the sergeant taken prisoner. VOL. I. H fiQ^BM . f m 98 HISTORY OF THE "1790. m commissioned ofHcers and mtMi.' Of the survivors more tiian half were incapacitated for duty from sieknessi, and, conse- (juently, the services of tlie department pressed very heavily upon the effectives. On the 1st September the remnants of the two latter companies were amalgamated, and reached a total of 49 of all ranks. In June a detachment of one sergeant, two corporals and twenty artificers, embarked for Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the classes of tradesmen most needed for the works could not be obtained except at extravagantly high wages. Some care was therefore taken to select mechanics fully equal to the re- (juirements of the settlement. The detachment landed in September following, and Captain James Straton, conmianding royal engineer, was appointed to command it. Various works were in progress at the time of their arrival, to which they were distributed according to circumstances ; but the service upon which they were chiefly employed was the erection of the light- house in Halifax harbour. Over this work. Private Dougal Hamilton, a very intelligent and skilful mason, was appointed foreman, and acquitted himself throughout with credit. Sub- sequently, when about to quit the province as an invalid, H.R.H. Prince Edward ordered his immediate disembarkation, and placed him at the disposal of the treasurer of the settle- ment, by whom he was employed as a foreman in building the Shelburne Lighthouse on the coast of Halifax. Early in the spring a party of the Portsmouth company was detached to Calshot Castle to repair and strengthen it ; and another from the Guernsey half company, to renew the defences at the Island of St. jNIarcou. In carrying on the works at the latter place. Privates Roger Ilambly and Hugh M'Laughlin were dreadfully wounded by the explosion of a mine in the execution of their duty. ^ Lieutenant, afterwards Lieutenant-General, Evatt,who served witli the com- pany in Sir Charles Grey's campaign of 1 794, writes thus of it : " Tlie dreadful sickness then prevailing left few or none of the men after its conclusion, and it might with truth be said, they came out, did their duty, and died !" V '.(^ 1797.] ROYAL SArPEUS AND MINERS. 09 1797. Detaolimonts to Portugal To Dover— Transfers to tlie Artillery — Eiilistnieiit of artificers only — Incorporation of (iiliniltar companies witli the corps — (Capture of TriniiUul — Draft to West Indies- Failnre at Porto h'ieo- Fording tlie lagoon, by Private D. Sinclair — Private W. I'oirers at the bridge St. Julien — Saves his officer— Casnalties by fever in Caribbean company —Filling up company at St. Domingo with negroes — Mutinies in the fleet at Ports- mouth — Conduct of Plymouth company — Emeute in the Koyal Artillery, Woolwich — Increase of pay — Marquis Cornwallis's approbation of the corps — Mutiny at the Nore — Consequent removal of detachment to Gravesend — Alterations iu dress. Early in January Lieutenant F. W. JMulcaster. R.E., with a ])arty of one sergea;;!, one corporal, rive artificers, and four labourers of the Woolwich company, embarked for Portugal to join the force under the command of Lieutenant-General Charles Stuart, which was sent to that coimtry for the purpose of preventing its inva&ion by the armies of France or Spain. The nature of the service did not call for any display of cha- racter, and the detachment bein^ withdrawn in October 1798, immediately proceeded witlt the exj)edition to Minorca. In February one corporal nvl seven miners of the Plymouth company were detached to Dover to carry on the mining opera- tions at that station under Captain IJ. Bruyeres, R.E. They were farther increased in October to two corporals, eleven artihcers, ten labourers, and one drummer, as well to conduct the mining as to assist in repairing the works on the Western Heights. A detachment was also sent from this company to Berryhead near Torbay, to erect fortifications. A great deficiency occurring in the numerical establishment of the royal artillery, the Master-General desired that as • 1 ■ ' ■I ii .it ■i% IfX) HISTORY OF THE [1797, many of the labourers of the corps of artilicers as were anxious to avail thems(jlves of the opportunity of transferring their ser- vices to that regiment, shojiid be permitted to do so. The transferring continued from March to May, and the corps was thus reduced sixty-seven men, each of whom received one guinea on b(?ing accepted i)y the Artillery.' This reduction in the establishment of the labourers was followed in August by an ord<;r, that the recruiting for the corps should be limited to the artificer part only. Labourers and men not bred to the regulated trades were no longer en- listed, and every artificer so enlisting only received the bounty and subsistence of a labourer, until he had been approved as a competent artificer. This was a wholesome precaution, as those enlisted under the assumed name of mechanics were continued as labourers, until industry and improvement had rendered them worthy of advancement. In June the soldier-artificer corps at Gibraltar was incor- porated with the royal military artificers. Ever since its forma- tion in 1772 it had held a distinct position, and was an integral body of itself Its establishment was two companies of 5 ser- geants, 5 corporals, 2 drummers, and 125 private artificers each, with 1 sergeant-major to both companies ; but its actual strength on the amalgamation was only 255 of all ranks. In the regular monotonous routine of that garrison there was little occasion for their services except as artificers. At this period their conduct was far from commendable. Much addicted to drunkenness, they were the constant subjects of courts-martial ; but on the works, under the eye of their officers, they behaved well and were very good mechanics, particularly the non- commissioned officers, who, besides, were skilful foremen. By the incorporation of these companies with the corps, it was in- creased from 801 to 1,075 o[ all ranks ; but its actual strength only reached 7511 men. ' One of these labourers, .John Alexander, enlisted in the Chatham company l.'ith July, 1790. and was transferred 1st April, 1797. Forty years afterwards he was commissioned as quartermaster in the royal horse art'llery, and after eleven years' service in that rank, retired on full pay in 1847, and died in 1854. 175»7. i{()YAr. SAITKHS AND MIXKIIS. 1(»1 *^ir Ralph Aborcrombio havinj^ resolved to make an attempt on the island of Trinidad, an expedition under himself and Admiral Harvey .-mailed aeeordingly from Martinique on the 12th February. To this force were attached one sergeant-major, two cor|)orals, and nineteen artificers, under Major Charles Shipley, and Lieutenants Ciravatt and Lefebure, R.E. Troni an acci- dent by fire, which consumed the enemy's ships on the night ])rec(»ding the morning arranged for the attack, the island became an easy comiuest and .- rrendercd by ca))itulation on the 18th February. Soon after the taking of this island, a detachment under Lieutenant Ford, R.E., of three sergeants, two corporals, and twenty privates, drafted from the Portsn).)uth company, landed and joined Major Shipley's company at Martinique, the strength of which, with the increase, {'mounted to sixty-five of all ranks. Sir Ralph Abercrombie and Aduiiral Harvey now assembled an expedition against Forte Rico and landed there on the 17th April. The c(mipany of artificers furnished about forty non-commissioned officers and men for this service, including Lieutenant Ford's ])arty. Hjre they constructed, assisted by a party of the 14th regiment, two batteries, one for mortars and the other for guns. A lirge magazine abandoned by the enemy, was also partially convened into a battery for two mortars, but its completic n was relinquished in cr"sequence of the ordnance intended to arm the battery having been swamped in a morass in crossing. Notwithstanding the exertions made to reduce the place the enterprise failed, and the troops were withdrawn on the 30tli April. Pr(;viously, however, to effect- ing the evacuation, the artificers, to prevent the enemy following in the retreat, destroy ad the bridge which connected the island of St. Julien with the main ; and afterwards hastily reared a breastwork of sandbfgs to cover the embarkation, which, how- ever, was not required, as the expedition was suffered to leave the island unmolested. The casualties in the military artificers were five privates killed, viz., Joseph Featherstone, George Clark, Samuel Hague, Geoige Winter, and John Cameron, and four M v»1 '►T ^:| ll' Ml i ! M 102 IIISTOllY OF 'IIIH [171)7. sovorcly wounded ; hcsidos nbout twenty more who .sustained slight eontusiotis or mutilatioiis.- Among tlio inimsiires suggested for redueing Por* ^'co wns one for taking the town, hy forcing th(^ troop. '"kI> the lagoon hounding the east side of the island. Before, however, the project coidd he entertained, it was considered advisable to a.scertain if the stream were fordahle. An officer of Sir Ralph'.s staff having r(»quested permission to undertake the service, he was voluntarily accompanied by Privat(? David Sinclair of the military artificers. In the night, at the appointed hour, both entered the lagoon together, each provided with a long staff. With this support they ])robed their adventurous way, and at length succeeded in gaining the opposite slope ; where, standing near one of the redoubts which defended a broken bridge, they distinctly henrd the vigilant sentinels talking and walking on their heats. With the same caution as before they picked their course back again, and then coolly repeated the duty without the aid of pr()j)s. The officer reported the ford to be fully practicable, and at the same time lauded the intrej)idity of the soldier who accompanied him. Thereupon Sir Ralph praised him for his gallantry and rewarded him with a Johannes — a piece of eight dollars. The idea of making the assault by passing the stream was given up, in consequence of the British force being too weak to cope with an enemy powerful in men and means, and almost impregnable in position. Sinclair died the 28th July, 1797, and during his short career in the West Indies, an officer under whom he served has left this testimony to his worth, " that he was ever conspicuous in every service." Determined upon relinquishing Porto Rico, Sir Ralph ordered Lieutenant C. Lefebure, R.E., with a detachment of the artificers, early in the morning of the 30th April, to repair to the bridge which connected the island of St. Julien with the Main and demolish it, for the purpose of preventing the Spaniards following and harassing t\w army during the retreat. The bridge was an old crazy structure of stone consisting 2 In the ' London na/etti.s' .^rd to (Uli .Tiiiks 1797, the killed only are noticed. 170^ J 707. i;oYAI- SAI'I'KIIS AM) MINKIIS. io;j of nino nrolics. All wore dirortod to work nt the rojnl-way of ti •h, hut to P Willi Ui I) centre ticular request, was at^sigued the ditfieult and dangerous duty of dislodginjj the key ston(^ The ground was soon harrowed up. a pap ina(h' across the iniddh>, 8ev(?ral stones were removed from the pier-heads, and the i)ridge exhihited signs of insta- bility. Notjjing daunted, Rogers l)o]dly stepped upon the crown of tlie arch, and after a few heavy i)low8 with his pickaxe, scooped tlie stone from its hed. At once the arch gave way ; and the others leaning towards it, cracked as though torn uy an earthquake and fell heneath him. Rogers's sitiiatiou was one of imminent peril, hut with a fearlessness that was remarkahle ho j)lunged from the crumbling bridge into the stream, and was fortunately ])reserved from any serious harm, whilst five of his comrades were crushed to death hy the fall ; and all the rest, save (.\)rj)oral William llohinsou, were injured. Nor was this all. Rogers swam about the heap to afford help to those who were suflering and dying. It was /et dark, and the thick dust still rising from the fall, made the darkness denser. Gn)])ing, tluM-efore, among the ruins, he found an individual who still had signs of life, struggling, ineffectually, to free himself from some massive fragments that entangled him. Rogers set to work to release the drowning man : this he quickly accomplished, and, swimming with his charge to the shore, the rescued turned out to be his own officer — Lieutenant Lefebure. His life, however, was only prolonged to fall a sacrifice to his heroism on the walls of Matagorda iu 1810. Rogers's exertions were not confined to his officer only, for several of his comrades who were precipitated into the water and were unable to swim, he saved, assisted by those of the party who Imd sustained but trivial injuries. A desolating epidemic still raged in the Caribbee Islands and greatly diminished the numbers of the company. In November particularly, the climate was extremely hot and unhealthy and the deaths by fever considerable. During the year the casualties were, deaths, thirty-one, of which fifteen occurred in November ; sent home invalided, six ; deserted, ii'' f ■ i #1 '?'<•■ i . § .11 104 IIIS'IOKY OK 'II IK ' 171>7, two; total, thlrt} -nine ; h'nvin»; tli(> rnmjmny, of all ranks, only thirty-thrt'c strong at tlio vud of the year. At St. n<)ining(> the gri at want of artificcr.-i for tlu' scrvico of tilt? cnuinccr (Irj>artnient lioing severely felt, Captain MeK«'r- ras, R.K., in February, represented the expedieney of keeping up the company with negroes, 'llw nunilter of the military artificers then serviny in the eolonv was nineteen of all ranks, a third of whom wen; constantly unfit for any kind of dtJty, suf- fering as they did from over exiirtion and freipient relapses of remitting fever. To Ktu'ojieans the climate was " the most pernicious and ahonjinahlc! in the universe," and none hut the strongest could at all hear up agaitjst its intluences. To till up tin; vacancies in the company, therefore, hy draftr* of me- chanics from England, would have incurred a heavy outlay without reaping a conunensurate return. Considerations like these pr(mij)ted Captain McKerras to suggest the measure, and he was further influenced hy the conviction, that,since civil lahour could not he j)rocured ie the colony unless at an enormous expense, that of the slave would, after rt>ceiving instructions from the present climatized artificers of the company, he found of great advantage to St. Domingo, and a vast saving to the puhlic. The slave artificer was to receive food, clothing, and barrack acctmimodation, hut no ])ay. Whatever attention may have been paid to the proposal, certain it is, that the company was never recruited by blacks. This probably arose from the island having been abandoned in the autumn of 171)8.^ 'Ihe memorable mutinies in the fleet at Spithead at this ^ Sir Charles Pasley, in the prefatory notes to his work on ' Elementary Forti- fication,' vol. i., p. 4, writes of the inefficiency and niiscondnct of detachments sent on foreign service, and concludes his observations by saying, " I am told in the West Indies, it had actually been proposid to employ negroes as engineer soldiers." If the above is the recommendation Sir Charles alludes to, he has either been misinformed of the reasons for that proposal, or he has mis- taken them, for the detachment was composed of good non-conmiissioned officers, and well-qualified artificers from the Woolwich and Chatham com- panies; and in the discharge of their several duties they gave every satisfac- tion to their officers. The proposal Mas dictated by humanity as well as with a view to the prospective advantage of the public, ;uid in no respect originated in the misbehaviour or inefficiency of the men. 1707.', ItOYAl, SAI'I'KKS AM) MINKIIS. io: timo W(M"(' followed hy tlic rising of soiin' tinjtrln<'l|ilc(| mcti, who, ns t'lniss.irit's of n-volt, travciviMl tiu* comitry rudravoiir- iiii; liy every (Icvicr to ^llak(' tlic allt'filjnwc of the ^olillrry. Md'orfs of tliis kind \v«'n' also attciiiptiMl witii tin* royal iiiilifary arfificrrs, particularly at the jinrts, lnit, licyoiid a few deser- tions, without elleet. Mo.»t of the (companies puliiicly oppo*cd those afjfencies ; hut the IMyniouth e(iu)j)auy iu an es^peeial inniiner diptitijrui-hed itself l»y its ojteu and sicdclier-like activity against their disloyal exertions. The document,' printed l»y theeonipnny and widely eirciilated * A I'opy ot'thf (looimu'iit is siilijoiiicd ;- - IMynioiitli l-iiii's .'tlst May, IT'.tT, \Vi". till- N()ii-c(>iiiini>si(iiu'il ( )Hu'crs Of tlic ('()iii|);iny of Uoyal Military Artiliiirs ami Laliouii i>, Stiitioiu'd at IMyniouth Liiu-s, Cotiu' forward at tlie iinaiiinions riniu-st of tlic Company, to avow at this muiueutuus crisis, onr tinn loyalty, attadinu-nt, and fuKlity to onr most ^:ra cious .S'i/(v/vj^H ami our ('((/(/i////, and soK-mnly dcclaiv onr firm di'ti-nnination to maintain snhordination and disoiplini' to onr otliriMs, with wlntm wt« ha-.c I'vi'ry reason to hv fully satisfied, and n'(|m'st thry will acccjtt tlu-sc. onr m.ist grateful acknowk'df:;mi'nts for tlnir huniane attention towards ns, and heg tluy will let thir our determination be made known to the /I'l'/A/ //covered by the mutineers, who showered upon them sundry articles of barrack furniture ; and then bursting open the doors, fell u})on the party and forced them fron^ the barri- cades. Colonel Farringdon, who was witnessing the progress of the work, felt the shock of the sortie, and at once ordered the company of artificers to be withdrawn to preserve them from further danger. In the course of the morning the Duke of York made his a})pearance, and on promising to give the claims of the regiment immediate consideration, the disaffected were appeased and returned to duty. Already the subject of pay to the Ordnance corps had been under review, but th(J cmeutc at Woolwich hastened the decision up(m it. It was clear that the various allowances — permanent, incidental, and temporary — were insufficient to answer the objects for which they were intended ; and also, that the apj)lication of them from sundry causes was both intricate and difficult. It was therefore recommended to discontinue all extra allow- ances, except a irinall sum. aniuuiUy, for defraying the expense 1797.] IJOYAL SAPJ'ERS AND MINKIIS. lOi incurred in altering clothing : and issuing a rate of pay to all ranks adequate for every ])urpose, which measure Ilis ^fajesty approved in a Warrant dated 2r)th May. A coinjjarison of the military allowances of the artificers prior to the pronndgation of the new Warrant, and the pay sanctioned on 25th May, is suhjoined : — Pay per diem heforo 25111 May, 1797. s. ' iL Sergeant-major Serjeant . Corporal . Artificer . Drummer . Labourer . 2 I 1 o o 7 •) 1) 6 Extras, a- Sergeants. Edwaud Watson, j lloBT. Hutchinson, John Younc;, Ben J. KoBERTs, William Bain, Hugh Kinnaikd, J Captain Charles Hollow ay, Commanding the Royal Military Artificers, &c., at Woolwich. - The greater part of the detachment had been specially employed in mining services at Dover. > Corporals. J ance-Corporals. '•1' M ' i V- ■■ » t'J*t,' I ,'at ii?- lli\ U SI. 1 aj- I'll n: lilSTOin^ OF THE [1798. of dostruction miglit bo carried on successfully. The artifi- cers, with a company from the 23rd regiment and a detachment of royal artillery, commenced the appointed work, and in about four hours laid the locks, gates, and sluices in ruins, burned several gun-boats, and effected an explosion in the basin of the canal that almost demolished it, and drained it dry. In this service the exertions and efficiency of the party may be inferred from the praises bestowed by General Coote upon Lieutenant Brov/nrigg.'' Having thus accom])lished the object of the expedition the troops were ordered to re-end)ark. At the appointed hour, however, the weather had become boisterous, and the violence of the surf rendered it impracticable to reach the shipping. A position was, therefore, taken up on the sand-hills before Ostend, which was strengthened in the night by the military artificers with intrenchments suitable to the occasion ; but on the 20th the Britisii, hemmed in by a nuicli stronger force, were com- pelled after an obstinate contest to surrender themselves prisoners of war. The casualties in the detachment were — killed, two ; wounded, five ; and thirteen, including the wounded, taken prisoners."* The survivors returned to England, and re- joined their companies in March, 1799. In the West Indies the Caribbean company was reduced at the end of the previous year by fever to thirty-three men, who were distributed in ones and twos through diff^erent districts of the conquered islands. None could be spared for active duty without detriment to other services equally important ; and several expeditions were, therefore, undertaken without a mili- tary artifi(!er accompanying them. In some measure to supply the numerous vacancies that had occurred, one corporal and twenty-nine privates embarked in February on board the 'LI on ^ " Lieutenant Bro\vnri;;tr, K.E., in about four hours, made all his arrange- ments, and completely destroyed the sluices ; his mines having, in every par- ticular, the desired effect, ami the object of the expedition thereby attained. ^ * * In Lieutenant Brownrigg, I found inlinite ability and resource : his zeal and attention were eminently conspicuous."— Z"/R/u/t Gazetie, 17 to 21 July, 1798. * ' London Gu/ette,' 17 to -21 .Tuly, 1791S. 1.798.] RC"^\L SAP]»E1{S AXD MINERS. 113 !1 ' Union ' transport iindor Lieutenant T. R. I'Ans, R.E. ; and on their arrival the company was increased to fifty-seven non- commissioned officers and men. On the '20th August the expedition under Lieutenant- General Trigge, whicii included three corporals and eLven men of Lieutenant- Colonel Shipley's com])any, captured the island of Surnaim, which surrendered without resistance. One artificer, John Nancarrow, mason, was accidentally drowned on this service, and this was the only casualty that occurred to the expedition. At St. Domingo the detachment fast wasted away on account of the arduous services of the island and the diseases of the cli- mate ; and on the evacuation of the place in September only two of the company, with Lieutenant II. Morshead, ILE.,^ survived to embark with the troops. Of the original company,, which num- bered forty-seven on its arrival in jVEay, 17i)(i, thirty-six died, seven were invalided, two deserted, and the remaining two' were sent to do duty at Jamaica. In November three sergeants, four corporals, fifty-five artificers, three labourers, and one drummer, total, sixty-six, formed from the party emjjloyed in Portugal, and from artificers of the companies at Ciibraltar, were sent with the force unde*' General Charles Stuart against Minorca. On landing, the Spaniards, without offering any resistance, retired into the town of Citadella., which possesses a sort of fortified enceinte. A battery for a few field-pieces was constructed against it in the night by the artificers under Captain D'Arcy, R.E., and after firing a few shots the place surrendered on the 15th November. Soon after the capitulati(m the detachment was very much dispersed through the island, employed on various ^ This officer was " ordered to the West Indies with two companies of the royal \nilitary artificers: himself and two of the privates only escaped the baleful effects of tlie climate of St. Domingo." — United :icrvii:e ./ounidl, i., 1832, p. 142. * These were Privates Adam Cowan and John Westo. The former was at once appointed sergeant and conductor of stores to Commissary Meek of the Ordnance. After delivering over the stores of the department at .Jamaica to a sergeant of Dutch t-uiigrant artillery, he returned to England, and was dis- charged in April, ISlf!, and pensioned at L'.v. i)\d. a-day. VOL. T. I 1 i\ ■ ■^/' 'ft Ja ':'\\i 114 HISTORY OF TIIK ri798. i 't defensive works ; and on Sir Charles Stuart quitting it, the military artificers remained to restore the fortifications. In January, 1801, the detachment was denominated tiie Minorca company; but in August, 1802, it was witlidrawn, and being disbanded, the men were distributed among the C()nij)anies of the corps at liome and at Gibraltar. During their stay in Minorca it seems that their conduct was not above reproach, nor their services on the works as useful as desired. Sir Charles Pasley has recorded that they were found to be very ineflficient," and ascribes it to their having been selected for the expedition from the Gibraltar companies, which, from circumstances, were for a number of years the worst in the corps. Here, however, it is proper to add, that their inefficiency did not arise from their want of ability and skill as mechanics,'* but from their general irregular behaviour occasioned chiefly by intemperance. Writing of the Gibral- tar companies. Sir Augustus de Butts, in a letter dated 11th July, 1848, says:— '*! cannot speak so confidently of their general conduct, but, on the works, under the eye of their officers, they behaved well, and were very good artificers, particularly the non-commissioned officers." On the compositum of detachmants for foreign duty. Sir Charles Pasley has made some observations which may not inappropriately be introduced here. " When any CNpedition," he writes, " was to be undertaken, the number of royal military artifi^cers required were, in all cases, selected by small detach- ments out of the stationary companies ; and as the commanding engineers at the several fixed stations were naturally averse to parting with their best men, the detachments thus formed for field service were generally composed of the stupidest and least '' Paslej's * Elementary Fortification.' Notes to Preface, p. iv. vol. i. " Several individual proofs could be adduced but two must suffice. Private Evan Roberts, a talented mason, was detached to Malta during the blockade of Valetta, and rendered good service as a foreman under Captain Gordon, R.E. On the formation of the Maltese artificers, he was appointed sergeant i.i one of the companies to prevent his removal to another station ; and Sergeant-major James Shirres, formerly of the Gibraltar companies, from his correct conduct and merit as an artificer, was appointed overseer of works in the royal engi- neer department at Plymouth, in December, 1804. 1799.] ROYAL SAl'PERS AND iMIXKRS. 113 trustwortliy non-commissioned officers, and of tlie most ij^norant, profligate, and abandoned of tlie })rivatcs."" This was, it would appear, the general rule ; but exceptions may fairly bo taken in favour of the detachments forwarded to Toulon. St. Domingo, Halifax, and Ostend, as well as to some of the reinforcements sent to the Caribbee islands. These detachments were not formed of bad men weeded from the different companies, but of non-commissioned officers and privates whose (jualifications and utility as mechanics were unquestionable, and whose conduct was approved. In April and May a corporal and party of carpenters of the Woolwich company were detached to Sevenoaks, and there built temporary wooden barracks for a company of artillery ; a second party was emjdoycd in repairing Falmouth Castle from May to November ; and in the latter month two car})enters and two masons, all privates, were sent to superintend workmen in the erection of fortifications and temporary defences at different places from (Chelmsford to Harwich, in which duty they continued until April 1800. Napoleon, by a series of successes, had gained a firm footing in Egypt, and the subjugation of India was contemplated by the French Directory. As well to thwart the intention, as to stimulate the Turks, the British Government determined to send a milit^iry mission to the dominions of the Sultan to co-operate with the Ottoman army in their hostile movements against the French. The mission being formed of artillery, engineers, and artificers, in all seventy-six persons, under Brigadier-General Koehler, 11. A., embarked in the ' New Adventure' transport in February, but did not sail from England till April. The military artificers, selected by Major Holloway, ll.E., from the AVoolwich coninany, numbered one sergeant — Edward Watson — two corporals, nineteen artificers, and two labourers ; and as Major Holloway had proceeded overland to Constantinople,"' were consequently placed under the orders of " Pasley's ' Elementary Fortification.' Notes to Preface, p. iv. vol. i. '" Brigadier-General Koehler, Major Holloway, and six other officers and geullenien proceeded by the overland route to Constantinople. Three of the I 2 ii r hi 1 116 niSTDRY OF TMK flTOO. Captain Lacy, U.K. On tlio near approach of tlu; 'Adventure' to (jJil)raltar she was partially wrecked. A piastres, about 9/. Phiglish. Having described the per- 1799. J IIOYAL SAIM'KUS AND MINKIIS. 117 (Miiployed in «• (Feet i Tin; various iiltcratioiis and additions to tlio castle until tlie 2nd Dfccndn'r, when tlic nii«sion was suddenly recalled to C'onstantinnpli' ; and landing on the 'Itii. awaiti-d orders to jjroetjtul on ;i ninrc; aetive serviee.'"' At the instance of the Admiralty, a detachment of one sergeant, one corporal, and forty ])rivates, chietiy masons and bricklayers, ahie-hodied men and good artificers, under FJeu- teuant (J. Mann, R.JC. sailed for Gibraltar in May on board th(^ ' Fortitude',' and landed there the following nu)nth. Tlu; party was specially employed in constructing u ci>teru tor naval j)ur- poses, under the military foremanship of Sergeant .I()>e|)h Wood* liead ; and in Octolu'r, IJ^OO, it was incorporated with the Gib- raltar companies. England and Russia having concluded a treaty to send an army to Holland to reinstate the Stadtholder, a corps of 12,000 men, luider Sir Ralph Abercrombie, eud)arked for tiie llelder and li.nded on the 27tb August. Attacluul to this expedition was a party of military artilicers, consistingof one sergeant, two corporals, thirty-five artilicers — seventeen of whom were carpenters — and one drununer, commanded by Lieutenant- (Jolonel Hay, RE. The detachment embarkcul on board the * Amphitrite,' and disembarking with the second division, were present in tbe action of that day. After forming the engineer park near the Helder, about ten men were left o re})air the fort ; and the remainder, divided into brigades of four to each brigade, Ibllowed the troojjs in their forward movement in charge of the intrenching equipment of the expedition, whicb was conveyed in waggons. Early in son of the doliiuiucnt to the Capitau Pucha, iiKiuiries were at once commenced to detect the thief. On the second day after, the marine confessed his guilt to General Koehler, and begged his influence with the Capitan Pacha to save his life. The General did so, but several days elapsed before the affair was dis- posed of During the interval, the General, anxious to prevent the culprit being strangled, expressed some doubts of the culprit's identity ; but in reply to this, the Pacha very handsomely declared his full conviction that the marine IkuI taken the money, as he was certain an Englishman would not tell an untruth. — Wittman's Tntvcis in T'trhc;/, Asi't Minur, d in throwing; small hridfies aeross th(! canals hy means of planking, felled trees, and other chanc*' mat(M*ials. At Alkmaer they constructed sc^veral defensive works ; and on retiring from thence, when? three roads met, they raised, in an incredibly short time, a mound of earth about twelve feet high across the junc- tion, with the view of impeding tlie enemy in their pursuit of the British. None of the military artiHe(M*s were killed or wounded on this service- On the evacuation of Holland in November the detachment rejoin(»d the companies. IIer(», ])erhaps, it would l)t> ])ro])er to allude, in a g(Micral remark, to the practice of ])roviding detachments for foreign service. It will already have been observed, that whenever any expedition was undertaken, resort was invariably had to the royal military artificers for a selection of men to accompany it, suitable to the work nj)on which it was contemplated they should be employed ; but the numbers furnished were always insufficient for the purpose, and no represeutat. '..3 or remon- strances could avail in altering ans of the eoinitry's defence eonijilete, and to aid otln-r nations in opj)o,«in^ the aggressions of an arrogant and unsernpnlons j)ower, than to elleet savings in tla; |)nblie expenditure, he found no dittieuity in eon- Huunnutiug his wishes, and hence arose the royal stalf corps." " (Jli'ig's ' Military History,' xxxvii., p. 'J87. :;'ii '''i It * J 1- ri. ■P. , m iri. IP! 120 HISTOHY OF TE- iJ [1800. 1800.] 'I 1800. Mortality in the West Indies— Rlockade of Malta— Capture of a transport on passage from Nova Scotia — Movements and services of detachments iu Turkey ; attacked with fever — Anecdote of Private Thomas Tayh)r at Con- stantinople—Cruise of expedition to Cadiz— Attack on the city abandoned — Subsequent movements of the expedition; Malta; and re-embarkation for Egypt — Statistics of companies at Gibraltar. From the diminished state of the company in the We:«t Indies, and the impracticability of filHng up the constantly re- curring vacancies by drafts from England, authority was given to the Commanding Engineer in the Leeward Islands, to obtain on the spot, men for the company properly qualified and clima- tized, either by enlistment or transfer from other corps. This led to an immediate incorporation, in April, of one sergeant, twenty privates, and two drummers, from the 43rd and other regiments ; and though the plan was attended with considerable si^ccess, the still greater mortality from fever always kept the company greatly below its establishment. In addition to the rej)eated allusion made to the military artificers in the West Indies, the following statistics of mortality, as far as the same can now be ascertained, affording a tolerably correct idea of the unhealthiness of the climate, and the sufier- ings to which the men must have been subjected, may here not be misplaced. 1800.] KOYAL SAITEKS AND MIXERS. 121 Numlier of l^eatlis 1793 17 1794 C5 1795 19 1796 70 1797 37 1798 12 1799 10 1800 9 Total . 239 The aggregate number of ■ rtificers and labourers sent there from year to year, including those transferred from other corps and enlisted on the spot, amounted to about 3^0. More than two-thirds of the number, therefore, fell victims to the war and the climate ! Many also were ser.L home invalided, several of whom died on the passage, or soon after landing in England. At the close of 1800, the strength of the company did not exceed seventy-eight of all ranks, twenty-two being required to complete it. In February, Private Evan Roberts, an active and intelligent artificer, was chosen from the Minorca company for service at the blockade of La Valetta, and arrived at Malta before the end of the month. From that time until the surrender of the fortress on the 15tli of September, he served in the department with zeal and efficiency under Captain Gordon, R.E. ; and con- tinued, though a private, to discharge the duties of an overseer of works until the formation, in 1806, of the first company of Maltese artificers, to which he was transferred as sergeant. At Halifax, Nova Scotia, three invalids embarked on board the ' Diamond ' transport on the 1 5th of September, with several invalids of Captain R. Wright's company of royal artillery, and sailed with the fleet on the 19th of that month. Previously to weighing anchor. Private Walter Allan was accidentally drowned in the harbour by falling overboard ; and the other two. Privates Ninian Kerr and Samuel Milman, were captured by the French some time in October. But all 1" ;■ If riblr 11^' P^iil 122 HISTORY OF THE [1800. efforts to ascertain where, or liow, the enemy effected the seizure of the vessel with lier crew and passengers, luive proved un- successful. Soon after the removal of the mission from the Dardanelles to Constantinople, Major Fletcher and Captain Lacy, 11. E., were detached to join the Turkish array in Syria. AV^ith these officers two military artificers were also sent, one of whom re- turned from Cyprus with the former officer in April, and the other reached the mission again, some two months later, with Captain Lacy. On the 13th of June, the artificers sailed from Constantinople' with the mission, and landed at Jaffa on the 2nd of July, where they encamped with the Turkish army and conmienced, under the foremanship of Sergeant E. Watson, the improvements suggested hy Major Ilolloway in the fortifications of that port. These, however, thougli far advanced, were ulti- mately set aside, and the artificers were appointed to erect several new works in front of Jaffa ; which, in consequence of the French being in great force at Catieh, were considered to be more essential than the proposed alterations to the defences of the town. With great ceremony, on the 30th of August, the first stone of the intended new bastion was laid by the Grand Vizier ; and shortly after, his Highness having reviewed the mission, marked his approbation of their appearance by a present to each non-commissioned officer and soldier. In December the fever, which had been alarmingly rife in the Turkish camp, attacked the mission. Its first victim was a military artificer ; and before the end of the month, though the cases of mortality were few, the mission had to lament the loss by death, of their commander, General Koehler, K.A., and his lady. Major Ilolloway, R.E., then assumed the command, and * Some time before leaving the city, Private Thomas Taylor, royal military artificers, was, without any provocation, assaulted by a Turk, who attempted to stab him with his yatikan. On a report of this outrage being made to the Capitan Pacha, to whose retinue the Turk belonged, he came to a resolution to have him decapitated. Hy the mediation and entreaties of Lord Elgin, a miti- gation of the punishment ensued, and the Turk, after receiving fifty strokes of the bastinado on the soles of his feet, was sentenced to twenty years' imprison- ment in the college of Pera, to Ic n-n the Arabic lumjuiiijc. — 'Wittman, p. ua. 1800.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MIXKIIS. 12r. at the close of the vear, a chanq;e of cantonment havina; re- establislied the healtli of tlie men, the works at the new bastion progressed vigorously.- In April, a detacliment of one sergeant, two corporals, and thirty artificers, under Captain Bryce, ILK., accompanied the expedition under Sir Ralpli Ahercrombie, for employment on secret service. The men were selected from the different home companies, and all were "sufficiently qualified in their respective trades, as well as able-bodied." Proceeding to Portsmouth, they remained inactive for about six weeks ; and, at length em- harking on board the ' Asia' transport, sailed in June with the expedition. In the Channel off Portland, the fleet encountered a gale, and was driven back to Portsmouth ; but, on a fair wind springing up, got under weigh aaain, and in due time ran uj) the Tagus. From thence the ' Asia' proceeded to Gibraltar, lay there about a month, and sailing for Minorca, soon reached that island and landed the artificers ; where, for about seven weeks, they were employed in the construction of temporary barracks, &c., for the troops put on shore. At the expiration of tliis period, the artificers returned to the ' Asia,' and retrac- ing the route to Gibraltar, anchored for a fortnight. There they were reinforced by one sergeant, one corporal, and five miners of the companies at the fortress ; and at the appointed hour, the ' Asia,' again weighing anchor for Tetuan Ray, took water there and sailed with the fleet for Cadiz. When off Cadiz, the artificers were told off into two bri- gades, and six of the boldest and most expert men were selected to land with the first division, and the remainder with the second. On the morning of the day in which the attempt was to be made, the artificers, as a preliminary measure, removed all the intrenching tools and engineers' stores into the launches, and then took their places in the boats, provided with adzes, pole-axes, and miners' tools for removing impediments, &c. A long interval of breathless suspense followed, in which the seamen rested impatiently on their oars ; but, as an epidemic I ■'■,1 •m ^ Particulars for the most part obtained from Wittman's Turkey,' &c. Travels in H> i'-. J, itJuL i 124 IIISTOKY OF THE [1800. raged at the time with great violence in the city, the landing was countermanded, the men and stores reshipped, and the meditated attack upon Cadiz relinquished. The 'Asia,' conse- quently, sailed for Tetuan Bay, where, exposed to a storm, she was compelled to cut her cable and run for Cape Spartel. There she anchored four days and on the wind shifting again made for the Bay.^ At this rende?;vous the fleet was divided into three divisions, and the artificers accompanied that under Sir Ralph Aber- crombie to Malta. There they were landed ; and after a stay of about seven weeks, during which they were employed pre- paring platforms and fascines, re-embarked on the 17th of December, seven on board the ' Ajax,' 74, Captain the Hon. Sir Alexander Cochrane, and the remainder on board the ' Asia ' transport. Hitherto the service of the expedition had been expended in a series of cruises or reconnaissances alike harassing and wearying, but at length, a glimpse of approach- ing activity burst upon the armament. Soon the enterprise commenced, and terminated with glory to Britain by rescuing an inoffensive nation from the eagle grasp of an oppressive republic. Ever since the incorporation of the Gibraltar companies with the corps, the power to recruit for those companies was vested in the commanding royal engineer at the fortress, and, so far, was exercised with tolerable success. This permission was the more necessary, as, from the frequent calls made upon the home companies to detach parties for the service of particular expeditions, it was impossible, so to attend to those companies as to keep them numerically complete. The effect of that power was, that from the date of the incorporation to the end of 1800, ninety-six artificers had either been enlisted or re- ceived as transfers from regiments inthe garrison ; but from tbf unavoidable exposure of the men to the sun in carrying on their working duties, and the geneial unhealthiness of the climate, the casualties in the companies far exceeded the ' The seven non-commissioned officers and men embarked at Gibraltar to join the expedition, returned to their companies at the fortress immediately after the failure at Cadiz. 1800.] 1800.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. number that joined. Of the increases and decreases in the companies for the above period, the following is an accurate exposition : — Strength at the incorporation, of all ranks . . 255 Joined from employment at the naval reservoir . 36 P'nlisted or transferred from regiments in garrison 96 Total • . 387 The decreases were : — Deaths . 45 Discharges 31 Invalided 38 Desertions 4 118 269 Wanted to complete • 6 Establishment • . 275 V. 41 ll--!- 3 .■> ,^' I ¥ » i t'\ I'l'.'t s uwm m u f m 126 HISTORY OF TPIK 1801. ISOl.] mi 1 tm\ 1 m 1801—1802. Distribution of corps — Dispersion of West India company — Statistics — Detach- ment to St. Marcou — Capture of Danish settlements — Casualties in West India company — Compared with mortality in Gibraltar companies — Working dress — Services, &c., of detachment at Gibraltar— Conduct of Sergeant W. Shirres — (>(mcession to the companies by the Duke of Kent — Cocked hat superseded by the chaco. On the 1st January the corps was distributed in companies and detachments as follows. The names of the officers in command and the senior non-commissioned officers at the several statior.s are also added : — Serfjeant-mnjors. Lient.-('ol. H. Fisher . . John Eaves. Licut.-Col. Thos. Nepean .John Palmer. James Smith, Woolwich . Chatham • Portsmouth Gosport Plymouth . Jersey . . (Juernsey . Dover • Gibraltar . •}col. JohnEvtlegh . J . Maj.-Gen. Alex, Mercer . Capt. John Ilumfrey . . Lieut. -Col. J. McKelcan Alexander Spence. William Browne. Anthony Haig. Andrew Gray. Minorca Lieut -Col. Wm. Fyers Capt. Robert D'Arcy . Capt. Wm. Fenwick . . Joseph Makin. (Sergeant Jas. Shirres, Forc- '{ iitiui of Carpenters. jSergea"t John Catto, Fore- ' \ man of Musons, Lieut.-Col.Chas. Shipley . Sergt.-maj. Matthew H ,ey, (■Sergeant John McArthur, \ Mastcr-Sinith, Jaffa, with the Otto-Kj .^^j, (>, HoHoway j Sergeant Edward Watson, Nova Scotia . . West Indies . Egyptian Expedition Capt. Alex. Bryce man army " I Master- C( irpen ter. The head-quarters of the West India company were at Mar- tinique, from which non-commissioned officers and men were detached to St. Lucia, St. Vincent's, St. Kitt/s, St. Pierre's, the Saintes, Surinam, and Barbadoes, for the purpose of actin"- 1801.] IIOYAL SAITERS AND MINERS. I'J as overseers on the works or for employment on particular services. Tlie establishment of the corps was 975, hut wanting 232 to complete, its strength only amounted to 743 of all ranks. Of this number 403 were abroad and 340 at home. Early in the year a small party of one sergeant, and seven artificers from the Portsmouth and Gos})ort companies were sent to St. Marcou, an island on the coast of France, seven miles east of Cape la Ilogue, to repair the fortifications ; and having accomjdished the service returned to their com})anies in NovembcT. To the expedition which proceeded against the Danish set- tlements in March, under the command of Lieut. -General Trigge, were attached one sergeant-major, two corporals, and twenty privates of the military artificers, who were j)rcsent at the capture of the islands of St. Bartholomew, St. Martin, St. Thomas, St. John, and Santa Croix. The loss in the West India company by fever and other diseases during the year amounted to twenty, whose vacancies were immediately filled up 1 ^' transfers from the line. In May the working dress consisted of a blue cloth jacket with skirts, two serge waistcoats with sleeves, two pairs of blue serge pantaloons, a black round hat, and a pair of half black gaiters. One of the waistcoats and a pair of pantaloons formed the second working dress. The new jacket was made of stouter and better cloth than formerly ; sleeves were added to the serge waistcoats, and the second })air of pantaloons were sub- stituted for the canvas on'-. These improvements were con- sidered equivalent to a linen sliirt, a pair of stockings, and a canvas jacket previously supplied witii the working suit, but which, from this year, ceased to be issued to the corps. At the opening of the year the military artificers with the British mission to Turkey, reduced to fifteen men, were occupied in the erection of the new bastion at Jaffa, which was finished and the guns placed on the })latforms with great pomp on the 27th January. Of the detachment with the mission, two were styled labourers, from their not having been promote' '^i » ■* 4* ■■ '9 ■ It^ it n 1 » 1 'it: M ■J ;■' il •a. ii. 128 HISTORY OF Tin [1801. 1801. n^ Bill the rank of artificers ; and they, when not immediately occnpied on tlie works, a(;ted in the capacity of servants to Major Holloway, R.E. One of tliese lahonrers when out one after- noon some distance from Jaffa, exercising the Major's horses, was attacked by a party of .Arabs on a predatory excursion, by whose fire tlie Major's horse was killed, and the batman wounded with balls and slugs in nine different places. The servant of Major Hope, R.A. was also in the assault ; and by great exertion succeeding in bearing his conn-ade back to the camp. Dr. Wittman, of the mission, with celerity equal to his skill, extracted the missiles and the sufferer speedily recovered.' On the 2nd February, Ca})tain Lacy, K.E., was despatched to El Arish to collect military information, accompanied by a private of the artificers who early fell a sacrince lo the plague that prevailed there. On the 25th of that month, the Ottoman army commenced its march to Grand Cairo, the British mission being attached to the body guard of his Highness the Vizier, mounted on fine horses superbly caparisoned, and attended by Arabs. Passing through Ashdod, the army encamjied for a while at Gaza, where the military artificers were separated into three parties, and attached to the divisions respectively com- manded by the Grand Vizier, Mahomed Pacha, and Taher Pacha ; but it is difficult to record with satisfactory distinctness, the particular services in which they subsequently participated. On the 28th March the army entered the Desert at Kahnyounes, and traversing that arid and inhospitable region for about 150 miles, subjected to occasional deprivation of food and water, to sultry heats and infectious diseases, and frequently com- bating with danger, reached Salahieh on the 27th Api-il, after a tedious and harassing march of thirty-two days. Two of the military artificers diel in the Desert ; and the survivors, who ' Either Private Jonathan Lewsey or Private David Waddell, both of whom acted as servants to Major Holloway, H.E. The former was a powerful man, and remarkable, from the circumstance of his having four thuinhs ! two on each hand in addition to the proper complement of fingers. On the breaking up of the mission at Grand Cairo, these privates returned to England with that officer by tlie overland route. 1801.] ROYAL SAPPRKS AND MINERS. 129 were present at tlie eapture of Salahicli and IJolbcis, and iti the action near the village of Elhanka, entered Cairo on the lltii July. There they were employed during tiie remainder of the year, in renewing the bridge of hoatA acroris the Nile eon- strueted by the Freneh to preserve a eonuuunieatioii with (iizcli, and in repairing the fortifications of the city, until the lUtli February, 1802, when they quitted for Kosetta. JVom this town they were removed to Alexandria, and afterwards to Malta, where, finally embarking for England, they arrived at different periods in the fall of 1802 and spring of 1803." The strength of the detachment on joining the Turki.«ih mission, was twenty-four of all ranks ; eleven only returned ! Of the casualties eleven died of fever or the plague, and two were drowned accidentally. " After a series of })ainful, harassing, and critical events," says the journalist, " the labours of the mission closed ; and the patience, forbearance, and circum- spection of the individuals engaged in this long and perilous service, were manifested on a variety of trying occasion^., which required all the energy inherent in the British military- character."^ Meanwhile the detachment of liie corps witlt the force under the command of Sir Ralph Abercrombie reached ^Marmorieo Bay ; and with the exception of the party on board the ' Ajax,' landed, and prepared a shipload of fascines and g;\]ilons to he used in the intended enterprise. Five of the ' Ajax ' men were employed in different repairs to the vesi-el , and the other two, assisted by a corporal of the i4th regiment, made an elegant double couch of mahogany covered with various beau- tifully marked skins from Rhodes, for the Turkish General Mustapha, which was presented to him by Captain the lion. * Sergeant Edward Watson was the senior non-commissioned officer witli tlie mission; and in consideration of his zeal, ability, and iniiform exemplary conduct, as well in the discharge of his military duties, as in the executive superintendence of the several works undertaken by Major Holloway, lie was promoted, on his arrival in England, to be sergeant-major of t.'ie Woolwich com- pany. For similar reasons Corporal David Pollock was advanced to the rank of sergeant, and appointed master-smith. ^ VVittman's ' Turkey,' p. 395. VOL. I. K i:] 1 t 'i II 1: d ■ i 1 ,i > i . 1 ■'< m r-^t m 1 It' i 130 HISTORY OF THE riBoi. Aloxandor Cochnmo, H.N. Ontho 17tli Fehnuiry tlu; ttect sot sail for Ej^yi)t, and ruinrmg into Alunikir Bay on tlie 1st March, tlio troo]>.s landt'd on tlic 7tli. and then foUowod a display of invincible ardour and bravery on the ])art of the British, that ch(>cked France in her career of success and turned all her glorious Egyptian eoncjuests into painful disasters and capitulations. AVith the first division were Ian .led the seven artificers of the ' Ajax,' who were present in the action of that morning ; and eight hours afterwards, commenced to trace the necessary works for besieging Aboukir (kstle. Next day the remainder of the detachment landed from the ' Asia ' transport, and dispersed in small parties of about four each to tlu; several brigades of the army, advanced to Alexandria. Under the direction of their officers, the ' Ajax ' artificers superintended the construction of batteries for eleven guns and three mortars in front of Abouku*, laying all the platforms themselves, and restoring, when damaged by the enemy's fire, tlie cheeks of the embrasures which were formed by a double row of sand-bags backed or strengthened by a row of casks filled with earth, a plan suggested by Major M'Kerras, R.E., previously to his being killed ; but which was not again resorted to, during the subsequent operations of the campaign. On the 19th March the castle surrendered. On the heights of Alexandria, the artificers with the column under Sir Ralph Abcrcrombie, superintended the erection of batteries and redoubts of sand-bags, fascines, and gabions, which formed a strong line of defence from the sea to Lake Maedie. The Aboukir party joining on the 20th, also assisted in the works until tlieir completion. Unable, from being un- armed, to take an active part in the battle of Alexandria on the 21st March, they occupied themselves in the essential duty of carrying shot, shell, and ammunition to the artillery and the troops. After the battle the military artificers had the charge, under their officer?,, of renewing the works on the heights, and when completed were appointed to aid in effecting the inundation of I t-.t ■ 1801.J IIOYAI. SAlM'EItS AM) MINKIfS. i;;i ,1 ])()rti()n of tlio cnmitry. This wns .•icc()Tnj)lisIi(Ml by cutting seven cliannels in tlit dyki) of the eannl of AIexiui(h'i«i, through wliich the waters of Lake Ahouif Lake Ahonkir. Across the Nile they suhsecpiently threw a hridge of boats, to facilitate the coinnunjication between Alexandria and Kosetta, re-forniinq it when swej)t away by the rapidity of the current ; and afterwards they constructed a similar bridge across the oj)enings in the dyke of the canal of Alex- andria foi' the convenience of tlie shipping. Four of the artificers who were at the; siege of the castle of Abouk'r were attached to tlie brigade under Colonel Spencer, and served at the re'luction of Rosetta, Fort St. Julian, against which they constructed batteri(\s for two guns and two mortars, Elhamet, Alkam, and Rahnianieh. Shortly afterv, ^nls they })roceed(;d to Grand (Jairo and were present at its surrender on the 27th June. A brief interval elapsed, when they returned to Alexandria, by the Nile, in tlie dgerms which contained the field equijnnent of the detachment. On reaching Alexandria, the entire detachment was divided into two parties, one under Captain Bryce, the chief engineer, and the other under Ca})tain Ford, 11. F. ; and were subsequently present at the siege of the castle of Marabout, the taking of Redoubt de Bain, and at the final fall of Alexandria on the 27th August. No casualties in killed and wounded are re- ported to have taken jdace among the men during the cam- paign ; and though no particular testimony to their merits appears to have been recorded, from he circumstance of their being so few in number, and from the absence, of prominent occasions of exhibiting their zeal and efficiency, arising from the enemy capitulating and surrendering many of bis works without resistance, still they were permitted, in conunon with the other troops that served in Egypt, to wear the device of the Sphinx on their a])pointmcnts. A like honour was also conferred upon the artificers who served with the mission to Turkey. Immediately following the capture of Alexandria, an expe- ' I K- '2 I 13'J IIISTOllY OF THE [ IHU'J. (lltloii was Hout to KIIki, uikIlt Admiral Lord Keith and (it'iirral Sir lOyro Cooto. Fivt* military artificers were attached to it on hoard the ' Am|)hitrite' traiij^ijort, uiidiT the orders of (Japtaiii Hircli, R.K. ; hut when hetweeii Uiiodes and Candia, an Mnglish nian-ot-vvar hrought intelliycnce of peace to F.ord Keith, and the descent upon the island was relincpiished. Thereupon the ' Ainphitrite ' sailed for Malta, \vh(M*e the arti- fic(!rs remained for six weeks, employed in repairing the for- tifications. During this ])criod tlujy were joined hy otlu'r- of the detachment from Alexandria, and re-emharking, arrived in England in Fehruary, 1802. The residue of tlu; detachment, detained for a while at Alexandria and Malta watching the develoj)ment of events, reacluMl th(3se shores in August, 1803. On the Duke of Kent heing a])pointed Governor of Gihral- tar, his first care was to introduce some wholesome regulations for diminishing the drunkenness and crime so prevalent in the garrison. Stringent measures were therefore adopted with regard to the sale of liquors and wines in the canteens, scru- pulous attention was paid to the appearance of the men in the streets, and drill and discipline were rigorously enforced. These reforms, however, were received with much discontent ; and on Christmas-eve of 1802 the stifled feeling of insubordi- nation broke out into uuitiny. In this cincute the greater part of the artificers took an un- equivocal but unimportant part. The Duke's new rules inter- fered more essentially with the practices and indulgences of the companies, than with any other troops in the garrison. Besides being subjected to the general rigours imposed on the troops, the artificers were deprived of the privilege of working privately in the town, and were once a week taken from the command of their own oflScers, and drilled and disciplined by the Town ^lajor. These innovations upon old usages {)roduced considerable disaffection in the com})anies, and many of the more reckless and turbulent were not backward in ranging themselves on the side of the mutineers. Joining a party of the Royals at night, at the Town Range Barracks, they ])ro- ceedcd in company to the South Barracks, where, on approach- ISO'J.J UOYAL SAI'rF';US AM) MIXKKS. 133 inj^ to in.iko arr.in<;omonts for a siinult.uioous risinp, tlir ISth lloyal Irisli Urcd upon tlii'iii, with no iicttor result tli.iu tcirin*^ tlio foutluT from tho liat of one of tlu* j)rivato.s of tlii» artificiTS. This hannh's.s voUoy, howovor, liad tho elli'ct of cooling tlio ardour of the nuitiiiocrsi, and tho vchA artificers hcconiing tran(i:iil, returned lionie; l)ut on tlic Saturday following, an- otlicr and mon; decided cxhihition being (v\j)ected, tlu' oflicers of engineers met at tho barrai-ks, to endeavour to prevent any co-operation with th(^ mutineers. Meanwliile the companies received tlieir working pay, an(' all restrictions being taken off the canteen, the intemperance that followed soon rendered the men too insensible to discharges any duty efrectually, either for the Crown or the mutineers. During the night a strong party of the 25th regiment aj)peared at the gates to demand the services of the companies, but Sergeant William Shirres, as- sisted by a small guard of the cor|)s, closed and daringly held the gates against the violent ri'bels, and prevented any comnm- uication with the barracks. Without entering further into the j)rogress of the mutiny it will be sufKcient to add, that it was soon suppressed, and three of the ringleaders of the 25th regiment were shot on the Grand Parade by sentence of a general court-martial. A few days afterwards, the Duke of Kent ordered tho com- panies to be specially paraded for his inspection. Having ])assed down tho ranks and moved to the front, his Royal Highness addressed them. He a])peare(l to have been in- formed that the artificers had joined with the Royals and 25th regiment in their intemperate disjday ; but added, that he felt every reluctance to give credenete to the report, and also made some complimentary allusions to the services of the companies at the fortress. He then dc.«lred to know if th(>re were any complaints, in order, if reasonable, to adjust them. The men, thereupon, having stated their wish that bis Royal Highness would })ermit them to be drilled by their own officers, he directed the Town Major to manceuvre the companies. Carefully the Duke watclied the firelock exercise and the execution of the IJ t i **• 'I ! I I ■ 1, -: ' f i ! '■ I ... 134 IIISTOKY OF THE [1802. ( I various evolutions, and, expressing his satisfaction with their a})pearance and drill, granted their request. This year the cocked hat, worn since 1797, was superseded by the eliaco, similar in size and shape to the one commonly adopted in the army. The white heckle feather worn with the cocked liat was retained. See Plate IX. In time this de- scription of chaco lost its uj)right lines for one which, approach- ing a cone in shape, was called the "sugar-loaf cap." The latter, again, was superseded by another in 1813, which, from its peculiar form, was familiarly styled the " bang-up." 1803.] IIOYAL bAPI'ERS AND MINERS. 