[Illustration: Captain F. W. Hoffman, R.N.]
A SAILOR OF KING GEORGE
THE JOURNALS OF CAPTAIN FREDERICK HOFFMAN, R.N. 1793-1814
EDITED BY _A. BECKFORD BEVAN_ AND _H.B. WOLRYCHE-WHITMORE_
_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS_
LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 1901
BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTERS, LONDON AND TONBRIDGE.
PREFACE.
In a memorial presented in 1835 to the Lords of the Admiralty, the author of the journals which form this volume details his various services. He joined the Navy in October, 1793, his first ship being H.M.S. _Blonde_. He was present at the siege of Martinique in 1794, and returned to England the same year in H.M.S. _Hannibal_ with despatches and the colours of Martinique. For a few months the ship was attached to the Channel Fleet, and then suddenly, in 1795, was ordered to the West Indies again. Here he remained until 1802, during which period he was twice attacked by yellow fever.
The author was engaged in upwards of eighteen boat actions, in one of which, at Tiberoon Bay, St. Domingo, he was wounded in the head, and entirely lost the hearing of his left ear.
As first lieutenant of H.M.S. _Volage_, while attempting to cut out an enemy's vessel laden with tobacco from under the guns of the Moro Castle, St. Jago de Cuba, after a running fight of two hours with three Spanish privateers, he was obliged to surrender, and was carried prisoner to St. Jago, where he remained for six weeks until exchanged. In 1802 he returned to England in the _Volage_, which was then paid off.
In 1803 he was appointed lieutenant of H.M.S. _Minotaur_ on the Channel Service, but in 1804, in consequence of a very severe attack of rheumatic fever, which completely prostrated him and for several months necessitated the use of crutches, he resigned his post.
On his recovery, in the summer of 1