135 1803—1805. Party to Ceylon — The treaty of Amiens broken— Gtate of West India company — Capture of St. Lucia — Tobago — Demerara, Essequibo, and IJerbice — Works at Spike Island — Capt.ire of Surinam — Conduct of Private George Mitchell — Hatavian soldiers join West India company— Fever at (Jibraltar — Consequent mortality — Humane and intrepid conduct of three privates — Invasion of England — Works at Dover — Jersey — Chelmsford -Martello towers at Eastbourne — Bomb tenders at Woolwich — Recruiting — Volunteers from the Line and Militia — Treaty of St. Petersburgh — Party to Naples — Ditto to Hanover. Lieutenant-Colonel Bridges having been appointed com- manding Royal Engineer in Ceylon, he applied for a detachment of the military artificers to accompany him to that station. The requisite sanction being procured, six artificers, comprising one corporal, two carpenters, one mason, one bricklayer, and one smith, embarked for the East in January. The precise object of despatching so small a party to so distant a settlement cannot now be learned, but every care was taken to chot)se men for the service whose activity and abilities as craftsmen were well known, and whose conduct was unexceptionable. "Select," says the order to the officer called upon to furnish the ])arty, "such men as you would prefer if going on the service your- self." In June the party arrived at Trincomalee, but what specific services were })erformed l)y them in the colony it would bo idle to conjecture. Before the autuum of 18()(), four of the men died, but the other two held uj) against the climate till 1815, when one left for England and was discharged,' and the other died in April, 1817. ' John We' lace. It is related of him that he was lost sight of for many months, and his appearance at Woolwich gave rise to as much surprise as his person to doubt. All traces of the original man hud worn away, and from the 1^- m:, !'l I ■ .. a.. i I'll 11!! 'li; !j ,■ 136 UlSTOKY OF THE ■ 18U3. The treaty of peace between France and Great Britain was signed on the 27th March, 1802, and hailed everywhere with exultation. Soon, however, Buonaparte began to exhibit a sj)irit at variance with the solemn engagement, and his irre- pressible ambition forced him to seek occasions for gratifying it. Increased power and dominion were the engrossing objects of his genius ; and, singular as it may appear, states and republics fell under his sway without his lifting a sword to conquer them. All this transpired while yet the burst of joy at the peaceful negotiation was ringing in the courts of Europe ; but Great Britain, though a sullen spectator of these events, caring more to be blamed for reluctance than impetuosity, at length interfered, and the result was, that war was declared vitli the French republic on the 18th May, 1803. At that })eriod the company stationed in the West Indies had nearly reached its establishment ; and, as the sickness, so rife in former years, had greatly lessened both in malignity and extent, the general health of the men had much improved. So keen was Lieutenant-Colonel Shipley about maintaining his company complete, that whenever a death occurred or an arti- ficer quitted the station through ill-health, he invariably applied direct to the general officer in command of the troops, to order a tradesman of approved analification and conduct to be trans- ferred to it from the line. Alike interested in the efficiency of the company, the general officer always acceded to his request ; and the company, consequently, was in excellent condition for affording etfectivc co-operation in any active service. Intelligence of the renewal of hostilities soon reached the West India islands, and an expedition was forthwith prepared to be employed in the ca})ture of St. Lucia, under the command Of General Grinfield and Connnodore Hood. To this force were attached one sergeant-major, three sergeants, five corporals, 1803.] oddness of liis dress, and peculiarity of his luanneri, the task of recognition was rendered still more perplexing. l':\'entually, satisfactory proofs of his identity being obtained, he was again acknowledged and discharged on a pen- sion of Is. (Jd. a-day, his service in the corps having exceeded thirty-three years. 1803.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 137 and sixty-eight privates of the military artificers, who were engaged, on the 22nd June, in the storming of Morne Fortune and taking of St. Lucia. Corporal William Dyson was killed at the storrar but of the wounded, no particulars exist. Of the services of Colonel Shipley and his company in this capture, the General, under date of June 22nd, thus wrote : — " To Lieutenant-Colonel Shipley and the royal engineers, he is indebted in a IuitIi degree for assistance and })rofessional advice." ^ In July the same company was present at the capitulation of Tobago, which surrendered without bloodshed to the forces under General Grinfield. " Great praise," says the General in his orders of the 1st July, " is also due to the alertness and readiness of the royal artillery and royal artificers in their embarkation and disembarkation, both of themselves, ordnance, and stores, and for their attention to their discipline and duties."" In the following September, Colonel Shipley, with one ser- geant-major, tb^'.e sergeants, one corporal, and thirty-three privates, were attached to another expedition under the same General, and were present at the capture of the colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice. Like Tobago, these islands surrendered without resistance. At each of the subju- gated settlements and at Trinidad, a small party was left to carry on the current services and improve the defences. The head-quarters still remained at Martinique. During the year the deaths in the company did not exceed twelve men ; and its strength at the end of the year was eighty-seven of all ranks, of whom only eight were ineffective from sickness. Early in the year Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles IloUoway was appointed commanding royal engineer at Cork, and at once commenced a minute examination of the fortifications under his charge. These were found to be defective, inasmuch as they did not sufficiently command the surrounding country * In the ' London Gazette,' 2() to 30 July, 1803, this corporal is, by mistake, returned a sergeant. ^ ' London Gazette Extraordinary,' August 15, 1803. * Ibid. * I I- , :?a. i 138 HISTORY OF THE [1804. and harbour. Sir Cliarles, therefore, among many works which he suggested for the defence of the district, projected an extensive fort for Spike Island to be erected on the site of Westmoreland Fort, which was to be demolished. Authorized to carry his plans into execution, he applied and obtained in October, the services of an efficient detachment of tradesmen, consisting of a sergeant, and master mason, thirlcen artificers, and one labourer of the Woolwich company, to aid in destroy- ing the old fort and in erecting the proposed new one. As the works progressed and their completion was pressed, the detiich- ment, in December, 1804, was augmented to thirty-eight non- commissioned officers and artificers ; and in January, 1805, to a full company of one hundred strong, under the denomination of the " Spiuc Island Company." Between five and six thou- sand civil mechanics and labourers were daily employed at the fort, over whom, to a certain extent, were placed the non-com- missioned ofiicers of the company, as masters of the respective trades, or foremen of particular portions of the work. Arrangements for an expedition against Surinam having been perfected, Major-General Sir Charles Green and Com- modore Hood sailed there in April. Lieutenant-Colonel Ship- ley, R.E., as also one sergeant-major, two corporals, twenty privates, and one drummer of the artificers accom])anied it, the rest of uie company not being availaole for the service in con- secjuence of being greatly dispersed through the different islands. Surinam being very difficult of a])proacli, Lieutenant-Colonel Shipley, on the 29th April, went on shore to procure tidings with respect to the best means of reaching the settlement. On returning, he reported that a body of troops might be conducted to the rear of Forts Leyden and Frederick Accordingly, twenty of the military artificers with side arms and felling axes, ten of the 6th West India regiment similarly provided, a detachment of 140 men of the G4th regiment, and about thirty seamen, all under Brigadier-General Hughes, lauded on the night of the 2yth, and ])roceeded through almost impassable woods, led by negro guide?, to the i)lace of assault. After five hours' laborious marching, the stormers arrived near the 1804. j Green, 1804. j ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINEPtS. 139 rear of Frcderiei Battery, which was gallantly taken, as was also Fort Leyden soon after ; and Surinam surrendered on the 5th May. " No obstacle," says the des})atch of Sir Charles Green, " could damp the enterprising spirit ol' our seamen and soldiers. They underwent great fatigue in executing these works, which, however, lliey cheerfully submitted to imder Lieutenant-Colonel Shipley, who, as usual, was unceasing in his exertions."^ Severe as the storming is det bribed to have been, only three soldiers were killed ; of whom one was a military artificer,'' Private James Connolly, at the assault of Fort Ley- den. Of tlie number wounded, no official account has been traced. Private George Mitchell, represented as a highly meritorious soldier, distinguished himself in the assault, as, indeed, did the whole of the detachment. As well on the march as in the two successive assaults, he was conspicuous for his perseverance, promptitude, and bravery, and was severely wounded by the side of his officer. Lieutenant J. R. Arnold, R.E., who led the storm, when entering Frederici with the foremost troops. For his services on this occasion he was promoted to be corporal, and subsequently for the same reason to the rank of sergeant. lie also received a present from the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's, in testimony of the opinion entertained of his services.' On the reduction of the island the Batavian troops were released from their former allegiance, and were at liberty to become either citizens in Surinam, or soldiers in his Britannic Majesty's forces ; but the barren and uninviting prospects that a captured country presented preventing many from settling, they readily offi3red to enrol themi.elves under the British standard. Availing himself of the opjiortunity, Lieutenant- i:;!'j;ii I Ml : 'i ■If fj 5 ' London Gazette,' 19 to 23 June, 1804. " Ibid. ' In the subsequent campaigns of the West Indies he behaved equally meri- toriously ; and in garrison and the workshops always coiulucted liimself well, besides being an excellent mason and foreman, no artificer in the service, per- haps, had a better practical idea of mining, in which he signalized himself at the destruction of Fort Desaix. Martinique. After sixteen years' arduous service iu the West Indies, he was sent to Woolwich and discharged in July, 1814. r,{t AmkL 14J lllSTOUY OF THE [18(4. 1804.] k' I Colonel Shipley acceptod the services of seventeen Hatavian artificers and enlisted them for the company. Fourteen death.s .vere reported in the company during the year; and on the 31st December its strength was eighty-eight of all ranks. A fever of a very malignant character appeared at Gibraltar in Aucjust, and continued its ravaa;es during the autumnal months. Brought in by a foreigner, who took up his abode in the vicinity of the married tjuarters of the royal artillery, the disorder was soon communicated to the latter ; and, by the end of September, it spread with a rapidity only equalled by its virulence. Ere long the whole fortress was infested by the pestilence : and, as if to render the calamity more awful, it was preceded by an earthquake, which agitated the whole rock. Out of a population computed at 10,000, Including 4,000 troops, no less a number than 5,946 died between the 1st Sep- tember and 31st December. So great a mortality in so short a period is unexam})led in the history of that fortress.^ The two com})anies of artificers in the garrison were early visited by the epidemic and but few comparatively escap'd. Of those who were fortunate enough to bear up successfully against the disease, it was ascertained that the chief part had previously Luffered from yellow fever in the West Indies. The artificers' barracks at Ilargraves' Parade were a considerable distance from the locality where the disorder originated, anu consequently, for a time, were free from fever ; but several of the men having been employed in attending the sick civil master artificers of the department, at their awn homes in the town, and the mirried families of the companies having unrestrained access to the Parade, infection was thus communicated to the sincle men in barracks ; and the effect M'as seen too late to adopt any sanitary measures or restrictions to prevent its ingress. In August three men died, and in September ten, whilst the numbers affected by the malady were very consider- able. By the beginning of October the fever had extensively spread ; and all work in the engineer department being sus- pended, the companies were confined to barracks, and the ^ Sir James FoUowl'S ' On tlic Ftver of Audaliisia.' families the tow I preserve Vista. disorder few days that had mournfu a prey fever se Deceml) to be fi compani of the vi strength military than an; Ami( naturall possible men of '. services interest( few me but the tion in seem t( therefor merits i Privi " Acco into liosp James ha 1 .'tween take win in the in: '" Tlii work, ' C 1804.] ROYAr. BAITERS AND MINERS. 141 families in quarters jjrohibitwl from a;'j»caring in the streets of the town unless from urgent necessity. Soon afterwards, to preserve their health, they were removed into camp at Beuna Vista. Nothing, however, could arrest the advance of the disorder : gloom and horror hourly increased, and in a v(?ry few days the sickness at the encani])ment far exceeded anything that had occurred at Ilargravijs". By the end of the month a mournful diminution had taken })lace, ninety men having fallen a prey to the epidemic ! In November, })rovidentially, the fever sensibly waned, and only twenty-three men died ; and in December, after carrying off four more men, its inHuence ceased to be felt at tlie fortress. At the approach of the disease the companies mustered 2(33 of all ranks ; but by the termination of the year loO had died ; thus reducing the comj)anies to the strength of 133.^ Here it may be added, that the royal military artificers lost during the fever more men proportionally than any regiment or cc^s in the garrison."^ Amidst so much mortality great alarm and irresolution naturally prevailed ; and whilst many excusably avoided all possible contact with the infected, there were not wanting men of humanity and courage to volunteer their attentions and services to the sick and dying. Several instances of signal dis- interestedness could be recorded, pnd the names of not a few mentioned, who fell a sacrifice to their generous zeal ; but the following men, by their exertions and unshaken devo- tion in the discharge of the onerous offices assigned to them, seem to have been regarded with peculiar admiration, and therefore deserve whatever notice can be accorded to their merits in these pages. Private John Inj^'is performed the important duty of orderly fiU. M I * According to Sir James Fellowes, 229 men of the companies were admitted into hospital with the fever, of whom 10(5 recovered, and 12.3 died ; but as Sir James has omitted the statistics for Aiigvist in his tables, the apparent disparity b jtween the two accounts is reduced to the trifling ditference of -t only, a mis- take wliich, doubtless, occurred from some inaccuracy or accidental omission in the information furnished to Sir James from the Ordnance Hospital records. '" This statement is borne out by Sir James Fellowes. See p, 45U of his work, ' On the Fever of Andalusiu' ill 142 rirsTORY OF THE [1S()4. 1S04.1 •f> ! ;Pr ! to the nick in tlic liosjutiil at, Wiiidniill-hlll, and to assiduous attention united marked kindness and tenderness, slu'inkinir from no diffieulty and dreading no danger. J)uring the fatal month of (X^tober his vvatciifuhiess and exertions were incessant, and liis patienf^e and humanity were as conspicuous as his fortitude. Private James Lawford undertook the melantijoly service of receiving tlic dead, botli for the artificers and the artillery, and conveying them to the hurying-ground near the (arand Parade. Horrible and hazardous as was this duty, he persevered in its performance with a coolness and intrejudity that was perfectly amaznig. Private James Weir was the princinal gravedigger, and attended to his appointment with unflinching ardour and self- possession. Surroundiul l)y the pest in its worst forms, and iidialinir the worst effluvia, he never for a moment forsook the frightful service, but laboured on, inspiriting those who occa- sionally assisted him, until the necessity for his employment no longer existed." An attem])t at invasion being daily expected from the Frencli, earnest attention was turned to those parts of the coast of England upon which the descent would probably be essayed. Immense sums of money were accordingly placed at the dis- posal of the officers of engineers to carry into effect whatever projects might be approved for rendering the shore defences more secure. Increased exertions were, therefore, made in strengthening the permanent fortifications, enlarging the de- fences of Dover and Chatham, constructing batteries at various points, building temporary barracks along the coast, and studdins our shores with martello towers. ^^ " What was most extraordinary connected with these daring fellows, was the fact, that throughout the epidemic, they enjoyed the most rohust health ; but, after its cessation, fearing that they were loaded with infection, and that a sudden transition to the garrison again would cause the fever to return, the authorities deemed it prudent to send the hearse-driver and gravediggers to camp at Beuna Vista, where, after about two months' quarantine, they were permitted to rejoin their companies. '2 ' United Service Journal,' i., 184.5, p. 483. IM04.] ROYAL aAPPERS AND MINERS. 113 liosidos using all vigilance and exertion at tlie diilerent p^rts where tlie royal military artificers >vere stationed, in further- ance of the general Inisiness of pn'pai'ation and defence, detach- ments of the corps were constantly on the route from one ])lace to another, erecting temporary or permanent works. In Aj>ril, at the suggestion of Major-General Twiss, then conunnnding royal engineer in the Southern District, tlie party at Dover was much increased to assist in forming casemates in certain posi- tions of the works on the western luMghts, hy which to remedy the defects in the original constructicm. At Jersey, in the same month, every precaution was t^ikcn to render the island capahle of resisting any encroaclnnent from its turbulent neighbours ; and all the batteries and forts, as far as j)racticable, were manned w-ith ordnance. In the execution of this service corporal and master-carpenter Daniel Brown, described as " a worthy man and a useful artificer," was killed by a fall from the toj) of Platte llocq Tower. In Septeinber a small party was detached to Chelmsford, and superintended, under the direction of Captain G. Whitmore, 11. E., the constructicm of a chain of temporary field-works, ccm- sisting of intrenchraents, batteries, and redoubts, from Wood- ford Windmill to the windmill at Gallywood Common, a distance, by the line of works, of about two miles and a half. Variorb regiments of militia provided their contingents to execute these works, in which they were assisted by detach- ments from the royal waggon train and royal staff corps. About the same time another party was despatched to East- bourne to aid in building the circular redoubt there, as also in erecting several martello towers on the coast, at points best suited to protect our shores. Fluctuating In strength according to the general emergencies of the service, t'\o detachment con- tinued to work in the Eastbourne district until the summer of 1817, when, after assisting in the erection of all the towers as far as Rye Bay on the one side of Eastbourne, and Seaforth on the other, it quitted the district and the men composing it re- joined their companies. At Woolwich, during the later months of the year, parties I y,. ^^H'l r'H'^ '4^' I'l !' ■I I' • B' '. I I I I 144 m STORY OK THE [180,^ were specially cng;ij;o(l in preparing and fitting out bomb tenders for tlio Channel fleet, by casing their magazines, making raeics for shot, and execnting sneh other precautionary services as would insure them from explosion and destruction in action. Nor should the efforts made to carry on the recruiting with success be overlooked, since the steps taken were chiefly induced by the s})irit of the times, and the anticipated wants of the coming war. In the ])revious year, after the treaty of Amiens was signed, the recruiting was sus])endcd ; but in June, 18()H, it was resumed with an energy that promised to yield an abundant result. In addition to the old stations, several new ones were opened for obtaining candidates, and the btmnty for recruits was increased to 14/. 3s. ikl. each ! whilst the reward to the soldier, to stimulate him to exertion and vigilance, was augmented to Al. 145. Gd. ! The former levy money was ten guineas, but the improved premium amounted to nineteen guineas. Notwithstanding the great demand for men, however, every care was taken to receive none in the corps who were not in every particular fully equal to its various duties ; and the officers employed on the service were specially enjoined to engage such men only as were "stout made, able-bodied, well- limbed, healthy, and active, of good character, and good abili- ties as tradesmen ; not over 30 years of age, nor under 5 feet 6 Inches in height." Under these restrictions, and as the call for mechanics in civil life was loud and pressing, only 53 artificers were received and approved of this year, leaving at its close 351 men to complete the corps to its establishment of 1,075. No better success attended the recruiting in the year 1805. Full employment was offered by the country to every artisan disposed to handle his tools, and the sources of enlistment, therefore, were almost choked up. In this extremity, as the cor})s was very much below its establishment, application was made to the difi'erent regiments of mihtia for candidates; and the effect was, that 134 volunteers— all tradesmen and miners iHor,.] IJOYAf. SAPrKRS AND MIN'IIKS. 145 — joined tho artificers in April and May, from forty-six regi- ments. After a short interval, a similar application was madii to the Horse Gnards to allow artisans from the line to enter the eorj)s. His Uoyal Highness the Dnke of York, af«pii- eseing in the proposal, conveyed his (-(mimands on tlie (Sth July to every hattalion in the service, hotli at home and abroad, to have volunteers, to the numher of two carpenters and three bricklayers from each, transferre»l to the military arlitieers. iiy this arrangement the cor])s, which was 112 men inarnvir of its establijfhment wh(>n the order was pronudgated, was rendered complete by the end of the year. I'o (Nich volunteer received was ])aid a bounty of ten guineas. 'Vhr. total ninnbcr of re- cruits and men transferred from the line and militia during the year amounted to 4^J5. I'^illing up the corps in this manner was highly prejudicial to its best interests and general effici(>ncy, so far as the transf(M's from the regiments of the line were concerned. Officers of those regiments were naturally averse to parting with their good men, and out of a batch of volunteers the fivi; h-ast repu- table in every battalion, unless Ui'.der extraordinary circum- stances, were selected to he transfei'red. To prevent the reception of objectionable men, every ])i ecaution was takc^n by the officers of engineers appointed to this duty ; but, with all their circumspection, some of the most abandoned characters were passed into the corps. With the different militias, how- ever, this was not the case. All the volunteers were unre- serv(!dly surrendered to the recruiting-officer, who was at liberty to pick from the number those whom hv desired, and subject them to whatever examination he pleascnl before accepting them. In this way some of the ablest mechanics and nuiny of the best-conducted men and finest-looking soldiers joined the corps, and their behaviour and usefulness in after service fur- nished the best test of the advantages derived by receiving volunteers from the militia.''' '^ This observation would appear to clash with the remarks of Sir Charles Pasley (note f, p. xvii. ' Elementary Fortification') upon the impropriety of enlisting militia-men; but after carefully tracing the history of many volun- teers from that arm, the fact cannot be concealed that the transfers alluded to VOL. I. L 146 HISTORY OF THE [1806. England bad not yet taken nny active measures against rninci', hu.sicd as slie was in endeavours to ])r{)tect her own shores ; but as soon us the Powers of Kurope bad formed them- selves into a eoalition, under treaty signed at St. Petersburgh on the llth April, to clicek the ))r()gresH of Buonaparte, the T3riti>b (lovernincnt lost no tiiiit; in giving cfTcct to the engage- ment. Accordingly, in that mouth, ii body of trooj)s under Sir James (.^raig embarked for the Neajxtlitan States to join with the Hussiaus in expelling the French. To this expedition was at- tached a j)artyof one sergeant, one corporal, and thirteen artificers of the Woolwich comj)auy, under the coinnmnd of Captain C. Lefebure, K.E., and they landed at ^Naples in November. Here they remained inactive until the 19th January, lb06, when, from the defection of the Russians, it was deemed prudent to withdraw the troops and ])roceed to Messina, where the military artiliccrs landed on the 18th February, ISOd. In October, another force was sent to Hanover, under Lord Cathcart, which, after achieving the liberation of that state, was destined to advance into Holland for the same purpose. One sergeant, one corporal, and fourteen privates of the Chatham company, under Caj)tain J. F. liirch, ll.E., accompanied tlu" expedition and landed in Swedish Pomerania the same month ; but, by the time the force was prepared to enter into the eon- test, affairs were on the change ; and Buonaparte having gained the brilliant victory of Austerlitz, the treaties of Presburg and Vienna followed, putting an end to the war, and leaving England alone an enemy to France. Unable, without assistance, to re-establish the independence of Hanover and Holland, Lord Cathcart's army returned to England early iu 1806, and the detachment of artificers rejoined the Chatham company in February of that year. were decidedly beneficial to the corps. The best sapper, miner, and pontoneer, that ever served in the corps — perhaps the bust in Europe — was a militia-nian ; and the name of Jonkin Jones, the faithful and zealous sergeant-major under Sir Charles Pasley at Cliatham, now quartermaster, need only be mentioned, to verify the asiertiou and to corroborate the encomium. Quartermaster Hilton, the eflBcient sergeant-major to the corps in France under Sir James Carmichael Smyth, had also been in the militia. 1806.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 147 I«06. First detachment to the Cape of Good Hope — Mislbrtunes at Buenos Ayrei — Reinforcement to Gibraltar— Services at Calabria — Formation of Maltese military artificers — hurense of pay to royal military artificers — Augmen- tation to the corps and reorganization of the companies— Jstablishroent and annual expense — Working pay— Sub-Lieuteuauts introduced— indiscipline and character of the corps. In August oftlio j)revious year, an oxpodition under Sir David Baird sailed against the Cape of Good Hope, to wliic'; were attaclicd one sergeant, two corporah, and seventeen artificers of the Plymouth eoni])any under Captain J. C. Smith, R.E., who emharked on board the ' Melantho ' transport. The artificers landed on the 4th January, 1806, with the artillery, and marched and encamped with them in the field ; but Sir Divid Baird, conceiving that their services would be more beneficial in the castle after its capture, than in action, would not permit them to take part in the operations. They therefore halted about a quarter of a mile to the right rear of the position, and there remained until tlu^y marched with the troops into the castle. Ever since tliis capture, a detachment of the corps of varying strength, has been employed in the colony, not only at Cape Town, but at many posts and forts at a considerable dis- tance inland and upon the frontiers. Two privates of the Cape detachment under Captain Ken- nett R.E., sailed in April with the force under General Beresford against Buenos Ayres. Landing at Point de Quil- mes on the 25th June,' they were present at the surrender of the city on the 27th following. After a time the Spaniards, ' ' London Gazette Extraordinary,' September 13, 1806. L 2 m 51 ^> Jul i ! '■ fi'i 148 HISTORY OF THE [1800. recovering from the panic which lost them the capita^ retook it with signal success, and those of the British not killed, were taken prisoners. Captain Kennett was among the former, and one of the artificers was wounded. On the loss of their captain, the two men were attached to the artillery and served in the action of the 12th August, 1800, under Captain Alexander Macdonald, K.A. : they sul)S(>quently were taken prisoners and remained so until January 1808, when they returned to Eng- land with the forces under General \\'hitelocke. To supply the casualties at Gihraltar occasioned by the fatal fever of 1804, a detachment of 133 artificers,^ under Captain II. Evatt, R.E, embarked on the 31st December, 1805, and landed at the fortress in February following. The strength ot the companies was thus increased from 174 to 307 of all ranks. Sir John Stuart, who commanded the army in Sicily, now undertook, at the solicitation of the Coiu't of Palermo, an ex- pedition against the French in Calabria. The detachment of artificers at Messina, reduced to twelve in number, furnished ten men, under (Japtain C. Lefeburc, R.E., to accompany the troops. They were present on the 4th July at the battle of Maida ; and afterwards at the siege of Scylla Castle from the 12th to the 23i'd of the same month. Shortly ai'ter the capture, six of the party returned to their old (luarters at Messina, leaving two non-commissioned officers and two artificers under Lieu- t'^nant George Macleod, R.E., to superintend the restoration of the castle defences. In October the four men rejoined the detachment at Messina, where the whole continued to be employed in various engineering services for several years. Artificers under military control and discipline being much required for the works at Malta, Lieutenant-Colonel R. T. Dickens, R.E , recommended the formation of three companies of Maltese tradesmen for tne service of the engineer depart- ment ; two to be stationed at Malta and Gozo, and one for employment in general duties in the Mediterra . >an, Gibraltar, and Egypt. English companies of artificers would have been " With fifty women ami forty children ! More than, in these days, are per- mitted to accompany a baltidion on foreign service. 1806.] ROYAL SAPl'EUS AND MINKllS. 1 49 proposed for the works of the stations iicimed, liad the efficiency and conduct of detachments previously sent from Gihraltar to Minorca, Sicily, and other parts of the Mediterranean, warranted it; " but," says Sir Charles Pasley, "as the Gibraltar c(mi- panies were, from circumstances, the worst in the corps, the detachments formed from them were found so very inefficient, that Maltese and Sicilians were preferred to Britons in the Mediterranean, for the important service of the royal engineer department."^ As well from this, as from other local ' and economical considerations, the Government approved of the measure, and the royal authority for its accomplishment being obtained, the conij)anies were formed on the 1st May. The Mediterranean or war com])any consisted of — 4 sergeants, 4 corporals, 100 privates, i drummer, 10 boys. Total . . 119 and the companies for Malta and Gozo, numbered each — ■ 2 sergeants, 4 corporals, GO privates, 1 drunnner, 10 boys. Total 77 An adjutant from the royal engineers was appointed to the 1st company, and one, a foreigner — Matteo Bonavio^ — to the other two companies at Malta and Gozo, to which was also ^ Pasley's ' Elementary Fortification,' note a, p. iv. * In the treaty of Amiens it was stipulated that onc-hulf the soldiers in the garrison at Malta sliould be natives ; and although the treaty had been violated by Napoleon, Great Britain still regarded its provisions, in this re- spect at least, as sacred and obligatory. * Styled, by local usage, " Assistant Engineer," 1^ HH«flH5" ■la. I t 150 HISTORY OF THE [1806. s. d. 3 a-day 1 6 „ 1 3 „ 1 1 „ 6 „ added one sergeant-major and quarter-master — Sergeant Gui- seppe Sinerco, stationed at Malta. The total number of these companies with the staff amounted to 276. The pay of the war company was assimilated to that of the royal military artificers, while that of the other coxr panics was fixed as under : — Sergeant-major or quarter-master-sergeant Sergeant ....... Corporal . Private, or drummer .... Boy The adjutants received 3s. per day each extra,* and the working pay of the non-commissioned officers and men was divided into two classes of 6c?. and 9r?., which they received in addition to their regimental pay. The non-commissioned officers, who were foremen, received as working pay l*. a-day each. These companies were formed into a corps with the title of Maltese military artificers, and, like the old artificer company at Gibraltar, remained a distinct and separate body. They were officered by the royal engineers. Their clothing con- sisted of a close blue cloth jacket with black collar and cuflTs, and Ordnance buttons ; open blue cloth pantaloons and a military hat and feather. The sergeants were distinguished by sashes, the corporals by chevrons, and the sergeant-major by a uniform like the sergeant-major of the English companies.'' This year Mr. Windham, the Secretary-at-War, warmly espoused the cause of the army, and ultimately obtained for it the redress he so earnestly sought. This was promulgated in the well-known Warrant called "Windham's Act," which " Of the regimental allowances of the foreign adjutant nothing is known, nor can any record be discovered of the uniform worn by him. ' In 1808 the companies were clothed in a uniform made of cotton, manu- factured in the island, similar to the local corps. The facings were of black cloth. The sergeants and corporals were distinguished as before, and the ser- geant-major still wore the hovie uniform. The substitution of cotton for cloth was ordered on account of its being cheaper and better adapted to the climate, besides forwarding the views of Government, in aiding the sale of the staple commodity of the island, deprived by the war of its usual vents. ^»l -ij 1806.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 161 increased the pay of the soldier while serving, and provided a liberal pension for him on retirement, corresponding to his infirmities and services. On tlie 1st September, the Act al- luded to was extended to the royal military artificers, and '.he advantages conferred upon the corps were as under: — Total amount of Increase. pay i i-day. d. a. d. Sergeant-major on the staff . 5i . . 3 11* Sergeant .... . 31 . . 2 6i Corporals: — After 14 years . . 31 . . 2 4* Between 7 and 14 years . 21 . . 2 3* Under 7 years . . 11 . . 2 2i Privates and Buglers : — After 14 years . 2 . . 1 4* Between 7 and 14 years 1 . 1 3i Under 7 years . no increase 1 2i In the prospect of a long war, to provide reinforcements for the execution of the extensive works in progress at Dover and Nova Scotia, and to be capable, to a certain extent, of meeting the contingencies that might arise, a Warrant was issued dated 5th September, sanctioning a reorganization of the corps for general service, an augmentation of two companies, and a small increase to each of the other ten companies. Under this arrangement the corps was distributed as follows, and the companies for the first time, appear to be distinguished by numbers ; which, however, from the long habit of designating them by stations, soon became obsolete : 1st. Woolwich 2nd. Chatham 3rd. Dover . 4th. Portsmouth 5th. Gosport . 6th. Plymouth 7th. Spike Island Captain G. Ilayter. Major R. D'Arcy. Captain W. 1 1. Ford. Captain R. Fletcher. Captain R. Fyers. Lieut-Colonel T. Skinner. Lieut-Colonel Sir C. Holloway. ■I imp C''' r.'i '^M tkmLu i/i 151> HISTOUY OF THE lHU(i '1^ r4r 1 1. ■:■<■;. ■ l, I I g^j IJcivsey . . I Guernsey yth. Gibraltar lOtli. Gibraltiir 11th. West Indies **12th. Nova Scotia, Captiiin J. Hunifrey. Major J. Mackelcan. Captain II. J'>att. Captain G. Landmann. Lieut.-Colonel W. Joiinston. Captain W. Bennett. By the authority of the Warrant alluded to, the establishment of each company was remodelled, the ranks of Sub-Lieutenant and Second (Jorooral were created, and the total of all ranks po^ company increased from 100 to 126. Under the previous system of detaching men, the companies were mutilated, dis- ordered, and reduced; but under this enlarged organization, it was considered they would be more accessible, and better able to afford such accidental assistimce as might be needed, without diminishing the companies to an inconvenient strength, or without p-:"ticular detriment to the station. The subjoined detail .shows the approved composition of a com])any at this period. 1 Sub-Lieutenant,"'' a new rank, with pay of 5.s. a-day.'" 1 Sergeant-major. 5 Sergeants. 5 Corporals. 10 Second Corporals," a new rank, ])ay fixed at Is. dd. a-day. 30 Carpenters, including 4 top sawyers. " Sir John Jones states, evidently by mistake, that the corj s was composed of thirt>/-tii-o companies.- — Journals, note 38, p. 389. " Styled Si:coH. 111. a-ilay. " Molding comparative station with corporals of the line, according to date of promotion. 1806.] i.')Y,\L SAITERS AN]) M1NEK8. 153 I 20 Masons, I including slaters, tiltM's, and plas- 18 Bricklayers, ) terers. 10 Smiths. 10 Miners. 4 Wheelers. 4 Collar Makers. 2 Cooj)ers. 2 Painters. 4 Drummers. Total . 126 The total establishment of the corps, including the adjutant and sergeant-major on the staff, amounted to 1,514, exhibit- ing an increase above the former establishment of 439 men ; and its expense for one year, exclusive of the working pay and other miscellaneous allowances, reached the sum of 45,500/. 175. 7\d. With the three companies of Maltese, the corps mustered a force of 1,790 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men. As a means of encouraging the men to exertion and good behaviour, their working pay was permitted to be increased, under the authority of the Warrant before mentioned, from 6c?. to 9^/. or Is. a-day. The non-commissioned officers inva- riably received the highest rate. None, however, could be advanced from the lowest to the su])erior rates without first being recommended to the commanding royal engineer at the station, by the junior officers, foremen, or overseers ; and this system of rewards, except for special services, has been observed in the corps ever since. The sergeant-majors who received the first commissions had been in the artillery, and were distinguished for their good services and bravery. To their zeal and expertness as soldiers, they added an intimate knowledge of drill and discipline — re- quisites of essential imi)ortance in the organization of a new force, but which, from the vague and indefinite character of the corps, became, almost necessarily, too temporizing and elastic to be sufficiently beneficial or respected. it. I'll iiji:!': CM m .^■■i. . 1^5 ii fekJ^„ I I 'V ■.T 154 HISTORY OF THE [1806. Efforts had on one or two particular occasions been made to avoid the ftiults and supply the omissions of earlier years > but the improvement before alluded to, had not reached the expectations of those who felt an interest in the corps. One obvious reason was, the nominal appointment of officers to companies, who were so incessantly shifted, that it was not uncommon to find a company passing under the command cf three or four different officers in the course of twelve months ;'2 and another was, the reluctance with which some commanding officers permitted the temporary withdrawal of the men from the works for the purposes of drill and disciplined^ The free use of the means to train the men to subordination and the use of arms, to restrain them from irregularities, and fully to develop the organization and purposes for which the corps was raised, being thus interrupted, naturally tended to vitiate and lower its military pride, spirit, and appearance. Bald and grey-headed non-commissioned officers with ages varying from forty-five to sixty -five, good artificers and foremen, but lacking the energy and demeanour of soldiers, were no rarities in the royal military artificers. Disinclined to learn, they but very imperfectly understood their military station, and seldom exercised their authority, except in the emollient guise of persuasion and advice. On all sides there was a yielding, that in some measure obliterated the lines of dis- tinction between the diflferent grades. Their interests seemed to be reciprocal and interwoven, and the best workman was generally esteemed the best man. Almost every military idea was sacrificed for " the works," in which it would be hazardous to say, that they did not labour with ability and industry. To check the growth of these unmilitary principles and practices, to enforce respect for position and authority, and to " This may be regarded as a favourable view of the case. Sir John Junes states, " Each company was commanded for the moment by the senior Captain of engineers, who might happen to be placed on duty wherever the company might be ; so that it was not unfrequent for a company to be commanded by five or six Captains in as many months.'' — Journal of Sieges, Note 38, p. 389. '3 Pasley's ' Elementary Fortification,* Note a, p. iii. 1806.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 165 assist in maintaining in the corps, the exercise of proper dis- cipline and drill, the Sub-Lieutenants were established. Their duties were like those of adjutants, whom they superseded, and were, therefore, held responsible to their Captains for the conduct, efficiency, internal management, and payment of their respective companies. This, however, was but a transient expedient. An instalment only of the good that was expected was realized ;'** and it was left for a later period to enlarge and perfect what in this year, though spiritedly commenced, fell considerably short of success. '* Pasley's ' Elementaiy Fortification,' Note f, p. xvii. :4: t' ! M ill. 150 IIISTOIIY OF TlIK r isoi 1807.] '■U Pi ■VU I 1807. Appointments of Adjutant and Quartermaster — Captain .John T. .Tones — Dis- asters at Huenos Ayres - Egypt -Ueinforceraent to Messina — Detachment of Maltese military artificers to Sicily — Newfoundland— Copenhagen — Cap- tures in the Curibboan Sea — Madeira — Danish Islands in the West Indies — Ilythe. It having l)een determined ^"j consolidate the appointments of Adjutant and Quartermaster to the royal military artificers, Major John Rowley' and (Jolonel George W. Phipps^ resigned their offices. To succeed to the vacancies thus created, Captain John Thomas Jones, an officer of undoubted ability and military experience, was brought from Sicily, and on the 1st January commissioned to hold both appointments."* Upon him, there- fore, devolved the difficult task of arranging and directing the details of the new organization both at home and abroad, and of carrying into effi3ct a general system of drill and discipline.^ In this duty he contmued luitil July, 1808, when, ordered on ' In the earlier years of his appointment he was much at Woolwich, and perso I'ly superintended the affiiirs of the corps ; but for some years prior to the new organization, his duties in London seldom permitted him to visit the head-ijuarters. * Colonel Phipps was never present with the corps. As Quartermaster, he performed his duties in London, In consideration of his relinquishing the Quarterma&tership, and also for his good services, he was granted by Ilis Ma- jesty an allowance of )0o. a-day, — Accounts vf Onbuincc, House of Couimons, 181G, p. ai. 8 ' London Gazette,' 20th to 24th January, 1807. * 'United Service Journal,' ii., IS-IJ, p. IIU. ' .h)urual of Sieges,' by Sir John Jones, vol. ii., note .58, p. o89. 1807.J ROYAL SAITEHS AND MINEIIS. ir,7 a particular service to the Asturias, lie resigned the staff' rank. From the time of the appointment of Captain J. T. Jones, the Adjutant was permanently stationed at the head-quarters at Woolwich, and his office also was established there. Early in the year an expedition was sent against Chili under Major-General Crawford, accompanied by a sergeant and ten artificers under Captain J. Scjuire, R.?]. Instead of ])roceeding to Chili, counter orders were received, and Captain S(|uire and his eleven men sailed with the force to Buenos Ayres. Arriving at Monte Video on the 14th June, they were accordinprlv landed and took part in the disastrous attack on Buenos Ay s, in M'hich all the.artificers were taken prisoners, and so rema ned until January, 1808, when they quitted with the force "nu r General Whitelocke. On the 6th March, Major-General Frazer, at the he d of a small armament, sailed from Messina to dispossess the .J. rks of Egypt. To this force were attached, under Captain J. F. Burgoyne, R.E., four of the military artificers furnished from the detachment in Sicily, who embarked on the l*Jth February, Having in due time landed at Alexandria, they served at the capture of that city, also in the attack of Kosetta, and in the retreat to Alexandria. In September following these four artificers rt^oined the party at Messina. In the meantime the detachment at Messina was reinforced by a sergeant, one corporal, and eighteen privates of the Gib- raltar companies, under Lieutenant George J. Harding, R.E., who embarked at the Rock on the 14th April. W^ith the exception of the non-commissioned officers, this party was com- posed of irreclaimable drunkards, worthless a.ike as artificers or soldiers. From the inefficiency of these men, the Maltese war company was ordered to furnish its contingent for service in Sicily, and accordingly a detachment of one sergeant — Evan Roberts — one corporal, and twenty- nine artificers, embarked at Malta on board the ' Charlotte ' transport on the 23rd, and landed at Messina on the 30th July. In the autumn following, the whole of the party with two men of the royal military artificers as ">, I ''*,■. w: r. } tp I imV f I '.m A It 168 HISTORY OF THE [1807. 'M foremen, were detached to Augusta and Syracuse, to be em- ployed on the works under Sergeant Roberts. Newfoundland now became a station for the corps. A detachment of eighteen non-commissioned oflBcers and men, all masons and miners, embarked at Plymouth in May, on board His Majesty's ship ' Isis,' under Captain George Ross, R.E., and arrived there in July. Before the end of August, the detach- ment was further strengthened by six artificers from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Until proper accommodation could be provided, they lived in huts, like the Esquimaux or emigrant fishermen, or under canvas in a dreary uncleared valley between Signal Hill and the sea. In some measure to relieve the monotony and mitigate the rigours of an inhospitable country and climate, permission was granted to the men to spread their nets in the waters near St. John, and to catch as much fish as was needful for the sustenance of themselves and families. Provisionally, also, the married portion of the detachment were allowed small allotments of land, which they cleared and cultivated at intervals, when they were not employed on the works. From these sources of occupation they were kept in constant industry and amusement, and their health effectually preserved and invigorated. Two sergeants, two corporals, six second corporals, and forty- one artificers, with Captain Fletcher, R.E., embarked at Wool- wich for Copenhagen on the 29th July, and landed there the IGth August. In the bombardment of that capital they served under the immediate direction of Lieutenant-Colonel R. D'Arcy, RE. ; and, in returning to England, served as Marines under Lieutenant Bassett, R.N. The party rejoined their companies on the 7th November. One second corporal and three privates of the West India company were embarked in August, on board His Majesty's ship ' Blonde,' V. V. Ballard, Captain, to act as artificers and seamen during a short cruise in the Caribbean sea ; and, while forming part of the crew of this ship, they served at the guns in the capture of the undernamed French privateers : — 1807.J ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. ir)9 Guns. Mfu 15th August . . ' Lii Dame Villaret* . 5 Gi) 10th „ • L'llortense' . . . 8 UO 14tii September ' L'llirondelle ' . . 8 84 23ra . ' Duquesue * . . . 17 123 Hth October . . 'Alerto' . . . . 20 149 An expedition was sent to Madeira in October under General Beresford, to whicli was added a detachment from the Spike Island comj)any of one corporal, one second cor))oral, and ten ])rivates, under Captain A. Morshead, R.E. They landed in December and were stationed at Funchal until May, 1812, when they were withdrawn and despatched to their companies in Portugal. In December, General Bowyer ordered a party of the West India company to be attached to his expedition about to sail against the D;mish islands of St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix. Three sergeants, four corporals, and forty-two privates were accordingly selected, and embarked for that service on the IGth December; but the islands having surrendered with- out resistance, the detachment rejoined at Barbadoes on the 13tli January, 1808. A sergeant was left at St. Croix to superintend repairs to barracks, &c. Six mechanics belonging to the Danish service, taken prisoners at St. Thomas and St. Croix, enlisted into the company. Throughout the year a small party of the Dover con)pany was employed on the works at Hythe, under Sergeant Adam Cowan, and continued so occupied for several years. ! .: * i iti m mi''\ ^^W' I: \^ 1 : ti'W M ' ■'i' ,1' I ,1 -■ m^mL i id IGO IIISTOKY OF TlIK [180H. 1808. War in the Peninsula— Expedition tliitlior Do achinctits to tlic scat of war, witli (!aptains I.amlniann, Kli)liinKtonc', S(|iiin', Hurpoyni", and Sniytli— Captain John T. Joiu's — IJcinforci'mcnt to Ncwt'oimdland— Services at Mes- sina — I'arties temporarily detached to difi'erent places-- The queue. Napolkon liad now fairly reartMl liis (eagles in Spain and Por- tugal, and compcUod tlio reigning nionarclis of thost; countries to renounce their tlirones. To his hrother Joseph he gave the sovereignty of the former kingdom, and retained for himself the sceptre of the latter. England, more indignant than alarmed at these spoliations, and eager to dispossess the invader, at once willingly res])onded to the desire of Portugal to restore the dynasty of Braganza to the throne, and also tendered her assistance, uninvited, to Spain to carry on the war. No sooner had the ministry determined upon sending succours to th(^ Peninsula to effect the overthrow of Napoleon, than different expeditions were fitted out and sent to the seat of war. Small parties of the military artificers, selected from the various companies of the corps, were at the same time for- warded with these forces. On the 13tli May two miners, under Captain G. Landmann, R.E., were sent from Gibraltar to Cadiz with the division under General Brent Spencer, and were afterwards removed to the scene of active operations in Portugal. On the 1 8th June, one sergeant, one second corporal, and eleven privates, armed with small swords only, embarked at Woolwich under Captain Elj)hin^tone, R.E,, and joined the force under Sir Arthur Wellesley. Both these parties were 1^^08. 1 ItOYAI, SAIM'KIIS AND MINMIJS. 101 proscnt at tlio Iwittic of R()Ii(;a on tlio 17tli Auj»iist, jind Vimicra on \\\v 2{A ot'tiiut iiioiitli. A (IctJU'linicnt of one sergeant, one sccjtnd rorporal, and twi'lvc privates, nndor Caj)tains J. S(|niro and J. 1". Hnrgoyni', H.K., was forwarded on tlio '2\h\\ April with Sir John Mooro's anny to Clottenhiu'g to as.sist the; Svve(h'.s against the Hnssians. The anns and a|)pointnient9 of tlie ('orj)s were taken from tliein, and they were snpjtlied for (h'funei! with a short lianger sword. Several of the party liad ah*eady l)een on serviee at Huenos Ayros nnder Oaptain Scpiiri', and were again s(»lieited hy tliat otfieer for tliis exju'tiition. The rest were men specially selected for the duty, hoth on a( count of their ahilities and conduct as artitlci'rs and sohTuM's. After the ft)rce wa- recalled from ita inactivity in Swedi'U, tlii' detachment of artilicer.s accompanied it to Portugal. Ahout this j)criod three artificers proceeded to tlii' Peninsula with Sir David Baird's division, and one man was attached to the force under Sir Harry Burrard. In Scptend)er, out; corporal, one second corponil, and four- teen jn'ivates emharked for Spain on board the 'Slitters' trans- port nnder the connnajid of Captain J. (Jarmichael Smyth, R Iv, and joined the army nnder Sir John Moore in Novend)er. The total artificer force in the Peninsula, comjn'ising six different parties, was forty-nine; of all ranks. This nundxT does net include Captain J. T. Jones, the adjutant, who (piittcd Woolwich in July for special service in the northern provinces of Spain under the orders of Major-Gcneral Leith.' To reinforct the party in Newfoundland a detachment of one sergeant, one corporal, one second corporal, and forty-six privates embarkei' at Portsmouth in June, and landed at St. John's from the 'Vestal' frigate on the 18th July. Early in the following year the detachment was increased to the esta- blishment of a company. Both parties em])loyed in restoring the fortresses at Syraci -;» .,1,1 li: ^i!i1. •s^; Wl' ' In the absence, on foreign duty, of ('aptain J. T. Jones, from July, 1808, to January, 18(19, Sub-Lieutenant J')lin Eaves performed the duties of Adju- tant to the corps with oiedit and effici>'nt'y. V^OL. I. M ■b mil 4' 102 HISTORY OF TIIK [180H, and Augusta wore recalled to Me?siiia, and assisted to repair and iinpi'ove tli(? defences of tli;it place. At the Ca])e of Good ]lope ])arties were detached at intervals during the year to Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, and I lout's Bay; and at Halifax to St. Andrews and Fort (Harence. At the latter fort, the non-connnissioncd ollicer (h.^taclied was eniployiMl surveying. I'roni Newfoundland a detachment was sent to ('aj)e Breton ; and from Cilibi'idtar, also, Second Corporal T\ lomas 1' ;iul and tour pi ivates were detached to Perexil, a small islet opposite the Rock between Ceuta and A])es' Hill, where they dismantled all its batteries, magazines, and store- houses. Parties were also employed at Hurst Castle and the Isle of Wight. The time-honoured (pu'ue, which had long formed a con- s])icuous appendage to the soldier's head-dress, was abolished in the corps in August; and the closely-cropped hair of the ])resent day, and small whisker extiMidiug to the lolx; of the ear, were then adopted. i8oy.] ROYAL SAITEIIS AND MJNEJJS. l(;;3 ISOJ). Ketrcat to Coniria — Miserabk- state of tlic (U'tarhnicut on roacliiiifr England — IIardslii])s of tlii' straiijiU'i's -Captuve of Mtirt'ni'Knic — Skill of (Jcorgc Mitchell at till' sifge — Fever in the West Indies — Reduction of the Saintes — Detachment lo Portufial — l?att!es of Oporto and Talavera — Casnalties in the retreat, and distribution of the party — Naples Zante and the Ionian Islands — Term of service of the Maltese military artificers — Siege of Flush- ing— Services of the military artificers there— Oallantry, in the batteries, of John Millar, Thomas WiM, and Thomas lA-tts— Conduct of corps at the siege— Casualties by the Walcheren fever — Skilful conduct of Corporal T. Stephens in the demolitions at Flushing — Captain John T. Jones— Ser- vants — Incidental detachments. Excepting the two minors witli General Spencer, the wliole of the royal military artificers in Spain joined Sir John Moore's army. When the force was put in motion, the senior sergeant of the detachment was left at Lisbon for special duty. TIk; remainder accomj)anied the army in the retreat, and, with the; exception of two men taken j)risoners and seven .s Vedras. Of the other artificers in Portugal, four were in the general hospital sick, and one a prisoner of war. The casual- ties since the opening of the cam])aign wer(> six deaths, two missina:, and two invalided to Eni^land. The (■om])any of Maltese artifi(;ers at Messina was increased in April by seventeen rank and file from Malta. On the 1st June following, Sergeant Hoberts and thirty-eight men of the company, were attached tt) the expedition for the invasion of 1 t * 'I ,1V, 1 II 1^;'; JIl«'r()!!V OK 'IlIK IHO.}. Naples. Twelve' of the royal military artificrs also \v'(>nt with the (;xp(!(lition, and servt'd uii(k'r the eoiiunarid of Lieu- tenant-Colonel A. Bryce, U.K., in the reduction of the i;slands of Ischia and Proeida. Returning to M(>.-sina in August, six of tlu^ royal and eight of the jNtaltese artificers were added to the force under l?riu;a- (lier-General Oswald, and were present, on th;' 2n(l Octoher, at the surrender of Zante and other Ionian islands. These parties continued at Zante until after the taking of Santa Maura in the next year. The Maltese artificers being enlisted for a term of three years only, their engagements expired in the summer. U})wards of sixty men conse([uently claimed their discharge, and in July the third Maltese company was re-formed. In the meantime a forcj; of one sul)-lieutenant — George \{u- hinson — two sergeant-m ijors — Joseph Forbes and John Smith — ten sergeants, and about 280 rank and tile had been selected for an expedition to Holland under the Earl of Chatham, to destroy the fleet and arsenals on the Scheldt. The youngest and most active men were chosen for the service, and were })rovidcd with swords and belts. The "r^ater portion were also armed with muskets, uni^.u* an inr^iies-i-n that they wcmld have to fight their way on shore. 1 lie detachment was di- vided into two operations to proceed against Flushing and Antwerp ; the former imder the command of Lieutenant-Colonel R. D'Arcy, R.K., the latter under Colonel Fyers, R.E. Roth brigades end)arked the 19th July, and having landed ju'ar Goes and u'alcheren, a small force was employed in the operations in South Rtiveland under Captain Sipiire, R.E., and tlu^ re- fiiainder, about 260str(mg,' and Sub-Lieutenant Robinson, were ei)i(;iJ]5' (i in the bombardment of Flushing. The meditated attac' on Aniwerp was abandoned. Private Anthony AV^ebster was kilieu at the seamen's battery on the 13th August, and two r.i n 7'cie w >i nded. i/uriiig the bombardment iifty of the detachment were per- ' .Tont'sV. ■ ."'■i"i;^.s,' vol. ii., p. 2(i!t. "iiul edit. 'IMic niimlicr iniisf incliido "// i-iinU: . i'l.t ' u ■ nul i\W only. J IHUD. K(»VAL SAI'ITIIS AND MINKIIS. I«7 nianontly cniployod in making fascines and gal)ions, and about eighty carpenters })repar('d and ])ut uj) tlie sj)linter proof maga- zines and laid the platforms. The remainder were ;listribut»;(l to the batteries as sap))ers and miners or overseers. One of the l)atteries which was recpiired in a hurry was worixertions in tlu; construction of the batteries are stated to have been indefatigable.'' After the occu})ation of Flushing, the fever comnu)n to the U. : i'\ I- I, » ic,i ■' • I - .Jones's 'Siogt'S,' vol. ii., p. 27!), -ml edit. ■' Was left prnptTty to tin- aiuount of 4,(i(»o/. ami puroliased his discharge- in 18U>. "* ' London (iazette.' •'' Ilargrave's 'Account of Walohcren ami Soulli IJevelaiid,' p. lii, edit. 1812. 119?fSS^ 168 IIISTOIJV 01 'HI L1«0!) country set in with petiuliar viiMilcnciv, an;l tlio royal military artificers sufFcrcd very icvorely. Employed as they frequently were in conducting excavations in marshy and unhealthy situa- tions, nearly the wliolj of the detachment wore scMzcd with the malady and thirty-se/cn died. Sergeant-major Forhes was of the number. By repeated removals of the sick, the detachment was reduced to aijout eighty of all ranks, who were employed, previously to the evacuation of the island, in the demolition of the !)asin of Flushing and the naval defences of the place under Lieutenant- Colonel Pilkington, R.E. Second-corporal Thomas Stephens was intru^.jd with the practical conduct of the destructicm of one of the piers of the flood-gates. The task imposed on him was so ably executed, that when the explosion took })lac{!, tin; bottom of the pier was forced out and the superincumbent masonry fell without })rojecting a stone to any distance. Though only a second corporal he was ap))ointed lance-sergeant on the si)ot for his skilf'd conduct. Captain John T. Jone^, the adjutant, was removed from the royal military artificers, on the 1st July by promotion, and was succeeded in the appointment by Captain Gilbert Buchanan, R.E. In reorgani;^iiig tlie corps, Captain Jones had eflected considerable improvements and raised in a high degree its morale and military eificiency. The j)ractice of em[)l()ying men of the corps as servants to officers of royal engineers was discontinued in August. On active ser\ ic' •'ho "U;^<"om was found to be a great disadvantage. Stringent meai-^un^s wore therefore adopted to prevent its re- currence; and to tV) Is day, the officers are required to affirm quarterly, that ihey do not employ any men of the corps in their private service. Deta^-'iments a " traced during the year at the following new stations: — to Alderney, seven rank and file were removed fron. iluernsey by order of Lieutenant-Gcneral Sir John Doyle. Two armourers were employed in the royal manufac- tory for small arms at Lcvisham and continued on this service for many years. The Eastbourne })arty was scattered along w I 1«0I). KOYAi. SAI'l'EllS AN11 MINERS. Ki'J the Sussex coast, working rhieflv at ITastiims and Biilv(M-liitlie. The Newfouiidhind company gave a strong party for the King's works at the soutli side of the liarbour, whicli nnnained there for many months. A non-commissioned officer of the Halifax company was employed on a tour of insjx'ction to Cape l^rcton and Prince Edward's Island ; and the detachment at the Cape of Good Hope was distrihuted to Simon's l\)\vn, Hout's Bay, King's Blockhouse, and Muyzenherg. i 17(» iiisToKV (IF Tin: [IHIO. wv 1810. (/..^ .lire of rJuadaloiipo— Of St. Martin's and St. Eustatius — Torri's Vodvas — Anoc'doti' of Corporal William Wilson at the I/ini'S — Almeida and liusaeo — Detaehments to Cadiz — Pnntales and La I.sla — Destruction of Forts IJarhara and St. FeKuje, near (jiibraltar — Santa Maura — Occasional detachments. On tlic 22nd Jaimary, (.'oloiicl William .ToliiKston and I.iiMi- tL-nant HoIjIjs, R.M, v/itli throe sergeants and fort} -five rank and iile of the VVe.'^t India, C()ni])any, eniharked at Martini([ne tinder Lieiitenant-Cjeneral Beckwith. The detaehnient was a]»])()inted to tlie iiftli or reserve hrigade inider tlie eonnnand t)f J^rigadier-General Wale ; and having landed at .St. 3Iary's (Japisterre, served at the taking of Gnadalonpe. A small l)arty under Captain Ilobhs, R.E., afterwards aecom- ])anied the foree under Brigadier-General llareoiu't, and was present at vt-e capture of the islands of St. MartinV and St. Kustatius. The ci'lebrated Lines of Torres Vedras, commenced in Oc- tober, IbOD, were fully completed late in 1810. The nund)er of the royal military artilieers employed in their construction never exceeded eighteen of all ranks, who were distributed in ones and twos throughout the whole extent of the country to be intrenched. Under the suj)erintendence and control of their officer.-!, they directed the labinirs of many hundr j)easantry. Some of the jiarty were ri>sponsible for the efficient services of no less than 500 to 700 workmen, in this duty Second-C -orporal William Wilson and Private James Douglas rendered themselves conspicuous by their skill and activity. Both were })romoted in consecittence. Corporal Wilson was selected by Colonel Fletcher, the com- manding engineer, to be his orderly, in whicth capacity he served until the death of his chief at St. Sebastian. Xt Torres Vedra.s IMIO. IIOVAL SAIM'KIIS AN1» MlXKItS. tlu! coi'poriil liad charfj;!' oi" a work, and a party of tlu' Portii- giu!.s(' Onlonan^a Militia was jtlaccd iiiulcr liis ortk'rs to (ixecuto it. 'i'wo of the incii were put to a task to Ix* com- pletcd ^vitl^nl a cortai!! time; but rcf^arding th(> work as iujpos- Hil)l(', they nd'u./^sr//' within tlu; time. The bet was accej)ted. ('orjioral U'ilson stri])ped, easily won his dollar, and prevent(>d tlie recurrence of similar complaints during the j)rogress of the Lines. lunir of the royal military artiticer.s wore attacli(!d to the army on tlu; ('oa, and w""e present at th(> action near Ahn(>ida in .July, and the battle of Busaco in Sejjtember. Retreating with the army to 'i'orres Vedras, the four nam rejoined tlu; detachment, and the whole continued to do duty in the Lines until removi'd for more active service. On the 13tli March one corporal and eli'ven men (jf the Portsmouth and Gosport companies embarked with the force; under Sir Thomas Graham for Cadiz. The non-connnissioned oHiicers were " canjful trusty persons," and the men " stout, able, and good tradesmen." They landed from the ' Concord ' transj)ort on the 24th March, and were commanded by (-a})tain C. Lefebure, R.E., until his death, which took j)lace at the fortress of Matagorda in April. jNIeanwbih; a reinforcement from Portsmouth increased the party to two .sergeants and forty-eight rank and file ; and in ()ctol)er it was again ang- mented, by artificers seh^cted from the different companies, to three sergeants, nine corporals, five second-corporals, two drummers, and seventy-thr«!e })rivates, with Sub-Lieutenant H. Davie. The last draft landed .-it Cadiz from tin; ' Diadem ' trans})ort. In defending the fort of Puntales, which sustaintd a bom- barduient from across the water, a portion of the com})any was always em])loyed. There Private IJenjamin Hall was killed, and several {»rivates were injured by a wall, under which they I 172 IIISTOItY (»r TIIK [IHIO. i 4'i woi'o Tiilninir, Hilling on tlicni. 'I'lic ivinjiindtM- of tlio conipjiny wore occiij)i('(l in fortirying \\n\ position of La Isia for the dc- foncc of (.'adiz. Their partieular duty consistiMl in making plat- forms, palisades, &(•., and in acting as overseers to the military working parties of the line, assisted by artificers drawn from the regiiiKints in garrison. The prineij)al share of the work was done hy task, which, being laid out beforehand, the royal military artificers showed the workmen their re.-])ective por- tions as soon us they arrived on the ground,' and su})erintend(Ml its correct execution, both in quantity and detail. At La lsla» the company was stationed at the park and domiciled in one o the ])owder-magazines which had been made defensible. Tinder the direction of (Captain (i. J. Harding, H.K., Forts Barbara and St. Fclij)e, on the Sj)anish lines in front of Gib- raltar, were demolished by a strong deta<'lnnent from the two com})anies statiouiid at the fortress. The ()})erations occuj)ied a few months : and dnring the work the detachment was covered CD by a force from the garrison of 500 to 800 soldiers. In firing a mine near St. Felipe, Private John llarber lost an arm, both eyes, and })art of his chin and teeth. In springing another mine near Tarifa, Private Thomas Hughes was killed. From Zante a })arty of five royal and eighteen Maltese military artificers sailed with the force under Hrigadier- General Oswald, and were present on the 16th A})ril at the capture of Santa Maura. This service elli'cted, the detach- ment returned to Messina, leaving for the works of the newly- ca})tured island a corporal and a mason of the royal nilitary artificers. During the year, parties or individuals of the corps were emj)l()yed on j)articular service abroad — at Ceuta Tarifa, and at Sidney in Ca])e Breton ; while, at home, men were detached to Hythe, Isle of Wight, and NortliflcL At the latter place the party was employed, from August to December, in sur- veying under Mr. Stan'iey of the royal military siu'veyors and draftsmen. 1 •Prof. Papers,' iii., ji. 'J4. IHU.j IIOYAL SAl'I'IOUS AND MIN'KKS. 173 !8II. Mortality in tin- West Indies — Streiijitli ami distriluition of lU'taclmu'iits in tlm I't-ninsiila— lircaptiirc of Olivciiza - I'ii'lil iiistriii'tinn j)rii)r ti> sic^r of IJu- (lajn/ — ('(uulia't of corps at the s'w^c — Condiii't of St-ificaiit liofjcis in ri'i-oii- noitrinp — IJcinforcunn'nt to I'ortufial and dnlii-s of the (letaohnit-nt — Its distril)iiti<)n and scrviees— liattle of Marrosa ; fj;alUiiit comhiet of Si rgeant John (.'aniei'on 'I'arraj^ona — Defence of Tarifa— Anj^rnientation to corps and reconstruction of coni|iauies — Animal oxiicnsc of corps — ('omuiand of the companies — Their stationary character— New distrihiition — (^)niniis- sions to Snb-Lieutenaiits, and ingenious inventions of Lieutenant Munro. The West India compiiny being gfaduiilly reduced to ahout fifty men, it was strengtliened in ]\r.nTli to 110, Ity the arrival at Barbadoe:?, in the 'Flora' transport, of lifry-eiglit men. During the years 1810 and 1811 the innnher of (k-atlis in tin* eoni|)any from yellow fever was thirty. The tletaehment of the eorps in Portugal was inereastMl to seventy-eight of all ranks, by the landing at Lisbon of two sergeants and fifty-seven rank and file und(;r Lieutenant P. Wright, r»/E. Thirty-four of the reinforcement were forth- with sent to the Lines of Torres Vedras and the Almada position ; and the remaining twenty-five joined the head- (juarters of the army.' AVhilc these movements were being etliieted, two artificers of the detachment were present at the recapture of Olivenza in April, muler the command of Captain Scpiire, R.E." Soon after the reduction of Olivenza the siege party was augmented to twenty-seven, by the arrival at Klvas of the twenty-five men under (^aptain Ross. Of this increase not a man had ever seen the construction of a sap, battery, or trench. The whole were therefore daily drilled in the formation of field- ' Jones's 'Journal,' vol. i., p. .'iTT, 'ind edit. - Ihid., p. c. ■I i K«a».^ 1.0 1.1 UilM |25 ■^ Uii |2.2 £ y£ 12.0 I I^II'M'-^ M 6" ► Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (716) 873-4503 ^^^' % ^ %° ^ o ill M 174 IllSTOUY OK 'rilH fisil. works and in mjiking fascincvS < ud cnldoiis.' Tn tlioso iiistruc" titmal ()j)c'rati()iis tlioy soon ai-tjuircd sufHciont knowledge to render themselves useful to their officers : and, at the same time, sliowed intelligenee and alacrity in aiding in the con- struction of the tlying-hridges across the (iuadiana at Jura- meuha. These twenty-sc^ven men were emj)loye(l in the first siege of Badajoz. Keduced by two, they were also present at the second si cue of tliat fortress. On hoth occasions the diliuenco and exertions of the detachment were j)roniinent ; and, assisted by the line workmen, they (juickly rcjiaired the broken batteries and damaged (>ml)rasures. "Many a fine fellow," says a well- known author, " Uist his life in endeavouring to vie with the men of the engineers." "* In the second siege, on the nijiht before the storming, Sercjeant William Rogers of the corps accompanied Captain Patton, R.E., on the dangonms service of reconnoitring the fords of the Ilivillas, and the apjn'oach to the castle breach beyond th(» river. They conducted the examination for a time and then returned to the works for a file of men as a truard. ^^'ith this escort they retraced their steps ; but left it behind at a short distance from the breach, when the captain and his " trusty sergeant " went forward alone, and com})leted the r(>connois- sance. In returnirg to the guard the captain stund)led, and the clanking of his sword drawing the attention of the French sentinels, they fired, and he fell mortally wounded. Sergeant Rogers j)rotected his captain till he gained the escort, with whose assistance he succeeded in bearing him alive to th(^ trenches. Captain Patton was able to make his re])ort of the ])racticability of the assault and soon afterwards expired.'' Ser- geant Ro";(M's died at Fuenti' Guinaldo in the followina; August. Of him Colonel Fletcher wrote : "he was an attentive, good soldier, and in every way a most I'slimable character." ^ .loiies's '.Journal," vol. i., p. 1". 2iul edit. * 'Uniteil Sorvioo .Journal,' ii., l.^.'U. ]>. '.'rs'.i. ■^ .Jones's '.Journal,' vol. i., p. 70, 'Jnd idit. is;?i, p. ;{;s for the embarkation of troo])s in case of necessity, their skill and expertuess were found of great imj)ortance. Serg(>ant Jobn M'Kay had the executive superintendence of the work under the direction of Caj)tahi llolloway, K.E. The dc^tachnuMit with the moving army was broken up into sections of five or six men to each divisi(m or corps, and one or other of them was at the blockade of Almeida, Fuentes d'Onoro Ali)uera, (^ampo Maior, and thy several other acticms wliicli occurred in the Peninsula during the cami)aign of 1811. From Cadiz Sub-Lieutenant Da\ie and fifty men under Captain J. F. Birch, I\.E., was detached with Sir Thomas (Graham's force, and landed at Algeciras 22nd February. Being armed with short swords only, Sir Thomas caused them to be furnished with such s})are muskets, accoutrements, and ammunition as could be collected, to (b'fend themselves if necessary on the march. I'hey were then placed at the head of the column to remove obstructions and facilitate the advance of the army. On the 5th March, Rarrosa was fought, and the " Jones's ' Joiinial,* vol. i., \). 'Jo, 2n(l edit. %^ m :;y' r 4 :-!; a fS 17() illSTOJlY OF 'I'llE [1811. i;^ I (lotaolimcnt of artificers was present in the battle. Here Sergeant Jolin (Cameron i^ave a manifestation of his zeal by leading to the charge a section of seven men. They pressed where the fight was warmest ; and in a few moments lost ont; jM'ivate — John Storie — killed and two wounded. The hlu(! uniform of the artificers was distinctly seen among the red coats of the line, and Sir Thomas Graham ordered the instant withdrawal of the })arty to tlu; rear, observing that he might want it for other work. The sergeant was to have been tried by a court-mjjrtial for taking the men into action without orders ; but his bravery saved him. In June a s(uoud-c()rporal and four military artificers of the Cadi:, company und(!r Lieutenant Harry D. Jones, were attached to (.'olonel Skerrett' ex})edition to assist the Spaniards in sustaining the siege of Tarragona ; but the fortress fell while the British troops were in the roadstead. The party of artificers landed and occupied quarters in St. George's Barracks, near Mahon, in the island of INIinorca, and returned to La Isla in July. In the following October, two artificers were sent from Cadiz for the defence of larifa under Captain C. F. Smith, R.l'^. Two also were sent there from Gibraltar by Colonel Sir Charles Holloway, the chief engineer at the fortress. Ultimately the engineers' means were increased to seventeen men of all ranks, who were employed as overseers in strengthening the defences of the place, and they carried on their duty with energy and credit. One private was wounded on the 29th December. A detach- ment of variable strength continued at Tarifa until April, 1813, when it retiu'ned to Cndiz. A reinforcement of twenty men under Sub-Lieutenant St(>wart Calder, sailed in November on board the ' Tartar ' transport for Cadiz and landed before the end of the year. The artificer force there now counted 101 of all ranks. Anliolt, an island of Dcniniark in possession of the British, had been attacked by the Danes in March, and the fortifications consequently were much damaged. No officer of the royal engineers being available for the duty of restoring the defences, wh of con an blis whi 1811.] l^OYAL SAIM'KIIS AXn MLNERS. 177 corporal AlcxandcT llortliwick of tlu; royal military artificers, an o\])('ri('ii('(Ml iiu'clianic, was soiit there in His Majesty's ship 'Holder,' with two privates .as overseeio. They landed in Sej)tend)er and were qnartered in Fort Yorke nnder Lientenant John IJezant, the ordnance storekeeper, The marines on the island were eniph)yed on the works, and each receivcnl for his labour 2s. 4r/. a-day. They worked with attenticm and spirit. In six months all the authorized renewals and inij)rove- ments were executed ; and in May, a further sum of 3,700/. having been voted for completing the d 'fences of the island, additional works were commenced to place the fortifications in a state to sustain a regular siege. In preparing to meet an apprehended attack on the island by the Danes, corporal Borth- wick made various etVective arrangements for the dis})osition and employment of the working j)arties, and gained the thanks of the Military Commandant, Major Torrens, royal marines. Shortly afterwards, Admiral Martin being of opinion that the fortifications were sufficiently tenable to stand an attack, the works were suspended; and in August, 1812, Borthwick and his overseers returned to England. I'or his conduct and services at Anholt he was promoted to be sergeant ; and a commission to a sub-lieutenancy was to have been conferred on him, but in the interim he became involved in some serious irregularities, which prevented the rewar i and ultimately ruined him. So many detachments had been provided for the colonies and the war, that aj)peals for reinforcements or more ex- tended aid could only occasionally b(; attended to. From the Peninsula and elsewhere, theiefore, representations had been made of the neccj^sity for increasing the corps, and augmenting the engineers' means for carrying on with efficiency the duties of the department. The ])ropo3als at length met with due consideration ; and on the 28th May a warrant was issued for an improved organization of the corps, enlarging its esta- blishment to an extent commenj;urate with the precautions •which the disturbed state of Europe rendered advij^abh?. The warrant sanctioned an increase of 1,347 men, abolished the rank of company-sergeant-major, added to the number of the VOL. I. N ink m I?.;"!' m I . I ^mL. •'■1 ' 178 IIISToltY OV 'I'llK 1811. :'J; If ■ HI; ■ I I.''' J sub-lieutenants, and divided tlu; e()r])s into four battalions of eight companies, eaeli eonijKiny be \g constituted as follows : — Sul)-f lieutenant I Sergeants 5 Corporals Second -(Jor})orals 5 5 Drummers 3 Car])i!nters 15 Masons . 10 Uricklayers 6 Smiths 4 W^heelers 2 Collar-makers . 2 CViopers . Miners' . 1 30 'J\)tal cS'J The establishment of the corps was fixed as under Adjutants '^ • • 4 Staff' Sergeant-UKijors Quarter-Master-Sergeants 4 4 Drum-major . 1 Sub- Lieutenants 32 Sergeants C\)rporals IGO 160 Second-Corpi irals 160 Drummers DO Priva tes . 2,240 Total 2,8G1 exclusive of the three companies of Maltese military artificers. The annual expense of the corj)S, not including working pay and other fluctuating contingencies, amounted to 87,7oG/. 14*-. 3\(L ^ A third of Avhom Avcreto bo ganUncrs, liedgcrs, or caual-diggers, but only to be enlisted on special luitliorit} I'roni licad-iiiiarters. ** These appointments were never conferred. The whole business of the corpswas carried on l)y an Adjutant, who Jield his office independently of the battalions 1811.] IIOYAL SAPI'EJIS AND MINKIIS. 17'. I At this p(»rio(l 5 suh-licuttMiantH, 1 scrgoant-niajor, aiid 130 men were omjjloyod on tho rtu'ruit'mut s(;rvicu. Ill iill j)ractic{il)le cases, gciuMvil and liclil-ofticcrs were dc- privcMl (){' till' t'oiiiniand of coinpanuvs, vvliicli now ceased to bo stationary, but wore removed iiy rotation of relief from one; station to another, the same as the companies of the royal artillery. The (nnploynumt of men on detached duties was also discouraged, and companies wen* composed of a convenient stHMigth to enable them to move in bodies. Upon the stationary condition of the corps a celebrated offic(!r of the royal engineers has made the subjoined eorrect remarks : — " From the close of the American w ar till the year 1811, all the comjianies of royal military artificers were kept permanently fixed at their respective stations, both at home and abroad, where they remained for life, in what may, for military men, be styled a state of veg(;tation ; so t!iat there were, at that period, a vast number of num who had actually grown grey in the corps, who had never entered a transport, nor made a single day's march from the head-fpiarters of their company. To the men at (libraltar and other foreign stations the service of the corps was thus rendered almost ecpiivaleiit to transportation for life. Everywhere tliey intermixed with civilians; they nuirried in a proportion unknown in any other corps ; so much so, that the number of women and children belonging to one coin})any was often equal to that of a battalion of the line."'-' Under the new arrangement the companies were distributed as follows : — Companies. Companies Woolwich • . G (\)rk . . 2 Chatham • , 2 Gibraltar . 3 Portsmouth and Newfoundland . I Gosport . Halifax . 1 IMymouth • 2 West Indies . . 2 Dover . • 2 Cadiz 2 Guernsey • I Portugal . 4 Jersey . • 1 H " Pasloy's 'Elementary Fortilicatioii,' uoie a, p. iv., vol. i. N 2 ■Ji. u It If' 1 1 :|i Hi > It, « r. i-m m 180 IIISTOIIY OK TJIK [IHU. with (lotju'liiiuiits from the ..hove to Kiistljounic jmd tlic Sussex coast, llytlie, (-a|K' Jiiotou, Now Briinswifk, (Vyioii, Cape of Good lIoiHS Sicily, tlie Ionian Islands, and Madeira, Tlie companies at Cadi/ wi-re tiie sixth and seventh of tho first l)attalion ; and those in Portugal were the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth of the second hattalion. At this time the corps counted a force of nearly \J)i)i) men. More th.an half were em])loy(Ml in foreign ])oss(>>sions and colonial defence. The remainder, distrii)utcd in iiome garrisons and the Channid Islands, included a large pro})ortion of aged men, invalids, and recruits. Ry the end of tlie year the recon- struction of the companic!s was completed; and from con- tinual accessions of sipiads of recruits, ra])idly e(juipped and disci])lined, the corps was soon in a condition, to a greater extent than hei-etofore, to meet such incidental necessities as might arise. Ehiven sergeants were commissioned to he sul)-li("'tenants during Mie ye-ir. Some joined from the royal arti All wen •'. anguished either as soldiers or artificers, p^ ..cularly Sub- Lieutenant Munro, who was an "ingenious and skilful mechanic," and his inventitms, which met with gtmeral appro- bation, were attended with considerable saving tt) the Govcn-n- ment. The captain of his company, in making a record of his accjuirements, wrote that Lieutenant I\Iunro " was the most zealous and intelligent non-connnissioned officer whom he had met in the course of his services." '" '' He invented an engine for nipping lead shot, used for years in the royal laboratory, but for which an impostor and spy, nanu-d De Haiue, receivud a reward of Soo/. While filling the olliee of inspector of ordnance stores, he made various improvements in the mechanical and intrenching tools. He also detected many extraordinary frauds in the deliveries made by contractors. In one attempted imposition only, he saved the Government '2,Ui)0l. He designed and constructed a life-ladder, which was frequently used with success at iires, and an ingenious mortar-mill which occasioned a great saving of expense to the department. At Chatham he invented many useful tools, implements, and apparatus, and his services were rejjeatedly acknowledged in the order books of the establishment. 1812.] KOYAL SAIM'HIIS AND MINKIiS. 181 1812. I'lj iiioiitli ooiupaiiy iiirtriictetl in field diUios — I'ligim-er I'Stalilishnu'iit at ('iialiiani — Major I'asUy aiipointrd its diivctor Discipliiu' and diill of corjis — its ciiaiacter SirJolin Sim-lair, i-x-jJiivatL' Titlf of corps cliaiigod — Captuin G. Hiifliaiian — Cuidad Kodrigo— KxiTtions of a conipaiiy on tiio nnircli to the siege — IJepairs to the fortress — Siege of IJadajoz— DifUenlties in removing the stores to tlie i)ark Duties of the sappers in the operation — (iallant behaviour of I'atriek IJooney and \Villian\ Harry- Also of a party at Fort I'icuriua, and of I'atriek JJurke and Hohert Miller — lla/ardous attempt to blow down the hatardeau in the ditch of the lunette, and conduct of corporal Stack — Hravery of a party in mining under the bridge of the inundation — Distribution of the I'eninsular companies and their services — • Keinforcement to Sj)ain— Salamanca-Uurgos, and boldness of Patrick Jiurke and Andrew Alexander at the siege ("arthageiia lieinfoiremcnt to Cadiz ; action at Seville— lieinforcement to tiie Peninsula and distribution of the sappers — Green Island — Tarragona— First detachment to I'ermuila. Majoh Pasi.ky, 11. E., on his ai)|)(jiiitiiiciit to tliu Plyinouth station, occaijiorially practisLMl his company in ija])[)ing and mining. He was one of tlioso officers who took pains to improve the military ap])earanci! and efficiency of his men, and to make them useful either for home or foreign em])loyment. He is l>eru!ved to iiave heen the first officer who represented the advantage of training the corps in the construction of military fiehl works. After the faihu'c of Badajoz iii 1^11 the necessity of this measure was strongly advocated by the war officers. Then it was reconnnended to form a corps inider the name of royal sapj)ers and miners, to be comjjosed of six comjjanies chosen from the royal military artificers, which after receiving some instruction in the art, was to be sent to the Peninsula to aid the troo])s in their future s'ege operations.' Early in this year [1812] the suggestion was repeated by Sir Richard Fletcher; and Lord Wellington having also, in the most forcible manner, ' Jones's 'Journal of Sieges," 2ud edit., ii., p, 3yo. li ,1- < A- 'B 11 182 IIISTnl.'V ^)V TIIK [181'-'. l)rouu;lit tlu; sultjci't to the notico ot' tlic Secretary of State,'' ai warrant was is.-iued imdcr date of the 2.}rd Ajtril for tlie forma* tioii of an (>tal)lisliinent for iiistriictin«r tlio corps in nnlitary fielil w(»rks. Lord Mnlgrave, the Master-dleneral, selected ('liatliani as th(! most snitahU; ])lace for carryini; out tlie royal orders, and appointed .Major ('. W. Pasley diiectorof the (>staldislnnent. The exertions of that officer at Plymouth natin'ally >in«;led him out for the j)os.t. 'J'he i)i'tter to ■ ll'ect his ]Mn'j)ose, he j)ul)- lished for the use of the cor|)S, elementary works on fortitiea- tion, gi'ometry, t^c. of the gri'atest simplicity ; and they hav(^ ever since heen the text-hooks of the institution. In aihlition to sa))j>inii; and mininp:, his system comprised bridge-making, pontooninjx, tlie use of ropes, mechanical aj)j)liances, and all other arts and contriv.nces, which the corps, in its connection with the engineer department, was likely to he called on to perform. Uniting great zeal and unwearied perseverance with good talents and judgment, Major Pasley succeeded in ex- tending the course far heyond these objects, and not only filled the ranks of the corps with good scholars, good surveyors, and good draughtsmen, but enabled many, after (putting the service, to occupy with ability and credit, situations of considerable importance in civil life."' The formation of tlie school at Chatham increased the means for discij)line and drill. Other stations, stimulated by the example, })aid greater attention to their enforcement. The injurious system of changing officers incessantly was now abo- lished ; and the juniors, among a stated number of the second caj)tains, first lieutenants, and second lieutenants of the royal engineers, were a])pointed regimental officers of the comj)anies. TIk; men generally were of suju^rior ac(juirements and well- disj)osed, and the above changes had the best possible effect u})on their general behaviour.' By linking officers and men \i ■;,' *= 'Wellington Dispatches,' 1844, v., p. SOS. ' Jones's ' Siege>,' 2nd edit., ii., p. 'V.JJ. * Among the recruits at this period was Sir John Sinclair, Hart., who, on the 12th August, It) 12, enlisted in the uame of John Smith. ThrouL'h various '.t IKI'J.] IIOYAI. S.M'PKIIS AND MIN'HIJS. 183 t()j;«'tli(M-, and closely coiiiitctinp; tlicir iiiutual iuUaTsb, dis- cipliiic {111(1 prldo wen; «^Iv('ii to tlic Mildicr and character to tho corjKS.'' Mon; {'nlly to accord with tin* recognized duties of the corps, the MasteMieiieral on the 4th AuLrii?t, ordered that the royal niilit:iry artificers should he hereat'tcr styled, lloyal Military Aitificers or S;i|)j)ers and Miiujrs.'' Captain (i. Ihichiinan, the adjiit.mt, resigned the a])p()int- ineiit, aiK I Capt; 111 Hi i •<• Jones, umler coniniission datetl 1st I'\'i)rii;iiy, succt'eded to it. During his period of oHiee, Ciptain Buelijiiian, lu'sidcs attemling to Its many oHieial re- (piireineiits and details, performed duty on the works like otlicr olHcers of en«rineer; ]iy 1 lis ai)]) 1»1 ilicatio )n and exertions liu ruined his health and died prematurely. Captain Rice J(mes was relieved from the duties of the district, and the pay of the ap])oiiitment was increased from (».v. to lO.v. a-day. 'liie sieurc; of (Jui(hul Kodriuo heyaii ou the Sth and termi- n ited on the lUtli .F;muary when the fortress was carried hy storm. Ill this siege iMghteen rank and lile of the royal i niisfortniKs lu'was irdiu'cil from adlmiicc to poverty. Noticed l»y ('olonel I'ilkiiijrtou, K.K., for Iiis uniform jiood eoiidiict iiinl attainments, he Mas jiro- moteil to secoml-corporal, and provided with a quarter at the niain-gmud in tlie royal arsenal. His lady sometimes visited him in all the pride of her station, hut his own rank was as yet unsuspected. From a comrade — afterwards Suh-f/ieutenant H. 15. Mackenzie he frecjuently liorrowed plain clothes to elude arrest in the streets, and iuvarialily proceeded to the Treasury l»y water to receive liis allowance. He was at leu;fth dogged to Woolwich, and, ou the .'i 1st August, lsi.'J, being tak«'n, was thrown into the delitors' side of Newgate, from whence he was removed to the Fleet Prison, M'liere, for a year and a half he was conlincd, and was then only released by an error n law. Thirteen months' .>-ickiie^s and distress followed his release, during which time he was supplied with means by an accpuiintauce of his earlier and happier days. All the while tlie whereabouts of .lohn Smith was unknown, but, advised by lii; friend, he confessed himself a deserter, and in imploring pardon aiul indemnity for jiast errors, solicited to be received for life in the New South Wales Corp'^. The pardon was granted, and being relieved from further service in the Sappers, he was again left at liberty to follow his own inclination. '• Jones's 'Sieges,' 2nd edit., ii., pp. IVJO, :V.t\. '' Sir .lohu Jones, by mistake, vol. ii., p. '-iW, makes the alteration of the name of the corjis anteccdau to the ^i eat ion of the establishment at Chatham. m IIISTOUY OP TlIK IH12. Ifil! I !« m inilitiiry artiri('('i*s wen* |»r*'S('tit <»t' wliom one wa?* killed and ten wore wounded, 'llieir conduct tinrinu tlie operations was praised !)y Lord \V(dlinnton.' To join the siege party, the fd'tli company second hattalion of forty-!.. i(; men, had heen cMd)odied at Aihandra from tlu^ dilferent districts of Torres N'edras, and marched for ('uida(l HodrifTo on the 2n(i January. It had in charL'c a Iar Alicant ....... 92 Cadiz . . ..... 10'6 Tarifti . . . . . . .11 • • • • • • vl Carthagena Total 515 including Sub-Lieutenants Wallace, Gibb, Booth, Turner, and Gratton. During the year the casualties in the detachment under Sir Richard Fletcher were, nine invalided and forty-three deaths. In May the number sick (rounted thirty-one ; in December it was increased to sixty-one. At Green Island, opposite Algeciras, four privates were employed in repairing the defences early in the year under Lieutenant A. Brown, R.E. When completed they returned to Gibraltar. The first company of Maltese Artificers of forty-one total, and one smith of the royal military artificers, left Messina in June under the command of Major Thackeray, R.E., with the expedition against Tarragona. At Port Mahon, Minorca, tiioy were joined by the sixth company, first battalion. Both com- panies soon afterwards landed at Alicant, and portions of them were employed on such occasional services as the course of events demanded. Bermuda was this year appointed a station for the corj)s. Mi nil) 1812." rOYAL SAPPEI^S AND MINERS. 189 Two sergeants, one drummer, and fifty rank and file, embarked on the 21st August on board the 'Catherine,' freight-ship, and arrived at the island 20th November. The detachment gene- rally were inferior artificers and ill-behaved men. Throughout the voyage they were discontented and mutinous ; and after landing, animadversion and punishment for a long time had but little eftect in checking their excesses and insubordination. Captain Cunningham, R.E., commanded the party. 'I m '1: yJ w 190 HISTORY OF THE [1813. i'i'vijf I ■ ■ I ' I . ■ » , ,l 1813. Designation of corps modified — Uniform — Working-dress — Arms — Mode of promoting non-conmussioned officers — Hanlc of colour-sergeant created — Company to Canada — Keinforcenient to Bermuda— Sub-Lieutenant Mac- kenzie appointed Town-Major there — Sickness at Gibraltar — Services of company in East Catalonia — Mai ha da Sorda — Services on the advance to Vittoria — liridge at Toro — lilockade of Panipeluna — Pyrenees — San Sebas- tian and services of the corps at the siege — Valour of sergeants Powis and Davis — Of private Borland; and of corporal Evans— ('asnalties in the siege — Restoration of the fortifications — Pontoon train- Bidassoa — Bridge across it, and conduct of privates Owen Connor and Nowlan — Vera — Nivelle, and behaviour of corporal Councill- Bridge over that river — JJridges over the Nive, and daring exertions of private Dowling — Fording the Nive, and posts of honour accorded to corjjoral Jauiieson and private Braid— Strength and distribution of corps in the Peninsula — Recruiting. To corrcsj)ond with the intentions of the Govern ;nent with respect to the future duties of the corps, the title was again changed on the 6th March, from " royal mihtary artificers or sappers and miners," to " Royal Sa})})ers and Miners." Some mistrust and discontent were occasioned by this second altera- tion, but conciliatory explanations restored confidence and satisfaction. A change of dress followed the change of name. This originated with the war officers in the Peninsula. Working with the line at the sieges, it was considered desirable to assimilate the dress of the two services ; and scarlet vvith blue facings was introduced to render the men less conspicuous to the enemy and less subject to danger. No material alteration was made in the cut and frogging of the coatee. For par- ticular parades, the white breeches and long gaiters were con- tinued, except in the Peninsula, where grey trousers and ankle gaiters were substituted. The cliaco wus much higher in front 1813.] ROYAL SAPPKi:S AND MINERS. 191 than in rear and decora IlmI witli yellow cords and tassels. A short white feather was worn at the left side of the chaco. See Plate X. The working dress consisted of a plain red jacket with short skirts, grey trousers with red stripes, short spats, shoes with brass clasps, and a leather cap, worn lengthways, bearing on its front, in brass, the initials of the corps, or a crown and garter ornamented. See Plate XI. Some com])anies wore white linen overalls, buttoned the whole length of the outer seam. At Cadiz, previous to the general change, the com- panies wore grey trousers with a black strij)e down each outer seam, and a grey cloth forage-cap, trimmed with black braid, and the letters R. M. A. on the left side of the cap. Greater attention was now paid to arming the corps. Here- tofore, in this respect, many irregularities had crei)t in. At Newfoundland the detachment was armcnl with swords, cut- lasses, and accoutrements of every shape, saved from the American war. In the West Indies the companies used the shattered remains of old armouries and b^ack accoutrements of various patterns. In Sicily the military artificers could only muster a few foreign cund)ersome firelocks ; whilst the Maltese artificers were unable to appear with a wea])on of any kind. For a number of years the Gibraltar companies wore the obsolete accoutrements and cartouche-boxes of a disbanded Newfoundland regiment ; and a party of the cor])S on its way to the Peninsula, did duty with pikes and blunderbusses. Among the sergeants the swords and belts were very dis- similar. Permitted to purchase their own arms, more attention was paid to fancy and ability of payment than uniformity. These and other anomalies were progressively removed from the corps in consequence of the improved method of officering the companies. In March an important plan was adopted for the promotion of non-commissioned officers. All men at home recommended for advancement were sent to A\'o()lwich to be examined. If found competent as artificers and soldiers, they were especially instructed in a uniform system of routine and drill, and ■i^i I' I 192 IIISTOUY OF TIIK [1813 m. pi-- ' ni' ! rii Pif returned perfect to their companies. A few years, liowever, showed the expense and inconvenience of the system and it was necessarily relinquished. In July the rank of colour-sergeant was granted to the corps. One was appointed to each company with the pay of 2s. d^d. a-day, and was distinguished hy the badge of the open colour and cross swords on the right arm. Sixpence a-day was also added to the j)ay of the sergeant-majors, which raised it to 4s. lid. a-day. The third company, third battalion, of eighty-one men under Lieutenant G. Phillpotts, R.E., and Sub-Lieutenant Jtw-nes A. Steplienson, sailed for Canada on board the ' Zodiac ' transport on the 23rd April and landed at Quebec on the 5th June. They had been trained in the field duties of the department at Chatham and were the first of the corps ever employed in the Canadas. Nothing satisfactory is known of their services ; but they appear to have been much dispersed through the country, the greatest numbers being at Burlington Heights, Prescott, Point Henry, York, and Kingston. The last station was the head-quarters of the company. In the summer the detachment at Bermuda was increased to a company by the arrival of thirty men under Sub-Lieutenant Hugh B. Mackenzie/ from His Majesty's ship ' Ardent.' At Gibraltar the companies suffered mucli from sickness during the year. Ophthalmia was also very prevalent. In December a malignant epidemic appeared in the garrison and nineteen deaths occurred in the companies. Nine other deaths took place in the year, and twenty-four were invalided. The three companies at the Rock were now r(;duced from 267 to 141 of all ranks. The sixth company, second battalion, attached to the Anglo- Sicilian army at Alicant, sent during the year portions of the company with three expeditions undertaken by Sir John Murray and Lord William Bentinck, who were present in the ' In 1816 this officer was appointed Town-Major at Uermuda, and from the able manner in which he discharged its duties, was honoured with the confi- dence and approval of his patron, Sir James Cockburn. fii ta W( re •*?•! 1813/ llOYAL SAPPERS AND MINEPvS. 19;i several movements and affairs of the campaign, including tli(» action at the Biar Pass, battle of Castnlla, siege and capture of Fort Belaguer, «and the second and third sieges of Tarra- gona. Thirty-nine .nen of the Maltese sappers and miners accompanied these expeditions. Detachnunits of both corps were also cantoned, at different intervals, at Valencia ; and thirty men of the company made, in the inland of lvi(;a, a liberal provision of fascines, gabions, and platforms, for the last siege of Tarragona. After Suchet evacuated tlu; phute, the royal and Maltese sappers and miners commenced the nistora- tion of the works, and continued so employed until Aj)ril, 1814, wlien they sailed to join the force under Lord William Bentinck in Italy. With the exception of a few scattered detachments the companies in the Peninsula under Sir Richard Fletcher were concentrated at Malha da Sorda, and in January the; seventh company, first battalion, from Cadiz, also join(,'d tlj(,'re. All were practised, as occasion permitted, in tin; construction of field-works under Lieutenant E. Matson, R.K. ; and Sub- Lieutenant Gratton, who was appointed adju^^ant, drilled the companies and conducted tl'^ roster. On the army breaking up cantonments, the seventh company, first battalion, and the fifth and seventh companies, second bat- talions, with Sub-Lieutenants Caldcr, (irattou, and Wallace, were attached to the pontoon train. Thu royal staff corps also accompanied it. Both corps assistefl in the formation of bridges for the passage of the army. Carrying the pontoons down the steep banks of the Esla was an arduous service, but the bridge was thrown across the river with promptitude. Without loss or material casualty, tiie companies reached Vit- toria, but were not present at the battle. At Zamora auri 'i'oro parties were left to construct earthworks for cover in the event of a retreac. Others, stationed on the Douro and the Ksia, suarded and used tlie flvins; bridifes over those rivers whenever required by the troops. rhe eighth company, second battalion, with Sub-Lieutenant Turner, was attached to the light division and encamped with VOL. I. 194 HISTORY OF TIIH [1813. '.if,; ■'■'!';■ the 43r(l regiment At night, while the Toro bridge was still burning, the company repaired the broken arch with ladders, trees, and planks, under the direction of Lieutenant Edward Matson, R.E. ;^ and was present at the battle of Vittoria on the 21st June, but not actively engaged. One private was severely wounded ; and Sub- Lieutenant Turner received three shots about his person, but remained unhurt. At the blockade of Panipeluna, from 25th June to 1st Novem- ber, a detachment of twelve sappers and miners was employed and superintended the working parties under the direction of Major Goldfinch, R.E. Private James Napier was killed. 'I he seventh company first battalion, with Sub-Lieutenant Calder, attached to Sir Rowland Hill's division, was present at the operations in the Pyrenees, including the actions at Maya and Roncesvalles. The fifth, seventh, and eighth companies, second battalion, and detachments of the sixth and seventh companies, first battalion, were ])resent at the siege of San Sebastian from the 11th July to tl'o 8th September. The second company, second battalion, joined there on the 20th August from England, and was the first company in the corps that appeared in the scarlet uniform. All the men composing it had been instructed at Chatham, and were derisively styled " Pasley's cadets." The greatest number at the siege counted five Sub-Lieutenants — Gratton, Stratton, Turner, Wallace, and Johnson, and 305 non- commissioned officers and men. The eighth company, second battalion, with Lieutenant Turner, was posted on the Chofre hills, and the other companies on the isthmus. The men were divided into three reliefs ; each relief was on duty eight hours, but when the works required to be pressed, the periods of rest were shortened to meet the emergency. The sub-lieutenants acted as assistant engineers. A large ^)arty of the corps did duty in the park, and the remainder were employed as overseers of the working parties. They also had to place the gabions, fascines, platforms, &c., open and repair the embrasures, and 2 Sir W. Napier in his ' Peninsular War,' attributes, by mistake, this service to Lieutenant G Prinele, U.V.. % w 1813.] l^OYAL SAPPERS AND MINEIIS. 106 execute all services requiring more than ordinary skill, such as commencing' the saps and leading their progress. In the early part of the siege the hatterie.s and eonunuuications were wholly constructed by the sa])pers ; but from the ICth July, these services, except in occasional instances of difficulty and danger, were performed by the line. Several of the embrasures of the breaching batteries were cut in broad daylight, under fire, by a party of the corps under Lieutenant E. Matson, R.E."* At one time the trunk of a large poplar tree (completely stopped the progress of the men and defied all their efforts to move it, until a daring sapper gallantly jumping fro.n the trench, stood exposed until he moved it from the head of the sap, and returned without being wounded.^ In both assaults parties of the corps assisted in carrying and placing the ladders for the stormers ; others bore axes, crowbars, and intrench) ng tools. In the second assault it is recorded, that the party with picks and shovels " long persevered, with cool intrepidity, to form cover on the face of the breaches, but in vain." The assault, however, ultimately succeeded. As well in th». trenches as at the stormings, the sappers and miners distinguished themselves by their usefulness, intelligence, and gallanlry.'' Sergeants William Powis and John Drtvis accompanied the first assault. Forced down the breatn with the retreating stormers, they perceived Captain G. G. Lewis, R.E., lying badly wounded exposed to the enemy's fire ; and Davis, who but a few moments before had been wounded in the arm, returned v/ith Powis to the breach and carried off their officer to the trenches. In effecting this gallant and humane act, Davis was a second time struck by a musket ball, through which he lost an eye. By Major Pasley he v/as reported to be " a man of extraordinary merit and abilities and a most skilful and inge- nious artificer." ® ^ Pasley's 'Operations of a Siege,* li., p. 246, note. * ' Instructions for the Defence of Fortresses,' translated by Major Reid, K.E., 1823, p. -20. ■' Sir Thomas Graham. ' Wellington Dispatches,' vi., p. C50, edit. 1844. Jones's 'Sieges,' ii., p. 391 ; and Pasey's 'Elementary Fortification,' i. p. ix. " From his perfect knowledge of the duties of field engineering, he was known among his comrades by the ti le of "Sap Major." (J 2 X I' I il 'I '•1 "ft! i,.'.5.-'i i I : I . " 'i"S F' ■ 1 inn llISTOnV OK THK flHi:;. No Ios3 (listinguisluHl was ])riv{ito Ilugli Horland at tlio second storming In placing liis ladders he discovered tliat they were likely to become useless, from the joints being inse- cure, and while in the act of binding the ends together with his braces, a ball pierced the root of his tongue and killed him. Santa (.Mara, a rocky island od'St. Sebastian, hacLbceii taken, and it was n(?cessary to connnunicate with the officer of engi- neers there on a matter of great iniportance. It being broad daylight, no boat could venture across the bay without the certainty of being sunk. Corporal Thomas Evans therefore volunteered to execute the ^^ervice. lie immediately stripj)ed himself, tied his cap round his neck with the dispatch in it, and plunging into the stream, performed, under tire from the castle, this gallant exploit unscathed. The distance to the island was nearly a mile, and he returned with an answer in about an hour. The casualties at the siege were as follows : — At the sortie — one killed ; private James Hicks : three taken prisoners," one of whom, private Owen Connor, was wounded. In the trenches — four killed ; second-corporals rindlay McDonald and Daniel Niblock, and privates Thomas Penhorwood and Peter Milne: Sub-Lieutenant Turner, wounded. First storm — five killed ; privates Samuel Clarke, James Dunn, William Cormack, Jonathan Millar, and James Morris : one died of wounds, private Stej)hen TeafF. Second storm — four killed ; second-corporal Henry Logan, privates Peter Walsh, John Flanaghan, and Hugh Borland : twenty-nine wounded, of whom one died, second-corporal William Dodds. Correct particulars of the wounded from the opening of the operations until the last assault cannot be obtained. The three prisoners taken at the sortie were returned to the corps on the 7 Corporal CharlefS Ford was one of the prisoners. He was of a respectable family, and had a I)rother a clergyman in the Church of England, presiding over the cure of the parish of Kilbeaconty in Ireland. M' k 'I 1813. liOYAI. SAPPFRS AN'D MrNKIIS. vx, ^t\\ S(«j)ti'iiil)or. Not jilldwcd duiiiij]; tlicir cotirmcnicut to tlirow ii|) cover for tlicir own siit'i-t}, tlicy wvit exposed in tlio castle, in the yard of tlie nuijiazine, to all tin? I'ury of tlie j^iej^e. On tlie removal of tlu? troojts from St. -Seha.stian, the fifth company, .second hattalion, was left at the fortress. Under the orders of Captain Frank Stanway, H.K., it sujierintended a body of Spanish soldiers in reforming aJid restoring the fortifi- cations. Tile company continued so employed for nearly five months after the? abdication of Napoleon, and returned to Woolwich in September, 1H14. The remaining four companies mnv(>d with Lord Welling- ton's army, having in charge the stores and materiel of tho department. On the arrival of the pontoon train at Passages, a strong detachment of the corps was placed under the direc- tion of Lieutenant Piper, R.E., to assist in the formation of the required bridges. In the passage of the Bidassoa on the 7th October, the sappers threw a pontoon bridge across the river near Irun. It was soon afterwards carried away by the tide ; but, on beii t; recovered, was s])eedily replaced. About three miles higher up the river, at the foot of the Pyrenees, they also constructed a trestle bridge with a roadway of sleepers, covered by fascines and earth inider Captain Dickens, 11. E. This bridge also was washed away by the violence of the current, and with it privates Owen Connor and John Nowlan, who, at the time, were under the superstructure,, fastening ropes from the laud to the trestles, to give stability to the bridge. Both these intre})id bridgemen, after a hard struggle, gained the shore. The second company, second battalion, under Captain Pitts, R.E., was j)resent in the action at \'era, and afterwards threw up a line of breastworks at the gorge of one of the passes through the mountains, and constructed several other works about the position. At the battle of Nivelle, on the 10th November, the four companies above mentioned were present but not actively engaged. Two or three small parties of the corj)s, however. ''ii '• ii' lOH niSTOHY OF TIIK 1H13. ii ^ i I n; :■■*;! ^i;i' : i-^i ■\iU' ' 'ij ■•*^: ■ ,'i,, ^ ■ 'lit fiW- mm 1 1 Imd tlic iiononr of leading a strong fonv of tin* 27tli regiment to the st(»rniing of a strong redoubt, under Lieutenant (JiMirgo West, U.K., Tliey took witli tliem long san(l-l)ags, filled at the instant with fern, wiiieii they threw into the diteli ; and jinnping upon them, sjirang to the parapet and entered tiie redoubt. Tiance-eorporal Edward Councill of the corps, led one of the detaciiments to the storm, and dashed into the works with the foremost soldier, who was a sergeant of the 27th n-gi- nient. On the 1 Ith November the second company, 8(M'ond battalion, threw a trestle bridge across the Nivelle, below Sarre, con- structed from materials obtained from a farmhouse, under the direction of Captain Pitts. R.E, and Sub-Lieutenant Stratton. The seventh company, second battalion, being dc'tached to Socoa, to arrange the hawser bridge for the passage of the A dour, the three remaining companies were present at the battle of the Nive, and the actions in front of IJayonne, from the 9th to 13th December. For the passage of the corps (Varincc under Marshal Heresford and Sir Rowland Hill, the companies threw two bridges at Ustaritz, and repaired the shattered arches of another bridge at that place ; and one at Cambo. All was executed with promptitude and vigour. The first bridge thrown was made of pontoons under (Japtain Boteler, 11. I*]., in which private William Dowling distinguished himself by gallantly swimming across the river with the sheer line, and securing it to a picket on the enemy's side. When striking Some his stake, he drew the fire of some French sentinels upon him, but returned unhurt. The second bridge resting upon ehn en bays, was made by the second company, second battalion, under Sub- Lieutenant Stratton and Captain Henderson, R.E., and formed from chance materials collected in the wood and the village. During the operati(ms, another bridge was thrown by the sappers over a deep stream with a rapid current, beyond the Nive, and was formed of wine pipes and barrels, strength- ened by two skiffs or chasse-marees, with a hastily prepared roadway laid upon them. Previous to the battle a few expert swimmers were selected I'l I8iy.] IJOVAL SAITKHS AND MINKRH. I <.)'.) to find tlic fords of the NIvo, and to note? tin? exact risinp and falliiifT of tlio tides, (^n'ponil Alexander Jainicson and piivate William Ilraid found the thn'c fords in'ar Caniho. In tin? j)assa»»(; of the troops these two men, i>y appointment, guided tlu! eolumns of (ienerals Hyn«» and liarnes across tla; stream ; and for tiieir coolness and steadiness in executin<^ the service, were rewarded by the (ienerals. Tin; former re(;eived two dimhloons, the latter one. The four companies with the anny were reinforced, In No- vend)er. by forty-nine men under ('e])tain Mnj^lish, U.K., from P^ngland. On the .'iOth of the month, the total mimher in the south of France, at St. Sebastian, and Alicant, reached six sub-lieutenants and about 500 non-conunissioned officers and men. The number sick in the different hosj)itals amounted to between sixty and seventy. The casualties during the year were, killed fifteen, deaths thirty-three, missing five, and inva- lided thirteen. The head-quarters of the comj)anies with Lord NWdlington's army, were at ('andx), Ustarit/. and St. .Fean d(> Luz, but the men were greatly (iisj)ersed and variously em- ployed, in making redoubts, batteries, and entrenchments, and in the preparation of materials and appliances for the formation of bridges. During the year the recruiting was carried on with great spirit. The number received by enlistment was 431, and by tnmsfer from the militia 334. Six sub-lieutenants, one ser- geant-major, and 144 non-commissioned officers and men. were employed on this service in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The corps now counted a total strength of 2,373, leaving still to complete it to the establishment 484 men. 200 HISTORY OF THE [1814. ''^ m If 11 1814. Wreck of ' Queen ' transport ; humanity of sergeant Mackenzie ; heroic exertions of private McCarthy — Quartermaster ; Brigade-Major — Santona ; useful services of corporal Hay — Bridge over the Nive near Cambo — Orches; conduct of sergeant Stephens — Toulouse — Bridge of the Adour; duties of the sappers — Flotilla to form the bridge — Casualties in venturing the bar — Conduct of the corps in its construction — Bayonne — Expedition to North America — Return to England of certain companies from the Penin- sula—Company to Holland; its duties; bridge over the Maerk; Tholen ; Fort Frederick — March for Antwerp — Action at Merxam — Coolness of sergeant Stevens and corporal Milburn — Distribution ; bridge-making — Surprise of Bergen-op-Zoom — Conduct of the sappers, and casualties in the operation — Bravery of corporal Creighton and private Lomas — South Beve- land — Reinforcement to the Netherlands — Movements of the company in Italy and Sicily — Expedition to Tuscany; party to Corfu— Canada; distri- bution of company there, and its active services — h'einforcement to Canada -' vVashington, Baltimore, New Orleans — Notice of corporal Scraneld — Expedition to the State of Maine. Late in December, 1813, sergeant Richard Mackenzie, with six invalids and their wives and children, embarked at Lisbon on board the ' Queen' transport. Separated during a tempest from the convoy, the vessel, after a dangerous passage, arrived off Falmouth, and entering the harbour, anchored at about half a mile from the shore to await a fair wind to sail for Ports- mouth. On the 14th of January, at night, a violent storm arose ; and early next morning, the ship, snapping her cable and parting her anchor, drifted on the rocks off Trefusis Point near Falmouth. The unabated severity of the wind kept the vessel constantly bumping upon the rocks, and in a short time the ' Queen' broke amidships. As long as practicable the crew and passengers clung to the gunwale and rigging, but the long-boat being at last disengaged^ numbers crowded into it. Sergeant Mackenzie was about the last who entered it ; and even then, though the chance of life was hanging upon the .III 1814.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 201 prompt effort of the moment, he caught uj) a poor orphan boy .,«( shivering from cold and fright, and pushing him into the vessel first.) followed after, and wedged himself in the bow of the boat. Witlvout rudder or oars, the boat, scarcely able to hold the weight she bore, drifted to sea. Masses of the wreck floated about her and beat against her sides. Shock succeedins shock soon loosened her timbers, and the bottom giving way, the human freightage was cast into the sea. In less than two hours, out of 336 souls, 195 were lost. Two of the number with three women and their children, belonged to the party of sappers. One was private James M'Carthy, who had gained the shore on a fragment of the wreck, and plunging into the sea again, perished in an heroic attempt to save the wife of a comrade. The appointment of Adjutant and Quartermaster, hitherto held by one officer, were separated in February ; and quartermaster- sergeant James Galloway was commissioned to be Quarter- master from the 1st of that month, with the pay of 85. a-day, and 18/. 5^. a year for a servant. On the 20tli of December following, the Adjutant, Captain Rice Jones, was advanced to the staif appointment of Brigade-Major ; which rank has ever since been borne by the chief executive officer of the corps. After the passage of the Bidassoa, Captain Wells, R.E., with two men of the eighth company second battalion, marched to Santona to co-operate with the Gallican, or fourth Spanish army, under General Barco. The historian of the Peninsular war has stated, that some sappers and miners were sent to quicken the operations of the Spanish officers, but a French writer, erring beyond all excuse, has magnified the two men into a whole battalion.^ ITnder their captain, they superin- tended the prosecution of various field-works ; and on accour<- of his usefulness and intelligence, lance-corporal Hay was styled assistant engineer. Several villages in the vicinity of Santona were called upon to supply a certain number of scaling ladders for the operation, and corporal Hay, furnished with authority from General Barco, visited these localities, super- ' Napier, vi., p. 502. i| Pi; % 202 HISTORY OF THE [1814. ^'' ■ it':, intended the making of the ladders, and had thorn conveyed to the park. Both the sappers were present in tlie escalade of the fort of Puntal on tlie 13th of February, and at the storming of the town and fort of Laredo on the 21st. Throughout the operations, corporal Hay was particularly noticed for his ability and zeal. Santona ultimately capitulated, and the two sappers rejoined their company in front of Bayonne. Early in January, the seventh company, first battalion, under the direction of Sub-Lieutenant Calder, threw a very efficient bridge across the Nive near Cambo. The number of casks employed were thirty-five, arranged in five piers of seven each, two piers being placed at each end of the raft and one in the centre. Each pier was held firmly together by a strong frame- work of wood, and the raft was moored in the middle of the stream. From one bank, the raft was approached by a roadway of about forty feet, resting upon piles driven well into the ground, and from the other, by a sort of wide gangway which abutted on a somewhat ste(^p and rugged shore. The superstructure consisted of planks secured to baulks ; and throughout the whole length of the bridge, on both sides, a handrail was placed for the convenience of the troops.^ The above company with its sub-lieutenant, and the eighth company, second battalion, struck camp in February and moved forward with the army. The former company was attached to the column under Sir Rowland Hill, and the latter to Marshal Beresford's. Both companies, numbering 130 of all ranks, were present at the battle of Orthes on the 27th of February, but their services in the action were of little importance. A portion of the companies being attached to the pontoon train, assisted ro re-establish the ruined bridge of Berenx during the night of the 26th; and on the 27th, a small party under sergeant Thomas Stephens, who had distinguished himself in the demolition of the flood-gates at Flushing, destroyed a barricade in front of a bridge which led into the town of Orthes. In this IV I '•^ The details of the construction of this hridgc have been considered sufli- ciently interesting to be preserved iu a model at the royal engineer establish- ment at Chatham. lii: ? '.m 1814.] KOYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 203 little rencontre, sergeant Ninian Melville and private Samuel Needham were wounded, the latter mortally. These companies, still attached to the advancing army, aided in forming the several pontoon and flying bridges required for the passage of the troops, both on the march from Orthes and just before the battle of Toulouse. In this action, fought on the 10th of April, the two companies were present, but were not required to perform any service worthy of especial remark. During the winter of 1813, the seventh company, second battalion with Sub-Lieutenant Wallace, was detached to St. Jean de Luz to prepare a bridge for the passage of the Adour ; and early in January, Sub-Lieutenant Stratton, with the second company, second battalion, was sent to Socoa to hasten its com- pletion. These companies, with the artificers of the guards and staff corps, and large parties of the royal navy, worked incessantly at the undertaking under the direction of the royal engineers. In the middle of February, the necessary apparatus and stores being ready and every preliminary arrangement com- pleted, the greater part of the two companies were shipped on board the chasse-marees, intended to form the bridge. In two vessels six sappers were embarked, in others three, but the majority carried only two, who were destined to cut away the waste boards to render the deck level, and also to spike down the timber, prepared with grooves to receive the cables, the moment the vessels should be moored. On the night of the 22nd, the flotilla put to sea and en- countered some stormy weather on the passage. In the after- noon of the 24th it neared the Adour, when the sea, tossed into foaming waves by a driving gale, wore an aspect of peculiar danger. A high and angry surf being on the bar and the tide furious, many of the native crews ran below in terror and re- fused to navigate their boats. Several fell on their knees and spent much of their energy in earnest devotion. At length, urged to their duty by the engineers and sappers, most of the masters yielded, and steering into the channel, one vessel after another cut through the frightful breakers and soon gained the position chosen for the bridge. : i '•'**- 'I ^ I :^if h^^ i! ' 204 HISTOKY OF 'i'lIE ri814. Tliis liazcardous service was not accomplished without loss to the sappers. In an instant, one vessel was engulfed on the bar, and second- corporal Patrick Power and private John M'Knight, perished. Another vessel had safely outridden the surf, but was overtaken by an overwhelming wave, that dashed her to pieces. In this wreck, corporal James Gorman and pri- vate William Bunn were washed t; the shore, and after several hours' insensibility and exposure to cold, reached their company, in a miserable plight, the next morning. In forming the bridge, the chasse-marees were anchored head and stern, about 30 feet apart : and as soon as the wash- boards were cut away and tho grooved timbers spiked to the decks, the cables were stretched across the vessels from shore to shore, and the planks or superstructure quickly lashed to them. On the right bank of the river, the ends of the cables were secured to some 18-pounder guns half buried in the marsh ; and on the left bank, were hauled taut by mechanical ingenuity. From the violent heaving of the vessels it wus unsafe to fix the planks in the intervals between them, but there were not want- ing men who thought less of the danger than the prompt execution of the service. With skill ecjual to their assiduity, the companies laboured in completing the bridge, even working throughout the night, and the structure was fully ready for the passage of the troops on the 26th of February.'^ The bocm was laid by the navy and completed soon after the bridge. Admiral Penrose in his dispatch of 25th February, thus notices the services of the sap^ycrs, '' That so many chasse- marees ventured the experiment, I attribute to there having been one or more sappers placed in each of then, and a captain and eight lieutenants of engineers commanding them in div"- sions." * The Admiral further stated, "that the sappers not only proved themselves good soldiers, but intrepid seamen." Major Todd of the royal staff' corps, who assisted in planning the bridge, informed the author of the ' Peninsular War,' " that 3 As a reward for their services, most of the men that lielonged to tlie flotilla received a guinea and a pair of shoes. ■* Jones's 'Sieges,' ii., p. 117, 2nd edit. ll'ISp 1814.] IIOYAL SAPrERS AND MINERS. 205 he found the soldiers, with iiiinds (|iiickeiied by the wider range and variety of knowledge attendant on their service, more ready of resource, and their efforts, combined by a more regular discipline, of more avail, with less loss of time, than tlie irre- gular activity of the seamen."^ Honourable mention is also made by the great historian of the intrepidity of the sappers ; and in winding u{) his remarks upon the operation, he writes, " this stupendous undertaking must always rank amongst the prodigies of war."" The charge of the bridge being confided to the royal staff corps under Major Todd, the two companies were removed to Bayonne to take })art in the siege. Including the second company fourth battalion with sub-lieutenant Millar under Captain Blan- shard, K.E., which arrived from Portsmouth in the ' Warren' transport, and landed at Passages on the 16th March, the royal engineers had collected for the blockade four £:ub-lieutenants — Wallace, Gratton, Stratton, and Millar — and a body of nearly four hundred well-trained sappers and miners," who were chiefly employed as overseers in conducting the execution of the re- quired field-works. A strong party was on duty in the trenches when the sortie was made from the citadel on the night of the 14th April, but no casualties among the men were reported. Throughout tlie operations the sappers and miners, from their skill and exertions, gave the highest satisfaction to their officers. At Bayonne the last blow of the war was struck ; for as soon as the news of Napoleon's abdication had arrived, hostilities ceased. In May the five companies at Bayonne and Toulouse marched from their respective cantonments to Blanquefort and Bordeaux, where they were encamped for a few weeks awaiting the general evacuation of the country. An expedition being ordered to proceed to North America, the second company fourth battalion embarked with it on the 27t\i May ; and the other four companies, viz., the seventh of the first battalion and the second, seventh, and eighth of the second battalion, sailed from Poulliac on the 22nd JunOj and landed at Portsmouth the 10th * Napier, vi., p. 542. " Ibid., p. 543. 7 .Jones's ' Sieges,' ii. p. 126, 2nd edit. ill \ I I'll .'!(. j 20G HISTORY OF THE i- ■ |; I [1814. and 14th July, leaving fifty-five men sick in France. The casualties in these companies for the half year were thirty deaths and one missing. The sixth company second battalion was removed to Italy in April. The sixth company first battalion from Cadiz, and the fiflh company second battalion from St. Sebastian, sailed from Spain the latter end of August, and arrived at Woolwich early in September. These two companies were with the last troops which left the Peninsula after the close of the war. The fourth company second battalion, countmg eighty-two men, with Sub-Lieutenant T. Adamson under Captain R. Thom- son, left Margate with the expedition under Sir Tiiomas Graham, and landed at Williamstadt the 18th December, 1813. T'here the company suff^jred loss by the accidental burning of the barracks in which it was quartered. After removing the stores from the shipping, parties were employed in preparing fascines and gabions, in bridge-making, constructing a landing place of faggots for the disembarkation of the cavalry, and in removing the platforms and heavy mortars from the ramparts at William- stadt for carriage to Merxam. These services being accomplished, the company was dis- tributed to Klundert, Groat Zundert, Zandaarbuiten, Tholen, Steenbergen, and Fort Frederic near Lillo. Among other duties, the detachment at Zandaarbuiten formed, in a very expeditious manner, a bridge of country-boats over the river Mat rk under two young lieutenants of engineers, which served for the conveyance of the heaviest artillery. The boats were of different shapes and sizes, collected for the occasion, and the materials for the superstructure were of irregular scantling, partly collected in the neighbourhood and partly felled on the spot." At Tholen a corporal and eight men under Lieutenant Eyre, R.E., attached to the Prussians, built a battery on the bank of the river for the protection of a flying bridge ; and at Fort Frederic a party restored a battery for two guns, which afterwards held an unequal contest with a French eighty-four gun ship, and prevented her proceeding to Bergen-op-Zoom with " Pasley's 'F^Iementary Fortification,' i. p. viii. ^mi.] d to be on the spot before the others, be- cause, being all carpenters by trade, they had been lent to the Admiral to repair the boats of the fleet."' One private was woundod.- After a detention of about six weeks, from contrary winds, the eighth company, second battalion, with Sub-Lieutenant P. Johnston under Captain Harry D. Jones, cleared the channel on the 25th December and sailed for New Orleans. While off Madeira, the company was served out with the ser- viceable carbines and blunderbusses belonging to the transport, and drilled to the use of the carronades on board. These measures were necessary from the presence of American vessels and privateers hovering about the convoy. The company was consequently kept perpetually on the alert until it landed at Dauphine Island on the 28 th February, too late to take part in the war. Hostilities closed in North America with the capture of Fort Boyer, and the three companies, with the force under ^'^fajor-General Lambert, re-embarked at I^aupliine Island for England in jNIarch. The eighth company, second battalion, returned to the ' Dawson ' transport, and the other two com- panies were put on board the ' Hyperion,' and all arrived at Woolwich in June following. The two ' ompanies in Canada were continually on the move fortifying the frontiers. The third of the third battalion maintained its head-quarters at Kingston ; and the fourth of the fourth battalion commenced the year at the Holland River. It was next removed to Penetanguislilue Harbour, where half of the company under Captain W. 11. Payne, com])leted the ' Paslej's ' Elementary Fortification,' i.. note D. * ' Loudon Gnzotte.' 1815. T^OYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 215 military arrangements for establishing a naval depot. It then proceeded to York ; afterwards to Fort George, Sandwich, and Driimmond's Island, on Lake Huron. From one or other of the companies, parties were thrown out to Fort Niagara, Turkey Point, Amherstberg, Fort Wellington, Montreal, Coteau de Lac, and Lower Canada. In carrying on the various duties of the department, the sappers, who were em- ployed as overseers of military working-parties, were found of great advantage.^ During the year eighteen men deserted from the companies, most of whom were seduced from their allegiance by sergeant Robert Hunter of the corps. When be headed the deluded party into the States, he was off Fort Grochett, River St. Clair, on his way from Sandwich to Michili Machinac, Lake Huron. From the company at Halifax detachments were sent on particular duties to the harbour posts, but chiefly to the works at Sherbrooke's Tower on Manger's Beach. On the 2nd March, one sergeant cud eight rank and file embarked ut Barbadocs for special service under Captain A. Brown, R.E. On the 28th May, the party was increased to thirty-three men of all ranks, and was present with the force under Lieutenant-General Sir James Leith at the captures of Martinique on the 5th June, and Guadaloupe on the 9th August. In the latter attack the sappers were engaged with the artillery at the guns. The head quarters of the sappers were then changed from Barbadoes to Guadaloupe ; and the establishment of the corps in the West India command was reductnl from two companies to one. The sixth company, second battalion, and sixty men of the Maltese sappers at Messina, embarked at Milazzo on the 17th iNFay and landed at Naples on the 27th. On the 2nd July following they re-embarked, and arrived at Genoa on the 11th of that month. Th(!re the Maltese sappers were reinforced by the landing of the remainder of the company from Messina on the 18th October. The number of the whole reached 101 men, including the small party which rejoined the company from ^ Paelty's ' Elementary Fortification,' i., note u. ,' :l ; ■ w • \ 216 HISTORY OF THE 1815. Corfu in Aj)ril. Throughout the year, dotachmcnts of the sixth company, second battalion, were maintained at Palermo and Faro ; and a l)arty of two sergeants and nineteen rank and file, sent on a secret expedition, was afterwards on duty for a few months at Milan and Mars^eilles. Under a royal warrant, dated oth October, the two com- panies of Maltese sappers stationc^d at Malta and Goz*^^, were disbanded ; and the war company — retained for general ser- vice — was assimilated in all essential res})ects to the royal sappers and miners. 1 he establishment of the company was fixed at one sub-lieutenant, five sergeants, five corporals, five second-corporals, three drummers, and seventy ])rivates ; and its strength was sustained, from time to time, by transfers of Brit(ms, Maltese, Sicilians, and Italians— all properly-qualified artificers — from the regiments serving in the Mediterranean. The designation of the company— " Maltese Sappers and Miners" — assumed in 1813 for the sake of uniformity, was confirmed by the warrant, and the colour of the dress was changed from blue to red. On the representation of four sub-lieutenants, the regimental allowances of officers of that rank were brought under con- sideration. On active duty the pay was found to be inadequate to meet the requirements of the service. In the Peninsula, the ofiicers with the army had to endure nmch hardship, and were continually menaced with pecuniary difficulties and embarrass- ments. Aware of these tacts, Lieutenant-Colonel Burgoyne and Major Rice Jones backed the appeal by forcible reconmienda- tions to Lieutenant-General Mann, and on the 9tli November the Prince Regent was pleased to increase the pay of the sub- lieutenants from 5s. Id. to Cs. Id. a-day. To the force in Holland was added the fifth company, second battalion, wliicli embarked at Woolwich on the 2nd January, and landed at Antwerp the same month. This company and two others, already there, were employ(id for several months in improving the defences of the frontiers of the Netherlands, particularly at Ypres, Tournay, Mons, Dendermond, Ath, Namur, Charleroi, and Brussels. The various works were :F:Mi 1,1. t "•' ■■ 181 O.J ROYAL SAPPEKS AND MINE IIS. 217 subdivided amongst the non-commissioned officers and privates, each of whom was held responsible for the proper execution of the work entrusted to his superintendence. The peasants and v/omen under the direction of each counted from 20 to 100, and even more, nccording to circumstances.'* Sergeant John Purcell had from 300 to 400 women under his orders at Ypres ; and from some winning peculiarity in his mode of command, obtained from their willino; obedience and energies an amount of labour that was almost astonishing. No less than about 1,800 peasants and 2,000 horses were engaged in these works, and, by all accounts, they were conducted with the greatest regularity and dispatch. Sir Charles Pasley attributes no inconsiderable credit to the sappers for their assistance on the occasion f and the Master-General, the Earl of Mulgrave, in a letter dated 4th April, expressed his "warm approbation of their zeal and exertions." Meanwhile Napoleon, breaking his captivity in Elba, re- appeared in France, and, wherever he journeyed, was enthu- siastically welcomed by his former legions, As by a spell, the army gathered under the wings of his eagles, and again lifted him into the imj)erial seat from which he had been so recently expelled. Europe was once more thrown into commotion by the event, and to crush the lofty hopes and pretensions of an intolerable ambition, war was at once declared by the Allies against the usurper. At the instance of the Duke of Wellington,'' seven companies of the corps, instructed in their art, were hurried off to Ostend between the 24th Marcli and 10th June, and distributed with all possible haste to those frontier j)osts and fortresses in the Netherlands that most required their services. Those com- panies were the Third and sixth of the first battalion ; Second and eighth of the second battalion ; First and seventh of the third battalion ; and First of the fourth battalion : * Paslcy's ' Eloraontiiry Eortification,' i., note u. •^ Gurwood, viii., p. 18. Ibid. i ;fti 218 HISTORY OP THW [1815. i; 1 'I'l ■'If.. and they were employed in constructing indispensable field- works, or improving the fortifications :i the Brussels road, and placed it in an empty barn till next morn- ing, when it commenced its march for Paris. Li applauding the company for its steadiness and order under trying circiun- stances, Colonel C. Smyth alluded in a particular manner to the meritorious conduct of Lieutenant Johnston. Neither the officer nor liis men were considered entitled to the Waterloo medal and extra service ; and for several years aftei'wards many of the company claimed these advantages with unprece- dented pertinacity, bui without effect. The experience of former defects in the Peninsula led to the more perfect organization of the field establishment of the royal engineer de})artment. On the 20tli June orders to effect the arrangement were issued by Colonel C Smyth. Every division of the army had one engineer's brigade attached seriously indisposed on the night of the 17th, was much indebted to liira for his care and attention. His claim to a medal was warmly advocated by the Major, but Colonel Smyth never would allow that he was entitled to it. At the rejection of his just right corporal Donnelly was so much alT'ected, that shortly afterwards he went into hospital and died. 1815.] IIOYAL RArrERS AXO MTXEllS. 221 to it; and each l)riga(lo consisted of a complete company of well- trained sappers and miners, with drivers, horses and waggons carrying entrenching tools sufficient to employ a working party of 500 men, hesides a i)roportion of artificers' tools, and otlun* engineer stores. The nmnber of companies so distributed was six. A ca])tain and a few subalterns were attached to each brigade, and were responsible for the discipline of the men and efficiency of the horses, &C.''' Four companies were attached to the pontoon train, which consisted of eighty pontoons, besides store- waggons, &c., and was drawn by nearly 800 horses, the whole being under the command of Major Tylden, R.E., assisted by a due proportion of captains and subalterns of the same corps.^" The second company, fourth battalion, under Sub-Lieutenant P. M'Lean, of sixty-seven total, having joined the army from England soon after the dis])Osition, was also added to the pontoon train. The total of the engineer establishment with the army and in the Netherlands, under the command of about sixty officers of engineers, amounted to 10 sub-lieutenants and 838 soldiers of the royal sappers and miners, and 550 drivers in charge of 160 waggons, pontoon carriages included, and more than 1,000 horses. Besides medical officers aiul other non-combatants, and a large force of peasants employed on the works, a small number of liemish seamen, accustomed to rivers and coasting navigation, was attached to each division of the pontoon train." The hired drivers, paid at Is. Qd. a-day each and rations, were provided with a uniform of grey clothing, having red cuffs and collars to their round jackets ; and the Flemish seamen, re- ceiving each an allowance ol' 2s. a-day and rations, were dressed like British sailors, having on the front of their low glazed caps, painted in white, the word " Pontoneer." All the companies of the corps moved with the army towards Paris, leaving a few small detachments dispersed in Flanders. The second company, second battalion, attaclied to the first division, was present at the capture of Peronne on the 2C)tli June under Sub-Lieulenant W. Stratton and two captains of '" Piisley's ' Elementary Fortification,' i., note F. '" Ibid. " Ibid. (,f, i s 1 I' I iX 222 HISTORY OF THE [1815. engineers. The ladders used on the oceasior were coUeeted in the neighbourhood, but being too short were laslied together. The company had the honour of leading the brigade of guards to the assault,'" and behaved remarkably well.'^ Precedijig the column, they threw a number of fascines and faggots, hastily prepared by them, into the ditch of the hornwork, and thns enabled the troops to pass its s\vamj)y bottom into the body of the place.'^ A party of the com])any advanced under a heavy fire to force the main entrance. No ladders wen; carried with it, nor any sledge-hammers or instruments by which to force it open. Daring men were in the batch, and their first impulse, forlorn as they were, urged them to mount the gate. Lieu- tenant Stratlon and lance-corporal Edward Councill soon gained the top, and tearing themselves over the spikes which crowned it, jumj)ed into the jjlace, tore down the fastenings, and pulling the gate o])en, admitted the troops. In leadiug iiie stormers into the work. Captain Thomson, R.E., and Lientenant Stratton were severely wounded, as also two men of the com- ])any. Corporal Councill was dangerously wounded in the breast. For the passr.ge of the army to Paris, a pontoon bridge was thrown over the Seine at Argenteuil early in July. Twenty pontoons were employed in its formation, and also some trestles, which were placed next to the banks of the river. On its completion the Duke of Wellington, who was present during the greater part of the operation, first passed over leading his horse, and then the whole army with its artillery and baggage. From the acute winding of the Seine it was again necessary to pass the troops over the river, and a pontoon bridge similar to the one laid at Argenteuil was thrown at Aniers. The fifth company, second battalion, and seventh company, third battalion construted these bridges. Some Flemish seamen assisted in their formation, confining their exertions chiefly to mooring the 1^ im '2 Paslcy's ' ElemeiiUiry Fortification,' i., note i>. '^ Garwood, viii., p. 17G. '■* Colonel Carmic'huul Smyth's ' Plans of Attack upon Antwerp,' &c., p. 9, and plan. 1815.] IIOYAL SAPPERS AND 3!IMi;US. 223 n th it pontoons. Skilful as thoy were as sailors, their want of previous training; as pontonecrs, rendered tlieni far less serviiieable than the royal sappers and miners.'^ The bridges were main- tained for some months on the iSeine, facilities heina; afforded for continuing the navigation without interruj)tion. For this purpose an ()})ening was made in the centre of each bridge, and when required to bo re-established for the passage of the troops, the floating rafts were lashed in their places and removed again when the occasion was served. A sufficient detachment was posted for a season atChaton, to attend to a similar duty at the bridge thrown there by the Russians. Three companies with forty pontoons were also stationed at i'-pinay. After the capture of Paris, the Earl of Mulgrave, then Master- General of the Ordnance, in a letter dated 11th July, expressed his high appreciation of the zealous, able, and bene- ficial exertions of the officers and soldiers of the corps dtu'ing the successful progress of the campaign ; and also of the services of the officers and men at the different fortresses. During the year a number of hired drivers deserted. They were generally ignorant of their duties and many of tijem of bad character. To take care of the horses was the principal object of the chief engineer and his officers. Obtaining an equal number of foreign drivers to replace the vacancies occasioned by desertion, afforded no promise of advantage or im])rovement. It was. therefore, determined, to make an experiment by appointing the royal sappers and miners to the duty. Ac- cordingly, the number of men required was attached to the horses, and from their peculiar habits of i- 1 and exertion, they made no difficulty of reconciling themselves to the novel occu- pation of grooms and drivers. The experiment was eminently successful. The horses were kept efficient and in proper con- dition ; and but for this measure, a number of valuable horses must have been ruined, and the pontoon train, as well as the engineers' brigades, by degrees, have become totally un- serviceable."' At Paris the sappers were called upon to perform a domi- '* Pasley's ' Elementary Fortification,' i., note f. ' Ibid. 44 .,« 224 HISTORY OP THE [1815. ciliary visit to the cajjitul, which ])r()bahly is tlio only instance on record of Hritisli soldiers beinji; so employed in an enemy's country. 1 he Duke ot Welhngton liavnip; been nifornied that arms were carried nightly into Paris from Montmartrc', de.»ired Sir Thomas Brisbane, connnanding the seventh division of the army, to order (Japtain Harry Jones, U.K. to take the company of sappers attaelied to the division, with such tools as might be necessary, to examine rigidly every })art of Mont- martre where it was probable arms might be concealed. The ofRcer conmianding the troops stationed within the intrench- ments, had orders not to allow any ])erson to pass out, until Captain Jones had eomjileted his examination. The sappers were employed nearly the whole day in making the search. Every cellar, house, and garden were examined ; no place where it was possible to conceal arms was unexploi-ed, but the result was unsuccessful. No doubt, however, existed, that the information communicated to the Duke of AV'ellinntou was well founded. m U IHIO.] IIOYAL SAl'l'KliS AM.) MIXKIIS. 225 181G— 1818. Movements in France -lieturn of six companies from tlionee to England — Strength of those 'emaining, and detaeliments from tlu-m- St. Helena — Keturn of company from Italy — Disbandment of tlie war company of Mal- tese sappers — Habile of Algiers— Instances in which the want of arms was felt during tiie var — Arming the corps attriliutal)le to accidental circum- stances — Traini'ig and instruction of the corps in France — Dress — Bugles adopted — lieduction in the corps — Sub-Lieutenants disbanded — Witiidrawal of companies from certain stations — Relief of company at Harltadoes — Re- pairing damages at St. Lucia; conduct of the old West India company — Corfu — Inspection of corps in France — Murder of private Milne, and con- sequent punishment of coi,'' in France by the Duke of Wellington— Return of the sappers from France. After the ciipitulation of Paris, tlie loyal sappers and minors were encamped in the vicinity of tlic city. Late in the year they were removed to otlier stations on the northern fnmtiers of France ; and until tlie formation of the army of occupation, were constantly changing their quarters and furnishing detach- ments for particular services at different places. To meet the arrangements for reducing the army in France, six companies quitted the country for England in January. Four emharked at Boulogne and two at Calais. The former arrived at ^^^oolwich on the 9th Fehruary and the latter on the following day. Five companies remained with the army of occupation and were attached to divisions as follows : — J st division . 2nd division . 3rd division . Pontoon train VOL. I. 8th com., 2nd batt. 1st com., 3r(l batt. 4th com., 2nd batt. ('2nd com., 4tli batt. j5th com., 2nd batt. Sub-Lieut. P. Johnson. Sub- Lieut. W. Stevens. Sub- Lieut. J. Adam. Sub-Lieut.AV. M'Lean. Sub-Lieut. C. Gratton. Q * I ! 22(5 IIISTOIIY OF TIIF, [1810. Tlu'ir united .strciu^tli counted 4.*}.") of all ranks, and they were quartered at Valencieniu's, Uaismes, Cantain, Mel lain, St. Aniand, IVrnes, Denain, and lloudain. These j)laees were the chief stations of the corps until its removal from Franc^e in 1818. Parties were also detached to Candjrai, JIasnon, Racquinghani, lJlandec(|ue, and St. Pol. Uaismcs was the head-(|uarters of the })onto()n train. Kach company attached to the train had twenty jjontoons with stores and waggons in charge. The second company, fourth hattaiion was attached to the right hridge of \\n) train, and the lifth company, second battalion, to the left. The former hridge was permanently sta- tioned at Uaismes, hut the latter was rej)cate(lly moved from village to village for service and instruction, making its chief halts at Uaismes and Aubrey. On the 2Gth January the seventh comp.niy, fourth battalion, of forty-eight total under Sub-Lieutenant A. A\'allaee followed Napoleon to St. Helena, and landed from the 'Phaeton' frigate on the loth April. Major Ennnett, R.E. took command of the com})any on its arrival. In carrying on the duties of the island the men were much detached and separated. Many acted as overseers of the Chinese and line workmen, and were found very useful in their several occupations. The head- quarters were at St. James', and parties at different periods were emj)loyed at Prosperous Bay, Turk's (Jap, Sandy Bay, Great I^ound llidge, Horse Pasture Point, Lemon Valley, Ru})ert's Hill, Rupert's Valley, Ladder Hill, &c. Besides attending to the repairs of the barracks and public buildings and strengthening the sea-defences, the company rendered efficient assistance in the building of a residence for Napoleon at Longwood. The house was of one story only and contained about forty rooms. It was, however, never occupied, as the ex-emperor expired before the furniture had been arranged in the several apartments. On the evacuation of Laly tlie sixth company, second batta- lion under Sub-Lieutenant R. Gibb, sailed from Genoa and landed at Gibraltar on the 17th March. Two months afterwards a fourth ('()m))aMy was added to the engineer force on the Rock, 181»5. l!(>YAr< SAlM'KnS AND MINKItS. 227 - by tlio arrlviil in tlic * Kt'iint'shy C.^istlo' triuispui't, of the first comjumy, fourth battulion, tVoiii Pdrt.siuoiith. Tlio Malti'so company of sappiTs (jiiittod (jrciioa witli tlio British troops and lauded at Malta iu March. It ('(nithiui'd to ill d ch il the :M! u'.aiutuin lia March, 1817, whou, hy the Priucc Regout's couuuaud, it was d'Lshaudcd. This was the last company of the Maltese saj)pt!rs and miners. On the 27th August the seventh company, first battalion under Ca})tain William Keid and Major William Gosset, H.E., had the high honour of participating with the fieet, under Lord Exmouth, in a splendid naval triumj)h. This was the battU? of Algiers. Under the idea that it might become necessary to land and destroy some of the batteries and works covering the harbour of Algiers, the company, eighty-four strong, was attached to the fleet ; but owing to the daring intrepidity and able nautical u\ lUBUvres of Lord Exmouth, its services as miners were not required.' Throughout the action, therefore, they fought with the seamen at the guns of the ' Queen (Jharlotte' and the ' Impregnable,' and gained equal credit with the navy and marines for their " noble support." ^ Sub-Lieutenant S. Calder and fifteen rank and file were wounded, of whom ])rivate David Campbell mor- tally. The company returned to England in the ' Queen Charlotte' and the ' Glasgow' frigate ia October, and as a reward for their services each soldier received a gratuity of two months' pay. Arming the corps efficiently had for years been a subject of discussion and representation. Lord Mulgiave, the Master- General, however, could not be persuaded of the necessity of the measure, and luider the opinion that a working corps ought not to be armed, sent detachments to the Peninsula equipped only with swords. The evil of this was greatly felt, as the sappers could not march across the country without being guarded by other troops. For the same reason the company attached to the light division, which was required for the siege .loiips's 'Sietrfis,' ii., p. "91, 2nd edit. ^ ' Loudon Gazette.' q2 \ 228 IIISTOllY OF THE [1817 m of Bayoune, was unable to join. Upwards of 400 sappers were employed in that siege, and might, had they been equip- ped with lire-arms, have rendered important assistance in rept'lling the disastrous sortie. Eleven companies were sent to the Netherlands in a similarly defenceless state. Before moving them, however, Earl Miil- grave was ready to abide by the views of the Duke of Wel- lington on the point, as his Grace promised to consider the question when the first company should arrive ; but no farther notice appears to have been taken of the subject, and the whole eleven companies landed without a firelock. When the alarming and unfoundev'. reports of the retreat of the British from Waterloo reached Malines, Major Tylden, with the p(mtoon companies under his command, assumed a posture of defence ; but the attitude, from want of arms, was necessarily impotent and embarrassing. This gave the Major a notion, when afterwards crossing the plains of AVaterloo, of arming the companies with muskets and accoutrements scat- tered on the battle-field ; the idea, however, from some regi- mental considerations was not carried out. On one occasion, near St. Denis, all the sappers of the army, nearly 1,000 strong, were assembled to witness an execution, and strange to add, in that imposing force there was not a single fiie-arm ! At another lime there was an inspection of the pontoon train of eighty pontoons and other carriages, with horses, drivers, and pontoneers, occupying a line of road nearly two miles in length. The sappers were present in their whole strength, but without a musket in their ranks to show the quality of protection they could afford to the immense charge intrusted to them. Fifty men with fire-arms could easily have destroyed the whole force in ten minutes. These instances and others equally striking, occurring in an enemy's country, were strongly brought under the notice of the higher powers ; but, where representations and remonstrances founded on the neces- sities of the service failed to obtain attention, accidental cir- cumstances at last gained the desired object. At the great reviews in France, the bridges required for the passage of the i>' 1817.J KOYAL SAPPERS AXD JNIINERS. 229 I army were tlu'own the evening previously, and the sappers con:«equently were free for any other duty. Usually they were employed to represent the enemy, and to show the line of the enemy's position to advantage it was considered best to effect it by musketry fire. Orders were therefore given to supply the cfuupanies with fire-arms ; and from this trivial incident may be dated the period from which the corps was properly and uniformly armed. To keep up the training and efficiency of the cor])s in France, Sir James Carmichael Smyth issued to each non-commissioned officer and fifty of the most steady ary^ intelligent privates, books and useful articles for their instruction and improvement. Schools were also established f jf the men, and prizes liberally awarded for industrious application and advancement. To perfect the corps in the use of *he firelock and marching evolu- tions, five sergeants from the light infantry regiments in France were sj)ccially appointed to the duty. Each company was also required to execute a certain portion of field-work every year and reports of individual progress in instruction were pre])ared weekly, which were carefully examined, and promotion distri- buted according to merit. The pontoon train, which was con- stantly in motion and sustained a high character for activity and usefulness, was only expected to do half the work demanded from the divisional companies ; and this course of professional and general education, based upon the system of Lieutenant- .Colonel Pasley, was scrupulously enforced until the companies quitted France in November, 1818. Early in the year the high-fronted chaco was superseded by a black felt cap of more military pretensions than was formerly worn. It was embellished with yellow cords and tassels, which fell with chivalric gaiety upon the left shoulder. The sergeants and stafi" sergeants wore white heckle feathers, gold bands and cords, with gilt scales and ornaments.— See Plate XII. 1823. In ^Marcl'. the drums throughout the corps were abolished and bugles adopted. The rank of drummer was also changed to accord with the alteration, and drum-major James Bailey, the first of the .ank, was now styled bugle-major. f ^l ^r,; : f i' ■ IJ 1 lit'ifn t8j] 1 230 IIISTOKY OF THE [1818. d7 1 1 IS lil' The return of peace gave rise to a gradual reduction in the corps. On the 16th i\.ugust, 1816, a reduction of twenty-five men per company was ordered. This took away 800 men, re- ducing the corps from 2,861 to 2,061 of all ranks. By the royal warrant of the 4th February, 1817, an entire battalion was disbanded, and a further diminution of ten privates and one drummer took place in each of the remaining twenty-four com- panies. From the staff was taken one adjutant, one sergeant- major, and one quartermaster-sergeant, and also the whole of the sub-lieutenants, thirty-two in number.-^ The establish- ment of the corps was thus reduced to twenty-four companies of 1,258 of all ranks.'' In consequence of these orders the companies at Dover and Spike Island were withdrawn, as also the detachment at Guernsey. The force at Gibraltar was reduced from four to three companies, and the strength at Woolwich and Chatham was brought down to a fluctuating establishment of five com- panies. The company discontinued on the works at Spike Island sailed for Barbadoes on the 17th December, 1817, on board the ' Thames of London ' freight-ship, to relieve the old com- pany which landed there in January, 1794. The vessel encountered some very stormy weather on the voyage, from the effects of which Lieutenant Rogers, R.E., who commanded the company, died when near Madeira, and the charge of the company devolved upon Captain Robert Duport, R. A. Not a single irregularity was committed by the company during the voyage, and on its arrival at Carlisle Bay on the ^ Generally the sub-lieutenants were commissioned into the corps from the ranks of other regiments, as a patronage to the military friends of the Master- General. Many of them had distinguished themselves in the field, were good drills, and tine looking soldiers; but though considered at first to promise well, they disappointed the expectations formed of their probable usefulness. Want- ing the necessary ability and weight, they were neither respected in the arniy or by the corps ; and unable, therefore, to give the satisfaction which was reasonably hoped for, the first reduction ordered after the peace, embraced the abolition of the rank.— Pasley's Mil. Pol., pp. 18, 19, Introduction. * In addition to this total, 180 men of the companies in France were borne on the strength as supernumeraries, until December, 1818. I' . . ,n ■ ^ 1818.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 231 I »i 18th January, Lord Combermore, the governor, expressed in orders his high satisfaction of the excellent conduct of the com- pany as reported to him by (^aptain Duport. On the landing of the new company, the old West India company, dwindled to twenty-eight in number including ser- geants, was sent to St. Lucia, and assisted in repairing the damage done by a recent hurricane. Li March following it arrived in England and was disbanded. In summing uj) its chiiracter. Colonel William Johnstone, R.E., thus writes, " They are a drunken set, and require to be thought of and provided for like babies ;" but, nevertheless, he urged that the sapper force in Barbadoes should be always maintained complete, as it would act as a check uj)on the contractors, and enable the estimates to be carried into execution with more despatch, economy, and superiority of workmanshi)) in almost all the details, than if an equal number of artificers were de- rived from the country. A company of fifty strong, intended for the service of the palace of the Lord High Conmiissioner at Corfu, embarked at Portsmouth on the 4th May, and after a month's detention at Malta reached its destination in August. The employment of the company was chiefly confined to clearing away the rock, by blasting, for the foundations of the palace, and in executing such other miscellaneous services as were required. From local disagreements regarding the working pay of the company, the men were precluded from taking part in the artistic details of the palace, and eventually, from the same cause, it was removed from the island. Colonel Sir James Carmichael Smyth made his last general inspection of the corps in France in May, and in complimenting the companies for the excellency of their discipline, interior economy, and improvement in the field duties, awarded to fifteen non-commissioned otficers and men — the most advanced in the course of instruction — a silver penholder each as a token of his approbation. This year, the companies in France sub- stituted yellow worsted epaulettes for the plain shoulder-strap, the expense of which was borne by the men themselves. ' w 2i]2 HISTORY OF THE [1818. \ ^^*! On the 19th June, private Alexander Milne of the corps was found in a wheat-field, near Raismes, murdered ! A niimher of the men of his company had heen in the hahit of breakmg out of their quarters after tattoo roll-call, and spending the time of their absence in gambling. .Some were said to have been j)l;iying with the deceased on the night of the murder. Strong susi)icion attached to the card party, but as the perpetrator of the deed could not be discovered, the Duke of Wellington, convinced that the murderer was in the ranks of the corps, ui'tlered all the sappers and miners with the army, both near .'uid distant, to parade every hour of every day from four in the morning till ten in the evening, as a punishment for the crime ; and a? the order was never rescinded, it w;is rigidly enforced until die very hour the companies quitted France. The execu- tion of the pondty fell with singular hardship upon one of the companies which, quartered with the division encamped near St. Omer, was, at the time, seventy miles away from the place of the murder. Early in November, on the breaking up of the army of occu- pation, the eighth company, second battalion, took charge of the pontoons and stores to Antwerp, and the other four com- jjanies marched from Cambrai to Calais, where, as arranged by General Power with the French governor, they were encamped on the glacis on the ea.^t side of the town. This was requisite, as by the treaty of the 3rd November, 1815, no troops of the army of occupation could be quartered within any of the for- tresses not specified in the treaty. At Calais the companies remained about a week, assisting in the embarkation of the army and the shipment of the ca\alry horses. In this service the sjqjpers became so expert, that a regiment was embarked and many were landed at Dover during the same tide. All the companies arrived in England before the end of November. One sergeant and twenty men, under Lieutenant Hay tor, R.E., after the sailing of the troo])S, guarded tbe military chest both at Calais and on the passage, and rejoined their companies, when the important duty for which they were selected was completed. \ \ 1819.] ROYAL S.^rPERS AND MINERS. 233 1819—1824. Reduction in tlie corps — Distribution — Sergeant Thomas Brown, the modeller — • Reinforcement to the Cape, and services of the detachment during the Kaffir ■war — Epidemic at Rermuda — Damages at Antigua occasioned by a hurri- cane-Visit to Chatham of tlie Duke of Clarence — Withdrawal of a detach- ment from Corfu — A private becomes a peer — Draft to Bermuda — Second visit to Chatham of the Duke of Clarence — Fever at 13arbadoes — Death of Napoleon, and withdrawal of company from St. Helena — Notice of private John Bennett — Movements of the company in Canada — Trigonometrical operations under the Board of Longitude — Feversham — Relief of the old Gibraltar company — Breastplates — St. Nicholas' Island — Scattered state of the detachment at the Cape— Services of the detachment at Corfu — Intel- ligence and usefulness of sergeant Hall and corporal Lawson — Special services of corporal John Smith — Pontoon trials — Sheerness — Notice of corporal Shorter — Forage-caps and swords. By the royal warrant of 20th March, 1819, the peace esta- blishment of the corps was further reduced, from twenty-four companies of 1,258 total, to twelve companies of 752. Of this number the staff embraced one brigade-major, one adjutant, one quartermaster, two sergeant majors, two quartermaster- sergeants, and one bugle-major. The organization of each company was fixed at the subjoined detail : — 1 colour-sergeant, 2 sergeants, 3 corporals, 3 second-corporals, 2 buglers, 51 privates. Total . 62 ; and the whole were distributed, with regard to strength, con- 234 II [STORY OF THE [1819. L sistently with tlie relative wants of tlic several stations. These stvitions were Woolwich, Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth ; Gibraltar, Corfu, Uermuda, Parbadoes, St. Helena, Kingston in Upper Canada, and the Cnpe of Good Hope.' A reinforcement of thirty men,, under Lieutenant Rutherford, R.E., arrived at the Cnpe of Good H()])e on the 24th July. In consequence of hostilities with the Kaffirs the detachment marched 700 miles to the south-eastern frontier. It traversed a wild and thickly-wooded country, where there were neither bridges nor roads ; and, in the absence of soldiers of the quartermaster-general's department, facilitated by their exer- tions the progress of the troops. In places where civil artificers could not be procured at any rate of wages, they executed various services and works of defence; for the security and tran- quillity of the settlement. On one occasion they constructed a temporary bridge, of chance materials, to span one of the principal rivers of the country, which was swollen by floods, and rendered deep, rapid, and dangerous. The bridge was thrown in six hours, and the whole of the force, about 2,000 horse and foot, a demi- battery of guns, with ammunition waggons, about 100 baggage waggons with commissariat supplies, camp equipage, &c., crossed in perfect safety in three hours. " Without the as- sistance of these sappers," writes Colonel Ilolloway, R.E., " the river could not have been passe d without much del ^J' loss of property, and perhaps loss of life ;" and, " both on the ' The companies at Newfoundland and at Halifax, Nova Scotia, returned to England late in 1819. To the former company belonged sergeant Thomas Brown, who was discharged fnm the corps in November, 1819, after a service of twelve years. In 1821 the late Sir. William Congreve appointed him modeller at the royal military repository, Woolwich, which situation he has held for thirty-four years with great credit. In that period he has made 125 models, chiefly of field artillery, pontoons, bridges, and miscellaneous military subjects. The greatest number are deposited for exhibition in the Rotunda, and the remainder in the rooms of instruction for the officers and non-commissioned officers. Many others also, which were defective or out of repair, he has renewed or remade. His principal works, considered with regard to the skill and artistic excellence displayed in their construction, are the model of a fortified half octagon, showing the approaches and plan of attack, on a scale of 2-2;^ feet to an inch, and a model of St. James's Park as it ■was at the celebration of the peace in 1814. iSlO. ROYATi SAPPERS AND MINERS. 235 frontier, and at the seat of government, they were always found of the utmost benefit." The detachment returned to Cape Town in December, when the remnant of the old party, which had been in the colony since 1806, quitted for England and arrived at Woolwich on the 5th September, 1820. An epidemic fever of a severe character raged at Bermuda during the months of August and September, and out of a company of fifty-two total, no less than one sergeant, twenty rank and file, three women, and one child, fell victims to its virulence. Captain Cavalie S. Mercer who commanded the company, was also numbered with the dead. From Barbadoes, thirty non-commissioned officers and men, under the command of Captain W. D. Smith, were detached to Antigua in November, and worked in the engineer depart- ment, repairing the damage caused by a recent hurricane, until the January following, when they returned to their former station. Small parties, of fluctuating strength, were also detached to Trinidad, St. Lucia, Tobago, and Demerara, and had charge of different working parties at those islands for several years. At Chatham on the 11th November, the Duke of Clarence reviewed the corps under arms ; and after witnessing various field operations, including the firing of mines, the construction of flying saps, and the manceuvring of pontoons, inspected the model and school rooms. In the latter, he watched with great interest the system of instruction as carried out by Lieutenant- Colonel Pasley ; and in expressing his perfect satisfaction with all he saw, added his opinion, that the establishment was one of great public utility. On the 14th of the same month, thirty-four non-commissioned officers and men of i.ie company at Corfu were withdrawn from the island in the ' Christiana' transport, and sailed for England. On arriving at Gibraltar, one sergeant and nineteen rank and file joined the companies there under an order from General Sir Gi,'orge Don ; and the remaining twelve reached Chatham on the 2nd April, 1820. The conduct of the company during its brief tour of duty at Corfu, was reported to the Inspector- H { 'III 236 HISTORY OF THE [1820. Genoral of Fortifications in very favourable terms, by Lieu- tenant Colonel Whitmore, R-E.** On tlie r^tli June thirty-one men, chiefly masons and brick- layers, under Lieutenant Skene, R.IC., arrived at Bernuida, to replace the men who had died during the epidemic. A party of variable strength, with the exception of occasional periods of temj)orary withdrawal, was permanently detached to execute the defences at Ireland Island. In August the Duke of Clarence again visited Chatham, and a full routine of military and field o})erations was carried on for his inspection. With the works, the schools, and model rooms, his Royal Highness expressed his aj)probation in lan- guage that was both flattering to the cor})s and honourable to the institution. In October the yellow fever again visited Barbadoes, but its violence, contrasted with former visitations, was considerably assuaged, and its fatality less felt among the population. Forty-six of the corps were present during its prevalence, and though nearly the whole of the number were attacked, only eleven died, and but fifteen were invalided. The loss in the company, however, was prO|,ortionally more severe than in any other corps in garrison, and the deterioration in the general health of the men drew the particular notice of the Commander of the Forces, who made repeated comments on it in his reports to England. In consequence of these reports, the com})any was relieved early in 1822, some months before the completion of its tour of service. Its character while in the West India command was flatteringly spoken of by Captain AV. D. Smith, R.E. In one of his communications he wrote, '^ To this company belonged private James Gordon, wlio lost an eye by accident in mining for the fonndation of tlie palace, and was discharged at Woohvich 30th yeptember, 1820, with a pension of 9(/. a day. Tiiroughout his service of nine years he was a zealous and exemplary soldier, and bore about him the stamp and evidences of a loftier origin than his humble station gave reason to expect. Singular events in life sometimes occur that make con- trasts at times appear almost fabulous. " The soldier turned peer," has hitherto been the player's jest, but it has at last become a veritable reality, for in September, 1848, this James Gordon, the private soldier, succeeded, as heir to his grandfather, to the titles of Viscount Kenmure and Lord Lochinvar. 1821.] ROYAL SA1TE15S AND MINEliS. 237 " Its conduct, I liJive pride in saying, lias been most exem- plary." Napoleon died at St. Helena on the 5th May, and liis re- mains were deposited with quiet solemnity in an unpretending tomb, shadowed by a willow, in Slane's valley. The company ()fsap})ers at the station took ])art in the funeral arrangements. The stone vault was built by privates John AVarren and James Andrews. The body was lowered into its resting- j)lace by two privates of the (company, and other privates, appointed for tluJ duty, refillcMl the grave, and secured all with plain Yorkshire slabs. Thus, without epitaph or memorial, were entombed the ash(!S of the most extraordinary man of modern times. As the necessity for retaining the company, now reduced, by deaths and the withdrawal of a detachment in 1819, to twenty-five of all ranks, no longer existed, it quitted the island and arrived at AVoolwich on the 14th September. Private John Bennett was detained for three months after the removal of the com- pany, and during that period he was employed with the Clerk of \\ orks, in giving over the stores of the engineer department to the island storekeejier." The company in Upper Canada changed its head-quarters in June, from Kingston to Isle aux Noix, and afforded parties for service at Quebec and Fort George, both of which were recalled to Isle aux Noix in August. In November, 1822, the grerljr part of the company was removed to Quebec, and the remainder were retained for the works at Isle aux Noix. From July to November, a sergeant and nine men, chiefly carpenters and smiths, were employed by the Board of Longi- tude under Major Colby and Captain Kater, in the operations for determining the difi'erence of longitude between the obser- vatories at Paris and Greenwich ; and visited ten of the principal trigonometrical stations in Englfl.id. Besides at- •'' Was an excellent clerk and became in time a quartermaster-sergeant. After liis discharge from the corps lie filled, for about ten years, important offices under the Surveyor-General of Prisons, and died while steward of Dartmoor prison, in February, 18.53. That season was a peculiarly cold and stormy one, during wliich tin-ee soldiers of the line, on escort duty, in crossing Dartmoor Heath, perished in the snow. 238 IIISTOHY OF TIIK [1823. tending to tlio hiborio.is requirements of the camp, the party erected ]u)les, and constructed stages or phitforms wlierever needed, on commanding sites and towers, for purpos(;8 of observation ; and were also entrusted vvitli the care of the ])i»ilosopliical instruments. In the professional operations of the season, however, they took no part."* In June, one sergeant and thirty-nine rank and file under (>aptain John Harper, 11.E., were detached from "Woolwich to Fevershani, and after destroying the powder-mills and premises connected with them, returned to head-([uarters in September. The first company of the corps, which had been at Gibraltar since 1772 and was present at the celebrated siege a few years afterwards, was removed, in the course of relief, from that for- tress to Woolwich in June. Breast or belt-plates of brass, in place of the buckles, were adopted early in the year by permission of General Gother Mann. All ranks wore a plate of uniform device and dimen- sions, and each soldier paid for his own. The device consisted of the royal cipher, encircled by the garter, bearing the name of the corps and surmounted by a crown. A fluctuating detachment, not exceeding thirteen masons and miners under a corporal, was detached in the autumn from 13evonport to St. Nicholas Island, and remained there for nearly four months repairing the fortifications. The small detachment at the Cape of Good Hope was much dispersed at this period. The men detached are traced at short intervals at Cape Town, Kaffir Drift, Wiltchire, Port Elizabeth, and New Post Kat River. The Corfu detachment of seven men was removed to Gib- raltar, in the ' Frinsbury ' transport, in December, and arrived at the Rock on the 6th March, 1824, bearing with it records of its uniform exemplary conduct and public utility. Being first- rate workmen, they were the leading men of their trades, and 1-^' •• Captain Kater, in his account of the operations published in the ' Philo- sophical Transactions,' 1828, p. 153, noticr.s, by mistake, this party as belonging to the royal artillery. There were, it is true, two gunners of the regiment present, but they were employed as servants to tlie officers. 1824. i llOYAL SAPrRUS AND MINKUS. 239 some of tlii3 heiit work at the piiliice wr Bridirc — on tlio Dtli mid lOfli .S('j)t('inlu'r, in tin* presence of ;i connnittee of seven officers of the royal artillery and royal en^nneor«, f/uuit.-General Cupjjage, R.A , l)ein«i the uresidont ; and on the 1st October in the presence of his Hnyal Highness the Dnkc; of York. One or other of the rival systems was to snper^M'de the use of the old Knnrlish tin jHrntoons. To work the hiioy pontoons of Sir James Colleton, seamen were lent from ILMS. 'Prince Regent.' The third and sixth eomp;inie8 were employed with (\)I()nel Pasley's decked canoes. Tlie niaiuruvres were excecdinflv lahorions, and the men were exposed a greater- part of each (hiy to V(?ry heavy rains. They not only, however, did everything to the satisfaction of his Royal Highness and of th(! officers cor posing the connnittee, hut several distinguished naval (tflficcn's declariMl it was imj)ossihle that any opcirations with boati: could have been better or more ([uickly performed." From early in N()vend)er to the 21st January, 1825, a party of ten privates with second-corporal Robert Shorter, was employed at Shcerness under the eonmand of Lieutenant E. W. Durnford, R.E., in boring to ascertain the nature of the strata with a view to determine its practicability for building some permanent works of defence. The borings were carried on at all the salient points of the contemplated fortifications, ranging in depth from thirty to sixty feet. Borings were also nuule on the Isle of Grain, and the men of the party were occasionally employed at their trades in the engineer depart- ment. Corporal Shorter registered the daily progress and the results of the operation ;'' but, although the intended works r( " Pasley's 'Narrative of Operations with the New Pontoons,' 1824. Sir James Colleton's ' Buoy Pontoons.' " Shorter was afterwards stationeil for fourteen years at Corfu. For seven of his twenty-seveu years' service lie filled the office of quartermaster-sergeant, and was honoured with an annuity and medal for his meritorious conduct. He retired from the sappers on beiug appointed a Yeoman of the Queen's Guard, and was the first non-commissioned officer of the corps who received a nomi- nation to mat ancient company. While he was all that could he desired in his corps in respect to efficiency and intelligence, in private life he was a thorough humourist, and the most simple incident, with scarcely an element for merriment in it, became by his droll inventorial recital, a subject of the richest amusement. VOL. 1. II \m 242 PIISTOIIY OF THE 1824. if '• m were never undertaken, the borings were not without interest in adding their quota of information to the cumulative dis- coveries of geological research. The leather forage cap introduced in 1813, was this year superseded by a dark blue cap, called the Kilmarnock bonnet, with a yellow band manufactured in the web, and a peak and chin-strap. The crown was of immense circumference. — See Plate XIII. The corporals wore the chevrons of their rank above the peak. The superior ranks had blue cloth caps, with peaks, chin-straps, and gold lace buiids The Kilmarnock bonnets were purchased by the men ; the leather caps had been supplied by the public. About this period the army pattern sword for staft-sergeants and sergeants was adopted in the corps ; but the swords intro- duced for the buglers were of the artillery pattern. HI" I. ]■ ui. ! 182").] IIOYAL SAPrElJS AND MINERS. 243 1825—1820. Dress— Curtailment of benefits by tbe change — Chacos — Survey of Ireland — Formation of tlie first company for the duty— Establishment of corps ; company to Corfu — Second company for the survey — Efforts to complete the companies raised for it— Pontoon trials in presence of the Duke of Wellington — Western Africa — Third company for the survey; additional working pay — Employments and strength of the sappers in Ireland — Wreck of ' Shipley ' transport — l^erbice ; Corporal Sirrell at Antigua — Drummond Light; Siieve Suacht and Divis — Endurance of private Alexander Smith. Early in the year tlie breeches, long gaiters, and shoes, ceased to be worn by the corps, and in their stead were substituted light blue-trousers, with scarlet stripes, and short Wellington boots. The coatee was stript of its frogging on the breast ; and the skirts, with the slashes sewn transversely on the loins, were lengthened to the swell of the thigh. White turnbacks were added to the inner edges of the skirts, and brass grenades united the turnbacks near the bottom of the skirts. The work- ing jacket was simply altered in the collar from the open to the close Prussian fashion, and the working trowsers were dyed of a deeper grey. — See Plate XIII. The^se alterations were followed by curtailments of benefits heretofore enjoyed by the corps, inasmuch as the stockings, shirts, and forage caps, annually issued with the clothing, ceased to be provided at the public expense. The allowances for oil, and emery, and shoes, were also abolished; but in lieu of the one pair of shoes formerly issued, and the compensation for a second pair, the corps had the advantage of receiving, yearly, two pairs of short ^Wdlington boots. The low chaco of 1817 gave place to one of about ten inches II 2 244 HISTOliY OF THE [1825. ■^!'. in height, bearing a goose feather of a foot long in an exploded grenade. The ornaments consisted of scales secured by lions' heads, the garter and motto encircling the royal cipher sur- mounted by a crown, and also a cluster of forked lightning, winged. For protection to the neck in wet weather, a varnished canvas ear-cover was attached to the back of the cap. — See Plate XIII. The ornaments on the staff-sergeauls' chacos were of excellent gilt, and a band of rich silk embossed with acorns and oak leaves around the top of the cap, gave it an elegant appearance. The sergeants' ornaments were manufac- tured of a metal resembling coppcT, and the black bands were of plain narrow silk. Both ranks wore white heckle feathers. In June, 1824, a committee of the House of Commons recommended the trigonometrical survey of Ireland, with the view of apportioning equally the local burdens, and obtaining a general valuation of the whole country. The measure was sanctioned, and (Jolonel Thomas Colby, R.E., was appointed to superintend the work. It being intended that the survey should be conducted under military supervision, Major William Reid suggested the advantage to be derived from the co-operation of the royal sappers and miners in carrying out its sub- ordinate details. Colonel Colby after due reflection, the result of a discussion of nearly six weeks' duration with Major Reid, considering the plan to be not only practicable but desirable, made known his wishes to the Duke of Wellington, then Master- General of the Ordnance, and on the 1st December, 1824, his Grace obtained a royal warrant for the formation of a com- })any of sixty-two non-commissioned officers and men, to be employed in the operations of the survey in Ireland. • This company was at once organized at Chatham ; and the men. selected from the most intelligent of the corps at the station, wi>re specially trained for the duty by Lieutenant- Colonel Pasley. It, however, remained for Colonel Colby, in giving eflect to his great and comprehensive system, to de- velop and enlarge the acquirements and efficiency of the men, ' 'Report Army and Ordnance Expenditure,' Minutes of Evidence, p. 617. ' Naval and Military Gazette.' 1825.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS, 245 by adapting them to the various details and necessities of this novel service. In doing so he encountered difficulties; of no ordinary character ; but eventually he succeeded in achieving the end he sought, not without credit to the mass whom he moulded and fashioned to the purpose, as well as great honour to himself. By the augmentation of this company the establishment of the corps was increased to thirteen companies, of 814 of all ranks, including the staff. Tiie first detachment of one colour- sergeant and twenty rank and file w^as conveyed to Dublin in March under the command of Lieutenant Edward Vicars, R.E,, and was soon removed from Mountjoy to Dromore, where, in April, further reinforcements arrived, completing the company to its establishment ; and the whole were distributed in small sections to Antrim, Belfast, Coleraine, Dungiven, London- derry, &c., from whence the corps, by degrees, traced its pro- gress all over L'elanJ. Major Eeid was appointed to command the first, survey company, which was numbered the thirteenth. On the 24th March, the sixth company, of sixty-two total, sailed for Corfu on board the ' Baltic ' merchant transport, and landed there on the 1 4th May. This addition to the command was made at the instance of the Ionian government for the purpose of executing the works and fortifications at Corfu and Vido. By the warrant for raising this company, dated 4th April, 1825, the corps mustered fourteen companies, and counted 876 officers and soldiers of all ranks. All the regi- mental and working disbursements of the company, and of others arriving at the station in periodical relief, were for a number of years paid from the Ionian exchequer. While the instruction of the first survey company was still in progress, steps were taken for the formation of another com- pany for the same service. The Duke of Wellington expressed his conviction of the propriety of the measure from the satis- factory advancement already made in the professional education of the company raised for the duty early in the year. On the 4th April, 1825, therefore, his Grace obtained another warrant for the employment of a second company in the operations of in il 24li HISTORY OF lllE [1825. 'J: the survey of Great Britain and Ireland. Tliis company was numbered the fourtecmth ; and being of the same numerical organization as the other companies, viz., sixty-two men, the eslabhshment of the corps was raised from 876 to 1)38. At Harwich, Hull, Newcastle-upon-'iyne, Liverpool, Corn- wall, Fort George, as well as in Londcm and Edinburgh, re- cruiting for these companies was carried on very briskly. Recruiting at Dublin was also permitted ; and some draftsmen from the Dublin Society School were, about tliis period, enlisted for tbe survey companies. The Military Asylum at Cbelsea and the Hibernian School were likewise canvassed to procure eligible boys for training ; but such was the circum- scribed nature of the education impartti to the children at Chelsea, that of the number selected to join the companies, a few only were found that gave ])romise of future aptitude and usefulness ; and of those who succeeded, none ever distinguished themselves bv their talents. From the Hibernian School ten boys were received, all of whom were clever and intelligent ; but one lad far outshone his conn-ades, and in time, by his zeal, extensive mathematical attainments, and varied acquirements, gained the highest po:?ition in the sappers on the survey. The person alluded to is Quartermaster William Young. The fourteenth company quitted Chatham for the survey, and landed at Belfast, its first head-quarters, on the 1 5th July. On the 2Cth September, a trial of the capabilities of the pontoons invented by Sir James Colleton, Colonel Pasley, a'.id Major Blanshard, took place at Chatham in the presence of the Duke of Wellington; and the men of the corps employe i on the occasion displayed nmch zeal, spirit, and activity. Sen^eant Jenkin Jones was particularly praised for his conduct in managing the pontoons of Major Blansiiard ; and as the Master- General arrived a day earlier than was expected, and ordered at night the exhibition to take place the next morning, much of the success of the efforts in favour of the cylindrical pontoons is ascribed to the sergeant's able and zealous arrangements and personal exertions. 'IMiis induced Colonel Pasley to re- commend sergeant Jones as a non-commissioned officer fit to be 1825.] IIOYAI. SAPPEIIS AND MINEI^S. 247 ,'ant I entrusted witli aw difficult or important dctncliod duty, which mi,G;ht save the sc ?es of an officer. One private, William Berry, fell from a raft during the trial, and was drowned. Sergeant William Addison and second -corporal Jfimes AVhite embarked at Portsmouth on hoard the ' Despatch ' in November for the coast of Africa, and were employed under the direction of Captain R. Boteler, R.E., in surveying t'lc British dependencies and forts at Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast. The corporal died on the service, and the sergeant landed at Portsmouth 10th August, 1826, and rejoined his corps. A third survey company, of sixty-two non-commissioned officers and men, was formed in Dec'r^iber, under a royal warrant, dated 20th October, 1825, and was numbered the sixteenth. The establishment of the corps was thus augmented from 938 to 1,000 officers and soldiers. The rates of working pay authorized by the successive warrants were limited to the three ordinary classes of Qd., 9d., and 1.9. a-day ; but extra- oi'dinary powers were granted to Colonel Colby of awarding increased rates, proportionate to the attainments and exertions of the men, up to 2s. a-day. The maximum allowance was rarely bestowed, and then only upon non-commissi(med officers, whose undoubted talents and services rendered them deservinsr of the distinction which the exclusiveness conferred. By the end of the year the effective men on the survey counted 109 of all ranks, who were chiefly dispersed in the field. Several were employed in offices as draftsmen and com- puters ; but at this early period very few were entrusted with any particular responsibility. Civilian assistants, for the most part, were second to the o^licers, and aided in superintending the management of the districts ; but in the field, the sappers took the lead as surveyors, never working as chainmen, or subordinately to the civilians. As the duty was new, their qualifications required tact and practice before a fair return of progress could be realized. In August very few had proved themselves of sufficiently matured acquirements to merit ad- vancement to Colonel Colby's classes, and five only of the number had graduated as fiir as Is. Ad. a-day. ;: fl ■\i It % Hi 2^8 HISTORY OB" THE [1820. h The tliird survey company proceeded to Ireland in September. In December tlie total force there numbered 129 of all ranks, and 61 men were under training at Chatham. The third company, of sixty strong, under Lieutenant Gre- gory, R.E., embarked at Woolwich 26th February on board the ' Shipley ' transport for the West Indii^s, and was wrecked on the morning of the 19th April on the Cobbler's Rocks near Barbadoes. The ship had made the land at half-past 10 o'clock the preceding evening, and, hauling up to S.S.E,, the agent on board counselled that the shij) should stand off till 3 o'clock. Soon after 12 at night, however, the master, contrary to the naval officer's advice, ordered the ship to stand for the land, and went to bed, leaving in charge a man who soon became intoxicated and fell asleep. Thus left to herself, the vessel got out of her course, and about 3 a.m. dashed with a frightful crash upon the reef. At this time it was pitch dark, and the frequency of the shocks split and tore the ship in every direc- tion. While the crew and the sappers were getting tackle ready to hoist the long-boat out, the cook-house caught fire, but it was promptly extinguished with wet blankets and sails. The freshness of the wind driving the sea against the shore, and the steepness of the clifFs which were higher than the ship's royal mainmast, made it impracticable to land a boat ; but the boatswain, taking with him a deep sea-line, gained a craggy pinnacle on the rocks, and throwing it to a black fisherman on the top, who chanced to reach the spot at the moment, a six- inch tow-line was quickly passed to him, by which the troops, with their wives and families, in slings and cradles, worked themselves to the summit of the precipice. In ten minutes after- wards the ' Shipley ' became a total wreck, and the company lost its entire baggage, equipment, &c. Being almost naked and barefooted, a number of greatcoats and ample lanrl-carriage were sent for the company ; and in this state, under an oppres- sive sun, they reached their quarters at St. Ann's on tlie even- ing of the 19tli April." A party of this company was constantly detached to Berbice ^ ' Morning Herald,' June 5, 1826. i;fc. ! 1826.] ROYAL SAPl'RRS AND MINERS. 24'J for the service of tho engineer department ; ])ensal)le to obtain an exact Uivel alignment for the aj)plication of the measiu'ing bars. A nou-ccmiinissioned officiM' invariably attinided to the adjusting screws ; another frequently registi«red the observations, anotber attended to the set of tlu; rollers and the regulation of the plates; and a fourth, with a few men, erected the base tents, moved them forward to the succeeding series of bars, and looked to the security of the apparatus for thi^ night." All these duties, though of a subor- dinate nature, nev(>rtheless recpiired the exercise oi' intelligence, and uiueh careful attention on the part of those employed. In connexion with the base oj)erations, the name of sergeant Thomas Sim of the corps, is noticed witb credit, (.^arrying the measurement across the river Roe, about 450 feet broad, was, througli his ingenuity, found a uiore simple uiatter tban had been expected. After giving a good deal of consideration to the subject, the sergeant proposed a plan, which enabled the mea- surement to be comj)leted in one day, and verified the next. This was accomplished, by driving, witb the assistance of a small pile engine, stout pickets to the depth of about six feet into the sand and clay, in the exact line of the base, then placing on tlie beads of the pickets, by means of a mortice, a stretcher per- fectly borizontal, and finally, laying u])on the u})j)er surfaces of the stretchers, a simple rectangular frame, with two cross pieces to support tlic feet of the camels or tripods.'' liy the month of August, the force of tbe sappers in Ireland amounted to 26 non-commissioned officers, 227 privates, 6 buglers and 11 boys, total 270, In September, the survey companies were ins})(^cted by Major-General Sir James Carmicbael Smytli, royal engineers, and in his report he stated, " wlien the detached nature of the duty is considered, and how '^ Yolland's ' Lough Foyle Rase' '' Ibid. [iHi:7. |H1.'H.' lloYAh SAITKIIS AND MINKKH. the soldier is lu'ccHsarily Iff't to himsi'lt", tlu; appcaraiuv of tlio incn uiidcr unns, as well as tlio zeal and goodwill tlioy oviiico in tin* pcrt'oniiaiu'o of a duty so new and so laborious, arc; very niucli to tlu'ir j'nMlit.' In March previously, Sir Henry ll.'irdingc, in his evidenet! hef'ore the Sele(;t Connnittec on I'nhiic. Income and Expenditure, spoke of the services of tho cor|)s on th(^ siu'vey, as heing cheap and successful. To put the ({uestion fairly at issue, certain districts of the same nature were conducted, some hy engineers with sappers and miners; others, with engincier otHcers and civil j)ersons, and it was satisfactorily proved, that tlu^ j)rogress made hy the sappers under military authority, was greater than that made hy the civil surveyors, and the cheapness commensurate.'* On tlu; 24th of January, .sergeant-major Thomas Townsend, was removed from the; corps as second lieutenant and adjutant to the second hattalion, GOth royal riHes, through the inter- cession of Lieutenant-Colonel Tit/gerald, who connnanded that regiment, and in the lapse of years hecame a captain. In lb44, he retired frojn the regiment hy the sale of his conmiis- sion, and obtained a, harrack-mastcr&hip under the Ordnance. To proceed with the formation of a new citadel at Quebec, it became necessary to remove a j)ortion of the old French works called the (Jlaciere IJastion, comprising tho face and flank, about 2G0 feet in length and 2o feet in height, to give place to anew counterguard intended to cover the escarp of both faces of Dalhousic Bastion from the high ground on the })lains of Abraham. This was done by mining, in which service the fifth com})any of the corps was employed. The whole operations being completed with tho desired efficiency by the 19th of February, the Ea. 1 of Dalhousie, then Governor-General, ac- companied by his staff and a vast assemblage of civil and mili- tary persons, attendou to witness the demolition. The mines were to have boon fired at three points to insure tho entire mass coming down at once, but the sapper' stationed at the third mine, without waiting for the necessary signals, applied his * 'Second Report Ordnance Estimates,' 1828, printed l-2tli June, 182S, p. 71-7:.'. ' Corporal Daniel Brown. I!?W*- m •1 .■>5i IS ,% 2r)G HISTORY OF THE 1828. match to the charge, and the whole of the mines, twenty in number, were siiiinltaneonsly exploded, crumbling the escarp to pieces, without projecting a stone fifty feet from its original position, and levelling at one crash the whole of the work. The effect produced far surpassed the expectations of the officers employed. Of ^he services of the company, the commanding royal engineer, in his orders of the day, thus expressed himself: " Toeolour-sergeant Dunnett, sergeant Young, acting-sergeant Smith, and the non-commissioned officers and privates of the fifth company, Colonel Durnford begs that (1 ptain Melhuish will convey his high approbation of the zeal and ability with vvhich they have performed this portion of practical duty, and to assure them, that a report of it shall be made to the Inspector- General ot Fortifications, in order that the success of the opera- tions may be recorded to the credit of the fifth company."" To mark his sense of the services of the company, the Earl of Dalhousie entertained them with a ball and supper on the eveninc of the 7th of March, in the casemated barracks erected by themselves in the citadel. All the wives, families, and friends of the company attended. Sir Noel and Lady Hill, the Honourable Colonel and Mrs. Gore, (Japtain Maule, aid-de- camp to his Excellency, the officers of royal engineers and artillery, and several officers of the garrison were present. After supper, the officers of the company and gentlemen visitors, took their stations at the head of the table, and at the call 0^ '!,aptain Melhuish, the usual toasts were disposed of. After due honour had I)een ])aid to the toast for the health of the Earl of Dalhousie, Captain Maule then rose and spoke as follows : — " Sergeant Dunnett and soldiers of the fifth company of royal sappers and miners, nothing will be more agreeable to me, than the duty of reporting to his Lordship, the Commander of the Forces, the manner in which you have drank his health. The trait in a soldier's character, which above all others, recom- mends him to tin; notice of his General, is a cordial co-opera- 6 ' Memoir of a Practice in Miuiug at Quebec' I'Vhrnary, 18-2H. Quebec Mercury,' 23r(i I •: 1828. 1828.] HOYAL SAPPERS AND MINEPiS. 257 nos, twenty in ing the escarp oni its original the work. The of the officers le commanding ressed himself : icting-sergeant privates of the ptain Melhuish nd abiUty with cal duty, and to the Inspector- ss of the opera- company. lo [ly, the Earl of supper on the )arracks erected families, and i Lady Hill, the Maule, aid-de- 1 engineers and n were present. and gentlemen table, and at the •ere; disposed of. for the health of •ose and spoke as iftli company of are agreeable to , the Commander drarik his health, all others, recom- cordial co-opera- uebec Mercury,' 23rd tion on ini part, heart and hand, in the undertaking of his officers more immediately placed over him. The fifth company of royal sappers and miners have e\er eminently displayed this feeling, but on no occasion more conspicuously than lately in the demo- lition of the old fortificati(ms. The skill with which this work was devised, the zeal and rapidity with which it was executed, and the magniticent result, will long remain a memorial of all employed in it ; and if I may judge from the manner in which you have done honour to his lordship's health, this mark of his approbation has not been bestowed on men who will soon forget it. I beg all present will join me in drinking the healtli of C.^aptain jNIelhuish, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and ])rivates of the fifth company of royal sappers and miners." Thanks being returned for the company by Captain Melhuish, sergeant Dunnett, in a most soldierlike manner, gave the health of the ladies and gentlemen who had honoured the company with their presence. Soon after, the company retired to the ball-room, accompanied by the officers iuid their ladies, and the festive entertainment was kept up with spirit and l)ropriety until five o'clock the next morning.^ In the erection of the citadel at Quebec, the sappers were constantly engaged, and some of its chief work was executed by them. The superintendence was carried on by the non- commissioned officers — colour-sergeant Dunnett^ and acting- sergeant John Smith'-* oeing the principal foreman. Soon after the arrival of the company, Mr. Hare,'" the foreman of works at Quebec, died : and on the completion of the works at Kingston, the master mason there was sent to Quebec ; but so efficiently had the masons' and bricklayers' work been execuiod under " 'Quobec Mercury.' '' VVuh the principal military foreniau and had under his charge from 100 to -200 masons, with tlieir labourers. In the arrangement and management of this working force he displayed much tact and judgment, and his work was always laid out and executed with exactness and success. For his services he i-eceived a gratuity and medal and a pension of [s. \0^d. a day in April, 1834. He was soon afterwards appointed foreman of masons in Canada, where he died. •' See page 2o9. '" Joseph Hare had formerly been a sergeant in the corps, and on ins dis- charge in October, \322, was appointed fc»remau of masons at Quebec. vor.. I. S 258 HISTORY (W THE ri828. military supervision, that Colonel Durnford, the coifimanding royal engineer, ordered the recently-arrived master mason to attend to the repairs of the old fortifications and huil dings, and not to interfere with the superintendents at the new citadel. The company quitted Quehec in Octohcr 1831 with an excellent character, hoth as workmen and soldiers. Ordy five men had deserted during the period of the station, two of whom were recovered to the service and pardoned hy the Earl of Dalhousie. This was another proof of his lordship's high estimation of the services and conduct of the company. A select committee on public income and expenditure sat early this year to scrutinize the Ordnance estimates. Before this committee the duties and services of the corps were considered. In the report upon the evidence adduced, the committee strongly recommended that all work which admitted of being measured should be done by contract, and that the sappers and miners employed on buildings at day-work should be diminished.^' The effect of this measure was simply to confine the labours of the corps to the repairs and fortifications, and occasionally to building, without reducing its numerical establishment Another trial of pontoons took place at Chatham in July, and the exertions of the detachment employed on the occasion under Captain J. S. Macauley, R.E., were warmly acknowledged by Sir James Colleton, one of the competitors. Captain Wtiite of the royal staff cor})S, who was engaged on the part of oir James, thus wrote of the sappers : — " During my long acquaintance with military men, I never witnessed in any troops a greater determination to perform to the utmost of their power the duty on which they were placed. AVhere all have done their duty with such energy, I cannot make any distinction ".n conveying to you my good wishes towards them, except in the conduct of corporal James Forbes, who a])pears to me to be a first-rate non-commissioned officer, and who has on this occasion done his duty in a manner highly creditable to himself." ^'^ 11 ' Second Report Ordnance Est.,' 1828, printed 12th June, 1828, p. 25. '■'' See page 27»!. r> im ' m* . m''m lo2l).J ri()YAL SAITEUS A\U JiUXKIlS. 259 All epidemic fever of nearly ecpial severity to the one of 1804 raged at Gibraltar in September and October. The greater ])art of the sappers at the llnrk were seized with the complaint, and nineteen died. Being ([uartered in the barracks near the vnilieaithy district and in the vicinity of tiie line of drains, the companies fnrnished the first victims to the disease ;'^ and to lessen the mortality which this circnmstance was likely to indnce, they were, for a time, encamped on a rocky flat l)elow Windmill Hill. The deaths at the fortress diirinn; the ])revalence of tlie fever were 507 military and 1,700 civilians.^* Lientenant II. K. Brandretli, R. E., early in 182U proceeded to Ascension, and having made a survey of the island, returned to England and re})orted on its capabilities for defence, and its eligibility for an Admiralty station. Lance-corporal William Beal was attached to that officer and employed under him from March to September. His duty was chiefly that of a clerk, but he also assisted in making the measm'ements of the survey, and in collecting geological s{)ecimens to illustrate the character of the strata, in the discharge of these services, his zeal and intelligence were found very useful, and on his return he was deservedly promoted to be second-corporal. In June the forage caps were somewhat altered. The yellow band was abolished, and hoops and stiffening were forbidden. The cap was now of plain blue web, with leather peak and chin strap. The sergeants' caps were of plain blue cloth, hooped and stiffened, with three chevrons of gold lace in front over the peak. The staff-sergeants retained the gold bands. Nova Scotia, which ceased to be a station for the corps in 1811), vvas again opened for a company this year, which landed from the ' 8o])hia' transport on the lOtli June, 1829. A com- pany of the corps has ever since been employed there in carrying on the ordinary works and fortifications, and in the erection of the citadel. Twelve privates under corporal James Forbes, were, in September, for the flr.st time, sent to Sandhurst to afford '■' ' Uuitt'd SiTvice Journal,' i. 1S;?1, p. l>.35, " Martin's ' Ijritish Colonies,' v, [k 79. s2 i; r> 260 HISl'OKY OF ^rilK [1829. practical ir jU-ition in sapping, mining, &f;., to the gentlemen cadets .■1 t"' le Koyal Military College. The term extended over September and Octoher, and the party returned to Chatham with tlie highest character. Much praise was awarded to corporal Forbes for his exertions and attainments, and his promotion to the rank of sergeant followed in consequence. From that time a detachment has, during each term, been attached to the college for the same useful jmrpose, and has invariably performed its duties with credit aud effect. 1830.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 261 1830—1832. The chaco — Briga !o-Major Rice Jones — Island of Ascension — Notice cf cor- poral Beul — Detachment to the Tower of London — Chatham during the Reform agitation — Staff appointments — Sergeant M'Laren the first medal- list in the corps — Terrific liurricane at Barbadoes ; distinguished conduct of colonr-sergeant H; rris and corporal Muir — Subacjueous destruction of tlie ' Arethusa' at liarbadots — Return of a detachment to the Tower of Loi;.- favourite authors. No man in his condition of life was, perhaps, as oonveisant with the roots Dud eecenti'ieitics of the Enjilish language as Heal, and his mental endowments reui'ered him capable of grasping any subject, 'jowever deep, and turning it to profit both in his duties and in his i.iily intei ;ourse with men. Late in his service he attained pro{ieieney a a draughtsman, and late; ^till, an enterprising engineer in London sabniitti'd ,i plan for a system of sewers in the metropolis, which Avas accompanied by a report drawn up by tliis sergeant. Me left the corps in April, ]841t, with u pension of 'If.; and the knowledge and experience he aoipiired b ■ applic:ttiou and trave' are now being employed, with advantage to Ids interests, in oik; of the settlements on the Ivideau Canal, in Canada. 1830. 1831. J IIOYAL SAPPEIIS AND MIXKIIS. 2()3 C(l its ;L'ririg (1 ill il' his tlie , lie 'ctod (1 for any attempt at insurrection, but botli days passed off without jmy demonstrntion reipiiring the interference of the; mihtary. After eonstrueting some temporary works in and ahont the Tower, the party returned to Woolwich 22nd January, 1881. At ('luitham during the same period, C^)lonel Sir Archibald Christie, the commandant, did the corps the honour of confiding to it the charge of the inaga/ines within the lines. Repeatedly the guards were approached by susj)icious persons ; and on one occasion private John llerkes was tired at by an unseen hand, bi t the ball missed him and perforated the sentry-box. The vigilance of the men and the strictness with which they dis- cliarged their duty, gained them the highest credit. (^aptain Edward Matson was a})pointed brigade-major to the corps on the 14th February, vice Major Stan way who resigned ; and Captain Joshua Jebb was commissioned as adjutant to the establishment at Chatham from the same date in tlui room of Captain Matson. Colour-sergeant James McLaren was the first soldier of the corps who r(>ceived the gratuity and medal. The distinction Mas conferred upon him in April, and well he merited it, both on account of his excellent conduct and liis ejood services at St. Sebastian, Algiers, New Orleans, and the Cape of Good Hope, lie only survived the receipt of his honours a few days. Barbadoes was visited by a hurricane at midnight on the J 1th August, and its results far exceeded in magnitude the fearful storms of 1675 and 1780. The loss of life on this occasion was calculated at 2,500, and the wounded at 5,000 persons ; while the value of property destroyed, exclusive of losses by the government and the ship])ing, was estimated at nior(! than a million and a half of money. But in this universal devastation the military suffered but little. The company of sajipers was (piartered in the barracks at the parade-ground. The low(>r part, occu})ied by the artillery, lost only the jalousie windows ; whik^ the upper part, where the sappers were located, was considerably cracked, the roof uncovered, and several of the rafters broken, by tli(* falling of the jiarapet upon them. Still with all this dangiM' im accident lia})j)eiied which affected ,..l ill 'z^ f i i 1 1 1 ^:i| ' i' 1 •f 264 HISTORY OK TllM [1831. lifo 01" limb." At tli(5 hos^pital the consctjvieiicos wero diftbrcMit. Strongly built, niid aj)])caring to defy the most jmwLM'tnl storm, that building was l)lo\vn down, and private diaries Sbaudjrook crushed to (U'ath in the fall.' Durinji; the hurricane it is re- corded, that colour-sergeant Joseph Harris signalized himself at the hospital of the 3(3th regiment by his praiseworthy exer- tions in rescuing sufferers from the ruin> ; and his skilful and zealous conduct was apj)iauded by the officers who as.-isted him.'' Cor})oral A?idrew Muir of the; corps also, at great risk to his own i-' ', distinguished himself by his activity in cnery part wliiM'e his assistance was re(|uired, and being a very powerful man, was eminentiy successful in relieving his suffering fellow-soldiers of various corps.'' Soon after the hurricane, the ' Arethusa,' of Liverpool, a ship of 350 tons, was blown to pieces by gunpowder in the J^'irbour of Barbadoes, by colour-sergeant Harris and a party of the 19th company under the direction of Major, now Colonel Sir William Reid. The destruction of the ship was efl'ected by a number of successive small charges of gunpowder applied to the shi})'s bottom as near the keel as possible, and fired at high water ;" anil as it has not been discovered, in the history of engineeiiig, that the entire demolition of a v.Tcck was ever accomplished by these means, it is therefore memo- rable that the royal sappers and miners were the first who ever destroyed a sunken wreck by submarine mining.' On the 7th October, the H()U=" of Lords threw out the Keforni Bill, and as (consequent riots had occurred in various parts of the country, it was expected that an attack would be made on the Tower of London. To assist in repelling any attempt upon that fortress, two sergeants and thirty-three rank and file under 2 < '■ Account of the Fatal Hurricane at Barhadocs in 1831,' p. 89. ^ Opposite the General Hospital, a monumental tonil), erected hy his sur- viving comrades, marlis the spot where tlie mangled remains of poor Shambrook ■were interred. Ibid., p. [)'>. ' Ibid., p. 94. 5 Ibid., p. 97. '' 'Prof, Papers, Koyal Engineers,' ii. p. 'M'l. ' United Service Journal,' iii. »h;J8, p. .'{T. ' ' United Service Journal,' ii. 1839, pp. 183, 184, IS.'il.J i:t)VAL SAI^l'i;i!S AM) MINKllS. LT,.') tlu» conimand of Lii'iitciiiuit .lolm Williams, H.l''., wcvi^ sent there on the 8tli NovuuihiT, Init alter lu^inu; under arms for a week, tiiey returned to Woolwich, without any necessity arising tor the eniploymeni of their services. Latc! in l)(;eend)er, seeond-eorporal Kdward Deane and private Janu^s Andrews, ae(;ompanied Captain (' (iriersori to Western Africa, where they wer(> employed in surveying the coa-'t and the town of IJathurst. On this duty they were; found partieidarly useful, and rejoined at ^^'oolwich in June, 18152. The llideau Canal, began in 1 progress of the canal to Merrick's Mills, Istinnus of Mud Lake, Upper Narrows, rivers Tay and Richmond, Jones' Falls, Clafley's Mills, Newborongh, and Isthmus of Rideau Lake. Among the chief services rendered by the company it is recorded, that a party levelled and cleared tlie channel (>f the river between Black Rapids and the head of Long Island. In the construction of the first eight locks, the com])anies parti- cipated to an important extent, and Sir Henry llardingc, in his evidence before the Select Conunittee in March 1^28, alluded to their empUnment at some of the most dilfieult j'arts V. ' i " Speech of Mtijor Selwyn, K.K. * ( iralriim's Town Jourual,' [i>i2. " ' Prof. I'aiK'i-s, I'oyal EnfriiatTs,' v, ]). l.'T. tf 1 r I I 1' ■{ !■■- I I •2G(i IIISTOIIY OF TIIK [i«;u. of tlio work lowiU'ds tlic Ottawa.'" No less difTicnlt was tlio work execiit(Ml by tluMii at Hogs bank. Tlic dam tlicrc had born coiniiiiMiciMl l)y tlie coiitnictor, but he uUimatoly abai (h)iK'd tho undertaking. Sixty men of the corps were withdrawn from tlio Ottawa to reeommenco it, and, with sonu; humh'ed labourers, were enijjloyed at the dam all the winter of 182S and 1(S2'.). Before tho breaking up of th(> frost, tlii; masonry was nearly completed with a bast; of 25 fc^ot ; but on the (ith A])ril, 1821), tho water found its way through the frozen earth, and making a bre:i; li in the dam, carried away everything opposed to it. This was tho second failure. Still a third time it was attem))tod, and under tho sui)orintendence of Oaptain Victor, K.K., a strong framework of timber was formed in front of tho breach, supported and strengthened by enormous uiassi's of clay, ston(% and graved, with a base of 250 feet, which successfully over- came the tlifficulty ; and tho dam, in 1(S44, was the most substantial work on tho whole line of canal." On tho completion of the work, which cost upwards of a million of money, the two companies were disbanded in Decem- ber. Their luiited strength on leaving Kngland was IGO, and tho casualties during their period of service at the canal were as follows : — ])(?scrted 35 ^^f whom two were apprehended and transported. Transported .... Died Killed Drowned Discharged .... Invalids, and renmant of companies returned to Enffland .... Total . 160 '" ' Select Report Ordniuicc Kst.,' printed I'Jtli June, 1828, p. 82. " ' Prof. Papers, Koyal Eujiineers,' i, p. 80. i^* Most of tliese men received inii acres of laud t ..cli as a reward for their services and good conduct, and seseral were provided with appointments on lie canal. 1 10 5 1 lly Idasting rock, either in the quarries or the canal. 71 Thirty-seven at the Isthnuis of Eideau Lake, and thirty-four at J^y ToMn.'- ol ~««jca:^ii \IV. The coatee if the hngle- major remained in all respects the same as hefore. The hugliM's also retained the scarlet, hut the style ol wearing the lace accordi-d with the })rivates. For the working dress, a round jacket with hell huttons bear- ing the corps device, was established, instead of the jacket with short skirts. Of both uniform and workiim trousers, the colour was changed from light blue to dark (>.\ford nii.\ture ; and the uniform tr()\\s(M's were much finer than the workinir ones. The red stripe down the outer seam was two inches broad on the. f()rnier, and lialf an inch wide on the latter. Laced boots were also iiurodiuu'd this year in place of the short AVellingtons, issued for the first time in 1<*!25. Tlu; leather stock hitherto supjilied l)y the i)ul)lic, was now made an article of necessaries and j)rovided at the cost of the soldier. A detachment of sevtni masons and bricklayers under corporal John Reed, embarked for the ^lauritius on tlu; 25th .May and arrived there in the ' Arab,' transport on the; 13th November. This was the first party of the corjjs that ever landed at the Ish* of France. On board ship, great ir- regularity prevailed among the troops ; but corporal Ueed s jiarty behaved in so exemplary a manner, that the report of their creditable conduct was made tlie sulnect of a ujeneral order to the corps.''' The detachment was sent to the island at the r(!CommiMidation of I^ieutenant-Colonel Fyers, ll.E., for the purpose of leading and instructing the native artificers, and were (piart(M*ed in some old slave huts at the Caudon. The first work undertaken by the saj)pers was the tower at lilack River. AMiiie this was in ])rogress, a reinforceuK lit of one '^ Oirporal Ueed, wlieii retiirninjx lionie iin invalid from the Mauritius, was wreci °y^ V d? /: ^ ^ 'm A / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 •> ^^.i^ ^\%^ ^4^. ^S) !> <> . O^ > il i I i 268 JIISTORY OF TilK [1832. colour-sorgoant, and twonty-tv.o rank and file, under the com- mand of Captain C. Grierson, RE., landed from tlie ' Royal George,' fi'eiglittjliip on the 22nd January, 1833, and after- wards assisted in the works at Black River, and also in the erection of two martello towers at (jirand River. When these were completed, the services of the entire detachment were cliiefly confined to the Iniilding of the citadel on the Petite Montague. In May six rank and file were detached from Plymouth to Pendennis Castle. In June of the next year the party was increased to two sergeants and eighteen rank and file, who were employed there until August in repairing the harracks and strengthening the ramparts. 1833. KUYAL SAl'Pj;ilS AXD MlXEllb. 2G0 1833— 183G. Inspection at Chatham by Lord Hill— Pontoon experiments— Withdrawal of companies from the ports — Reduction of ;he corps, and reorganization of the companies — Kecall of companies from abroad— Purfleet— Trigonometrical survey of west coast of England — Draft to the Cape — Review at Ciiatham - by Lord Hill —Motto to the corps — Reinforcement to the Mauritius — Inspec- tion at Woolwich by Sir Frederic Mulcaster — Mortality from cholera ; services of corporals Hopkins and Kitchley — lOntertainment to the detai:h- ment at the IVIauritius by Sir William Nicolay — Triangulation of the west coast of Scotland — Kaffir war — Appointments of eight foremen of works — Death of Quartermaster Galloway — Succeeded by sergeant-major Hilton — Sergeant Forbes — Notice of his father— Lieutenant Dashwood- F-uphraies expedition — Lal)ours of the party — Sergeant Sim — Generosity of Colonel Chesney, R.A. — Additional smiths to the expedition— Loss of the 'Tigris' steamer — Descent of the Euphrates — Sappers with the expedition employed as engineers — (~!orporal Greenhill-Approbation of the services of tiie party — Triangulation of west coast of Scotland — Addiscombe — Expedition to Spain — Character of the detachment that accompanied it — Passages; action in front of San Sebastian- Reinforcement to Spain — Final trial of pontoons — Mission to Constantinople. The corps at Cliatliain, cousiiating of two coinpanlos and a dctacliment, were inspected by Lord 1 1111, the Conimander-in- Chiof, on the 16th August, 1833, and his Lordshij) was pleased to express his approbation of their efficiency and aj)pearance. On the 20th of the same month, some exj)erimental practice was carried on with Major Blanshard's cylindrical pontoons on the canal in the royal arsenal at Woolwich, in the presence of Lieutenant-General Sir James Kempt, the Master-General. In these trials two non-commissioned officers and twenty-four privates from Ciiatham assisted, and their activity and energy elicited the thanks of the inventor and the commendation of the Master-General. On the recommendation of a committee appoint(;d by the I 3 i 270 TIISTnltV OF TIIK [1833. |- ^ i Master-General, tlie coinpany at Plynioutli with the detaclmient at Pendennis, was removed to \\'o()lwieli on the 18th Angnst, 1833, and the eornpany at Portsmouih was also transferred to head-cjnarters on tlu^ 29th of the j-anie month. For nearly fifty years a company had been qnartered at each of those ports, and their withdrawal was caused by some approaching alterations In the construction and distribution of the corps. The expediency of reducing it, and remodelling the organiza- tion of the companies, had been under consideration for months ; and it was believed th^it even after j)roviding an adequate esta- blishment of sappcu's and miners proportionate to the strength of the infantry, the nund)ers of the corps might be so diminished as to lessen its expense 5,000/. annually. Major-General Pilkington, the Inspector-vjeneral of Fortifications, laid down the nde that 100 sappers was a fair number to be attached to 4,000 infantry, subject, however, to augmentation in parti- cular cases according to the nature of the country in which opera- tions might be carried on. On these data, Sir James Kempt ordered, on the 3(Hh August, 1833, the companies of the corps to be compressed from seventeen into twelve, and the establish- ment to be reduced from 1,187 to 1,070 of all ranks. Under the same order, the eight general service and three survey companies were composed of the following ranks and numbers : — Tlie Corfu Company, paiih by the Ionian govi'iii-! ment, was unchanged in its estahlishmont and] consisted of . Colimr- Scr- Ciir- aml- M'rm'iint. (,'i'iiiitn. iJDiiil!!. luri). Hui;l. I'riv. Tiitiil. 1 2 3 ;{ 2 80 91 forllComps. 3 2 51 G2 The Staff, including Hrigade-niajoi , Adjutant, Qiiarterraaster, 2 Sergeant-'l majors, 1 yuaiterniaster-seigeant,' and 1 Uugle-niajor, amounted to ./ fipnenil Tutjil. : 1,001 62 1063 7 Making of all ranks a total of 1,070 i. •• . ' . ' One quarterniaster-scrjeant was now reduced, and Francis Allen, who lield the rank for twenty-two years, was discharged in October, 1833, and pensioned at is. 8^'/. a day, having completed a service of more than forty years. One of liis sons, formerly in the corps, is foreman of works at Alderney, and nnotiier is clerk of works in the royal engineer department, London district. i\i 1H34.1 KOYAL SM'l'KllS ANJ) MIXKllS. 271 The distribution of th(; companies was fixed as follows : — Companies Woolwich , 3 Chatham Survey . • • ' Gibraltar Corfu Bermuda Halifax . Cape of Good Hope Mauritius • . i Total 12 The companies at Barbadoes and Quebec, and the second comj)anies at Gibraltar and Bermuda, were recalled and incor- porated with the newly-constructed companies, or reduced as the circumstances of the service required. The reduction was a progre>>^sive measure, and not finally eflTected till the Gth November, 1834. A party of six rank and file was sent in January to Purfleet ; and a like number has ever since been employed there in carry- ing on the current repairs to the departmental property with advantage to the public service. In May, sergeant George Darbyshire and five rank and file were detached under Captain Henderson, R.E., on the trigono- metrical survey of the west coast of England. The operations embraced the triangulation of the Lancashire and (Jumberland coasts with tbe Isle of Man, and part of the coast of Scotland. The sergeant and one of the privates were employed as ob- servers ; the remairuler assisted in the erection of objects for observation, stages, &c., and attended to the duties of the camp. The party (quitted the mountains in October and rejoined their several companies. In the same month, at the (^ape of Good Hope, the detach- ment was augmented to half a company of forty-eight of all ranks. The necessity fortius addition had been repeatedly represented by the commanding royal engineer at the station. $ i ' 1 ■ 'I; ' 1' I W ' I ■,r ;: :. Ji.'l li Ij . »fl i, ; I r ! •t^'l. i. ^W' r "l- '^ ^} VtBl \ m ^ UTO IIISTDIIY OF TIIK riS34. tScarccly a bricklayer or mason could bo found in tlie colony wbo had served an a])j)rentici. bij) ; and those who professed tlies^e trades were not only uuj^kilful and indolent, but generally drunken and dissipated. It therefore became an object of much importanci' to increase the t;appers at the (.'ape to a number stitricient to meet the exigencies of the service. On the 3rd June a com})any and detachment of the corps were revi(?\ved at Chatham with the troops in garrison by Lord Hill, wlio expre:«.-ed his approbation of the soldier-like appearance and effective state of the sappers. His Majesty, in July, 1 H32, ordered the motto " Ubique (juo fas et gloria ducunt " to be borne on the appointments of the corj)s, in addition to the Royal Arms and Supporters ; and this year the cap-plates and breast-j)lates were made to accord with the King's conmiand. The cap-lines or cords and tassels issued in 1830 were abolished this year, and the staft-sergeants were permitted to wear, instead of the forage cap, a silk oil- skin cliaco of the same size and shape as the regimental chaco. In July a reinforcement of fifteen rank and file landed at the ^Mauritius from the ' Valleyfield ' freightship, increasing the detachment to a half company of forty-five strong. On the IGth August the thre(^ companies and detachment at \\ oolwich were inspected by Major-General Sir Frederic Mulcaster, the Inspeetor-Cjleneral of Fortifications, and the per- fect satisfaction he felt at what he witnessed was made the subject of a general order to the corps. For four years the cholera had been prevalent in many parts of Great l^ritain and the colonies, but owing to the admirable })recauti()ns adopted the disease was not only less formidable, but nuich less fatal among the military than the civil popula- tion. In the royal sappers and miners the nund)ers seized with the malady were com])aratively insignificant ; and during this jjeriod, though tlu? disease had visited most of the stations where comjianii's of the corps were (juartered, the fatal cases only amounted to sixteen men, five women, and four children. Those cases occurred at the following stations : — 1834] nOYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 273 Serg. Priv. Worn. Clilld. Quebec, in July and September, 1832 4 Portsmouth, August, 1833 1 i 2 Gibraltar, July, 1834 1 3 3 3 Halifax, N.S., in August and September, 1834 . .. 7 At Portsmouth ten men were admitted into hospital with the disease. The company was consequently removed to Southsea (Jastle and tlie cholera disappeared. At Gihraltar thirty-one men were admitted, and the deaths were few in proportion to the loss of some regiments in garrison, the 50th regiment having lost nearly fifty men. Of the military at the fortress ahout 140 died of cholera, but the civilians counted 470 fatal cases. During the raging of the disease, corporal John Hopkins and lance-corporal William Ritchley were conspicuous for their zeal and attention to the sick. Their duties were arduous and attended with considerable personal risk ; and to the valu- able assistance they rendered to the men in the early stages of the attack both by their cheerful exertions and judgment, is attributed the rapid recovery of many of those who were sent to the hospital. Corporal Hopkins was promoted to sergeant in consequence. At Halifax, Dr. M 'Donald of the ordnance medical department, gained much credit for his indefatigable attention to his numerous patients, twenty-six of whom recovered under his skilful treatment ; and his great success in so many cases was lauded both by the medical chief of his own depart- ment and by the Master-General. In December the foundation stone of the citadel of La Petite Montague, Mauritius, was laid by Major-General Sir William >Jicolay, the governor of the colony, with all the parade and ceremony usual on such occasions. The company was present, and private William Reynolds, the most skilful mason in the detachment, had the honour of assisting his Excellency in the deposition of the stone. In the evening of the same day, to rommeroorato the event, the detachment with their wives and families partook of a sumptuous supper furnished by the muni- ficence of his Excellency. From June to October, sergeant George Darbyshire and five men were employed under Captain Henderson, R. E., in the VOL. I. T ! iv' '■ .■li •i-h M 11 'I 5i4 ,';■,' .1 ■ II' •' K '■' i I Ml 274 HISTORY OF THK [ 1835. ' f triangulation of tlie wost coast of Scotland, and wcro encaiii|HHl during the operations on tlie mountains. At the Capo of Good liope tlu; incursions of the Kaffirs brought on a desultory war this year, and the detachment of the corps in the colony was scattered in small parties over the frontier. Though much employed with the advanced forces in superintending the construction of redoubts and other indis- pensable defensive works, they were never called upon to take any particular ])art in attacking the enemy. The marching to which they were subjected, through a country of bush and mountain, was severe, and exposed mider canvas or in bivouac to every variation of the climate, they shared all the trials and sufferings incident to the troops. Sir Hussey Vivian, the Master-General, entertained so fa- vourable an opinion of the corps, that he felt it right, on the 6th October, to order increased encouragement to be given to non-commissioned officers of proper attainments ar ' nerits, by appuoting them occasionally to be foremen of worl ' he royal e.'igii'.eer department. The first appointed under tms order was sergeant Henry French,^ and at distant intervals the follow- ing non-commissioned officers were promoted to that rank — viz., sergeants Nicholas Markey,"* William Spry,"* John AVood,^ * Had served upwards of twenty-two years in the corps; and was a shrewd man and a skilful carpenter and overseer. He was appointed in October, 18.30, to Guernsey, where he died in February, 1854. " Joined the corps a lad, and by perseverance made himself competent for higher duty. To smartness in person he united much activity of body, and in September, 184.3, was advanced to the civil branch, first to Corfu and then to Gibraltar ; where, in the excess of his zeal on the works, he fell from his horse by a stroke of the sun, and sustained an injury in the head. He is now at Woolwich, a lunatic, passing away his life on a retirement of 32/. a year. He served seventeen years in the sappers. •• Was an excellent mason and very efficient as a foreman. He had been on a mission to Constantinople and received from Sultan Mahmoud H. a gold medal for his services. After a service of twenty-one years in the corps, he was, in June, 1844, appointed to Gibraltar, where he fell into habits of intemperance and committed suicide in 18.^)2. * As master mason at Vido he constructed the works with remarkable ability. He also superintended the erection of the half-moon battery in the citadel and the defensive buildings at Fort Neuf. Colonel Hassard said, on his leaving, that he hardly expected a man of etiual talent to fill his place ; Em •- 183.-).) IIOYAI. SMTETIS AND MIXEllS. 275 Williani .la^o,'' lliij^li Muhio,' .lolin Hopkins," and second- corporal Daniel liock.'-* Quarrcrniaster James Galloway died on the ilth November at W'ellesley House, Shooters' Hill, after an active service of and it may be observed that he could speak with fluency] the different lan- guages of the civil workmen at Corfu. Hy Colonel llassanl he was recom- mended to visit Konie and otlier places for artistic improvement, but the usiiges of the service did not permit the concession of this favo\ir. In 18.'J7 he finished the erection of the Lojigoiia cistern at l*axo, which relieved the iuhabitiints from the necessity of taking long journeys to procure supplies. The work was very creditable to him, and gained for him the eulogy and good will of the whole island. To commemorate its completion a procession of the functionaries and ^litc of Paxotook place, and Wood, the great object of attraction, was warmly greeted by the grateful popiilace. He became foreman of works in November, 1844, first at Cephalonia, and next at Corfu. Ilis service in the corps was over twenty-three years. ** He gained his promotion very rapidly, for he was in all respects a very clever artificer and foreman. In the works of the department at Woolwich he was found a great acquisition, and after serving for a few years at Bermuda, •where his usefulness was greatly appreciated, he was discharged in May, 184.5, and appointed to Canada. There he passed seven years, and is now serving at Gibraltar. '' A good mason, and bore an unblamable character. After twenty years' ser\'ice, chiefly at Halifax and Corfu, he was appointed to Malta in April, 1847, whert ' e is still serving with efiiciency and credit. " When he joined the corps a lad, in 182f), he could scarcely write, but by diligent application he soon exhibited talents which in after years caused him to be selected for important duties. Promotion he received rapidly, and for his intelligence and ingenuity at Sandhurst in 1839 he was honourably noticed in the ' United Service Journal.' For many years he served at Gibraltar and the Cape of Good Hope, became a fair draftsman and architect, and in July, 1848, after a service of twenty-two years, was appointed foreman of works, first at the Cape, and then to Woolwich, where he is now serving. " Was a superior mason, and trained before enlistment as an overseer. Most of his military service— nineteen years — was spent i)n the surveys of Great Britain and Ireland, in which he had made himself so proficient as a surveyor and mathematician, that he was one of three non-commissioned officers sent to the royal observatory at Greenwich to receive instructions in the mode of making astronomical observations. This Avas with the view to his employment on the boundary survey in America, in which he afterwards served for a season with approbation. Colonel Estcourt wrote of him, — " He is intelligent, well educated, and efiicien* for almost any duty." These acquirements, coupled with his good conduct, gained for him the vacant foremancy at Zante in September, 1 848; but it must be added, he commenced the duty in dishonour by unwarrantably drawing a bill on the Assistant Adjutant-General, K.E., and then having run a career of dissipation that nothing could check, was justly dismissed in disgrace in July, 1849. PI 'tl 11 111,; L«" & 270 lUSTOHY OF TIIH [1830. forty-five years, which lie performed with a fuitlifulness amount- ing to devotion. Few officers in the army in jiassing from tlje ranks to a commission, gained higlier respect than he did, and in liis death few were more regretted or more lionoured. Sergeant-major James Hilton succeeded to the vacancy — a distinction he merited by his long services, uniform zeal, and soldier-like (jualities. He was ])resented on the occasion by the officers of royal engineers at Woolwich with a sword, and a grant was made to him of 20/. to assist him in his outfit. Sergeant James Forbes was j)romoted to be sergeant-major by Sir Ilussey Vivian as a reward for his services. For six year'* he had been employed, during every spring and autumn, at the royal military college at Sandhurst, in the instruction of the gentlemen cdets, and returned to his corps on every occasion with fresh claims to approbation. Every season at the college was marked by his efil'.cting some improvement in the course and in rendering some new and essential service to the institution. Among many minor subjects necessary to complete the experimental course, he introduced the use of various me- chanical expedients in connexion with purposes of military science, and the construction of military bridges of different kinds, from the rudest adaptations of rough timber and wicker work to the finished formation of a pontoon bridge.'" Observing his indefatigable exertions in carrying out his professional duties at the institution, Sir George Scovell, the Lieutenant- Governor, was induced to say, that " sergeant Forbes had laid the college under great obligations to himself and the ad- mirable corps to which he belonged ;" and in acknowledgment of that obligation. Sir Edward Paget, the Governor, presented him with a valuable case of drawing instrments. Subsequently he had the high honour of being admitted to an audience with his Majesty, William IV. ; ^' in which interview the King gra- ciously commended his conduct, ability, and zeal. Soon after- wards the Master-General, who frequently wrote in eulogistic Hi i M M" '" • United Service Journal,' iii. 1834, p. 561, and ii. 1835, p. 277, 278. '» Forbes's Pamphlet, ' Natural Defences,' 1852. I83r..j IU)YAL SAPI'F.IIS AND MIXKUS. 277 terjiis of his s(?rviR(!S. promntod him from the rank ol scrpoant to iu? scrfTcaiif-iriiijor.''' Ill Dcoomher, Lieutenant RohtTt Dashwood, R.IO., was ap- pointed acting-adjutant at head quarters, to assist the liri^ade- niajor in the offiee and j)ara(h; duties. This was the tirst appoint- ment of the kind in the corps at Woolwicli. Smart, strict in discipHne, and exact in the performance* of duty, he promised to advance the sappers to the hi*;h (leveh)pnu!nt att^iined in weli-discipUned regiments, hut his career of usc^fuhiess was suddenly cut short by discvise of the heart, of wliicli lie died on the iilst September, WMV' In the summer of 1834 an expedition under the command of (.'olonel Chesney was projected, to ascertain the practicability of the Euphrates for opening a route by steam navigation to India. A detachment of the royal artillery and five men of the corps were appointed to it. One, sergeant Thomas Sim, was a surveyor, and the rest were smiths, and their qualifica- tions in steam machinery, surveying, and drawing, liad par- ticular reference to the wants of the enterprise. When selected their names were submitted to tlie King.'* For their military dress was substituted a plain blue suit, consisting of a slouched cap. frock coat with gilt buttons, and loose trousers, as more suitable to the climati; of the Kast. The beard and moustache after the oriental fashion were also worn. In September the party was sent lo the factory of Messrs. Laird and Co., at Birkenhead ; and .after receiving instructions in riveting and the management of steam-engines, sailed cm '* Tlifc father of the serp;t'ant-inajor, who also held that rank in the corps, died of fever at Walcheren in 1809, and, as soon as his son was old enough, he was enlisted into the sappers. His age on joining was only eight years ! For a few years he was stationed at Dover, hut the chief of his career was passed at Chatham, where, under Sir Charles Pasley, he received that instruction in field fortification and drawing which made his services at Sandhurst so im- portant and successful. Here it should also be noticed that he kept his detachments in the best order ; and by their steadiness, willing exertions, and zeal, they earned for themselves a character which has greatly raised the corps in public estimation. '*♦ The names of the succeeding acting-adjutants at Woolwich will be found in the Appendix HI. '♦ Chesney's 'Observations on Fire-Anns,' 1852, p. 179. ■.I 278 IIISTOUY OK 'II IK [I8;ir>. 1 i f 1 ' v'-i FH hf In ' h ':: ■' 1 '''■ ! f! m ^ !■ ,. '-S :- i. 1 . ^« the lOtli Foi)jMiary, ]KV), for Syr'ui. TlinM» of tlic p.-irfy only landed ; tlie other two Ijaving, by some luiHinaiiagenieiit, re- turned to Kiiglaiid from Malta. I'roni tlie uioiitli of tli(> Oroiitcs to Hir, a distance of 145 miles, the three sapjiers, as well a the other soldiers and seamen, wen? em|)Ioyed in trans- porting tiie materials for the eonstrnetion and armament of two steamers, across a coimtry of varied and diflieult features, intersected by a lake and two rapid rivers. l^)il(!rs of great weight were forced up hills, inch by inch, by means of screw- jacks ; and thnmgh tin; unHagging exertions of officers[and men, and their patient endurance of surt'ering and fatigue, was ac- complished " one of the most gigantic operations of modern times." '■' While tlu^sn arduous labours were in operation, two of the three saj)pers died — sergeant Sim and lance-corporal Samuel Gidens. For the most ])art, the sergeant had been employed with Lieutenant Murphy, U.E., or alone, in surveying the country from Latakia to the Gulf of Scanderoon ; and in which from his ])rirvious knowledge and experience, he was found of great use ; but while prosecuting this duty, he fre- quently slept on the sands or in open boats, and thus contracted a disease no skill could eradicate. When surveying on Beilan mountain he suffered much from the keen and penetrating wind to which he was exposed, and was removed to Antioch for the benefit of his health. A slight improvement urged him to the field again ; but at Suedia, being thrown from a horse and much injured, he was again sent in a litter to Antioch, where he breathed his last on the 19th September, 1835. The corporal died at Fort William on the 3rd August. Up to the date of his illness he worked most diligently ; and to mark the sense entertjiined of his services, a gratuity of 100/. was granted by the Treasury to his bereaved family on the recommendation of Colonel Chesney, to whose honour it should be recorded, that out of his own purse, he liberally supported the widow and her children, until the award was made Ly the Government. '^ Chesm-y's ' Expedition to the Euphrates,' Prof., x. i«:u;.] IIOVAI, SAITHIIS AND MINKKS. Ii70 l'V«'lit\ as artificers and engi- neers. 'I'hrce were allotted to the ' Euphrates ' steamer, and two to the 'Tigris.' Civil engineers wen; also attached to each vessel, to whom the sapper smiths acted as subordinates, and were styled assistant engineers. On the 2 1st May a calamity occurred which deprived the expedition of nearly one half of its force. The steamers wero descending tlie river with success, when they were overtaken by a hurricane of indescribable violence which placed both vessels in imminent peril. The storm raged only eight minutes, but during those fearful moments tho 'Tigris,' caught up in its furious vortex, was engulfed with twenty of ils officers and men. Corporal Benjamin Fisher and private Archibald Mc- Donald were on board : the former was dashed on shore and saved, the latter perished ; but his comrades had the satisfac- tion of recovering and interring his remains on the banks of the stream, near Anna. The descent of the " Great River " was .accomplished by reaching its junction with the 'Tigris' at Kurnah, on the 18th June, 1836, and seventy -two guns having been fired the next day in honour of His Majesty William IV., the steamer crossed the Persian Gulf to Bushire, to meet expected supplies from Bombay. After three months' delay at the former port refitting the vessel and completing the engines with the assistance of the sappers ; and a fresh crew having been obtained from the Indian ■II hi ; ' )y 1 i n ! 280 HISTORY OF THE [1836. ; i navy, the steamer re-crossed the Persian Gulf, and the ascent of the river commenced. The chief engineer having died the first day of the ascent, the engines were entrusted to the sole management of cor- poral Fisher, who continued to perform this duty most satis- factorily up to the termination of the service. Corporal Black was the senior non-commissioned officer of the party, but his health had previously become so much impaired that he was L-ent from Bussora to Bombay for its recovery. Of this non- commissioned officer Colonel Chesney wrote, that "both as a soldier and a man, in every way, he does credit to his corps." With the highest testimonials the party rejoined the corps at Woolwich in May, 1837.'® As engineers they had been found of the greatest service to the expedition, and for the skilfulness and effici:ncy with which the engines were worked, the Govern- ment divided the engineer's pay among them for the period they were so employed in the following proportions : — corporal Black 13Z. ; lance-corporal B. Fisher 19/. ; lance-corporal T. Edriijgton 21*. Lance-corporal William Greenhill was attached to Lieu- tenant Murphy, R.E., and his duties were those which arose out of surveying and astronomy. In the whole of the survey of the two rivers and the countries adjacent to their banks, he took an important part, and after the death of that officer was employed on the line of levels between the two rivers, with reference to a canal of intercommunication for commercial purposes. Captain Escourt, 43rd regiment, the second in com- mand, in writing of this non-commissioned officer says, " a more willing, honest, active man does not exist, and he is sober and trustworthy in .he highest degree." "All," writes the same officer, " are valuable men, and capable of rendering important services wherever they may be employed." The approbation of the commissioners for the affairs of India IIL '® On the completion of the service the expedition was favoured with a few days' location at Damascus, where the party removed their beards and mous- taches, and or the first time since the commencement of the enterprise, had the advantage of attending church for religious worship. 1836.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 281. was accompanied with the following gratuities : — to corporal Black 39/., and to each of the other tliree non-commissioned officers 19/. IO5. ; and further, Sir Hussey Vivian, the Master- General, ordered the promotion of corporal Black to the rank of sergeant, second-corporal Fisher to corporal ;^' and lance- corporal William Grecnhill to be second-corporal.'** In May the operations for the triangulation of the west coast of Scotland were resumed for the third time under Captain Henderson, R.E., by six non-commissioned officers and men of the corps, who were continued on the service till the early winter. They then returned to Woolwich with a good character for activity and exertion. At the request of the court of Directors of the East India Company, seven rank and file were employed at the seminary at Addiscombe, in throwing up field-works for the instruction of the gentlemen cadets, during the months of August, Sep- tember, and October. The corporal in charge received 2s a-day working pay, and the privates Is. a-day. each. For the two succeeding terms, a similar party was provided for the seminary, and on each occasion received much credit for its services. After the third terra it was found desirable to dis- '7 Pensioned in May, 1843, and appointed assistant, lighthouse keeper at Europa Point, Gibraltar, under the Trinity Board of London. ''' Greenhill was an intelligent man, pleasantly eccentric, and fond of anti- quities. While with the expedition he mude a collection of silver coins of remote times, which, with laudable feelings of attachment to his native place, he presented to the Perth Museum. His hair was as white as silver, but his beard, full and flowing, was as black as ebony. To the Arabs he was quite a phenomenon, but the singularity which made him so, did not save him on one occasion, from being rudely seized by a horde of banditti, and plun- dered, with almost fabulous dexterity, of the gilt buttons on his frock coat. They had nearly finished their work, when Greenhill tore himself from their grasp, but finding a button still remained on the cuff, he, with audacious daring, pulled off the frock and threw it at them. Suspecting that their work was incomplete the Arabs pounced on the coat, and tearing off the remaining button scampered away to the hills again. When, some years later, the Niger expedition was forming, Greenhill volunteered to accompany it. lie had a notion that the service would be one of suffering and vicissitude, and the better to inure himself to its contemplated hardships he submitted his body to rigorous experiments of exposure and self-denial, which, inducing erjsipelas, caused his premature decease in October, 1840. if !'' ^■" #'!' 282 HISTORY OP THE [183G. continue the detachment, and the Addiscombe authorities drew the means of instruction from their own resources. By an order from Lord Pal. 'jrston, Lieutenant Edward Vicars, R.E., and one sergeant and twelve rank and file, em- barked at Woolwich on the 10th July in the ' Pluto * steamer, and landed at San Sebastian on the 19th, taking with them a limited supply of field equipments and engineer stores. The party was attached to the royal marines, with the British naval forces under the command of Lord John Hay, and was intended to take part in any operations deemed necessary to defend the Qu.^en of Spain against the adherents of Don Carlos. All the men were volunteers, fully capable of con- structing field-works and military bridges, and qualified also to direct and take charge of working parties. The major part of the detachment were men of notoriously bad character, appointed to the service to afford them a chance of reclaiming themselves ; but their arrival in Spain was soon niarked by those habits of turbulence and dissipation which rendered them a burden at home. Without zeal, spirit, or subordination, they were found almost useless on the works, and to such a pitch was their misconduct carried, that Lieu- tenant Vicars contemplated dispensing with their services as sappers and miners. By the removal, however, of a few of the grossest offenders, the punishment' of others by the navy, and the infusion of a better class of men among them from England, the inevitable disgrace of the corps was prevented ; and eventually, with few trifling exceptions, the detachment established a character for discipline, good conduct, and use- fulness. On landing, the party was removed to the eastern heights of Passages to complete works for the protection of the shipping in the harbour. Here the royal marines were employed for a time, as also a force of about 200 of the auxiliary legion. Late ir September, a few of the party assisted in throwing up a work for the defence of a bridge leading into San Sebastian, and secured the position held by the force on the left of Passages. It was now imderstood that the Carlists intended to attack II' Pi! 183G.] ROYAL SAPPEKS AND MINERS. 283 General Evans : a redoubt was forthwith constructed on a commanding hill in front of the enemy, and a l)attery for four guns and some breastworks were thrown up on the extreme left of the position. The legion furnished a working party of 200 men for these operations. On the 1st October, the enemy attacked the lines in front of San Sebastian, directing their lire principally on the picket-house, near which the battery was progressing. Against this battery, also, another battalion was sent, and having taken it, the column pressed on to the walls of the station ; but the party within remained firm, and the Carlists were ultimately driven from the contest with the loss of 1,200 in killed and wounded. In this action were present four sappers, one of whom was wounded. On the 31st October, the detachment in Spain was increased to twenty-five non-commissioned officers and men, by the ar- rival of twelve rank and file from Woolwich, in the ' Rhada- manthus ' steamer, who were at once disposed of between San Sebastian and Passages, and assisted in the completion of the fort and barracks at the latter. Experiments with the pontoons of Colonel Pasley and Major Blanshard, took place at Chatham on the ] st July. Sir Hussey Vivian, the Master-General was present. For a few years pre- viously, a portion of the summer of every year had been past in practically testing the projects of rival competitors for the passage of rivers ; but on this occasion the trial ended in favour of the cylindrical pontc.on of Major Blanshard. In all these trials a detachment of the corps was employed, and in this, the last experiment, executed under the disadvantage of extreme heat, Colonel Pasley warmly praised the party for its zeal and activity in working the two bridges. With the mission to Turkey under the command of Captain ud Plat, R.E., were embarked on the 15th September, two lance-sergeants of the corps on board the ' Astrea,' which entered the port of Constantinople on the 31st October. One was a surveyor conversant with the management of surveying instruments, and the other skilled in the details of the duties connected with the system of instruction carried out at Chat- ii ' hi M i 284 HISTORY OF THE [183G. ham. The mission took stores as presents to the Sultan. A sergeant of the royal artillery and a civil mechanic from the royal arsenal, with Lieutenant Knowles, R.A., accompanied it. At the time of its arrival the plague was prevalent, and under orders from His Majesty's ambassador at the Porte, the mission passed a few months in the ' Volage ' and * Carysfort,' lying in the Bosphorus. When the plague abated, the presents were conveyed to the Sultan — Mahmoud II. ; and his Highness as a token of satisfaction presented each officer and soldier with a gold medal, and the artizan with a gold snuff-box. The non- commissioned officers of sappers who had the honour of receiving the distinction, were William Spry and William Richardson. Each medal bore a gold clasp, upon which was inscribed the name of the recipient and that of the Sultan. During their service with the mission each received Is. Qd. a-day working pay, and on arrival in England in April 1838, a gratuity of 10/. rif ■ 1837. KOYAL SA1TEH8 AND MINERS. 285 1837. Change in the dress — Increase of non-commissioned officers — Services of the detachment in Ametza Gafia — Oriamendi — Spain — Desierto convent on the Nervion — Fuentarabia — Oyarzun — Aindoin — Miscellaneous employments of the detachment — Trigonometrical survey west coast of Scotland — Inspection at Woolwich by Lord Kill and Sir Hussey Vivian — Staff appointments — Labours of sergeant Lanyon — Staff-sergeant's accoutremeuts — Expedition to New Holland— Corporal Coles selected as the man Friday of his chief— Ex- ploration from High Bluff Point to Hanover Bay ; difficulties and trials of the trip ; great thirst — Exertions and critical situation of Coles — His coura- geous bearing — Touching instance of devotion to his chief — Employments of the party — Exploration into the interior with Coles and private Mustard — Hardships in its prosecution — Threatened attack of the natives ; return to the camp. This year the colour of the coatee was changed from red to scarlet — Plate XV., and the huge Kilmarnock woven cap was superseded by a neat superfine blue cloth cap, stiffened, with peak and chin-strap. The sergeants were distinguished by black oak-leaf bands and gilt ornaments, comprising a grenade, encircled by a laurel wreath, and surmounted by a crown and three chevrons. The other non-commissioned officers wore ciievrons according to their ranks. The oil- skin chaco of the staff sergeants was put aside for a forage-cap, with a gold oak -leaf band and gilt ornaments of a crown within a laurel- leaf. By a royal warrant dated 24th April, an increase of one sergeant, one corporal, and one second-corporal was made to each company by reducing five privates per company. Recourse to this expedient was necessary on account of the control of the companies being much diminished by the several detached duties npon which non-commissioned officers were employed, as ail h , t ' ll< . ?^m> F 1* i i-1 28G UISTOEY OF THE S :i^ [1837. well as a number being always required to take charge of the workshops and working j)arties. The strength of each com- pany was now fixed at 1 colour-sergeant, 3 sergeants, 4 corpo- rals, 4 second-corporals, 2 buglers, 75 privates ; equal 89 ; which, for 11 companies, gave an estal)lishment of 977. The Corfu company, paid by the Ionian government, did not from its weak numbers participate in the alteration. Its strength, therefore, 62, with the 3 officers and 4 non-commissioned officers of the staff, made the total establishment of the corps sanctioned by the warrant reach the total of 1,048. The number reduced was 22 privates. In the early months of the year the detachment in Spain was employed on the eastern heights of Passages in superintending the completion of the fort and barracks, and ako on the island of Santa Clara in making platforms and repairing batteries. On the 10th March, seventeen of the party were present in the attack on Ametza Gana, and were subsequently employed in strengthening the redoubt previously occupied by the Carlists on that position. In the action at Oriamendi on the 15th and 16th March, they also served. Ten of the number assisted in levelling the enemy's parapets and destroying their barricades and works. The other seven, under Lieutenant Burmester, R.E., did duty with the royal artillery commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Colquhoun. Their help, readily afforded at a time when it was of much value, enabled a third gun to be brought into action ; and in cutting fuzes and loading shells, &c., they were found but little inferior to experienced artillerymen. Lord John Ilay complimented Lieutenant Vicars upon the good ser- vice of this detachmf nt ; and the officers of the royal and marine artillery were loud in their praises of the exertions of the sappers, and of the efficiency of their assistance at the guns. One private was wounded. A brief interval of repose followed, in which the detachment was occupied in fortifying the eastern entrance of Passages, also in barricading the advanced picket-house near that point, and in completing the batteries on Santa Clara. Four men If" l! ri837. 1837.] ROY AT. SAPPEllS AND MTNETIS. 287 je of the ch com- 4 corpo- [ual 89 ; 7. The not from trength, lissioned he corps The pain was ntending be island 3ries. resent in mployed by the I March, illing the d works, did duty -Colonel when it ught into hey were Lord 50od ser- 3yal and irtions of the guns. tachment Passages, lat point, ''our men were likewise detached to the rivor Nervion, and, with the crows of the ' Scylla ' and ' Savage/ restored the works of the Desierto convent which protected the communication with Bilbao. On the return of the men, the commander of the ' Savage ' brig spoke most favourably of their conduct. In the operations of the army under Espartero on the 14th May, fifteen ol' the detachment were present and assisted in working the guns of the royal artillery. On the 17th they embarked to act in an attack on Fuentarabia, and were present at its capitulation on the 18th May. Here the detachment restored one of the ruined bastions of the fortress, and, besides making embrasures for two heavy guns, cleared away the debris from other parts of the defences and placed them in temporary repair. At Oyarzun the Carlists were in the habit of creeping up to the town and annoying the troops. To prevent this, the hill above was crowned with a square redoubt for two guns. Ten of the detachment superintended its construction, and the work was executed in so excellent a manner, that experienced officers spoke of it with unqualified satisfaction. The working party consisted of peasants wiic were skilful in the construction of earth-works, and zealous in the use of the spade and pickaxe. At the solicitation of General O'Donneil of the Spanish ser- vice, nineteen of the sappers under the command of Lieutenant Vicars, were attached to his force. The party reached Aindoin on the 11th September, and were set to work with a company of Gastadoros under them, on a h'iight on the extreme left of the position. Very rapidly, a large hedge surrounding the height was turned into a parapcl; and in places wiiere it was too high to cut down, loopholes were formed. A dense wood that joined the hedge was partly felled, and from its ample re- sources abattis were thrown out in fi'ont of the line of hedge. For three dayjj the work progressed ; at intervals under heavy rain ; and on the 13th September a formidable work of more than half a mile in length was ready to obstruct the advance of the enemy. At daylight on the 14th the Carlists opened fire on Aindoin, and the first shot went through the house where r 288 HISTORY OF THE [J837. M I'ffl it Ic. I ' |i! 'Cl\ ''■ 1 * 'A :'1K iVi: E'' 'it If-; the sappers were quartered. At once they were withdrawn to the church, and ultimately removed to a circular I'ort to attend to orders either from Lord John Hay or General O'Donnell. Scarcely had they commenced the movement before the enemy approached the church with irresistible impetuosity, and drove the forces of O'Donnell from the town with signal disaster. The escape of the detachment of sappers was almost miraculous ; a few moments later would have thrown them wholly into the hand<^ of the Carlists. During the later months v,f the year the detachment repaired Fort Morales and the lines on the western heights of Passages. There also they fitted up barracks for the royal marines, and strengthened the advanced picket-house. Four of the men superintended a working party of the royal marines in com- pleting and arming the redoubts around San Sebastian, in which service much difficulty was experienced from the want of an adequate working party and materials. So impoverished were the stores, that to provide planks and sleepers for the platforms nnd magazines recourse was had to old splintered timbers from ruined sheds and buildings. Among other ser- vices performed by the detachment was the construction of a redoubt at Cachola on the high road from San Sebastian to Hermani, to protect that communication. On the 13th May, six rank and file were attached to Captain A. Henderson, R.E., and were employed for the fourth summer under his direction in the trigonometrical survey of the western coast of Scotland for the Admiralty. The nature of the opera- tions, as on former occasions, necessitated their encampment on the mountains ; and when the service closed in November, the party returned to Woolwich. Lord Hill and Sir Hussey Vivian, the Master-General, in- spected the seventh company and dc tachment of the corps at Chatham on the 15th June, and afterwards witnessed the siege operations carried on by the troops and sappers under Colonel Warre. At the steadiness of the latter on parade, and the able manner in which the siege details were executed, his lord- ship expressed the highest gratification ; and Colonel Warre, i^:\\ /r\ . isn:.] l!f)VAL SAIM'KPiS AND MINKUS. 289 in his puMic orders of Ifitli Jiino, also oulofrisod tlio corps tor the chc'C'iVl and indffatiui;uhlo manner in which tlicv liad worked in tlio Held, adding, " that the eonstruetion of the works did credit to their skill as engineer workmen, and their appearance to their discipline a!id efliciency as soldiers." Second-Captain Henry Sandham, K.E., hy connnission dated 1st August, was apj)ointed adjutant to the corps .-it Chatham vice (.'aptain Jehh promoted. The latter had tilled the office with much advantage to the puhlic service ; and his many excellent qualities, as evinced in the t':'.charge of his duties, commanded the esteem of the corps, and caused him to he much regretted at his leaving. Sergeant Hugh Lanyon, after Sergeant-major Fe.hes's re- moval, was appointed to the charge of the detachment at Sand- hurst College, and carried on the field details in "very way to the satisfaction of the authorities. For many yeavs, as a private and non-connnissioned officer, he worked at the college, and his example had the hcst effect on the succe.-sive jiarties with which he served. As a practical saj)per !ie was one of the ahlest and most skilful in the corps, and in the raj)idity with which he threw up earth-works was unsurpass(Ml. Sir Charles Pasley has done him honour hy noti'.nng tlu> extraordinary lahours of the sergeant in his ' Practical Operations for a Siege.' ^ His willingness and ahility in this respect, covered, in great measure, his educational leficiencies. In charge of the detachment he displayed his r.sual industry and excition, kept his men in perfect discipline and order, and the excellent work resulting from their united efforts elicited an encomium in a popular periodical very creditahle to tlu^ ^ergeant and his party.'"^ Indeed, so effectually v/ere all the instructional opera- tions carried out, that the gorernor of the college, with the sanction of the Master-Gcner^il, presented him in Novemher with a case of drawing instrum\ and .07; notes, 1st part. * ' United Service Journal,' ii. 18.'i7, p. 279. " Lanyon was afterwards promote 1 to be a colour-sergeant, and passed a few years in Canada during the revolt. On his return, his health, sliattered by the VOL. I. U % 200 HISTORY OV THE [1837. |[^l K'* li'l f''- !« «?'■ Late in the voar the shoiildcr-lx-lt of tlio stafl' scrffonnts was sih)(M'.<0(1(m1 l)y a Imf!' waist-belt, two inches broad, bavini:; ear- riages for tlie sword, with gilt ])late, buckles, swivels, and hooks. The plate bore the royal arms — without supporters- withiu a wreath, with the motto "Ubicpie" at its base above, a crown. The sword was the same as issued in 1624, and as at present worn, but adapted by rings to bo slung to the improved accoutrement. — See Plate XVI., 1854. Under orders from Lord Gleiielg, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, corporals John (^oles and Richard Auger were attached to the New Holland expedition under (^iptain Grey, the object of which was to gain information as to the real state of the interior and its resources. On the r)th July, 1837, they sailed in the ' Beagle ' from Plymouth, and at the (.^ipe of Good Hope were removed into the ' Lynher ' schooner. There, private Robert Mui^tard joined the i)arty, and all reached Hanover Ray, Western Australia, on the 2nd December. Captain Grey had early formed a good opinion of corporal Coles and made; him his chief subordinate.^ He was empha- tically his man Friday, and his conduct in striking instances of suffering and peril was marked by unfaltering devotion and fortitude, combined with diligence and humanity. On the day of arrival the Captain landed with five persons and three dogs at High Blulf Point, to explore from thence to Hanover Bay. Coles was one of the number. The sun was intensely hot. A long confinement on ship-board made them exertions of his laborious life, caused him to leave the corps. Obtaining a situation as surveyor on the Trent and Mersey canal under Mr, Forbes, his former fellow-labourer, he devoted himself to his new duties with his accus- tomed zeal ; but in a few short months his powerful fraiije broke up, and he died at Lawton in Cheshire, in June, 1840. The integrity of his condjict and the utility of his services induced the directors of the company to honour his remains by the erection of a tomb to his memory. Here it would be proper to notice, he was one of those brave and humane miners who, in the ' Cambria,* bound for ^^cra Cruz, assisted to rescue the crew and passengers from the burning * Kent' East Indiaman, in the Bay of Biscay, in February, 1825. The souls saved were 551, including 301 officers and men, (iG women, and 45 children of the 31st regiment. * 'Grey's Travels," 1841, i. p. .';5. onnta was iJ'ST.j KOYAI. SAI'I'KUS AND MlNKllS. •Jl»l unoqiial to much exertion. Forward, liowever, they journeyed, vslthout the a(lvautau!;e of trees or foliage to .-lereen tlietn f'roni the xun's l)urniiij»; rays. Tlit? country, too, was rocky ; and its surface, jagged und torn into crciviees, l)eing overgrown with spinifex and scruh, they fre(iuently eitlier slij)|)ed or fell into the coveriul fissures. Soon the i)arty was ovi'reonie hy thirst and lassitude. Two pints of water was all that was hrought from the ship, and this, shared with the panting dogs, left hut little for the adventurers. As time wore on, their weariness, hefore excessive, hecame worse, and the dogs falling hack ex- hausted, were never recovered. Water was at length ohserved at the hottom of a ravine, and down its precipitous slopes Coles and others scrambled, only to mock the thirst they craved to satiate, for the inlet was salt water I However, after travelling for another half mile, forttme favoured them with a pool of brackish water, from which they drank freidy.' Whilst the party rested hy the jkk I, Caj)tain Grey, accom- panied by Coles, exjdored the ravine, and then returning, led the party into the country hy a fertile valley surroun(h'(. by rocky hills. Not long after, the thirst and fatigue so dreaded before, recurred in an aggravated form, and some were almost completely worn out by it. To march through the night with- out fresh water was next to impossible ; and as a last effort to obtain relief, the Captain pushed (m for the coast, directing that when he fired, ^Ir. Lushington witli the party should follow." The arranged signals being given and answered, the parly moved on. Corporal Coles was in the van, and forcing his way over broken rocks and down steep cliffs, he was the first to reach the Captain. At this spot he followed the example of his chief, and, plunging into the sea, refreshed his strength and appeased his thirst. Mr. Lushington and the sufferers now arrived, and, leaving them to try the effect of bathing, the Captain and his corporal moved along the coast to find the ' Lynher,' and send a boat to the party. About two miles they had journeyed when their progress was arrested by an arm of the sea, about 500 yards across. Coles kept firing his gun in ■■* ' Grey's Travels,' 1841, i. p. G7-71. ° Ibid., i. p. Tl-73. 11 1^ ni 4 It J mm ^ 20'J i!isT()i;v (M' Tin: ri837. linpos it iniplit bo lusird on lioanl. Vrom lilll to hill Jitul clifF to cliff, it." report rcvcriji'r.'ittMl, hiit ii(» aiiswiring sound cjiiiui buck. Tbt! Cjiptain now resolved to swim the arm; and ha Coles was unskilful in the water, h(» was directtnl to wait until the others came up and nnnain with them until the Captain retiu'ned. Tiie latter then plunj^ed into tiie sea, and left Coles alone in that solitary spot wiih wild and ruu^ed (rlill's over- hanginji the shore, juid the haunts of savages in his vicinity/ After (hirk the Hashes of the guns had been seen by the schooner, and a boat was instantly despatched for the party. Coles was the first found ; but fearing, if he then availed him- self of the jirotectiou of the boat, he would lose the clue by which to trace the Captain, he directed the mate to pass on for the others. 'J'hey were soon picked up, and returning for Coles, he was found at his post— one of danger and honour — and taken into the boat with his companions. The other shore was so(m reached and the Captain found. ** " Have you a little water?'' he asked, as he entered the boat. "Plenty, sir I" answered (.oles, handing him a little, which the Ca])tain greedily swallowed. That clioice drop of water was all that was in tlu? boat when Coles was ])icked up, and although he suffered severely from thirst, he would not taste it as long as he retained any hope that his chief might be found and be in want of it.'' For several days the sappers and others of the expedition were employed in searching for water, taking short exploratory trips, and in removing the live stock and stores from the *Lynher' to the; location fixed upon by Ca})tain Grey. To facilitate the service, a rude pathway was formed by firing the bush, and removing with much toil, the rocks and vegetation. So rough was the track that a wheelbarrow could r.ot be used upon it, and every burden was, therefore, necessarily carried on the men's shoulders. I^y the 16th December, the country had been taken j)Ossession of, and the encampment completed.'" On the following evening. Captain Grey with corporal ' Grey's Travels,' 1841, i. p. 73-76. Ibid., i. p. 78. " Ibid., i. p. 7'J. '" Ibid., i. p. 83-91. Wm iH3:.j llOYAL SAIM'KIJS AND MINKFN. 203 *'' Tolivs ;ui(l |)iivatt' .Must.inl, >tart(Ml from tin* ramp to ju'iji'tratf soim* (listaiu'c '\uU> tin* interior. Coiitidciit in the jitoadliu'j^a and coiiram' t'f I'i' "•♦'u '"' f«'lt no anxictv. Marli <'arriiMl t(Mi di ays provisions, a days water, and Ins armn and amninin- tion. Tims laden, in a troj)ieal climate, tlii-ir pi'oi^ress was slow and lahorions. Tlu'ir ronte lav thronnh a region of romantie l)eauty. Now they wen? urjxiii^ tlieir cotn'se tln"on}j;li deep ravines alivt; witii the miA\ of water and tlie foamin;; of easeades ; now threadinir their tireso tl th )me way tin'oiii^n tne devions forest witli its prickly gra.vses and cMtaniiled hnsli. Ai^ain they were clind)inji; ernnddinj; ranges, seramhling down precipices, tearing tiiemsidves throngh mangroves and cK'i.sidy- matted vegetation, traversing some wild hroken land, or worming themselves among lofty and isolatt'd columns of sand- stone mantled with fragrant cri'cpers, which, like the remains of mined temples of classier ages, alForded induhitahle evidence of the ravages of time upon rock and range. \\ herever they chaos —beautiful in its wild- journeyed, tney touiul tiie same cnaos — neauniui ni its wild ness and eccentricity — rich in its luxurianci; and ])ictures(jU(?- nuss." Nearly six days were? sj)ent in this march, and tlu* trials emlured were only a prelude to what were to follow. Rice and tea in small quantities formed the staple of their tain the toils and privations of discovery and the discomfort of unshcdtered sleep. Drij)piiig wet, tired, weary and hungry, these brave men carried out the purj)oses of their Grt-y's Travels,' 1841, i. p. <);3-10: ■ijj. 294 HISTORY OF THE [1837. ■if ' ir'osion, and, with unwavering faithfulness and zeal, penetrated wherever their ehief desired. Want of food at length compelled the adventurers to return. Having gained the summit of a range, the rain began to fall in torrents. To escape it they retired to a detached group of rocks. A party of thirteen savages now appeared, brandishing their spears, bounding from rock to rock, and making the wilderness ring with their war cry. 'I'his was answered by a party coming over the high rock in rear of the travellers. In this critical situation a hostile attitude was at once taken up. i\n opening like an embrasure was formed between the blocks of the rock, through which they could level their pieces, and each gallant fellow took his station. The Captain fired over their heads, but this one report was quite enough, for the savages fled on all sides, and the party thus left to itself, hurried home through a tempest of rain and reached the cantonment before nightfall on the 22nd December.'^ ^^ ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. 93-107, 248. 1838.] JIOYAL SALTEllS AND MINERS. 205 I (Vi.r 1838. Services of party in New Holland — Start for the interior — Labours of the expedition ; corporal Auger — Captain Grey and corporal Coles expect an attack — Attitude of private Mustard at the camp against the menace of the natives — Captain Grey and Coles attacked ; their critical situation ; the chief wounded ; devotion of Coles — Usefulness of Auger — Renew the march ; Auger finds a singular ford — Discovers a cave witli a sculptured face in it — Mustard traces the spoor of a quadruped still unseen in New Holland — Trials of the party ; humane attention of the Captain to Mustard ; reach Hanover Bay; arrive at the Mauritius — Detachment in Spain — Attack on Orio — Usurvil ; Oyarzun — Miscellaneous employments of the party — Keinforce- ment to it ; Casa Aquirre — Orio — secret mission to Munagorri — Second v'sit to the same chief— Notice of corporal John Down — Bidassoa — Triangulation of north of Scotland — also of the Frith of the Clyde — Insurrection in Canada ; guard of honour to Lord Durham — Company inspected by the Governor-General on the plains of Abraham — Inspection at Niagara by Sir George Arthur — Services and movements of the company in Canada ; attack at Beauharnois — Subnuirine demolition of wrecks near Gravesend — Expe- dient to prevent accidents by vessels fouling the diving-bell lighter — Conduct of the sappers in the operations ; exertions of sergeant-nnijor Jones — Fatal accident to a diver—Intrepidity of sergeants Uoss and Young — ]31asting the bow of the brig ' William,' by sergeant-major Jones — Withdrawal of tlie sappers from the canal at Hythe. Some weeks of tlie early year were spent by Captain Grey and his men in a variety of oceupations preparatory to a long jonrney into the interior. Sheds were built for the stores, pack-saddles made for the horses, and short excursions through wood and wilderness undertaken. Pathways were also constructed for the horses in forest and glen, witliout which it would have been impracticable to pursue their court*'. These were formed by burning th(^ bush, and removing, by manual strength and dexterity, huge boulders and tallen trees that everywhere intercepted the track. On the 3rd February the expedition was in motion. Twenty- .1:. ■ma-: 290 IirSTOllY OF THE [1838. 1 1 1 ! i 1 1 9 iTf !i ffl' ' 1 M ^ ^::|; :'• (■ six wild ponies were attached to the party. Eacli man had three or four of tliese unbroken animals in charge, fastened together by ropes. From the ponies straying in different direc- tions, and getting frequently entangled with rocks and trees, the difficult nature of the service was greatly increased. As beasts of burden they were of little use. In steep ravines or in rugged country, the stores were almost wholly carried by the adven- turers ; and this, coupled with the task of guiding the untamed horses and the hard travelling in a rocky country abounding with clefts, thick bush, and forest, made the route one of unmitigated toil and fatigue. In these duties corporal Auger particularly distinguished himself; for, possessing the power of carrying on his back very heavy burdens, he took every occasion of exorcising it in such n way as to stimulate the others and very much to accelerate the movements of the expedition.^ A\^ith c(jrporal Coles tlie captain started on the 6tli February to explore the country in his front. Coming to a deep ravine with a body of water at its base, he wished to find a ])assagc out of it. Both searched for many hours until after sunset, but vvithout avail. The ravine was bounded by in- accessible cliffs with other ravines branching into it, which invariably terminated in cascades. A great portion of the exploration was spent in wading the flooded valley up to their bellies in water. On their return homewards they came upon a large party of natives, and (Joles followed the captain up the northern slope of the ravine ready for an attack ; but the savages moved on without molesting the weary travellers.^ Five days afterwards private ^Mustard and two men were left at the camp, while the rest of the expedition were detached. Aboil two hundred of the natives assembled across a stream at the foot of a hill near to them. They were armed. Mustard and his conn-ades instantly got their muskets, posted them- selves on the brow of the hill, and in a menacing attitude motioned thim away. The savages answered by a shout ; and after consulting, retired a little, when Mustard and the party now took counsel, and agreeing that it would be imprudent ' ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. l."}!). ^ Ibid., i. p. 130-138, I ■ i' >.c. m 1S',\S.] llOYAli S.a»PEUS AND MINEUS. 297 with their small iiuinhers to hohl intercourse with so huge a force of natives, they resolved not to allow them to approach beyond a certain point ; and in the event of any armed })ortion passing the stream towards the tents in defiance of their signals, to fire on them one by one. These cautious resolves, however, were not })ut into execution, as the savages hurried otf in the direction of Captain Grey.'^ The Captain, accompanied by Coles and a C;ipe man, had been out since the morning t!xamining the country to choose a route for the next day's march, and were working with all their energies at a road for the horses, when the savages from the camp poured into the forest. The Cape man, who was in the rear, first saw them ; and instead of calling to Coles or the Captain for assistance, at once ran away, pursued by the natives. The thr je were now engaged for their lives, and taking up a position behind some rocks, the men were directed to fire separately. Coles was armed with the Captain's rifle, but it was covered with a cloth case for protection against the rain. This becoming entangled with the lock, his services at a critical moment were lost. The Captain now gave Coles his gun to complete the reloading, and taking the rifle, tore off the cover and stept from behind the rocks. In an instant three spears pierced his body, but a deadly shot from the rifle slew the principal antagonist. The combat at once ceased ; but though it had only lasted a few seconds, tiie spears and weapons strewn in such abundance about the jjosition gave proof of iis severity. Neither Coles nor the Cape man was injured, but the Captain was badly wounded. Coles bound up tlie Captain's hip wound as well as he could, and supporting him with his rrni, assisted him homewards. Some hours were spent in the journey. The track was lost, and the Captain, leaning more and more heaviiy on Coles, showed signs of increasing weakness. A beaten route at last was gained and a stream in its vicinity crossed ; but the Captain, in the effort, strained his wounded hip and fell on the opposite shore unable to rise. Coles, with his usual devotion, volunteered to go alone to tbe party and send '■^ ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. 144. j'< f 298 lilSTOKY OF THE [1838. assistance. This ho did, bounding over rock and cliff, through wood and scrub, jumping ga])Ing rifts, and fording streams with the natives on his trail. In a short hour, through his unflinching ardour and daring, the surgeon and Mr. Lushington were ministering to ihc wants of the wounded chief.^ The only drawback to this day's steadiness and fidelity was the loss, by Coles, of the (Japtain's valuable "'ote-book.^ The expedition was now delayed for a time ; and corporal Auger, whose ingenuity and skill as a carpenter had frequently been of service, made the Captain a low stretcher to lie upon, which gave him a little more ease." On the 27th February the parry was again in motion, but their progress was slow. Much Lime was spent in constructing pathways in ravines and clefty land otherwise inaccessible, and in finding fords over streams, and passages across swamps. To one ford Captain Grey particularly alludes. On the 27th March, he and the party sought for a ford across a river about a hundred }'ards wide in S. Lat. 15° 49". E. Long. 125° 6', but their efforts were fruitless. After breakfast corporal Auger started alone to tiie river, and returned in about an hour reporting he had found one. The ponies were at once moved on, and as they wound through it following a circuitous course it was nowhere less than knee deep, but on each side, at times, the water was dangerously high. " I could not," writes the Captain, " but admire the perseverance of Auger, in having discovered so intricate a ford as this was."' Much labour was also given in tracing the courses of rivers, the direction of mountain ranges, and acquiring information of the physical features of the country, and of its natural history.^ * ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. 154. •^ Ibid., i. p. 1.58. "> Ibid., i. p. 153. 7 Ibid., i. p. 209. Corporal Auger accompanied Captain Grey on one occasion to examine a sandstone ridge, in the hope of finding egress from it. After proceeding some distance tliey discovered a cave, in whicli was an intaglio face and head cut in the rock, of rather superior workmanship for an untutored savage ; and Captain Grey has distinguished the Avork by giving a drawing of it in his Travels. Vol. i. p. 20^3. Private Mustard, who had been at the Cape of Good Hope, brought his experience to bear upon the present service. He discovered the spoor of a ir [1838. through ams with ugh his shington The only loss, by corporal equentiy ie upon, ;ion, but structing ible, and ips. To he 27th er about 125° 6', corporal t an hour 3e moved IS course at times, rites the n having 183S.] KOYAL SAPPKIIS AND MIXEIIS. L^99 rivers. 3f nation of history.^ ir)3. 209. examine a eding some il head cut iivage ; and >f it in his >rought his spoor of a All tiiese services were not accomplished without nuich exertion and diligence. To scale the mountain side, to creep down the perilous declivity, to wade the morass, to traverse a wild country torn into lissures, and encumbered by roci\s and scrubs and a dense vegetation, were but their common daily task ; but when to these exertions are added the trials arising from privation, constant exposure to the sun and the storm, the bare shelter by night of some overhanging ditf or frail tent, with the discomfort of being, for days together, unable to undress or wash themselves, a faint glimpse only is caught of the harassing and difficult nature of their duties, their weariness, their sufferings and hardships. The expedition had now penetrated two rivers i)eyond the Glenelg and Prince Regent, and then turned towards Hanover Bay. On 1st April they started, encounteiing difficulties of a character similar to those already borne with such cheerfulness and fortitude. Seven days of their, journey found private Mustard crippled from falling into a crevice in the rock. Here the Captain, though suffering himself from the wound in his hip, yielded his horse for Mustard's convenience. On the 15tfi April, the party reached Hanover Bay, having lost nearly all their live stock and fifteen of their ponies. A few more days were occupied in collecting the stores and shipping them, when the expedition sailed for the Isle of France and arrived on the ] 7th May. The three sappers were landed in a very sickly and emaciated state, and during their stay at the Mau- ritius were under medical treatment in hospital. On the 27th January, nineteen non-commissioned officers large quadruped with a divided hoof. He had seen like impressions at the Cape. (Japtain Grey conceived he had nuide some mistake and paid no attention to Mustard's report, until he afterwards saw traces of the animal himself. On one occasion he followed its track for a mile and a half, when it was lost in rocky ground. The foot-marks were larger than those of a buffalo, and it was apparently more bulky, for where it had passed through the brush- wood, shrubs in its way of considerable size, had been broken down. The animal has not yet been seen. Its existence is, however, asserted, from the peculiarity of the spoor. Vol. i. p. 242, ' Grey's Travels.' 300 IIlSTOIli' OF Tiir. 1S38. 1 ii tvl. Bt'-i' and privates of the detaclimcnt serving with the naval force under the command of Lord John Hay at San Sehastian, were present with General O'Dcmnell's army in an attack on the vilhige of Orio, and burnt and sunk several flat-bottomed boats under the fire of musketry from the opposite side of the river. On the following day, at the request of the Spanish general, the same party were despatched to Usurvil to intrench and fortify a large garden at the outskirts of the village. The work was conunenced, and when the party was about to destroy the bridge which had been partially broken, General O'Donnell changed his intention and the saj)pers returned to San Se- bastian. Shortly afterwards the detachment marched with the marine battalion to Oyarzun to cover the operations of General O'Donnell at Bera. About this period the available men of the party fitted up the ' Columbia' steamer for the accommodation of troops, and a storehouse for the use of the squadron. At Passages also, the carpenters converted the church into a commissariat depot for stores and provisions, and strengthened and improved the fortifications around San Sebastian and the heights. All the works were carried out with difficulty ; for the Spanish autho- rities could scarcely command the use of a plank or a nail, and it was only by the force of habitual and urgent requisitions that they could be induced to press for any materials for the service of the department. " By the ' Alonzo' transport a reinforcement of eleven rank and file arrived in May, increasing the detachment to thirty-one of all ranks. Late in the montli, these men with others of the party, were, at the recommendation of General O'Donnell, detached to Casa Aquirre on the left of Venta to render it sufficiently defensive to receive tlie garrison of Astigaraga in the event of its being compelled to retire. The working party consisted of a company of the Spanish marine battalion of seventy soldiers and twenty peasants, and the position was com- pleted with the necessary works by March 1831). On the 24th Jmi(>, twenty-five of the detachment moved with •S:)m. i I 1838. IIUYAL SAn'EllS AND MINERS. 301 e service a part of tlic army to the ilver Orio, and, under fire, levelled the Carlists" parapets and works. In October, four men of the^ pai'ty in plain clothes under order8 of secrecy, accom])anied Colonel Colquhoun, R.A. and Lieutenant Vicars, ll.E. to the liend-(iuarters of Munagorri to assist in putting him in motion and to secure his position. The mission reached Sara on the 17tli, then passed to a hill to the east of La Rune mountain, about four miles from tho village, where the chief was posted, and afterwards to St. Jean Pied de Port ; but owing to the opposition of Aquirre, the commandant of Valcarlos, who would not allow the })acificators to take up quarters in his neighbourhood, the expedition was unable to assist the Fuerist chief, and returned to San Sebastian on the 24th 0(itober. The same sappers in plainclothes as before." accompanied the above-named officers on a second mission to Munagorri in November. The party reached St. Jean Pied de Port via Bayonne on the 5th. Aquirre, however, acting under the orders of Espartero, was firm in his resolution to resist the pacificators in the occupation of Valcarlos ; and as he would not yield a pass to the force of Munagorri, the project of enter- ing Spain at Valcarlos was necessarily abandoned, and the expedition once more retraced its steps to San Sebastian, where it arrived on the IGth. Late in the same month, twelve men of the detachment were sent to the Bidassoa to fortify the position taken up by the ' ^ :1 f '1 f i 11 kvas com- " The senior of whom was second-corporal John Down, afterwards sergeant. In September, 183"), while pontooning in the Medway at Hailing, he plunged into the river and saved from drowning, by means of an oar, private F. Adams of the corps. He also relieved from a very precarious situation lance-corporal "VVoodhead, E.l.C, who had jumped in to ass-ist private Adams. For his courage and humanity the royal humane society granted Down a pecuniary reward, and his officers gave him a military hold-all, containing the usual articles, chiefly of silver, bearing on a silver plate this inscription — '' Presented by his officers to Private John Down for his gallant conduct in rescuing a comrade from drowning." Tliis non-commissioned officer served two stations at Gibraltar and Ikrmnda, and being pensioned at Is. 9(/. in October, 1849, retired to Chatham, where he is now filling the humble but sufficient situation of pump-master to the Barracks. 1 (i- \ ] t i'M^I I! ''!1l 302 IlISTOUY OF THE [1B38. Fucrist c'liief. A fatality attoiKknl all Ills movomonts and projects. St. Marcial had boon tixod upon by him to ostablish his force there ; bat before tlu; operation could be effected, the Queen's troops under General O'Donnc;!! were already in pos- session of it, and the a])proach of Munagorri was interdicted^ Another position, however, was soon selected near the Bidassoa, and a redoubt forthwith connnenced. Sixty peasants from San Sebastian and a small force from the ranks of the Fuerists formed the working party. The latter were indolent to the last degree, and even the presence of Munagorri and Jarregui failed to inspire them with the necessary energy. The sappers worked from morning till nightfall, and often remained on duty the entire day, exposed the whole time to the drenching storm. All the works were marked out and every detail for the defence was conducted by the sappers under the direction of Lieutenant Vicars, and their zeal and usefulness were noticed in commendatory terms. After completing the de- fences, the party rejoined Lord John Hay's force early in January, 1839. In May one sergeant and twelve privates were detached to the north of Scotland, and employed on the trigcmometrical survey of that part of the country until December under the direction of Lieutenant Robinson, ll.E. This mountain de- tachment endured much fatigue in carrying out the service, and for their diligence and exertion in conducting the operation they received a high character. Six rank and file were enij)loyed on a similar duty at the Frith of the Clyde under Captain A. Henderson, ll.E., and rejoined the corps on the 24th October. The men were selected on account of thoir physical strength, and were in every respect found equal to the arduous requirements of the service. The insurrection' in the Canadas, headed by Papineau, in- duced the Government to send a company to that colony. Captain Colin Mackenzie with one sergeant and thirty seven rank and file wont out in the ' Hastings,' seventy-four, as a guard of honour to Lord Durham when his lord>hip was ap- [1H38. iits iiiid cted, tlio ! in pos- ordicted) Bidassoa, its fVoin Fnerists it to the Jarregui 3 sappors lined on Ireneliinu; letail for direction ess were the de- early in ;ached to lometrical inder the ntain de- e service, operation ity at the Ll.E., and uen were 1 were in its of the mean, in- it colony, lirty- seven bur, as a ) was ap- isn8.] IlOVAIi SAITMRS AM) MIXKIIS. 3(3 pniiitod Go\ rnor-General in Canada. The reniaiiider, tliree sergeants and forty-five ranlv and file, sailed in the steamer ' D(x;.' Tlie guard of honour landed at Quebec on the 2i)th May and the 'Dee' detachment on the 14tli June. A pro- portionate quantity of intrenching tools and engineer stores were landed with the com])any. At the celehi-ation of ITer Majesty's coronation on the plains of Abraham in June, 1N38, the Earl of Durham minutely in- spected the company, and in the prcfionce of several general officers, noticed the steadiness with which the com])any marched past. This expression the Governor-General re|)eatcd at the chateau of St. Louis on the 28th June, and added, that the soldier-like appearance of the sappers and their steadiness under arms exceeded his expectations. The good conduct of the company also elicited his lordshiji's apj)robation. While at Niagara, on the 11th September, the company was reviewed by Major-General Sir George Arthur, with the King's dragoon guards and 43rd regiment, and his Excellency spoke in praise of the appearance of the company, its inarching and il! manceuvring. Soon afterwards the head- quarters of the company were removed to the Niagara frontier to place it in a state of defence. The work of reparation commenced with Fort Mississaqua. About this time twelve non-commissioned officers and men were removed, for engineer services, to Amherstburg, and another party of twenty-two of all ranks was detached to Montreal. The latter was detained at Cornwall for a few days by Major Phillpotts, R.E., and under Lieutenant Roberts formed the advanced guard with a detachment of the 71st light infantry, in a successful attack on the rebels at Beauharnois on the 1 0th November, 1838. The good conduct of this party was acknow- ledged by Colonel Carmichael whr "ommanded the attack. A novel duty now devolved upon the corps in the subaqueous destruction of the brig ' William,' sunk oft' Tilbury Fort in May, 1837, and the schooner ' Glenniorgan,' wrecked in Gravesend Reach several years before. The wrecks were im- pediments to navigation ; and the Lord Mayor, after consulting I 304 III STORY OF TIIH [1^38. m (Iff iif lE H' V' If'^ ■J' 1 ' if' 1 ■ I* ilii- [ Colonel Pasloy, dotorniiiuHl to liavc tlio vcsfiols dostroycd by jTunjunvdcM*. Oponitions cominonced on the IDtli ^liiy by a detac'biiKMit of tliirty non-conimissiotuHl ofticors and men under tlie direction of Captain Vide, \\.\i., and in a few days tbe wrecks were blown to piec(«s by two great cbarges of gunpowder of 2i'A)0 lbs. eacli. Tlie object desired was tbus satisfactorily attained. Tbe sappers execut(Hl all tbe minor tittnents not recpuring tbo skill of sliip vriglits. They also descended in the diving-bell and diving-lielmet, managed the movements of tbo former, and besides ])reparing and executing tbe mining details of tbe operation, assisted tbe seamen and tbo riggers in tbo naval arrangements. Tbe men in tbe diNiug-bcdl were exposed to groat danger from tbe violent aetiim, on two occasions, of tbo ebb and flood tides, and bad they not been very resolute men, would bave given up tbo attoni])t.'" Duiing tbe service, a vessel ran foid of tbo diving-boll ligbter, and carried it ai)ovo a quarter of a ndlc up tbo river, disconnecting tbo great cylinder containing tbo cbarge. The next day, sergeant-major Jones, acting with the leading rigger, got tlie lighter ery nearly back into its place over the wreck and recovered the cylinder and leaden pipe from tbe bottom of tbo river. To prevent tbe recurrenco of a similar accident, tbe guard of tbo detachment on board, kept up a brisk fire of blank cartridges when any vessel approached them in the night, wbi(;h had the desired oflect. Of tbo *' indefatigable exertions of tbe sappers," Colonel Pasley made particular mention in his official report, and added, "it was a ])leasure to see them, and tbo seamen and riggers, working ^o cheerfully togetbor." "Sergeant-major Jones," writes tbe Colonel, " who is equally skilful and active as a miner and a pontonoer, was quite in bis element." Tbo o])erati<)ns did not terminate without the occurrence of a melancholy accident. On the 21st of May, Corporal Henry JNIitcbell, who had been practised as a diver for a bbort time in tbo Modway, was sent down in a diving-helmet to fix a couple of eye-bolts to tlu^ side of tbe ' William,' preparatory to tbe first '" ' United Service .lournal,' i. 184(», p. 73. mi ISiiH.j llOYAL SAlTHItS AND MINimS. nor. explosion. AftiM' i^xam'miiig tho wrook, lio came up and gave a tavourabli! account of his prospects, and tluni took his tools and descended again, hut owing to a rope fixed round him liaving hecome entangled in the wreck, the signals usually made hy pulling this rope could not be distinguished, nor could he be drawn to the surface of the water. On Colonid Pasley reaching the wreck, and as soon as the necessary arrangements could he complett'd, sergeants .Tolm Ross and .lames Young with two privates, voluntarily descended in the diving-hell, and after a time succeeded in finding their comrade, hut he was (juite dead, having been at the bottom uj)wards of twelve hours. The intrepid conduct of these non-commissioned otticers was much applauded." The great explosions above referred to had not touched the bow of the brig ' William,' and in August operations were resumed to destroy it. The entire service, exce|)t the duty of diving, devolved on the sappers. A leaden cylinder, to hold a charge of 3l5 lbs. of gunpowder, was made hy some artificers of the corps at ('hatham ; but it failed on application, and tin oil bottles, cojitaining small charges prepared by the sap])ers, were found to answer the purpose. These were taken to the wreck every morning by sergeant-major .Jones and another non-commissioned officer, and being proj)erly fixed hy the divers and fired by the sergeant-major, the remaining fragments of the wreck were so broken and dispersed, as to render the anchorage perfectly saie for the shipping. Sergeant-major .Tones was the executive on this service under the direction of Colonel Paslev.'^ w Under the authority of the Act of 1st Vict. cap. 20, the Ordnance received in charge the royal military canal at Hythe. With a view to a more economical expenditure in its control and repair, the company of the royal staff corps in charge of it, was disbanded in .July, and a detachment of two sergeants and forty-two rank and file of the royal sappers and miners suc- ceeded to the duty. Of this detachment, one sergeant and 'I ' United Service .lournal,' iii. 1838, p. 30 — 4G. '-' Ibid., iii. 1838, p. 271—274. VOL. 1. X ' I H !: ( 300 IIISTOHY 01'' TIIK I [183H. twenty nmk mid file Imd Ix'on dctarlu'd to the (•••null early in April, and the ivniaindcr, to the above total, was eouiph^ted l»y an ineorporatioti of several men from the staff eorpH company, and 81X non-coninnssioned otheer.s and j^nnners aeipiainted with the care iiml management of horses from the royal artillery. The jirincipal duties of the detachment consisted in takinjj; cliarg(^ of tho locks and shiices, coUectinij; tolls, repairin*^ the drains, fences, &c., and in the execution of various lahorions services in nuid and water. A careful review of this arrangement, and of the receipts and evpenses of the canal, however, induced iSir llussey Vivian, the Master-General, to supersedi^ the employ- ment of sap])ers by pensioners from the ordnance corps at very reduced wages; and accordingly in Decemher, 1840, the de- tachment was reduced to thirty-two of all ranks ; in May, 1841, to seven ; and in the following mouth, to one sergeant, who continued on duty at Hythe till October, 1842. fl;:tV [iHas. iK3n.] IIOYAL SAIM-KUS AND MINMIIS yoT '-'III 1 early in i!te(l l)y an pany, and 1 with tlio ry. The charge of he drains, IS services ment, and ulnced Sir le eniploy- •ps at very .0, the de- 4ay, 1841, 'eant, wlio Mill 1839. Expodition to Western Australia umler Taptain Grey -Kxcursion with Auger to tile north of Pertli Seareh tor Mr. Kliis — Kx|)loralion of" slioics fVoni Freinantle -Hernier and Doree Islangged their previous exertions were ex- perienced on this trip, and, coupled with the variety and beauty of the sc(Miery, but little enthusiasm was needed to make the travellers feel an interest in the service.^ The year opened with Captain Grey and four adventurers, including his two sappers, travelling into the interior in search of Mr. George Ellis and his two companions, who, having left the AV^iliiam's River for the Leschenault on the coast, had been out for several days beyond the period it was expected they would reach their de>tination, and fears were entertained for their safety. Captain Grey and his men steadily pursued their object, till the missing travellers, alive and in tolerable health, turned up to their exertions at Augusta. After twenty-two days bush-ranging, the Captain and his party re-entered Perth on the 31st of January. This episodical service was one of fatigue, particularly in crossing the Darling range and in pushing their route through forests and over wild and rugged ground. In some districts, the want of water was severely felt by tliem, and for eleven hours in one day, they journeyed on- wards under a sultry sun, suffering from excessive thirst.*^ On the 1 7th of February, the expedition of twelve persons sailed from Fremantle to examine the shores of Shark's bay and the country behind it, taking with them three whale-boats for future use. On the 25tli, they landed at Bernier Island, discovering, when too late, that the keg of tobacco which was to constitute their chief consolation in hardship, was left on board. After landing the provisions, the greater part of them were buried for security, but the want of water, drove the expedition to Doi ';e Island on the 28th of February, where their perse- vering search was equally unavailing, for the little that was obtained was extracted by suction from small holes in the rock. Already the party had had one of its boats knocked to pieces, and its stores lost, whilst the other two boats in a hurricane were much injured. For three days the sappers were engaged ' ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. 289—309. ^ Ibid., i. p. 310—328, r . ''i. [1839. None of IS wero ex- and beauty make the clventurers, )r in search having left 3t, had been pected they ertained for irsued their able health, twenty-two tered Perth was one of nse and in and rugged severely felt )urneyed on- thirst.*^ elve persons Shark's bay 3 whale-boats rnier Island, which was to left on board. (f them were he expedition ; their pcrse- ittle that was !S in the rock, ked to pieces, n a hurricane were engaged 1839.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 309 in their repair, and on the 3rd of March, the travellers, op- pressed with thirst, wearied by fatigue, and exposed to the full blaze of a powerful sun, sailed for the main.'' Reaching a sand-bank, the boats were tracked and pulled onwards, through deep mud and weeds, into a dense mangrove creek, to land ; and, in accompli.-hing this service, severe trials were encountered, the difficulties of which were increased by the exhiiustion which labour and the want of water induced. In fifteen days, the allowance had been reduced from two and a half pints to half a pint a day.* Pursuing their journey, a lagoon of fresh water was soon found, and all bent the knee to take their fill of the luxury. A black line round the countenance showed how deeply each one had regaled himself. Next day, the two sappers and some of the party visited the lagoon again, and in the evening re- turned loaded to the boats.'' Several days had been spent in c'^ploration and adventure, during which the river Gascoyne had been discovered, and a few objects of geographical interest, named. On one occasion, a storm having overtaken them, their boats, which were swamped, were dragged amid much danger, to shore ; and their flour, saturated with salt water, was now quite spoilt. Never- theless, unwholesome as it was, they were forced to use it, as they had nothing else to eat. Illness now began to appear among the party, and as there was neither food nor medicine to give them, their situation was truly deplorable. While in this helpless state, they were attacked by a body of about thirty natives near Kolaina plains ; but fort'.mately, they succeeded in regaining their boats without any serious a(x;ident occurring.'' After a period of intense desolation and gloom, in which the expedition was exposed to the fury of angry storms, and the pinching calls of want, the boats put to sea ; and surrounded by perils both from surf and squall, the adventurers returned to the Gascoyne. Launching or beaching their boats on the rocky coast was a service of hazard and difficulty. On the 20th of ih t^: ^ ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. 3ii9— 344. * Tl)iil.. i. p. .-iSl— .".riS. ' Ibid., i. p. .•!4.-)— ;5;,1, « Ibid., i. p. ;J.'31— .'STS. 310 HISTORY OF THE [1839. i ."• March, the provisions were nearly expended, and to replenish their stores, the boats made for Bernier Island. A gale of wind caught them on the passage, and they only made good the landing by almost superhuman exertion. Here a store of pro- visions had been buried, when the expedition first made the island, but from its very altered appearance, caused by the ravages of recent hurricanes, Captain Grey doubted whether the depot could be found. Fearing some disaster had befallen the stores, he considered it unadvisable that the discovery should be made in the presence of too many persons, as future disci- pline would depend on the first impression that was given. He therefore selected Mr. Smith and corporal Coles, in whose courage, disinterestedness, and self-possession he placed great confidence, to accompany him to the depot. The corporal took a spade with him.' Before they had gone far, they observed staves of flour casks scattered about amongst the rocks and high up on the sand hills. Coles persisted, they were so far inland, that they could only have come from the flour casks which the expedition had emptied before starting. They next came to a cask of salt provisions washed high and dry at least twenty feet above the usual high-water mark ; the sea had evidently not been near the spot for a long period, as it was half covered with drift sand, which must have taken some time to accumulate. This Coles again easily accounted for ; it was merely the cask which had been lost from the wreck of the * Paul Pry.' The Captain thought otherwise, but made no remark. At length they reached the depot. So changed was it, that both Mr. Smith and Coles persisted it was not the place : but on going to the shore, there were some very remarkable rocks, on the top of which lay a flour cask more than half empty, with the head knocked out, but not otherwise injured. This was also washed up at least twenty feet of perpendicular elevation beyond high water mark. The dreadful certainty now flashed on the minds of Mr. Smith and corporal Coles ; but poor Coles, so ready to find reasons for the alarming appearances which had met hits 7 ♦ Grey's Travels,' i. p. 379—391. [1839. 1839.] IIOYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 311 If ill replenish le of wind good the re of pro- made the d by tlie d whether d befallen cry should ure disci- liven. He in whose iced great poral took Hour casks the sand they could dition had isk of salt above the been near with drift ate. This cask which he Captain ;ngth they Mr. Smith oing to the the top of 1 the head lIso washed 3yond high I the minds so ready to id met his gaze at every step, did not bear the surprise so well as had been expected. He dashed the spade upon the groimd with almost ferocious violence, and looking up to Captain Grey, said, " All lost, sir ! We are all lost." A few rallying words from the Captain, however, made him perfectly cool and collected again, and he promised to make light of the misfortune to the rest, and to observe the strictest discipline. Coles now collected the flour that was left in the barrel and strewn on the rocl:s, and with another bag of spoiled flour found among the sea weeds, the adventurers returned to the party. Their tale of distress was soon told and all heard it with dismay. Mr. Walker and corporal Auger set an excellent example to the others, but two seamen named Woods, seized the first ojjportunity of endea- vouring to appropriate to themselves the miserable remnant of damper belonging to the party ; but their intention being observed, a sentry was placed in charge of the provisions, which only amounted to about nine lbs. of salt meat, and about sixty lbs. of tolerably good flour.** The expedition quitted Bernier Island on the 22nd of March, to make for Swan River. In taking tliis course, it was hoped, that if any accident occurred, Perth could be reached by walk- ing. Crossing the bay, the party sailed to the southward examining the coast, and after a brief stay on Perron's Peninsula and Dirk Hartog's Island, the boats reached Gantheaume Bay. Eleven days were spent in achieving this run : the coasting was very perilous, and the gales that caught the boats as they swej)t along were terrific. Both were more than once in imminent danger, but the unsparing energy and determination of the men carried them safely to the shore. At Gantheaume Bay, how- ever, the landing was not efl'ected without casualty. The surf was high and raging, and the wind drove the boats along at a fearful rate. Onwards they plunged, now quite unmanageable, when one was tossed over by a wave and dashed in fragments among the rocks and breakers. In an instant, its crew and the two sappers were struggling through the foaming surf, but after j)ars and « ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. .391 - .S9G. CI ■[■ If lii I.; .if. j: tumbling amongst oars and water-kegs, and th( I i ;i: '!-'=i N I 312 HISTORY OF IKE ri839. ■1. .i splinters of the wreck, all clambered to the summit of the cliff, torn, jaded and exhausted.'^ On the 2nd April, the party started from Gantheaume Bay, resolved to reach Perth by marching. The })rovisions had been shared out — 20 lbs. of flour and 1 lb. of salt meat per man. The flour was of a brown colour with a fermented taste, and nothing but dire necessity could induce any one to eat it. The distance to be travelled was about 300 miles i*: a direct line, without taking hills, valleys, and deviations into account. Corporals Coles and Auger, besides their provisions, &c., carried a pocket chronometer and a large sextant, turn about. Coles also bore the Captain's rifle. Impeded by natural obstacles, their pro- gress was tediously slow. The Hutt River was reached on the 5th. A few days afterwards they touched the Bowes River, and then journeying through the province of Victoria, rested by the rivers Buller and Chapman. "* On the banks of the latter a man was found missing ; and Dr. Walker and corporal Auger were sent in search of him. They ascended the cliffs and tracked him to the sea ; but as a large party of nati\ es were near them, they gave up the pur- suit, and, unobserved, retreated. The missing man turned up next day." While this party w^as out, corporal Coles, who was posted as sentry on a high terrace, saw^ natives on the opposite cliffs bran- dishing their spears in the manner they do before a fight. Captain Grey could not make them out, and he thought Coles iiad made a mistake. " Look there, sir," said lie, pointing to the top of Mount Fairfax ; and there, indeed, they were, going through their ceremonies. The disposition which the Captain made of his men, being observed by the natives, at first ex- cited them to furious gestures, but by degrees, they calmed down and suddenly withdrew. " The British soldiers and sailors with me," writes the Captain, "were surprisingly calm."'^ The Greenough River was reached on the 8th April. Here some of the men became sullen and would not proceed. In the " ' Grey's Travels,' i. p. 39G— 412. '•» Ibid., ii. p. 31—37. 'o Ibid., ii. p. 1—31. "^ bid., ii. p. 31—33. mm [1839. the cliff, me Bay, lad been n. The notliing distance without iJorporals a pocket ill so bore heir pro- ;d on the iver, and ested by mg and of him. but as I the pur- n turned posted as iffs bran- a fight, ^ht Coles ointing to ire, going 5 Captain first ex- iled down lilors with il. Here I. In the 1—31. 31—33. 1^39.] ROYAL SAPPP:1^S AND MINERS. 3i; mean time corporal Auger went alone to search for water, and soon finling it, the party was moved to the stream. Revived in spirits by the supply, all readily resumed the march, and before nightfall had travelled seven miles further on their journey.''' But ^he wish for short marches and long halts which prevailed from the first, and in which Dr. Walker coin- cided, was now exhibited in discontent. The Captain, how- ever, wisely persisted in following his own plan. On the 9th April the want of water was much felt; and late in the day corporals Auger and Coles an(' three others went in search of some. They had made about seven miles, " wlieii the keen eye of Coles/' says the Captain, " discovered a beautiful spring under a hill, which was then named the Water Peak." In returning to the party, they wandered over a rough country full of crevices, sustaining some serious falls, and, being be- nighted, did not reach their companions till the next morning.'^ So great had the disaffection become about short marches, that the Captain resolved to adopt a course to settle the ques- tion. Seventy miles only had been marched, and six or seven pounds of flour were all that was left to each person. All were hourly losing strength and energy, and suffering from stiffened limbs. To delay under such circumstances was sure to bring with it wants and trials of the most distressing nature. The Captain, therefore, determined to proceed by forced journeys. " It was evident," he writes, *'that those men who, during our late toils, had shown themselves the most capable of enduring hardships, privations, and the fatigue of long and rapid marches, were those best suited for the service destined for them." Among the five selected to ycconipany him were corporals Auger and Coles, whose force of character and disciplinary habits made them fit examples for imitation in so forlorn an consisted of five men, and extremity. Dr, party himself as the chief. The separation took place on the 10th ApnV The 13 ( Arrowsmith River was gained by Captain Grey and his Travels,' Grev 11. p, 37. Ibid., ii. 1). 40—44 M '* Ibid., ii. p. 4.5—52. 314 IIISTOKY OF TlIK [1^39. |M .!;,;!: I. ' i /'. men on tlio lUli,an(l a further ninivli of fort} -six miles brought them on tlio 18tli to Guinlner's Range. On the 14ih, after a long journey, they halted at a pool, where they cooked two tal)le-s})oonsful of flour in about a pint of tbick water into a mess they termed sovp. This, with a few nuts from the zamia tree, formed their day's repast. On dii^ scanty fare they trudged along at a smart pace groaning from pain and fatigue. The sun, too, was intensely hot and all grew faint for want of water. Now their weary days only passed to be succeeded by sleepless and toilsome nights. Almost perishing with thirst, they wandered like wild men even in the dark hours of night, from swamp to swamp, digging holes in a vain search. For two days and two nights they hnd not tasted a single drop of water or food of any kind ; and on the 17th, as they moved slowly on with weak and husky voices, they moistened their mouths by sucking a few drops of dew from the shrubs and reeds. So worn out were they all, that now they could only walk a few hundred yards at a time ; tut about two o'clock in the afternoon they w moro desperate struggles to succeed ; ai! tlierefore buoyed up tlieir spirits, for, in their deej) despair, a flickering hope still remained, and on the 21st A])ril the Captain with his five exemplary advcntnrer.-i, entered Perth miserable objects of emaciation and prostration.-" Here ended their toils, dis- couragements, and privations ; and here they were tended with the best medical skill that the settlement could command. Months passed away before the two corporals regained their health, when, in Febrnary, 1840, they proceeded to South Australia. Corporal Coles joined the detachment of the corps at Port xVdelaide ; and corporal Auger landed at Woolwich in September, and was soon afterwards discharged by purchase.^' Coles remained in the corps till June, 1843, when he was pensioned on Is. a-day, in consequence of the loss of the fingers of hi.s right hand and the forefinger of his left, occasioned by the accidental explosion of a carronado, which he was tiring in honour of the birth of the Duke of Cornwall. Captain Grey was then Governor of South Australia, and he at once nomi- nated his faithful companion and servant to a lucrative govern- ment appointment in the colony. ^° 'Grey's Travels,' ii. p. 88—97. ^' Both received Is. a day each working pay, and for their good and enter- prising conduct a gratuity of 10/. !''P [1839. buoyed ng liope liis five )jocts of ils, (lis- tlod with nd. [led their South he corps olvvich in irchase.^' 1 he was le fingers ioned bv tiring in ain Grey ice nomi- e govern- 1 and enter- 1839. ROYAT, HArri'ins and MIXKUS, 317 1839. Services of the detachment in Spain — Last party of the artillery on the survey —Survey of South Australia— Inspection at Limerick by Sir William Mac- bean— Triangulatiou of north of Scotland— Also of the Clyde— I'ontoons by sergeant Hopkins — Augmentation of the corps — Also of the survey companies— Supernumerary rank annulled — Tithe surveys; (jua'.ity of work executed on them by discharged sappers ; efficient surveys of sergeant Douli — Incr.^^e of survey pay— StaflF appointments on the survey — Kespon- sibility of quartermaster-sergeant M'Kay — Colonel Colby's classes — Based upon particular attainments — Disputed territory in the State of Maine — Movements and services of the party employed in its survey ; intrepidity of corporal M'Queen— Experiments with the diving-hell— Also with the voltaic battery — Improvement in the priming-wires by Captain Sandham ; sergeant- major Jones's waterproof composition and imitation fuses — Demolitiou and removal of the wreck of the ' Royal George ' — Organization of detachment employed in the operation —Emulation of parties — Success of che divers ; labours of the sappers— Diving-bell abandoned —Accident to private Brabant — Fearlessness of corporal Harris in unloading the gunpowder from the cylin- ders — Hazardous duty in soldering tlie loading-hole of the cylinder- Tirst sapper helmet divers — Conduct and exertions of the detachment. The detachment in Spain was not calle(' up;)n duriiig the year to take part in any active operation. Its services were, there- fore, confined to the works. At Passages the men performed several duties connected with the squadron ; and in addition to fitting up Her Majesty's ship ' Nightingale ' for .stores, made various essential alterations and fitments in Lord John Hay's vessel, the ' North Star.' Sections of the detachment were for months at Aqnirre completing the construction of a redoubt and magazine, and repairing the fortified house there, and building a barrack and magazine at Cachola Fort on the Hernani road. Others were also occupied for a period in '^41 |i 'i Br ' • I n. En -1. J; t ;;i8 HISTORY OF TIIK [18r,0. fitting up tiio hospital at San Sebastian, repairing the barracks of the royal artillery and royal marines, and attendi!ig to the security of the ditferent forts in front of the fortress. A det.'ichnient of the artillery had, ever since tiie eominence- ment of the national survey, been enij)loyed on that duty, wliose numbers by degrees, were reduced to tive non-commissioned otficers and privates. '^Fhis year saw the last of that regiment on the survey, for the men alluded to were transferred to the corps on the 1st April. On the 20th Septend)er, one sergeant, two corporals, and twelve ])rivates landed at Port Adelaide, South Australia, from the ' Recovery ' emi p-rant ship. The royal authority for the organization of this party to carry out the surveys of the colony, imder the direction of Captain E. C. Frome, R.E., was dated 2nd Jidy, 1839. Lord Normanby, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, at the instance of the South Australian Commis- sioners, recommended the measure. By this addition the corps was increased from 1,048 to 1,063. of all ranks. The party was composed of men chiefly from the survey, married, with families, and well adapted for the service of the settlement. Soon the men were dispersed over a wide extent of the pro- vince, surveying a v/ild unoccupied territory, and also in setting off and siu'veying blocks of land for the emigrants. This duty was not without its trials; and for months the surv^eyors obtained no better shelter than the bush, the shade of some bold cliff, or the cover of a frail canvas tent. In 1844, when it became indispensable to effect some changes in the survev'ijg de})artment and in the mode of its action, in con- sequence of the increased j)opulation of the colony and its great inland distribution, his Exceller^y Captain G. Grey expressed before the Legislative Council his sense of the av,curacy and ability with v/hich the detachment had conducted the surveys, and added, that no greater efficiency could be desired in eH'ecting the trigonometrical survey than that displayed in their labcmrs.* Some of the party were constantly at Port Adelaide engaged in the contingent duties of the station, such ' ' South Australian Kegibter,' August 24, 1844. ■J f ^t 1 ) [I8.",0. 1830.] ROYAL SAl'l'KllS AND MINKHS, 310 as workiiipj ;it their tnidLVs, drawing, &c., juid in snpcnntcndcnoo. At first all expcnsos were borno hy tlio rouiinissioncM-s, hut eventually they wore dctVayod from the colotiial rovcnno. The vvorkiiiii; j)ay of tiu; j)arty (;ontinuos to range) hotwtMMi I.-*, and Tw. a-day each, c'X(;lusivo of reginuMital allowances and rations. 'I'ho sergeant in chargt^ receives the highest rate, and the pri- vates S(;ldorn less th;in 2s. a-day each. On the 2)ird May, the sixtcjenth conijjany under the com- mand of Cai)tain Stotherd, H.E., was inspected at Limerick by Major-( General Sir William Machean, and commended by the (Jeneral fcu' tlunr soldier-like conduct and appearance.*^ One corporal and twenty privates were detached in May under Lieutenant Robinson, 11. 1'^. to the north of Scotland, and continued on the trigonotuetrleal survey of that portion of the country until late iu December, when they rejoined their companies. Captain A. IIenders(, ^ ll.E., having with him one corporal and six privates, was employed in the secondary triangulation of the Clyde from May to the 10th October. At the summer examination of the gentlemen cadets at Sandhurst th(;re was exhibited a pontoon raft of very ingenious construction, made by the sappers at the college under the direction of sergeant John Hopkins. The raft was supported qn two wicker boats covered with waterproof canvas, each being ten feet long by three feet wide, and two feet three inches deep. The buoyancy and firmness of the raft w'ere such as to show, that by giving a small additional length to the coracles, it might be rendered capable of bearing field artillery, and it was so light as to be swiftly impelled by a pair of oars. The expe- riment was extremely satisfactory, and pi'oved that a very valuable resource in the field might be found in such construc- tions for passing rivers.^ On several occasions during the term the detachment were out day and night extinguishing tires — the work of incendiaries — in tlu^ {)lantations neai- the college, and their elTectual exertions prevented the Uestruction ■^ ' Limerick Chronicle,' ^oth May, 1839. =* ' United Service Journal,' ii. 18;59, p. 420. I' .li. r4\ mi 1 1 :v2() I1IST()1:Y of 'II IK [IH.'MJ. (jf imu'li of the crown projUTty. Sergeant Hopkins was liiglily praist'd for liis activity and intelligence in the j)ractical work of instruction, and cor|)oral Itohert Ili-aniden for his skill in tho construction of revetments. lU the authority of a roval warrant dated Jh-d ,lulv, IH.'JH, a conij»any of eighty-nine strong, mnnhered the tenth, was added to tlii> corjjs on the 1st .Inly, liSiU), which increased tho establishment from l,0()3 to 1,1.')- of all ranks. The forma- tion of this company was occasioned hy the removal in tho previous year of a company from home duty to the Canadas. In I808 tho (iovernment threw tho tithe surveys in Eng- land into the hands of contractors, whereby the parishes were burdened with an expense of !)^/. an acre, while; tho survey executed by the Ordnance, cost but little mort' than half the sum. The higher price thus paid to the contractors, enabled them to attract to their employnu'nt civil assistants trained by tho Ordnance, to do their work. Many resignations of suj)erior surveyors and draughtsmen were therefore the result, and so large a, lo.-s from a single class, ncH'cssarily de- ferred the completion of a large j)ortion of surveyed work. To provide against injury from any similar contingency, a warrant dated 2nd Julv, 1831) authorized an augmentation of two serg(>auts, two corjioi-als, two sccoud-cor})orals, and ten privates to each survey company, which, for tho three companies devoted to that service, gave an increase of forty-eight men, making the total sapper establishment on tho survey amount to — Col.-Sergts. Sergls. C'or]i(jnil.s. 'iiul Cnijils. Hug. I'rivatcs. Total. 3 15 18 18 (i •2.');'. ai5 By this augmentation, tho corps was raised from a total of 1,152 to 1,2(;0. At this ])eriod, the survey comj)anies were gouorally em- ployed on conlidcntial duties and dispersed over a vast extent of country; while most of the noncommissioned officers and uiany of the privates were in chargt; of ])arties, performing duties which reepiired the exercise of great judgment and dis- cretion. The additional permaiUMit rank was granted to invest the uon-connnissioiied officers with more weight and authority [iH.'iU. IS liij^lily work of II in tho y, ih:js, iitli, was iscd tlio fornia- 1 in the iukIhs. ill Env- ies were 3 survey Iwiii iialf itractors, assistants ignations ifore the arily dc- ;)rk. '1\) 1 warrant [1 of two 1 privates s (U3voted , making ;al. 15 a total of •ally em- st extent iC(M's and erfonning : and dis- . to invest [luthority ifino. noYAr, sApi'Kiis A\n mixmus. among tin-ir parties, and to supersede recourse to the anoinaloiis expedient of .snpernnnierary |irnniotion. Tile same reasiui vvhicli diminisiied the civil stren"tli of the national survey, induced a disposition among the l)e.»t soldiers of the corps on that dnty to f)iirchase their discharge. Several (piitted dnring the? tithe survey mania,' and the vacancie> in the three compMnitis i)y this and other means, showed that eiicon- ragement was wanted to iiilhicnce them t(t continue in the service. To ali'ord this, Coioiu-l ('olhy oJ)taiiie(l the power (tn the Uitli /vugu^t, IH.'VJ, to award working pay to the ro\al sappe»'s and miner.s under his command, to the maximnin of ."i.v. a-day, according to individual merit and exertion, in addition to their regimental p;iy and allowances. This, however, was not regarded by Colonel (^olhy as .-nfH- eient to meet the (Miiergency. It was iinpcless for him to comj)ete in j)i'cnniary j)ayments with tht; cxj)ensive parochial surveys of Kngland, and he therefore asked for two military rewards in addition to the aimnicnted workiiij; pay. 'riies(> were the permanent rank and jjay of one sergeant-major and one (piartermaster-sergeant. Hut the Master-General did not view the matter in the same light as the Colonel, and only con- sented to the appointment of an acting sergeant-major with the pay of the rank. This Colonel Colby did not consider an adequate distinction, and he never availed himself of it.'' ' Several of tliDse who (jiiitted ol>l;iiiie(l ready employ iiieiit on tliese surveys, ami tlieir iimps in all eases were of the first elass. Mr. Chadwiek, in his report to the i'oor-Luw Commissioners, eonipared the non-eilieieney of persons appointed (o make surveys under the Tithe Comnuitation and Paroeliial Assessment Acts, witli those exeeuted by men of the sapi)ers and miners. Otit of 1,701) first-class maps, not more tiian one-lialf disjjlayed qualifications for the execution of ptihlic surveys without ^uperintenllence "Amongst the most satisfactory surveys Mere those executed by a retired sergeant of the corps— Alexaiu'.er DouU."- 'British Almanac and Companion,' 184;i, p. -iS. ' 111 December, 18.'U, .lames M'Kay was ajipointed acting qtiartermaster- sergeant with the pay i^f the rank. Kntrusted with the care and issiu' of the engravings of the survey, more than ISO.OdO passeil through his hands, amounting in value to :]'),'AH)I., the accounts for wliich. rendered half-yearly to the Irish (ioverinncnt, were never found to contain a single error. So extensive a responsibility rarely falls to a non-commissioned officer. I'pwards of forty years he served in the corps, and, lor his merits, received a gratuity VOL. I. Y :',! 32 oo IITSTOTIY OP TPTE [1839. If '-.'* I'lr In July, 1839, before the inereased working pay was granted, the following was the distribution of the companies on the survey ac(;ording to classes. s. d. No. Receiving less than Oa L-day . 19 >» • ■ 25 r 1st . . 1 . 15 2nd . . 2 . 12 3rd . . 3 17 1th . . 4 17 onel Colby's Classes. ' ")th . . 6th . . 5 G 7 24 26 20 A. . . 8 . 17 9 5 ]() . 3 B. . . < 1 11 1 V 5 206" The qualifications demanded of surveyors to render them deserving of advancement were as follows : — Oass Isf. — To be capable of surveying for content^ — flat country. Class 2itd. — Surveying for content — hilly country, includ- ing the use of the theodolite, taking the horizontal and and medal. He was discharged in July, 1844, with a pension of 2s. 4(1. a day, and afterwards obtained a ijuiet unpretending situation at Birmingham, where his business liabits made him of essential service in the promotion of a scheme lor a loan society on liberal principles. ^ The above detail does not exhibit a true exposition of the acquirements and usefulness of the survey companies, as many of those not advanced to the classes had been reduced from the higher to the lower rates for irregularity, and others (m the higher rates were not advanced as soon as their qualifi- cations merited, it being a principle with the Colonel not to exhaust the limited power he possessed of awarding working pay, because he considered nothing was more discouraging to hunuin exertions than the knowledge, that those whose duty it was to reward had no further power to grant them encou- ragement. '*f. rw ' t [1830. granted, , on the 0, 9 5 5 2 7 .7 !4 !6 50 [7 5 •> o 1 5 W ider them itent — flat 'y, indud- zontal and 2s. 4d. a day, gliam, where . of a scheme acquirements vanced to the irregularity, their qualiti- exhaust tlie lie considered owledge, that t them encou- 1839.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MIXERS. 323 vertical angles, as well as rednoing the lines to the horizontal planes of the links on the arch. Class 3/yZ.— Competent to register angles and distances, and to make a content plot. Class 4:fh. — Ahle to compute areas, and horizontal and vertical distances and trianalcs. Class bf/i.— Ahle to lay out town hinds or parishes for content with skill, so as to prevent confusion or un- necessary labour in the subsecpient measurements. Class Of/i. — Fully acquainted with every branch of content surveying and capable of directing parties of content surveyoi's. Class A. — Competent to survey and plot roads, &c.. Class B. — Competent to draw plans. In all the classes, every man was expected to do his work accurately ; and if, in addition, he showed rapidity with cor- rectness and neatness, special encouragement was given to such sappers by the grant of a proportional allowance. Second-corporal Robert Hearnden and two lance-corporals were attached on the 9th July to Colonel Mndge, R.E., and Mr. Featherstonhaugh, to assist in the topograjjhical survey of the disputed territory in the state of Maine, with a view to the settlement of the boundary question. The sa])pers were dressed in plain clothes, suitable to the climate ; and after a brief stay at New York, and subsequently at Boston, entered Fredericton on the 19th August. Sixty-two canoes were hired for the service of the commission, and about 100 men, chiefly Indians, to man them. Lance-corporal ^^ illiam McGregor was left at the observatory at the Grand Falls, St. John's; and on every day at intervals of two hours, registered the indications of the five different barometers placed in his chai-ge. Corporal Hearn- den and lance-corpoi-al John McQueen were employed with the Commissioners ; and, in tracing the sources of the rivers and finding the heights of land, aided in registering the r^^sults of the instruments used to determine their altitudes. This employment necessarily kept them much afloat ; they moved daily to reconnoitre ; and in doing so, the stores and equipage, Y 2 324 HISTORY OF THE [1831>. ( III' ' ', r I for which they were rosponsihle, were invariably sent onwards under their charge. At night they slept in tents by the shores of the streams where their day's labour ended, and in winter were much exposed to great inclemency of weather and some- times personal danger. Once corporal McQueen, under cir- cinnstances of peculiar peril, saved from drowning a servant of one of the commissioners, and held him with his powerful arm, by the collar, at the side of the canoe for about an hour, until he reached land. The canoe at the time was crossing the first lake on the Allagash, about three miles broad, and was freighted with baggage. Had he taken the sufferer into the canoe it would have foundered, as it was then sunk in the water to the gunwale. Corporal McQueen also met with }jer- sonal misfortune, in the loss by tire of his necessaries. Late in November the party reached Fredericton and arrived at Woolwich on the 24th January, 1840. Each received ].«?. a-day working pay, and as a reward for having performed their duties in a satisfactory manner, a gratuity of 10/. Previously to undertaking the destruction of the wreck of the ' Royal George,' at Spithead, Colonel Pasley made various experiments with the diving-bell. The common form was rectangular, and proved under certain circumstances very dan- gerous. The diving-bell in Chatham dockyard was fitted up by carpenters of the corps, and when completed, resembled in its horizontal section, that of a boat twelve and a half feet long, and four and a half broad.' On the 14th May the altered bell was tried from the ' An^on,' 72, in the Medway, near Gillingham. Captain M. AVilliams, R.E., was the executive officer : he had with him a ])arty of the corps and some riggers, &c., to work the bell. Sergeant-major Jones was the first man of the sai)pers to enter it, and on that day the experiments fully proved its efficacy for hazardous service. Colonel Pasley thereupon determined to use it at Sj)ithead." In the ex])eriments which from time to time were made with the voltaic battery, sergeant-major Jones was always appointed to assist. (!olonel Pasley had a high opinion of his experience, ' ' United Service .Journal,' i. 1840, p. 74. " Ibid., 1840, p. 75. i '■ .1' ■ 1)1 li^t [1830. onwards he shores in winter ,n(l some- nder cir- a servant powerful t an hour, 3 crossing road, and fferer into ink in the with }jer- es. Late irrived at ceived \s. •nied their ? wreck of de various form was very dan- 5 fitted up gemhled in L half feet the altered Iway, near executive ne riggers, s the first xperiments )nel Pasley made with s appointed experience, 1840, p. 75. lB3!).j EOYAL SArPERS AND MINERS. 325 and of the quickness with which he saw a difficulty and proposed a r(3medy. The operation of passing the priming wires through water into the bursting charges of powder, was brought to per- fection by Captain Sandham, R.E. llitlierto tape had been wrapped all round the priming wires, and paid over the outside with waterproof composition, leaving the inside of the tapes, and the wires embraced by them, quite clean, which formed two circular open joints, and therefore was rather a curious sort of connexion. But the improved arrangement consisted in adopting the expedient of smearing over with sergeant-major Jones' composition, the wires themselves as well as every other part of the other materials used in this junction, whether tape, thread, hemp, twine, wooden plugs, and caps to prevent contact with the leaden })ipe in which the priming apparatus was inclosed, or canvas tops applied over the wooden cap which served to cement it to the outside of the cylinder containing the great charge. In the judicious use of that valuable composition, very extraordinary proofs of its excel- lence afterwards came to light in the operations at Spithead.'-* The 'Royal George.' a fii"st-rate man-of-war of 100 guns, was overset at Spithead June 28th, 1782,'" and for nearly sixty years, that leviathan wreck had been lying in the roadstead, a danger to shipping. Several enterprising individuals had at- tempted or proposed to raise or remove it, but with unavailing results. xVt length Colonel Pasley undertook the task, and in a few summers, by means of gunpowder, he effected its entire demolition and removal. Many guns had been previously recovered, but the number still at the bottom was estimated in value at more that 5,000/. " ' United Service Journal,' i. 1840, p. 7(). " The sergeant-major's compo- sition was simply pitch softened by bees'-wax and tallow. He had tried a great number of experiments for ascertaining the best sort of waterproof composition for bags of gunpowder in 18.'52, when Lickford's fuses were first used by the corps at Chatluim. He also at the same time discovered the means for imitating Bickford'a fuses in an efficient nu^nner. His 'mutation fuses, however, were not precisely the same, as Bickford's fuses were evidently made by machinery."— ' United Service Journal," ii. 18;5!), p. l'J2. '" liy this calastiophe. Admiral Keuipenfeldt and a crew of many hundredsi of beumeu, willi nearly lou women and 2U0 Jews, then on board, perished. I ¥\':t h I'ii* 1^: '626 IIISTOIiY OF 'I'lTE 1839. Under the auspices of the Admiralty, (\)l()ncl Pasley re- paired to Portsmouth from C^hatham with the necessary stores and a detachment of the corps, consisting of sergeant-major Jenkin Jones, one hugler, a clerk, and thirteen rank and file under the command of (Vi])tain JNL Williams, R.E., who was afterwards relieved by Lieutenant J. F. A. Symonds, R.E. The rank and file comprised a collar-maker and a cooper, with a proportion of carpenters, blacksmiths, and tinmen. After being removed from the ' Queen,' navy lighter on the 20th August, to the ' Success,' frigate hulk, then anchored near the wreck, operations commenced on the 21st, and were continued with diligence till the 4th November. They were then suspended till the return of the summer. During tne service the sappers, and the seamen, marines, &c., were divided into two sqaadj,. and attached to two lumps moored about 100 fathoms apart, with the wreck between them. From these lumps the work was usually carried on. Each lum}) had its own diver. Li(nitenant Symonds directed the operations of one, and sergeant-major Jones the other. Thus a friendly emulation took place between the whole of the men employed, each party working for the success of its own diver, and the divers themselves being no less anxious to surpass each other." Two of the great explosions failed, but two succeeded, besides a number of smaller ones, which shook the wreck and opened its sides and cleared its decks. The labour consequent on the success of the divers was immense, and the recovery of articles and guns gave promise of realizing more than sufficient to cover the outlay in carrying on the work. The more par- ticular duties of the sa})pers did not prevent them taking a full share of the labour at the capstan and the ropes. When not employed in the general duties of the operation, they were confined to the jierformance of special ones ; such as preparing the various explosions, managing the voltaic battery and ap- paratus, and repairing the latter when needed They also repaired the diving-dresses, and did all th.c coopers', black- smiths', and carpenters' work necessaiy, including the fitting up " 'United Service Journal, ' i. 18 lO, p. 164. [1839. isley re- [•y stores nt-major and file who was (is, R.E. , cooper, tinmen. r on the anchored 1st, and r. They During fee, were s moored 1. From lump had •ations of , friendly imployed, , and the h other. '^ jcceeded, ireck and ansequent jcovery of . sufficient more par- :ing a full When not ;hey were preparing f and ap- riiey also •s', black- fitting up 'I 1839,] ROYAL SAITEIIS AND MINERS. 327 and occasional repairs to launches used for receiving the mate- rials. In all these duties they wore found particularly useful.'^ When Mr. Dewar, the only bell-diver, was discharged, it became necessary to train men to succeed him. Two privates of the detachment volunteered to try it. On the 'l{)t\\ August, with Colonel Pasley and Lieutenant Symonds, thoy entered the bell and twice were lowered, the second time with the intention of going down on the wreck ; but before they had descended low enough, a pleasure yacht having ran fcml of the lump from which the bell was being lowered, it was in consequence hauled up, as every man was wanted to assist in saving the yacht. After this event, the diving-bell, which from its unwieldy weight required no less than forty- nine men to be employed in various ways to raise it, was discarded and sent into Portsmouth dockyard.'^ On the 5th September a largo wrought iron cylinder filled with powder to be fired against the wreck, was found to have a small leak in it. This would have been of no importance, as only a few pounds of powder were thereby spoiled, but when the whole of the powder was ordered to be emptied out that the hole might be repaired, unfortunately, the operation was carelessly executed, inasmuch as water which should have been poured into the cylinder was not done. When, therefore, private Ciiarles Brabant was afterwards employed in soldering a piece of thi over the hole, the powder still remaining in the cylinder blew up, and a fragment from it broke one of his thighs, and then indented itself in the deck. This accident was much regretted by every one, especially as the young soldier injured bore an excellent character, and was one of the most useful men employed, his services as a ti'.iman being in constant requisition." The method adopted for unloading the powder from the cylinders when any was found to be damaged, and for '2 ' United Service .lournal,' i. 1840, p. 338. '^ Ibid., p. 153. '•» Ibid., p. 150. Hral)iuit was discharged in April, 1841, on a pensiou of dd. a day. He was quite lame, but afterwards obtained tiie situation of turnkey to Maidstone gaol. m V' l; * J'!-;'*' " ! If' -i;:^^ 328 HISTORY OF THE [1839. preserving the good ])ow(ler, was as curious as it was dangerous. Having removed })art of the outer casing of lead, corporal David Harris cut :i hole through the side of the wood-work, by which, after emptying a part of its contents, he got info the cylinder, and continually kept filling a copper shovel with pov/der, which he handed oat from time to time when full. At thcbe periods only could any portion of him be seen. When rising up In his hole he was as black as a sweep. To knock off the powder which had become caked either by wet or com- pres^sion, he was provided with a wooden wedge and a copper hammer. Every ])recaution was taken to prevent accident, such as putting out the fires, laying hides on the deck and wetting them occasionally, as well as working in slippers. The duty was very unpleasant and required in the operation more than or linary courage.''' Soldering the loading-hole of the cylinder was also a dangerous service. The neck and loading-hole were of brass S(>ldered to tlie iron-work. As the hole was to have a disc of metal soldered over it after the cylinder was filled with powder with a plug and some clay between the powder and the disc, Mr. Taplin, a foreman in Portsmouth dockyard, was requested to send one of his artificers to do it who was accustomed to that sort of soldering ; but tiie man sent to do it was horror-struck at the idea of the thing, and declared he would not att(;mpt it for a thousand ])ounds ! The hole was eventually soldered by one of the sappers, though unused to the work.'*' The first helmet divers were corporal Harris and private William Keid,'" who volunteered to act if required. They went down for trial in fifteen fathom water near the ' Success ' frigate one day when the regular divers were not required at the wreck. On another occasion when Hiram London had in- jured his hand, corporal Harris went down four times to the "* ' Unitod Service Journal, i. 1840, p. 320, '" Ibid., p. 324. '^ A mail of varied acquireraonts, a good surveyor and an expert draughts- man and clerk, and assisted in executing the wood engravings in Colonel Pasloy's ' Practical Operations of a f^icge,* for which his name is recorded at page 7H of that work. Disposed to habits of irregularity, he never received promotion, and was pensioned at U. a day in January, 1850, fiKi [1839. 1880.] IIOYAL SAPPKKS yVND MrNEUS. 829 igerous. :;orporal vork, by into tlio 'ol with ill. At When :nock off or com- i copper Mit, such wetting he duty re than also a of brass ^e a disc ; powder lie disc, ;quested 1 to that r-struck tempt it lered by v/reck in one slack, and succeeded in slinging ^our pieces of timber, all of which were brought up.''' Sergeant-major Jcmes, it is record(;d, assisted Lieutenant Symonds with great efficiency, and l)oing nearly asskilftd in the management of boats and application of the mechanical powers as in the use of gunpowder, his s;n'vices were very important. Private William Read prepared the voltaic battery for use, assisted by one or two others of the detachment, and his skill and steadiness, at all times ;ipparent, were more decided in moments of difficulty. Private John Skelton, a blacksmith, not only did everything essential in his own trade, but worked as a tinman in soldering up the loaded cylinders, and continued to put the air-])ipes in good order wlien the attempt seemed hopeless. Being also one of the most active men in boats or at the capstan when not emjjloyed as an artificer, he and private Williayti Read '" were appointed lance-corporals on the con- clusion of the service. The dotachment returned to the corps at Woolwich in the ' Medea ' steamer on the Gth November, 1839.*^ Tiie working pay of the sergeant-major was 26'. a-day, and the rank and file Is. a-day each. •" ' United Service Journal,' i. 1840, p. .3;33. '" Now sergeant-major at the royal engineer establishment, Chatham. ^^ ' United Service Journal,' 1840, p. 3.'57. A minute and faithful record of the operations will be foand in the ' United Service Journal,' i. 1840, pp. 72—83, 149—164, 3ir.— 338. v>\ if . private bey went ' frigate i at the had in- s to the , p. 324. t draughts- in Colonel s recorded iv received 11; :;■ 330 lliSTOUY OF TllK [1840. 1840. Jfeturn of the (letacbmont from Spain — Its conduct during the war— Survey of tlie nortiieni counties of Enyianil — Notice of sergeant Cottingliani — Secondary triangulation of the north of Scotland — Increase to survey allow- ances - Augmentation to the survey companies— Renewal of survey of the disputed boundary in the state of Maine— Corporal Ilearnden at Sandhurst — Wreck of the ' Koyal George;' duties of the sappers in its removal — Exertions of sergeant-major Jones — Usefulness of the detachment engaged in tile woik — Uoat adventure at Spitliead- Transfer of detachment from the Mauritius to the Cape — Survey of La Caille's arc of meridian there— Detach- ment to Syria — Its active services, including capture of Acre— Reinforcement to Syria. The servicos of the sapj)crs in Spain were of a nature similar to those in which they were engaged during the greater part of the previous year ; and thi. diligence and ability shown in their execution drew repeated expressions of admiration from Lord John Hay. " They could turn their hands," it is recorded, "to anything and everything." Under orders from the Admiralty the detachment, nineteen strong, was withdrawn from Spain and arrived at Woolwich in the ' Alban' steamer 22nd August, 1840. Its original strength increased by sub- sequent reinforcements, reached thirty-six of all ranks : the difference was occasioned by the removal of invalids, five deaths, and one killed by falling over a precii)ice. Lord John Hay, in a letter to Lieutenant Vicars, R.E., parted with the detachment in the following eulogistic terms : — " The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having ordered me to embark the detachment of royal sappers and miners under your command for a j);)ssage to England, have; directed me at the same time to convey to yourself, the officters, non-commissioned officers, and privates of the detachment, their lordships' marked [1H40. 1840.] KOYAL SAl'l'KUS AND MiNHIfS, 331 -Survey <,'liain — cy allow - L'y of the ^aiulhurst ornoval — t engaged ; from the -Dotach- forcement milar to [' part of lown in ion from ," it is ers from thdrawn steamer by sub- iks : the 3 deaths, s, R.E., erms : — ; ordered irs under le at the lissioned ' marked approbation of tlie zoal, gallantry, and nrood cmidnnt which have been displayed by them on all occaisions during the long course of service in which they have been employed on this coast. "In communicating this expression of their lordships' satis- faction, I avail myself of the opportnnity of again recording my thanks to yourself, the officers, non-connnissioned officers, and ])rivates of the detachment, for tin; zeal and gallantry witii which my orders have at all times been carried into effect, and particnlarly for the ability displayed in the erection of the various works of defence entrasted to you."' At the commencement of the principal triangnlation of Great Britain, it was carried forward more with a view to the solution of the astronomical problem connected with the size and figure of the earth than as a basis for an accnrat(> topo gra])hical survey. In pursuance of this object, a series of triangles had been carried northward from the Isle of \Mght, and contimied to the north coast of Yoi-kshire in l.SOlJ ; but a poi-tion of the east of Yorkshire was still left without any fixed points or stations. The series went along the eastern edge of the Cleave- land vale ; but at that time th(> mountainous country on the west of Cleaveland, and in Derbyshire, Westmoreland, ('umber- land, Durham, and Northumberland, was inaccessible for trigonometrical stations from the want of roads, or other lociil approaches. These having been subsequently constructed, a detachme.it of the corps was sent in May. 1S40, under Lieutenant Pipon, 11. E., into the northern counties, to visit some stations in order to fix the points to expedite the topo- graphical survey. The party encamped on the Great W hern- side mountain near Kettlewell, and from tins time a force of the corps has ever since been employed in the J'^nglish surveys, gradually swelling the numbers of the latter, as tlie progress of the work in Ireland permitted their removal.^ ' Ainhrose Cottinghuni was the first ser/^eant ({etaclied from Ireland for flie survey of Kniihuitl, and lie a:!;.-istLHl in superintending a large force of Held surveyors. It is recorded that, " He ixji-fonned this arduous aiul important duty in a nuinner highly ad\autageous to the service, and caused considei'ahle saving of expense in that branch of the work." Beyond, Intwever, his zeal, iudustry, and the eapal)ility of keeping large bodies of men in full activity, ho *^ 33'J IIISTOUY OF Tin; [1H40. I I For tlio socoiul.'iry tnaiigiilation of tin* north of Sc'otl.iiid, sixteen rank and file wore provided in May, and l)y tlie tall of the year they had increased to thirty-one men. I'Voin tliis period Scothmd lias always had some seetion of 8a})pers eni- ])loyed in its national surveys. Similar advantages as to working pay granted to tlu^ sa]>pers in Ireland were extended to the detachments oeenjued in the surveys of Gi'eat 1^'itain, to give due encouragemeut to their exertions. Four shillings a-day were also granted to non-eoni- niissioned officers sui)erintending larg*^ forces of Held surveyor's, to cover the extra ex))enses incurred, and compensate for the; lahour and fatigue endured in the; performance of this duty On the iDth .huu>, KS4(), hy order of Sir llnssey Vivian, the Master-(jieneral, the survey companies were increast-d hy one sergeant, one cor})oral, and one S(!C()nd-eorj)oral, hut to make up for this addition the ])rivates were reduced three men ])er company. TIk; estahlislmu'nt for each of the three companies was therefore fixed as follows: — Col.Sergts. Sur^ts. Corporals. L'inl Corpls. niif,'l(,'rs. I'rivatcs. 1 8^ Total. This measure was reconmiended hy Colonel Colhy Ixu-ause, as he expressed it, " the general conduct of the non-connnis- sioned officers was so excellent that a selection for p'-omotion could seldom he given as a reward for a special service without showing a ])r(?ference fo'- some class of duty to the exclusion of others equally onerous and well j)erformed ;" and even with this increase, a non-commissioned officer higher than the rank of lance-corporal, could not be sj)ared to assist in the charge of the detachment on the Great ^^ hernside iMountain. Second-cor{)oriil .lohn McQucmmi was sent in the summer with Captain Broughton, R. F,, and Mr. Featherstonhaugh to the disputed territory in North Amm'ica, to aid in its recon- naissance and survey. He was dressed in plain clothes and possessed no availabU' acquirements, (u April, 1S44, lie quitted tlie serviee on a pension of Is. S'/. a day, and liaving amassed some property h) his frugality, retired to Mayfield iu Sussex. tiVvS) ,' flHlO. Mtl.-iiid, lilll of lin this rs (Mii- |sai)j)crs in tii(; fo tlicir m-coin- ■vcyo/s, tor tli(! uty i.iii, tlio l»y Olio iiiuko lUMl |)(!r nipanies 'otiil. 11)-) been use, ■coinniis- ''oniotiou ! witliout liisiou of \'en witli tlie rank 1 large of sunn lie r iau<2;li to ts recon- tlies and servici' oil i fnigalii}, 1S10.] IinYAF. SAI'I'EIJS AND MINKIIS. VM wore in liis girdle a lirace of pistols. OjxMations (•omniciiced on the Ibt August at the; Grand I' alls, and ceased for the winter on the r)tli Oetohcr, at which date tl le coinniissioiuM's reached Qu(!l)e c. liirongliout this jieriod corjioral ^McCluet n was in the bush. His duty, apart from the general services of the survey, comprised the registration of the barometers and thermometers every hour, often at intervals of half an hour, taking the bearings of the several str cams, superinteudin ir the movements of the camp e(iiiipage and stor<;s, and issuii iir tl le provisions. The service was not accompli.-hed without hardship and occasional privation. The marching, too, was toilsome, and it was tlie lot of the corporal sonu'times to struggle through svvam})s and ford streams where the exertion of swimming was necessary for bis safety. Tlu^ snow at times was deep ; the <'.old in the morning great, but generally at mid-day the heat from tlu; density of the woods wa- almost insupportable. The sandflies whicb infested the bush were a distressing nuisance, and the expedition, to protect themselves from swoln faces and blindness, resorted to the expedient of covering the face with a gauze veil, or of tying round theii hats a piece of burning cedar, by the hostile fumes of wliicli the stinging swarm was kejit at bay. On the })iu1y reaching Quebec, corporal McQueen was quartered in the artillery barracks, and worked during the winter in the engineer deiiartment, preparing for the next summer exj)edition such utensils and conveniences as the experience of the })ast had proved to be de.-irable. r>oth terms at Sandhurst the dctaclunent eni})l()yed with the gentlenuMi cadets, was in charge of corporal Robert IL;arudeii, and being an active and intelligent non-comniis- missioned officer, be acquitted himself extremely well. " ^^'itll his own hands he completed," says the official re})ort, *' tlu' masonry of a small splinter-proof magazine, including a I'oof ingeniously constructed of tiles so arranged as to break joint, and imbedded in cement, which gives to the whole work the apiiearance and strength of a stoiif roof." I)oth parties laboured with readiness and industry, and maintained their v«. 334 nis'r('r«J5oaMt at iliat institution.-' ICarly in Ma\, oni' 1)u^1(M' and twenty-two iaid\ and flic witli gcrircant-niaior .lom-!!. i-ctniMU'd to tlu; wrrck nf flu; ' l{oval (jrcoruc ' at Sinllioad, and under the executive eliaruc of Lieutenant Synionds, H.I']., re.-«uuii'd tlie operations wliieli weiH! isusiRMidi'd in the winter ot' ilie pi-evions year. ( 'oloiud J'asley liad tlic direction of the service. The duties of the tappers were similar in all res])ects to those mentioned on the former occasion, and the compo>iti(iii of the j)arty rendered it fully e(|ual to tile varied and nu\(d circumstances of so ])eculiar an imdertakint:'. On the I'Tth ( )ctol)er. the winter tluii haviuij com])let(dy yet in. the oj)eratlons wi-re aoii his zeal, iiid-juieiit. and activity ualued the hiy;h commendation of ('(donel Paslc}. Corporal Harris was eni]doyed for >everal month- as a div(;i', and had heconie nearly e(|nal to the he.4 })rofessional divers. He frefiuentlv earned As. \')\ecnteil. ('(irporal \\ . Head had again the niauagcmeiit of the voltaic battery, which wrs aliini.-re called on to ])erform. Imth in hoats .•ind in the work nec(\-sary for getting up the fraguieiits of the v.iTck. whether at tiie willdla^s ■' yMu-rwiinls lioi.'aiiic I'lcrl^ id the iiiilitaiy pi'isiiii al < <(>.-iiiirt. 1H|(». IHlO.J IIOYAI- SAIM'KKS ,\Nh MINKKS. ;i;i5 had ilimiis Milt (tt" 1'. witli lit' (it ll Wl'I'O !\isl.>y appcrs it fullv iliar ail Iwuiuir and tlio UT, ?IM'- liicli 111' I'l'iiiU" a. ' .ns.' Dnriiij^ this sea.Mtn at Spithead th>'i'e was a sfroiiL;- gale from the eastward and the >t(trm-thij; was hoisted at (Josport, No ])()ats Wdiihl V(!iiture out, and th'' 'Siiece.-s' frigate, witli a |);irt of tlic (h'tacliment on iioaid, was in (hinger of parting from lier andiors and (h'il'ting to sea.. l/u'Utt-nanl Symonds was (»n shore at tlic time, and thini-wiiig his pivsiiiee necessary to seinu'e her safety, (h'terniiiicd to attempt the passage. 'Die civil divers, accustomed to pi'rdoii> lin.it sei'- vice, said no boat could live in such a sea, and the l*ort- Admiral refused his })ermissiou for Lieutenant Suiionds fn proceed, luiless on his own responsiliilit\. riiahle . and when a gootl oiling was gaiiie(l, the lug-sail was lioisteii and the boat pushed otf. With the tact and sagjicify <»f •• skilful pilot. Lieutenant Symonds guided the gig, now skirting the furious wave, now skinnning arross its angry toj), and aiioit lost for a time lu'tween the fin-ions hillows of a long, deep trou'di. 'J'o lessen the dang(>r of tlie fearful venture tlu; men lay down in the boat for balbL^t, and pulling oil' their boots, used them, with noble exertion, in iialiiig out the water as die shipped the sea. At length, to the utter aiua/emeiit and joy of the party on board,, the gig reached th,' frigate, 'llh-ii. however, the jieril was increased, for friH|iieiitly like a log ^he was dashed against tlu' bull of the vi'ssel, and as frc(piently nearly foundered: Init by the spirited exertions of the brave lieutenant and his in.re))id crew, the boat was eventually secured, and all gained niilmrt tiu! deck of the 'Success.' Lieutenant Symonds then took siieli further preeaiitieiis as were indispensable for the safety of tlu> .-hip. and -lie .suc- cessfully outrode the -tonii. The names of the gig's crew were privates John llegarty, xVndrew Andersmi, 'i'homas ^ 'Coips Ordors," Ciuitliaui, -i'Jtli (Ktui.cr, ls;e. j A'Vv'. h .9: h ^ HISTORY OF THE [1840. V. Cook, and John Cainjiboll : the two latter becanK; sergeants in the corps. On tlie completion of the citadel at the Mauritius, the half- company stationed there was removed on tlie 7th October under the command of Lieutenant G. R. Hutchinson, R.E., in the * Isabella 1^1} th ' to the Cape of Good Hope, where it landed on the 27tli of the same month. The chief of the work at Port Louis was executed by the sappers, in which privates AVilliam Reynolds and ^^'illiam Crawford ■* displayed the most skill and obtained the most credit. Four detacniiijuts had been sent to the Mauritius, whose united strength reached fifty of all ranks : of these, the casualties amounted to ten deaths and one drowned. Sergeant .John ITemniing and seven rank and file embarked at Woolwich on the 9th April, 1840, and lauded at the Cape of Good Hope in July. The parry was detached under Cap- tain Henderson, R.E., to assist the colonial astronomer, Mr. Maclear, in the remeasurement of La Caille's arc of the meri- dian. All were armed with rifies and accoutrements to protect them in a wild country, and the sergeant was selected to take charge of the detachment from his well-known steadiness and intelligence. AVorking pay Mas granted to each for his services, according to individual exertion and general usefulness, up to Ss\ per day. A few weeks were spent in the })re]iminary business of ad- justing the instruments in Cape Town, when the l)arty, to which some men of the 25tli regiment had been added, left in Sep- tember for Zwartland and Groenckloof, west of the Berg River. On this extensive plain the base was measured with the com- pensation bars invented by Colonel Colby, but as La Caille's are couM not be identified a new line very near to it was laid out, and measured about seven miles in length, which occupied from October, 1840, to April, 1841.'' In this service the party carried out the subordinate details. They assisted in di'iving ■• 15oin ■wore discharged from the corps b^' re(iuest at the Cape of Good Hope. •■* ' Prof. Papers,' New Series, i. p. :i2. ftif ,;v [1840. rgcaiits le lialt- r under in the landed at Port ^Villiani kill and en sent y of all and one mbarked he Cape ler Cap- iier, Mr. ;he nieri- protect to take iness and i services, ess, up to ss of ad- , to which Ft in Scp- erg lliver. the com- .a Cai lie's b was laid 1 occu})ied ! the party in driving ape of Good 1840.] ROYAL 8APPERS AND MINERS. 337 the pickets and the placement of the trestles to sustain the bars. These were scientifically fixed by the colonial astronomer and Captain Henderson, aided by the sappers. Two men were also appointed to guard the last point of observation, while the bars were being carried forward and adjusted; and another occasionally attended to the registration of the observations. Thus the work continued until the whole distance was measured. The delicate nature of the duty rendered it very irksome, and required much assiduous care in its performance. The jar of a bar simply would have been sufficient to cause the loss of a day's work. Nearly the whole time the sappers worked from four in the morning till eight or nine at night. In July, 1841, the party returned to winter quarters. By the terms of a treaty, dated 15th July, 1840, Mehemet Ali was required to accept certain conditions within a limited time, and, if he declined, the forfeiture of the pachalic of Acre and the loss of Egypt were to follow. Having allowed the time to elapse, oflPensive operations commenced to compel him to evacuate Syria ; and England being greatly involved in the treaty at once sent a fleet under Admiral Sir Robert Stopford to the coast, with which was a small force of the ordnance corps to assist the troops of the Sultan in this service." On the 7th August one sergeant and eleven rank and file embarked at Gibraltar on board the ' Pique ' frigate, under Colonel Sir Charles Smith, Bart., R.E., for active duty with the fleet. A liberal assortment of intrenching and tradesmen's tools accompanied the party. On the 1st September it arrived at Beirout, and a landing was effected on the 10th. Second- corporal John Moore" accompanied the first detachment that landed, and was present at the advanced position above the Dog River. On the same day the sappers landed at D'Junie from the ' Pique ' frigate, and after occupying the lines were employed " ' Prof. Papers,' Royal Engineers, (3, p. 46. '■ This non-commissioned officer afterwards broke his leg at Beirout in falling from the roof of the ordnance store in endeavouring to get access to a building on fire adjoining it. In January, 1843, he was pensioned at Is. 9t/. a day, and emigrated to Canada. VOL. I. Z ■^i •W i 838 HISTORY OF THE [1840. : r U r ' 1 i ; in repairing and improving them until the 10th October. Cor- poral Henry Brown and private John Greig*^ were, in the meantime, sent on in the * Hydra ' steamer, and were present on the 25th and 26th September at the taking of Tyre and Sidon. Soon after their return to D'Junie the whole party embarked in the ' Stromboli' steamer, and served at the capture of Beirout on the 10th and 11th October. On the 3rd Novem- ber, sergeant Black and three privates were present on board the * Princess Charlotte ' at the taking of Acre, and were the first troops th; t entered that famous city. In all these opera- tions the sappers were under the orders of Lieutenant Aldrich, R.E. " Their conduct," writes that officer, " in their extensive and arduous duties, and under suffering from great sickness, has been most exemplary ;" and again, in a despatch from Lord Palmerston, the approbation of Her Majesty's Government is conveyed for the share the party took in the capture of Acre, and for the zeal and ability displayed by them in restoring the defences of the place after its capture. A second detachment of ten rank and file arrived at Beirout on the 1 3th December in the ' Hecate ' steamer, under Lieu- tenant J. F. A. Symonds, R.E., from Woolwich, and was sent in the ' Vesuvius' to Acre, to reinforce the sappers, and to assist at the breaches, taking with them a supply of intrenching tools. The sapper force in Syria now consisted of one sergeant and twenty-one rank and file. " Was a clever mechanic and a handsome soldier, but his constitution even- tually gave way under the influence of the Syrian fever, and he died in October, 1847. ''lai, [1840. 1841.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 339 Cor- n the resent te and party apture [ovem- board re the opera- .Idrich, tensive ickness, m Lord ment is f Acre, 'ing the Beirout ;r Lieu- wras sent to assist ng tools, sant and ition even- he died in 1841. Syria— Landing at CaifFa ; Mount Carmel— Cave of Elijah ; epidemic— Colour- sergeant Black — Inspection at Beirout by the Seraskier ; return of the de- tachmen: to England — Expedition to the Niger — Model farm — Gori — Fever sets in; return of the expedition — Services of the sappers attached to it— Corporal Edmonds and the elephant — and the Princess — StaiF-sergeant's undress — Staff appointments — Wreck of the 'Royal George ' — Sergeant March — Sapper-divers — Speaking under water— Gallantry of private Skeltou — Alarming accidents — Constitutional unfitness for diving — Boundary survey in the state of Maine — Augmentation to corps for Bermuda — Quarter- master-sergeant Eraser — I 'trepidity of private Entwisle — Colonel Pasley — Efficiency of the corps — Its conduct, and impolicy of reducing its establish- ment — Sandhurst ; Corporal Carlin's useful services. A PORTION of the detachment in Syria was removed from Acre to Jaffa on the 11th January. About this time, lance-cor- poral Hugh Smith^ accompanied Lieutenant Aldrich to Medjel. From the 23rd February to the 12th April, three of the party from Acre assisted Lieutenants Aldrich and Symonds in the survey of Jerusalem and Sidon, halting on the route at Jericho, Nablous, and Safed. Sergeant Black was left in charge of the restorations at Acre ; but owing to the plague which had been so fatal to the royal marines, he was soon after removed with the remainder of the detachment to Jaffa, in the defensive occupation of which he and his men were engaged for about six weeks. The party then returned to Beirout, and was occupied in various contingent services ; such as repairing the billets • Was discharged in October 1850 and pensioned at l.s. 9c/. a-day. Out of a service of thirteen years in the corps, he was eleven abroad at Gibraltar, in Syria, and China. From the last station he returned in a distressing state of emaciation and weakness. There, though a sergeant, the necessities of the sei-vice required that he should labour at the anvil, and the skilfulness of his work was superior to anything that could be procured at Hong Kong. Z2 'I ii.s 'ti; 340 HISTORY OF THE [1841. provided for the troops by the Ottoman government. Here the three men rejoined from Jerusalem and Sidon. All the party was subjected to much inconvenience from the want of those es&entials in barrack furniture which formed no part of the inventory of a Turkish soldier's accommodation ; and, to supply thr deficiency, the carpenters of the detachment made some tables, forms, and other indispensable utensils. On the 23rd April, twelve of the sappers sailed in the * Phoenix ' for Caiffa, and in disembarking, under rain, the boat was swamped in a heavy surf. The men made the shore as best they could, but lost most of the public stores and their baggage. Befi-'e sunset they were tented on the beach, and, in a few days, the encampment was renoved under Mount Carmel,^ there to await the cessation of the plague, and after- wards to repair again to Acre to strengthen the defences. It was at first intended to take up a station near the convent on the mount, but that quarter was found to be in quarantine, on account of the plague being at Caiffa, only a few hundred yards off. No resource was left but to seek shelter under can- vas, which, in a country subject to endemics, was very inimical to health ; and that, combined with the circumstance of the party being detached without a medical officer, might have added one more calamity to the fatal incidents of the campaign. A quarantine cordon was therefore formed around the encamp- ment, and every means adopted to prevent fever, from con- tiguity or local miasma, appearing in the tents. The sappers now took their meals in the sacred cave of Elijah — a cool but ill- ventilated retreat. The water at the camp was deleterious to health ; but, after the 21st June, mountain spring-water, obtained three miles away, was brought for their use. In a country subject to plague and fever, a European holds his life by a precarious tenure : the detach- ment felt this, but bore up well, notwithstanding the absence of a medical officer. Dr. Zorab, a Turkish practitioner, made one or two professional visits to the party, and then Mr. Robertson, * See a representation of the encampment in tlie ' Professional Papers, IJ.E.' li., p. 22. lyjgjy. 1 [1641. 1841.] li YAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 341 re the party those of the supply some in the n, the ; shore d their h, and, Mount ] after- ies. It ivent on tine, on lundred ier can- inimical 3 of the rht have impaign. encamp- •om con- cave of jr at the .st June, 3 brought , fever, a e detach- ibsence of made one lobertson, 'apers, R.E,' Deputy Inspector-^ vnj-»ral, voluntarily joined tlic camp from Beirout. Three weekiL - •irw.ards, he was relieved by Assistant- Surgeon Acton, R.N., wlio had scarcely commenced liis duties when the fever attacked the party. The two men emj)loyed outside the cordon were the first seized with the malady, and every man of the party was soon under treatment. In most of the cases the seizure was highly dangerous, and in fortv -eight hours the strongest man was com])letely prostrate. It v/as not until the shelter of a building for the sufFerera could be obtained that the skill of Dr. Acton was of any avail. Four of the men died, and the remainder were conveyed in the ' Stromboli,' on the lOih July, to Beirout. Two more were invalided to England, and the other six only regained conva- lescence after a long period of illness. Constantly moving along the coast, embarking and disem- barking the stores, made the duties of the detachment laborious ; and both colour-sergeant William Black'* and second- corporal Henry Brown"* were promoted, in consequence of the efficient manner in which they executed those services, and for their zeal before the enemy. At one time, the engineer park in charge of the former consisted of 100,000 sand-bags with a proportional quantity of field implements and tools, and was never less than 72,000 sand-bags. He also issued commissariat stores to the whole camp. At Beirout the party was occasionally employed on the works, and furnislied a guard for the station, in concert with the royal artillery. On the 1st December, the Seraskier, Selim ^ Was pensionfjd at 2ti. a-day in January, 1851. In the corps he sen.ed nearly twenty-four years, of which period he was seventeen and a half abroad, at Corfu, the Euphrates, Gibraltar, Syria, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. His great merits obtained for him the grant of an annuity of \0l. a-year, and a silver medal, and an appointment as messenger to the commanding royal engineer's office, in the London district. Through Lieutenant-Colonel Aldrich, his commanding-officer in Syria, he was also appointed a yeoman of the Queen's Guard. The emoluments derived by him from these different sources, amounting to about KK)/. a-year, with excellent quarters, are the hai-d and just earnings of a life full of vicissitude and devotion to the service. " Now a colour-sergeant in the corps ; and besides serving a second tour at Gibraltar, was present at the reduction of Bomarsund and the siege of Sebastopol. ■; f i i 342 HISTORY OF THE [1841. Pacha, and Colonel Rose, commanding the expedition, inspected the detachment, and expressed themselves in a flattering manner relative to their services in the country. The latter, in orders, added his assurance that he entertained the highest sense of their zeal and efficient services on all occasions ; and the Sultan awarded to each a medal in commemoration of the campaign.^ From the inspection parade of the S»M*askier, the detachment, reduced from twenty- two to fourteen men, embarked on board the 'Thunderer,' and landed at Malta on the 27th December, where they passed two months in the Forts of Manoel and St. ElmO; and landed at Woolwich from the ' Gorgon ' steamer on the 23rd March, 1842. On the 20th Februaiy, one corporal and seven privates em- barked with the expedition under the command of Captain Trotter, R.N,, to the Niger. Its object was to explore the source of the river, to introduce civilisation into Africa, and to prevail on the chiefs to extinguish slavery. The sappers were divided into two sections : one was added to the crew of the ' Albert ' steamer, and the other to the ' Wilberforce.' They had been specially taught at Chatham the mode of blasting rock under water, to remove obstructions in the navigation of the streams of 'be Niger yet unsurveyed. Five were men of excel- lent character, but three were not irreproachable in point of so- briety. The royal warrant sanctioning the formation of the detachment, is dated 7th December, 1840, and the corps was thereby increased from 1200 to 1208 of all ranks. The party was armed with rifles and bayonet-swords. Late in June the expedition reached Freetown, and, steaming along the coast, crossed the mouth of the Niger on the 13th August. After passing the Bight rf Benin, the steamers an- chored off Ibu on the 26th ; and the king, Obi, with the heir- apparent, (Jhikuna, and a vast retinue, visited the ' Albert.' On the 2nd September the expedition was off Iddah. To the king, or Attah of Egarrah, a visit was paid by Captain •'' The medals were copper, but washed, at the expense of the wearers, with a preparation that gave them the appearance of gold. In 1848, the British Government awarded them silver medals for the same campaign. BMWt m 1841.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS. 343 Trotter. The sappers and seamen formed the guard of honour. Corporal Edmonds commanded, and he and all the men were grotesquely habited and decorated, to suit the barbaric taste of his majesty. Near the confluence of the rivers Niger and Tchadda were landed the wooden houses to form the model farm on Mount StirHng, purchased from the KingofAttah for 700,000 cowries. The Kroomen and seamen were the labourers in this service, and the sappers superintended the construction of the farm and the erection of the magnificent tent used in the Eglintoun tour- nament. The manipulation of the houses was prepared in England, leaving nothing to do but to put the materials toge- ther. To do this effectually, some trivial details in wood and iron were made on the spot by the sappers. Private John Craig surveyed the island and accomplished his work with quickness and credit. The duties of the farm were greatly interrupted by the intolerable heat, and numbers seized by the fever were sent away in the ' Wilberforce ' and the * Soudan.' The whole of the model arrangements were at length con- cluded, and on the 21st September the ' Albert ' got under weigh again. The sappers were then healthy. Passing Mugah, the ' Albert ' anchored off Gori on the 22nd, and Captain I'rotter paid a visit to the chief. Corporal Edmonds was with the party. The chief and his officers were seated on mats in the court-yard — a space measuring about twelve feet by eight, formed by five ovally-shaped huts. He was an old man, and his counsellor answered the questions put to his majesty in a reserved and evasive manner. The streets of Gori were very narrow, crooked, and puzzling, and in many places not wide enough to allow two persons to pass each other. To make way. Captain Trotter would suddenly open his umbrella, and the natives, surprised at the novelty, would scamper off alarmed. Continuing the ascent, the ' Albert' passed Bezzani, Kinami, and Egga, and by the 5th of October, the sick had so greatly increased, that the charge of the ship fell on one of the mates. The expedition now turned for the sea, and passing the con- 844 HISTOUY OF THE 11841. II \1 M u'i smij' < fluence on the 9th, steamed down the river in its more naviga- ble channel, and landed at Fernando Po on the 18tli. There for about six weeks, the expiring expedition was stowed away in miserable quarters, and the sad remnant re-embarking, put into Ascension, and returned to England in the autunm of 1842. All the sappers had been seized with the river fever, so called from its peculiarity. Some had severe relapses, but only two died — William Rabl' ,». The duties performed by the detaclimeni re in all respects the same as the marines, until the river Niger was reached, when they acted as seamen ; but wen^ never required to go aloft. Their chief services were rendered at the model farm. Corporal Edmonds was ship's corporal, and had charge of the after holu of the vessel containing the provisions of the officers. Whenever Captain Trotter, or any of the officers left the vessel for purposes of exploration, he always acc< .npanied them as cox- swain, armed with a rifle and a full pouch of powder. Others of the party were also occasionally employed in this particular manner, and all, as their health permitted, assisted by Kroomen, performed the last rites of sepulture on those fatal shores to the many dead. The special duty they were sent out to per- form was not required of them, as nautical skill overcame the difficulties of the navigation without subacjueous blasting. While serving with the expedition, each sapper received double pay, according to his rank, and free rations. Corporal Edmonds and private John Craig, were specially noticed by Captain Trotter. " Their steady, zealous conduct, even when sickness might have excused them from duty, tended much to the good discipline of the ' Albert,' and merited," as the captain reported, " his best acknowledgments." The latter assisted with readi- ness, at all times, in some of the scientific observations. Above the confluence, corporal Edmonds was out in the forest with Doctors M' William and Stanger, when suddenly turning round, he saw, approaching from behind a tree, a young elephant, which was near to him. In an instant he fired his ■i •' : 1841. 1841.] ROYAL SAI'PKltS AND MINERS. 345 aviga- TIUM'O I away ig, put linn of ' fever, ;es, but on the , some- -espects eached, I to go jl farm. 5 of the officers, e vessel as cox- Others irticular roomen, hores to ; to per- ;ame the blasting, d double Edmonds Captain sickness the good reported, th readi- t in the suddenly , a>oung fired his rifle and the bullet pierced the animal in the head. Fearinn- an attack by oilier elephants for this assault, the gentlemen and the corporal hastened to the boats, but as none made their appearance, the party returned into the forest, when Kdnionds, with a daring that bordered on rashness, rushed up to the enraged beast and plunged his sword into its throat. The jjoor animal gave a few hoarse groans and expired. As trophies of this sanguinary incident, Edmonds brought away its tusk<, and Dr. M'William one of its feet/' On the 24th of February, an undress frock coat was esta- blished for the staff sergeants of the corjjs. It was plain, with- out ornament of any kind, single-breasted, of dar!. Oxfnrd mixture, with regimental buttons and Prussian collar. The same undress is still worn ; but the colour has been changed from dark Oxford mixture to dark blue. — See Plate XVII., 18.54, By a commission datcMl 24th May, Captain Henry Sandham was appointed brigade-major in the room of Major Edw; Matson, promoted to be assistant adjutant-general to tho. ro}al engineers. The latter officer had for many years been attaclunl to the corps, and never did its character stand higher than under his command. No means did he leave untried to elevate its ranks, and raise it in public estimation. He was a disciplinarian in the right sense of the word, but in enforcing his orders, he always evinced such a just measure of mild consideration, that it was difficult to discover the rigidity with which he really acted. So much had he gained the grati- tude of the corps, that the non-commissioned officers at head- ® An anecdote may be given of this non-commissioned ofScer. One of the princesses of Iddah conceiving a liking for Edmonds, who was a handsome, dark-complexioned man, with a brilliant black eye, solicited the King, her father, to beg his retention there. Captain Trotter eonsenfinl to let the cor- poral remain until the return of the expedition. Edmonds was not averse to the arrangement provided he was permitted to have with him a comrade from the ' Albert.' Tliis, however, was not conceded, and the corporal rejoined his ship ; but before doing so, the love-stricken princess contrived not to part with herparamourwithout easing himof his silk handkerchief i — to keep, perhaps, as a souvenir of the interesting feeling he had unwittingly awakened in the royal breast. Edmonds served two stations, at Bermuda and Gibraltar, became a sergeant, and, on his discharge in 1854, was appointed foreman of works under the Inspector-General of Prisons in the convict estal)lishment at Portland. 340 IirSTOIlY OF Til [1841. v^ m quarters rospootfiilly solicited lie would sit to an eniin(»nt artist for his portrait. One hundred jmiuids was the sum intended to he expended, if neeessary, in its execution ; hut as the rules of the service seemed to he opposed to such a testimonial, the Major felt it to he his duty to decline the honour. Early in May, sergeant-major Jones and twenty-four rank and file, proceeded toSpithead to resume th(M)perations against the wreck of the ' Royal (aeorge.' Tiiis was the third season of their employment under the Admiralty ; and Lieut. G. R. Hutchinson, R.E., was placed in executive conunand of the party. The same round of duties and toils which marked their previous service at the wreck, were repeated with but little variation of detail this season. They were constantly on board ship, or employed in boats or lighters attending to the general business of the wreck, and often exposed to gales and storms, .amid difficulty and peril, (nnulated in tlieir coolness and exertions the weather-beaten seamen engaged for the service. All the artificers' work of every kind was executed by them. They were also entrusted with the entire management of the voltaic battery and explosions, and for a portion of the time, the whole of the helmet-diving devolved upon them. " Throughout the operations," writes (.'oloncl Pasley, " they were of the greatest service by their zeal and exertions." The season closed late in October, and the detachment returned again lo Chatham. Of individuals, Colonel Pasley makes honourable mention of the following : Sergeant-major Jones, for his able and zealous assistance to Lieut. Hutchinson in the managemimt of the operations and preserving the discipline of the men. Sergeant Samuel March was very useful in special duties of Importance ; and his drawings and sketches of several hundred interesting relics and detached portions of the wreck were well executed." ^ Sergeant March was two seasons at Spithead. Many of the sketches of the wreck were executed by him with the assistance of the camera lucida, kindly lent for the purpose by the late Captain Basil Ilall, K.N., from whom he received much useful instruction. Almost the whole of his service has been passed in the professional office of the director of the royal engineer esta- [1841. ; artist tendod e rules ul, the |ir rank I gainst season G. R. of the •d their it little n hoard general btornis, xertions All the They B voltaic tie whole liout the greatest d late in im. ention of stance to ;ions and duties of hundred well 1841.] IIOYAL SAl'l'ERS AND MINKUS. 347 were tches of the ;;ida, kindly 1 whom he ;e has been Tineer esta- Corporal David Iliirris, lanco-eorp()ral iriciiard P. Jones and privates John Skeltou, John Williams, and Roderick ( 'aincron, made their services ;ipi);irent in the duty of diving ; and several others, ])arti('ularly private James Anderson, promised well. Their successful exertions attracted admiration, and an immense pile of ahout 1S,(;()0 cuhie feet, or 372 loadij of tiniher, got up from tlu; wreck in the summer, was deposited in Ports- blishraent at Chatham, in which, eithi-r as a (Iraiiglitsniaii or a confidential leading clerk, he has always been found, from liis attainmeiits and constitu- tional energy of mind and body, efficient and vahialilc From time to time he has drawn the plates forming tlie arcliitedural course of tlic study of tlie junior officers of the corps and the East India company's engineers, and also the plans and other drawings and projects comprised in the military branch of the course. lie is an excellent colourist, and iuis a good conception of light and shade. As an urtist in water-colours, he possesses undoubted talent and merit. His landscapes, executed with all the industry of an enthusiast, display a mas- tery of colour, a freshness and harmony in the arrangement of his sluub's, and a power of realizing the combined effects of varied nature, that render his works, the eftbrts of his leisure intervals, worthy to grace tiie walls of any academy or exhibition of Fine Arts; but such is his modesty, he prefers to fag away unknown, and to fritter the productions of his pencil among liis friends, without seeking to reap the fame whicii his self-taught nou-connnis>i(tned otiicer was ji most I'onlideut and resolute diver, and in Si(d)e'-^ dres>, repeat- ed!} plunged into the >ea, head foremost, for exi»eriment. However >afe mijiht havt; been the apparatus it rt'((;ili'ed ;i bold spirit to make the first cs-ay. I.ancc-corpoi'al .lones, from his su])orior inti^lligeui'e, I'cndered liims/lf eminently useful. He was the fii'st to ijct to the bottom ot' the wreck. 'I'he larboard side, which leaned oNcr when the ve»el sunk, had fallen to 1 in the mud. 'I'liis was tli(> nio>t trouble- nvc.V!^ and wa> buriec I' some part of the work: and corj)oral .lones, by tact and per- sev(>rauce, after removin on that side, j;;((t up o<'<> superiicial feet of outside planking co\ered with co|)j»er, under \vhichhe found the original ground on which the lai'board ])ilge rc^sti'd. His exertions were innnen.-e, and the huge pil(> he i-ecovert'd, wa.> increased bv several tons of iron ballast sluny by him. Professional divers duriiiQ' the sea>on couid not be obtained, unless at a cost each, suflicieiit to nay four or live militai'V divers. The latter, paid by rlie tide, usually earned three or I'our times as nuicli a,- the regidar working pay <»f the coi'])s, and their successful exertions >up))lied work for al)out 100 men, vvtio were ( lail \ enu) i|n\ed in rcinoviuu" the tind)er>, uims, bal- last, &c. slung by them. To aid the divers in iheir laboiu's, large rakes and half-anchor creeper^ wi-re drawn ovei- the shoal in which the remains of the wreck were lying, b}' which means nuich of the nuid was harrowed up and chared away. The ISIl. It' (liv('r.-» ', iiinlcr nlly liad III! SIM it ltiick»Ml till' Opl'Il li jiioi'Od hily (iiu! tlu'in tor •ri'd. two \vi IV u;ot •cr \v;is ii ^, rcjK^at- )t 'riiiu'iit. I'l'il a hold , iVoiii liis •fill, llo larlioiird t'all, bal- ir labours, r tlio slioal lich means \\n\. Till' isii.) litnAI, SAI'l'i;i;s AM) MINKIIS. .11!) timbers «tt' tlio wreck W( re tbii- somewhat I'Xpo.'rd. and live, and sometiuu'"* six sappi-r-divcrs wi^re dn.Nn at a tiile, Inreiii^r th.'ir way thronjj;li its dangerniis tracks, and seiiiliiMi above its poii- (h'rous Iragim-nts. Ill the coiirM' of the season, eorporal Junes and |trivate Skidton ascertained a curious tact iiet'ore unknown in tlio annaU of divinif. 'lliey met at the iMtttnni and ti» tiieir .surprise iliscovtM'ed, when .-tandiiiir cli».-e toyetiier, they cniiid hear em*!! otlier speak ; but the kiidwlcdge thus obtained <(aild not h(; tnrne.l to advantage, a^ tin; continneil cirurt to .-peak loudlv, e\hau.-ted tlu-ir powers and rendered them unable to liold a connected conversation." Private Skelton, as on loiMiu-r occasions, made himself con- spicuous by his skill and dlliLicncc as an artificer and his tact as a, diver ; and in addition, this seasnn, his uallantry led him to ])lunire int(» the sea to save a boy who had fallen o\erli(»ard, and liis father who jumped after him. iieitiier of uhoiii cdiild swim. As tliu tide was riinniiiLf \ery ,».tronjj,', Skelton, with j^reat judu;- ment, tie(l a line round his body, which he made fast to tla^ stern of the ' Snccos' frgate, and then jumped into the sea ; Itut before lie reached the drownin|j; boy and his parent, a boat (piickly came to hand and r-ascd them. .Marininii accidents, none of which fortunatcK' proved fatal, occurred to laiice-corjxnal .loiies, and privates Duncan, Skelton, and ( ameron. Corporal .hmcsluid his mouth crushed and some (d" his front, teeth brdkeii by an iron doir. which he had attached to a l)ull repe iH'aiing a heavy >traiii. slipping from its hold and .-trikini!; him violently under the helmet, lie was at the time endenvouring to move a piece of timber from the load, when a })i.. of iron ballast, weiuhiiin- about three hundred weight, got dislodged and fell upon his helmet. Had not his head been thus protected, iie would have bt ( n kilK-d nn " WIk'U corporal Joiifs flisf licaril tlic \(ii('('. Ski'lton was siiipiii}:, — " l?rifilit, l)ri^ht arc tlif htanis ot'tlic iiiorniiip: sky, .Viid sNvc't't art,' tlie dews tlic ird l)loss(iiiis' sip." This siinpl'' incident sntlicicntly siiows tin' ciinlidi.iKc and coolnc-s ot'tiu- di\cr in so novel and lia/ardous a duts. 350 HTSTORY OF THE [1841. the spot, for it made an indentation in the metal as large as the palm of one's hand, and nearly an inch deep. Duncan had on one of Deane's dresses, which required the head and helmet to be kept upright. Losing this position he toppled over, and on being brought up, his face was imbedded in mud, and he rer'ained insensibla for several minutes, bleeding from the mouth and ears. Skelton was coming up from the bottom to permit the firing of a charge, but by some mismanagement in the signals, the explosion took place when he was a few feet from the surface of the water, and the shock injured his chest and rendered him insensible for a short time. Four days afterwards he resumed his place as a diver with his usual zeal and activity. Cameron received an injury by the bursting of the air-pipe connected wuh his helmet, and when hauled on deck, he was almost dead from sufibcation. lie, however, recovered after a month's treatment in Haslar hospital, and in some respect to compensate him for his suffering, the Admiralty ordered him to receive his subsistence free of expense. These accidents never for a moment damped the courage of the other men of the detachment, for they were always ready to take the places of the injured divers at the instant they were warned for the duty. Not every man, however, who offered, was found capable of diving under such a pres^sure of water as existed at Spithead. The effect of the weight may be conceived from the fact, that the strongest cask sent down empty cracked like ar gg-shell. Several among the most resolute and promising divers after two or three days' trial, were therefore compelled to desist from the duty.*^ Second-corporal McQueen returned to the woods in May to resume the reconnaissance and survey of the disputed territory in North America imder Caj)tain Broughton, R.E., and Mr. J. D. Featherstonhaugh, Her Majesty's commissioners. On the 3rd May the Metis lake was gained, where corporal McQueen was stationed in charge of the observatory until the middle of July. Every day for that period he registered, hourly, the " Miu'li of the information about the operations this summer has been col- lected from the ' Hampshire Telegraph ' and the ' Army and Navy Register.' [1841. 1841.] ItOYAL SAPPEES AND MINEES, 351 5 large as the iincan had on nd helmet to over, and on nud, and he ng from the the bottom to anagement in IS a few feet his chest and ys afterwards and activity, f the air-pipe deck, he was overed after a me respect to )rdered him to the courage of Iways ready to ant they were , who offered, ire of water as y be conceived empty cracked resolute and were therefore )0(ls in May to puted territory E., and Mr. J. ners. On the oral McQueen I the middle of id, hourly, the mer has been col- 1 Navy Register.' barometrical observations of nine instruments with thermometers both attached and detached. On the 18th July he entered the bush again with thirteen Indians and Canadians, and penetrated the forest for forty miles, which brought him to the Metjarmette mountain. Throughout this journey he recorded with great care, at the appointed hours, the indications of the different instruments in his charge, and assisted in the various duties of the survey. The mission returned to Lake Metis by a different route, ascertaining as it travelled, the sources of the streams in its track, and recording such topographical minutiae of a par- ticular character as were desirable to elucidate the duties and objects of the enterprise. On the 24th October, corporal McQueen sailed from Quebec via Halifax, Nova Scotia, to England, and arrived at Woolwich on the 20th November, 1841. For three seasons he had served with the Commissioners ; twice he was the only British soldier with the expedition, and in ap- preciation of his diligence and conduct, he was awarded by Lord Palmerston, in addition to his workng pay, a gratuity of lOZ.'-* By warrant dated 21st June, 1841, a conspany of eighty-nine strong, numbered the 11th, and one quartermaster-sergeant, were added to the corps, which increased its establishment from 1,208 to 1,298 of all ranks. The company was raised for Bermuda at the suggestion of the Governor of the colony, in consequence of the impracticability of obtaining artificers among the civil population, of the required competency to carry on tiie works. It did not, however, reach the station — where one company was already employed — until the 2nd April, 1842. The quartermaster-sergeant was appointed for duty at Chat- ham, and sergeant Thomas Fraser was promoted to the rank.'" ® Afterwards became a sergeant, and served at Gibraltar. In October, 1852, he Avas pensioned at Is. 9r/. a-day. Being a skilful mechanic, he ob- tained on the day of his discharge, employment as a blacksmith in the royal carriage department in the arsenal. '" Fraser was a successful modeller, and although a carpenter by trade, made himself useful as a wood-engraver. Many of the wood-cuts in Colonel Pasley's ' Practical Operations of a Siege,' were executed by him, and ahhough they exhibit but little artistic merit, they yet afford scope to show how he adapted himself to circumstances. He also assisted in the task of engraving mSTOEY OF THE [1841. tm' Privcite lloury Entwiistlc (li>tinguisliod himself on tlio 30tli August, 1841, at pontoon practice, by plunging into the rapid stream of the Med.vay near Kochester Bridge, and at imminent personal risk, rescuing from drowning j)rivate Samuel Turner of the corps, who had fallen overboard, and was unable to swim. His courage on this occasion gained the admiration of the royal humane society, which awarded himasil/er medallion accompanied by a vellum certificate, recording the particulars of his intrepidity, signed by the Duke of Northumberland.'^ » Colonel Pasley was removed from the appointment of director of the royal engineer establishment at Chatham in November, 1841, on promotion to the rank of Major-General.'^ Nearly thirty years he had held the office and fulfilled its various functions with a genius, composure, and success, that no successor can ever hope to surpass. To him the corps is largely indebted for that military efficiency which has characterized its progress since 1812. Diligently superintending its practical exercise in all the operations of a siege, as well as in mining, pontooning, and bridgemaking, and in the numerous other essential details of the field establishment, he made the corps fully equal to the prosecution of any service in which its assistance might be required. Some well-meaning officers of high rank did not see the necessity of training the corps in the principles of elementary fortification,'^ but Colonel Pasley finally overcame their honest scruples by earnest argument. He not only gained this concession, but was permitted to teach the corps the elementary principles of geometry and plan-drawing ; and ultimately, so extensive and complete had his system become, that some the most difficult of the plates to the 'Architectural Course.' None of his ■works, however, in this line betray any ambition, but his nuxlels were put out of hand in a skilful and workmanlike manner. As a whole, hj was a man of singular simplicity. In July, 1849, ho was pensioned at 2s. IVl. a-day, and retiring to Kinlochunagan, settled down as a farmer. " Ikcame a sergeant, and after serving at C'orfu and China, was employed in the expedition under Lord Kaglan to Turkey, Bulgaria, and tiie Crimea where, from disease contracted in the trenches in front of Sebastopol, he died in camp before the ooiiclusicm of the siege. '- The luunes of the succeeding directors of the royal engineer establish- ment are given in the Appendix III. " ' Military Policy.' [1841. 1841.] ROYAL SAPPERS AXI) MIXERS. r,i>3 :ho 3()th the rapid mminent 1 Turner ; to swim. n of the medallion articulars land.'^ . )f director November, ■ Nearly 3 functions :)r can ever ^d for that ^ress since ■cise in all oning, and tails of the ual to the might be did not see elementary heir honest rained this elementary ;imately, so that some None of his s were put out h: was a man :}./. a-day, and was employed h\ tiie Crimea istopol, he died ineer establish- ry Policy.' hundreds of non-comniiysioncd officers and men passed from liis schools, as surveyors and draughtsmen, to the survey of Ireland. Asa disciplinarian he was rigid ; and in exacting from all under his command that obedience, attention, and punctuality which were the characteristics of his own laborious career, he was blind to that partiality or favouritism which could cover the indiscretion of one offender and punish that of another. Here it may be right to show what was the })\d)lic opinion of the corps at this period, as contrasted with its state at tli(; commencement of the Peninsular war, and to whom its improved organization and perfect efficiency were chiefly attributed. *' With respect to our engineer establishment, it would perhaps be difficult to name any occasion on which a modern luu'opean army took the field so utterly destitute of efficient means for conducting siege operations as were the British troops at the opening of the last war. At this moment, on the contrary, no army in the world possesses engineer officers and soldiers better instructed in all that relates to the science and practice of this branch of the service. We have heard one of the most able and most experienced of those officers declare, that when he was first called upon to take part in some siege operations at the very outset of the war, he had never seen a gabion, nor was there a soldier in the force who knew how to make one. To carry on a sap, or drive the gallery of a mine, was alike an impossible attempt. The army had neither a single sapper, miner, or pontoneer, and a few drunken and worthless nnlitary artificers formed the only engineer troops The lessons of experience thus dearly bought have not been acquired in vain. The practical engineer school at Chatham, organised and long directed by Colonel Paslcy, has produced a corps of sappers and miners equal to any in Europe. Their exercises on the Med- way have likewise given them the (jualities of excellent pontoneers." '* Another extract from the same journal, relative to the con- duct of the corps and the impolicy of tin; reductions which have taken place in its numb(U's since the return of the ai-my of 1^ ' United Service Journal,' i., 1842, pp. 2(', 27. vol. I. ^ '"" ■m HI 'i < t- if 354 HISTORY OF THE [1841. occupation fro.r, l''»\ince in 1818, should not be suppressed : — '^' Tlie red'irlioiis in the sappers and miners since the war are much to 1)0 n gretted ; and it would be more wise to organize them equivalently to two battalions of eight companies. They are a description of troops invaluable in every respect, — being as soldierlike, and well trained in the duties of infantry, as the best regiments of that arm, and therefore e([ually available for all military services in garrisons and quarter:^ ; while their qualities as artificers are by no means confinea to admirable proficiency in their proper business as engineer-soldiers, in the management of the pontoon-train and the conduct of siege operatiojis. Their exemjdary conduct offers an illustration of a principle too much neglected in the discipline of modern armies — that to find constant and wholesome occupation for troops, as indeed for mankind in every situation, is the best security both for happiness and good order But in the case of this engineer corps, apart from the important object of keeping uj) an efficient body for those ])eculiar duties of their arm in tlie field, which require a regular course of practical education, we are convinced it would be found true economy to increai^^e its force, for the repair and maintenance of the numerous fortifications in every quarter of our colouial em- pire." '' The detachments at Sandhurst during the yea* greatly ex- erted themselves in the field-work instruction, and returned to the corps receiving much praise for their zeal and good con- duct. Cnrjioral John Carlin was in charge of both j)arties, and was extremely Useful. In the spring term he skilfully prepared the apj)aratus for a series of subaqueous ex})losions by the voltaic battery ;^'^ and, at the autumn examination, the rafts and b^-idges exhibited on the lakes and canals were con- structed by ill!.' and iiS party. 'J'liese consisted of rafts of rough tiTiil", r and bridges upon various })rinciples, such as fioating, suspen^'ion, aid tn.>stl'j ; also spars heavily loaded at one end to a'U .is .evers, and olliers interlaced upon a system '* • Til ir,. i S rvice Jouriiul,' i., 1841, p. 443. "■ II>'h. 1 , 1841, p. 2G7. L841. 1841 1 EOYAL SAPPERS AND MI NEKS. 155 • are mize Ihey oeing s tlie le for their inible in the siege n of a lodern an for e best in the )ject of if their •actical :ionomy of the al cm- of mutual i)ressure. In carrying out these services corporal Carlin was honourably notic(>d, " as a non-coniniissioiied officer of much merit and ingenuity." '^ Corporal John Cameron was also mentioned in the Governor's reports for his activity and ability, and for having executed with great neatness a quantity of sod revetments for the scarps of the field-works. '" Unittd Sen-ice Journal, iii., 184\, p. 503. Carlin is now colour- sergeant, and has served at Gibraltar and Malta, Turkey, and the Crimea. Wher. at Portsmouth, he r-ceived from Lord Frederick Fitzclarence a gold pen and engineering pencil-case, in return " for his most useful services in carrying out instruction in musketry, in av hich he proved himself to be exceedingly clever in calculations of a rather puzzling nature, and to be a most zealous, active, and painstaking non-commissioned officer." atly ex- irned to (od con- parties, skilfully )sions by Dion, the vera con- ' rafts of such as oaded at a system 2 A 2 35G iTTSTOUY OF TIIH [1842. lit: "ill: :■ i. '•if'- 1842. Party to Natiil- The marcli — Action at Coiigella— Boers attack tlie camp — Then besiege it — Rortie on tlie IJoers' trenches — Incidents — Privations — Conduct of the detachment ; courageous liearing of sergeant Young — Ser- vices of the party after hostilities liad ceased — Detachnu'nt to the Falkhind Islands — Landing — Character of the country — Services of the party — Its movements; and amusemeuv -Professor Airy's opinion of the corps— Fire at Woolwich; its consequences -Wreck of the ' Koyal George ' — Classifica- tion of the divers — Corporal Harris's exertions in removing the wreck of a mooring lightei — Corporal Jones's success — A diver injured — Conflict be- tween two rival ilivers — Conduct of the sappers employed in the operations — Demolition of beacons at Hlythe Sand, Sheerness — Testimonial to sergeant- major Jones for his services in connection with it. I\ January, 1842, a small foro under the eommand uf Cap- tain Sn^:th, 27tli regiment, was sent tf> tlie Umgazi, about ten miles south of the Un,zinivooboo, to watch the movements of the Eoers, who had attacked a native chief in alliance with the colonial government. With this fr-rce was detached a party of eight royal sappers and miners under Lieutenant C. R. Gibb, R.E. There the expedition was encamped for a season, when a portion of it, on tin* 31^t March, quitted the Umgazi for Natal, taking with tl'.cm seventy wheeled carriages and numerous oxen. The itfr.jri^ t(j«ik the lead of the column to remove obstructions on the route. The force comprised about 250 men, chiefly of tiie 27th r<\Lime;!t, and a few artillerymen. In the journey to Natal, a distance of more than 600 miles, the greatest difficulties were encounten^d. Much of the ground traversed was very nsarshy. liivulets and larger streams were so much increased l»y the rains that the broken drifts across them had frecjuently to be renewed or repaired after one or two v\'aggors had crossed. Several very steep hills had to be surmounted, one of which was the Umterda, over which the 18-12. j ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS, 357 hunter and trader liad never attempted to take Ills wagrron without first dismantling it, and tlien carrying it up or down. Up this rugged hill, formed of huge houlders of granite im- bedded in a swamp, a rough road was constructed ; and by putting three spans of oxen — thirty-six bullocks — to each wa«r- gon, all, after three days' heavy labour and fatigue, were n-ot to the summit. Constantly in their progress, they had to improve the roads, to cut through wood and bush, to toil alono- the sand on the shore, and occasionally, harnessing themselves with ropes, drag the unwieldy train along wild passes and almofet impenetrable tracts of fastness. At length, after a most harassing march of six weeks, of straining energy and arduous exertion, having crossed 172 rivers and streams, much of the journey under violent rain, and often sleeping at night on the swampy ground, the troops reached Natal on the 3rd May, and encamped at the head of the bay ; from whence they afterwards removed to the Itafa Amalinde, where they intrenched themselves, and placed beyond the parapet, for additional protection, the waggons which accompanied the force. The Boers were opposed to the presence of the troops and desired them to quit the country. This was unheeded by the English commandant and hostilities at once commenced. On the night of the 23rd May, Captain Smith, in command of a portion of his force, left the camp and attacked the Boers at Congella, taking with hhn seven sappers and miners, armed and carrying tools. When the enemy opened fire, the troops were in file up to their knees in water. Private Burridge fired the first shot in tlie engagement. More than an hour the con- test continued without any one being able to take a direct aim ; and, when the troops commenced the retreat, they were up to their armpits in water. Here a sergeant of the 27th was shot, who would have been carried av-ay in the receding tide, had not sergeant Young with two of the sapjjcrs, brought him across the bay to tl.e camp, where his remains were in- terred. Private >Villiaiii Burridge was wounded in the knee. On regaining the camp all were served out with fresh am- 358 I11ST01{Y OF TUV: [1842 munition, ami, when about to lie down, the IJoers attacked th(» posit'on and o!ily retired at (hiylight in the nioriiiDg. During the ac;ion half of tlie pole of the sappers' tent was carried away by a -iiot, ;ind tin; waggon in their front was ])ierced l)y elevcm balls. Private Richard Til)bs on this oci'asion received three balls in his clothes and was wounded. Soon afterwords (Hist May) the Boers, comprising a force of about 1200 men and nine guns, connnenced to besiege the camj). This they '••mtinued with vig(mr till the 2()th June, when a reinforcement having reached the cantonment from tlu; frontier, hostilities ceased. Throughout the operations the eight sappers were employed superintending the (Execution of such works as the circumstances of the siege rendered indispensable. These included a re(lou1)t, to })reserve the conununication with the port and village, and a magazine. They also assisted in consii uuting a large kraal of stakes and abattis, for the safety of the cattle. The waggons were likewise drawn closer in, to make the defence more com })act; and from a trench, dug on the inside, the earth was thrown under the body of the waggons, which were thus imbt-dded in the parapet. By this means the troo})s were enabled to firo over the parapet and underneath the bed of the waggons ; and uy leaving traverses in the line of trench, the camp was protected from enfilade. Daily the sappers were occupied in repairing the earth-works, and almost unassisted, built a battery for an 18-})ounder gun in the south angle of the intrenchment. Sergeant Young, wider Lieutenant Gibb, was the executive non-commissioned officer in conducting the field-works, and twice every day he went round the trenches, reported what was necessary to strengthen the defences, and carried out the directions of his officer. On the night of the 8th June, sergeant Young and three sappers carrying their arms and intrenching tools, accomj)anied the sortie to the Boers' trenches under I^ieutenant Irwin, 27tli regiment. l"he enemy retreated and the trenches were de- stroyed. On the 18th following three sappers were present in a second sortie under Lieutenant Molesworth of the 27th, and led the coluum to the ])oints of attack. The conflict was short tlio ring way 'vcn 1H42.] ROYAL SAPPERS AND MIXKRS. 350 but fuM-co, and tlio troops rctnriKMl to tlio ciinp with the loss of one; officer and tlm^e men killed, and four wounded. Anion-; the latter was private Richard Tihhs of the sappers. During the siege private John Jlovvatson had made some wooden cradles for surgical purposes, and on fini.shinir one, begged the doctor to look at it. Both stooped to do so, when a 6-i)()und shot i)assed within a few inches of their heads and whizzed by the rest of the party in the trench. When Li(!utenant (jlihb's servant was killed, corporal Deary and private Burridge buried him outside; the waggons, and the melancholy service was not accomplished without nuieh dariu"- and danger. As the siege progressed i)rovisions became scanv and the troops were put on the smallest possible allowance. Horses were killed and their flesh made into biltong. This, with a little hecf, formed the daily repast of the cam)) ; and in lieu of meal and biscuit, ground oats were issued. Upon this fare it was impossible to hold out more than fourteen days, but a strong reinforcement arrived on the 2Gth June, and effecting a landing, the Boers retreated witli loss and haste from the bead •n and the trenches, and the siege terminated. With the relief were three of the sa])pers, who increased the strength of the Natal j)arty to eleven of all ranks.' Lieutenant Gibb in his report to head-quarters praised ser- geant Young, corporal Deary, and tlu; detachment for their usefulness, alacrity, and cheerfulness ; and Captain Smith in command eulogized them for their uniform activity and readiness of resource in the presence of the enemy. When quitting Natal, the latter officer favoured sergeant Young with a testimonial in the followdng terms : " As I am about to relinquish the command, I am desirous to bear testimony to the high and irreproachable character of sergeant Young of the royal sappers and miners. Having acconi])cXnied the expedition from the Umgazi to Natal early in 1842, and shared in all its subsequent dangers and privations, 1 car.not ' Much of the abovti inlbnnatioii is taken from Captain Gibb's ' Memoiandu in Corps Papers,' i., pp. 2'M, 2."J8. 'I I li'l i^ 3()i> lllSTOUV OK 'I'llH 1HI2 speak too liiglily of his courago and solf-iiossessioii, and liin unweanod zoal in tho pcrt'oniiaiire of his various and Jirduous (hitic's. 1I(! was always at his post and never found wanting; and I tiicrefore bee; to reeonnnend liini to notice as one of the best ;uid most trustworthy non-eonnnissioned olHeers 1 have met witli during my long course of service." Afttn' the siege the (h'rachment built a sod wall round the camp ;ind loo()holed it, within which they constructed u tem- porary barracks of wood, working from daylight to dark i^veu on Sundays. A wattle barracks for oOO men was next erected by them, and afterwards n block-houst^ at Port Natal. They also extended thuir services to the re(iuirements of Fort Napier, Van Vooren, Ihishman's River, and the neighbouring posts in tlu' district, during wliich time their head-(juarters was established at Pietermauritzbui'g, where a party of ten or twelve men have ever since been employed.- Sero;eant Robert llearnden and eleven rank and fde, de- tached in the brig •■ Hebe ' in October, 1841 to the Falkland Islands, under Lieutenant R. C. Moody, R.E., the Lieutenant- Governor of the colony, arrived there on the J 5th January, 1842. Three women and seven children accom])anii'd the party. The men were volunteers and of trades suitable to the experiment of improving an old but neglected settlement. They were armed with percussion carbines, carrying a sword with a serrated back, which was ailixed to the piece when neces- sary as a bayonet.'' xVfter bearing uj) Berkeley Sound the ])arty landed at Port Luuis on the 2ord January, and were present as a guard of ^ Youiiir, as a sergeant, was oversi-er of tlie works at \atal, at 2s. (\J. a-ciay, in addition to liis rejximental allowances; and, for his gallant conduct in action and nsefid services, was awarded a silver medal and an annuity of lo/. a-year. In July, ISTii), he retired to Charleston, of Aberlonr, in Hanii'sliire, on a pension of -Is. a-day. lie was a stern and an abrupt sohlier, hut an exanip'" of faitli- fidness, accuracy, and exertion. ■' This weapon was pro])osed for adoption in the corps both as a sword for personal defence and an instrument for removing obstructions on active ser- vice ; but Sir Ceorge Murray, then Master-General, refused to sanction its introduction, considering it to be an improper weapon to be u'cd in civilized •varfare. \ A the in c^ for fouu wit out ra})i able llOU; old ture five stru 1 w two tion fenc buil Stei): IHIJ.J IIOYAL iSAl'PKIW AND MINKKS. ^61 '# lionoiir to his Hxceiloncy on taklnj^^ over the govonniu'nt of tie Falkland Islaiuls. Tliu iiiliahitaiits were assi'iiihlcd to rofeivc him and t\u> Liiuitoiiaiir-Cjlovernor made tln'iii a gracious speech. Soon the men hceame acriuaiiited with the nature of iho country they had heen sent to improve. Its hind was untWiir- M and its eiiara. 'er inhosj)itahh'. Vegetation was so scant and the soil so poor, that novviierc eonhl a tree he S(!en. Large barren tracts of country, softened into nuid hy perpetual rains, everywhere met the eye; and the luxuries of liviiif' embraced but few varieties beyond fish, flesh, and luwl. Houses there were none, nor was there any society or anuise- ment. What with rain, snow, fogs, gales, and tempests, the Falkland Islands liavc; well been called the nyion of atonns. The population, not more than 200 in all, consi.aed ol a dissi- pated set of ruthans, the depraved renegades of ditferent countries. After landing the stores and provisions from the 'Hebe,' the detachment was put to work. Two ])ortable houses were in course of time erected; one for his Excellency, and the other for the sapixn-s. For durability they were built on stone foundations, and the roofs, to keej) out the rain, were covered with tarred canvas and thatched with tussack. A number of outhouses and sheds to suit every convenience and want were raj)idly run u]), and the old dreary settlement gave unmistak- able signs of vigorous industry and improvement. One of the houses, with six a})artmentp, was erected as an addition to the old government-house, which was a long, narrow, crazy struc- ture of one story, with thick stone walls, a canvas roof, and five ill-contrived rooms. The other For the sap))ers, was con- structed a little distance in the rear of the Governor's dwelling;. Two ruinous (cottages at Pig IJrook were also fitted up, and two cottages at German's Point rebuilt. To make the habita- tions of the location more homely and English, eiudosures were fenced in for gardens and pasturage. A \\\A\ likewisi^ was built of dry stone with an oval dome and a})))roaclied hy stone steps. For ])urposes of correction, an oven built by the Fi-ench IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) {/ ,.v '^ V.%f % ^. i<^.4^ 1.0 1.25 !!f Hi I.I r^ "^ 1^ U 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 [A t , u m f; I 302 HISTORY OF TIIK IHl'J. settlors iiikUt KoHgainvillf, {il)()ut 17(»0, tlio oldest biiilding in tlu' grniij), was uscmI tor tlio cojitiuoiiuMit of rotr.ictory clinrac- tors. The (letacliiui'ut, in addition to its otlii'r duties, served as the poliee of the settlement, and sergeant Ilearnden was aj)|)ointe(l ehief eonst;ible. jMneh of the time of the men was s])ent in boat serviee to Long Island and other jdaees to get tnssack, oxen, horses, peat, &,c. The last was obtained in large (juantities and stacked for winter fuel. Occasionally a few were out on reconnoitring excursions examining jjortions of the country, and surveying thu islands and ])atclies of land of colonial interest. In this service eorj)oral W illiam Hiehardson, who was a surveyor and mathematician, was the most c()ns])ieuous. W'lu'n opportunity ])erniitted, some were employed ({u;irrying stone, n'j)airing landing-])laces, uiaking roads, and imjjroving the j)atlis and apjiroaches to the settlement. To add to the diversity of their duties, a few were sometimes occupied in marking out allot- ments and indicating the ])asses or routes across bogs and lagoons by nu'ans (»t' pole.-. Tiie Hrst pole was jdaced on the loftiest hill between Port Louis and Saint Salvador, which his Kxcellency, in honour of his sergeant, named Ilearnden IlilL In short the men were compelled to turn their hands to any- thing, for an abandoned and desolate settlement rendered numerous services essential for the convenieuee and comfort of the settlers. Sergeant Ilearnden was clerk of the works, and also tilleil with energy and ability a nund)er of other offices of colonial necessity.' TrecpuMitly he was detached to consider- able distances, and his reports upcm the aspects and capabilities of j>artieular sites and phiees were invariably received with a])probation and his suggestions carried out. Sections of the detachment were often sent on duty to Long Island, (ireen I>lan(l, Salvador Bay, Johnson's Harbour, Port ^Vil^:aul, kv. Two or three times the men sent to Long Island * Siu'h as aiictioiic'cr, I'Xfisc-dflii-er, &.c. In carrying on tlu' fonnor duty, among his many sali's, lie disposed of tlie 'Melville' seliooner, a vessel he- longing to four i)artners, ol)taining for it, from one of the partners, only 720 dollars! This may be taken as a fair specimen of the wealth of the colonists. « , IH^L'.] IIOVAF, SAPI'KllS AND iMIXKIlS. :W,i ).j could not return to tlie locatioji, ns the boats on each occasion were, by a drlviui; gale, dashed l)ack on the beach, and the men were exjxjsed, tlu'ongh the weary night, to the pelting storm. Oiiee umler such circumstances the party was without food tor tw(Mity-thre(? liours. Two men detached to Jackson's Harbour, when returning home, were cauglit in a snow-storm and with great ditHculty reached the untenable hut at Fish- liouse ('reek. 'I'here, beninnbed and fatigued, they sought sludter for the night, being unable to proceed fiu'ther or to assist themselves. To relieve the monotony of their public duties, the men were permitted to follow any sport which their inclination sug- gested. Boating, hunting^, shooting, fishing, and angling, were among the varieties of their diversions. Game was plentiful, and the men usually returned from their excursions laden with rabbits, geese, and birds of different form and plumage. In fishing, the party at one time in a single haul, caught at Hsh-house Creek thirteen hundredweight of mullet. Tlie Governor, too, was ever ready to devise means to promote their anmsement and comfort, and on one occasion so pleased was he with their general good conduct and exertions, that he honoured them with an excellent dinner from his own purse and shared himself in the festivities. With the view of verifying the reported peculiarity of the tides at Southampton, Professor Airy, in February, proceeded tliither to examine the rise and fall of the water. Some non- commissioned oHicers and privates were placed by (Jolonel Colby at his disposal for this purpose, who prepared and fixed the vertical scale of feet and inches, and kept a watch upon the general accuracy of the observed tides. " I was," says the Professor, " extremely glad to avail myself of this offer, for I believe that a more intelligent and faithful body of men does not exist than the sa])pers employed on the trigonoujetrical survey ; •'' All hiul horses, as travelling on horseback was tVetiuently necessary. The Governor presented one, with liarness complete, to sergeant lleanHien. The men niaile tlieinsehes very exjjcrt in the management of horses, and throwing aside the rude thongs of raw hide by which they were controlled, iiuickly adapted the draught-horses to the use of artillery harness and collars. 3G4 iiisToiiY OF Tin: [1812. {^ . ^ and I kiKiw well tln^ udviintago of I'lnploying upon a tedious business like this, a set of regular service men stationed on the spot."" On the lOth^rareh ahout 150 non-commissioned officers and men of the corps at Woolwich under Lieutenant F. A. Yorke, R.E., were ])resent in the night at a lire, which burnt the ' Hull ' tavern to the ground." The sappers were the first to render assistance and to secure from destruction much of the j)roperty.** By tiie falling of the principal wall of the building eighteen persons were severely crushed and wounded, six of whom were ])rivatt's of the corj)s. Private Malcolm ( !amj)bell, one of the injured, rescued the landlord, Mr. l^)yd, from being burnt to (U-atii, The latter in a state of great bewilderment iiished back into the burning tavern, and Campbell dashing after him dragged him through the flames and falling tind)ers, from a back room of the building, into the street again." During the summer a corporal and twenty-three rank and file were emj)loyed at Spithead under Major-General Pasley, in the ronu)val of the wreck of the ' Royal George.' The operations were carried on from the 7th May to the end of October vuider the exi'cutive ord(TS of Lieutenant G. R. Hutchinson, R.E. In all res])ects the duties, labours, and responsibilities of the sa})pers were the same as on previous occasions, except that the diving was carried out by the party, and one or two East India cinnpany's sappers and miners, without in any one instance needing the help of professional civil divers. On the 2nd November the detachment rejoined the corps at C'hatham. Four divers were at first employed. On the Lirli May the " 'PhiloKopliical Transactions,' i., 184.'<, p. ACk ' lic'ferc ace M'oiild not have been made to this service only for the accident which atttnded it. Often it is the lot of tlie corris at the various stations to distingiiisli tlKinsclvt-s at fires, and by their promptitude and cheerful exer- tions, to save both lives and jjioperty. " An insurance company, in no respect under obligations to the parties who assisted at tiie tire, felt interested in the exertions of the sappers and awarded them .5/. As the sum was too small for distribution, it was well expended in the purchase of a clock for the barracks at Woolwich. " After servin/r a station in China, died at Woolwich, in .Inly, 1847. I i I 1842.] IIOYAI. SAPrKRS AND MINEIIS. 3G5 number was incroai^od to five, and on the Srd June to six, which force continued at the duty throughout the season. Several otlier men during tlie summer had been so employed when casualty or other cause prevented the regular divers descending, and the whole who ii;id distingui:?hed themselves in this work by their activity and success, were classified as follows : — First-class divers: — corjjoral David Harris: lance- c )rporals Richard P. Jones, and John liae : ])rivates Roderick (^nmeron, James Jago, John ^Villiams, and William (.'rowdy. Secmid-cliiss divers: — privates Alexander Cleghorn and John Girvan. Third-class divers: — lance-corporal AY. Thompson: privates William Browning, William Penman, and F] Jl ; I mending tli(^ mon a])()vo named, wrote in praise of tlio poneral good conduct of tiie entire detaelnnent and of its useful and active services. Corporal Hlaik. who assisted in tlu; superin- tendence of the whole of tin? workmen in one of tlu; two niooritiir lighters, the (leneral alluded to as a non-connnissioned officer of ni ucli merit and strict integrity. His courteous hehavioui*, too, elicited the rc-pect of every man employed, and attracted the fav ihh .f )ffi( ; and gentlemen who visited the operations.'' Early in Sej)t(Mnher, at the request of the Trinity corporation, Colonel Sir Fri'derick Smith, director of the royal engineer establishment, undertook to demolish two harges formerly used as the foundations of beacons at Blythe Sand, Sfjcerness. For this purj)ose he sent Lieutenant Bourchier, R.E., sergeant- major Jenkin Jones and seven men of the corps to tlie spot in the ' Beaconry,' one of the Trinity steamers. A number of small charges deposited in tin cases were fixed at l(»w water, and fired to shak(! tlu; wrecks. By the exj)losion of a large charge on the 3rd September, one barge was completely de- stroyed and tlispersed ; and on the 5th, by the firing of a still greater charge, the other barge shared the fate of its consort. Masses of the wreck on the first explosion, were projected to a height of about 200 feet, and about 400 feet from the s(.'ene of operations, while at the same time a column of water, eighty feet high, was forced into the air. ( )n the second occasion Sir Thomas W'illshire, the commandant of Chatham garrison, and Captain Welbank, chairman of the Trinity corporation, were present, but the effect was less striking, although a much greater quantity of powder was used, in conse(pience of there being at the moment twenty feet of superincumbent water pressing on the barge. Captain Woluank })ersonally compli- '* Afterwards a sergreant. Was pciuTally oinployed in duties of importance far exceeding his rank, at tlie Cape of (iood Hope, Isle of France, and Hong- Kong. In 1S47 he was present in the expedition to Canton, blew up the Zigzag Fort, and otherwise conspicuonsly tiistingnished himself. He died at Hong-Kong, after five year;' service there, in 1848. Ulaik had been brought up at the royal military asylum, Chelsea. I I ■'. !•?• H 308 HISTOlfY OF TIIR UOYAl. SAIM'KKS AND MINERS. [1842. niented the " indofatigablo " KT^rcUit-niajor for liis success, and the corporation of Trinity House afterward?, with the permission of the iMaster-General, presented him with a i-ilvcr- gilt snutf-box to commemorate tlie as^sistance he rendered in the dispert^ion of the wrecks.'" i;i The 'Times.* Four years previously, August, 18.18, sergeant-major Jones was presented witli a silver tankard, " by the sergeants of Chatham (iarrisonl in testimony of their gratitude for the undeviating attention he evinced in superintending the formation of a military swimming-bath at that station." I % END OF VOL. I. I.ONPON : rniNTEi) by m h.mam clov f.s A>n sons, STAMTonD stbeft AM) CIIARINO CROSS. / < ■ 1 CD CO z; PL. If i.^ p 00 t j ' -a 'i O 1 f«4 i It *«-t 4 P ^ f .' :) c en Pi i! I^> li ■III; .1 v »^ '^i: \r a., I \ -■ i i; ) i or- I. iv'r If; • «l ' V- < <1' V - '■Si; .11 m Ml ^ r I' 4 1 •1 is" r r v« V I ■ I Wi '".I 1. t ill !?■': ..i-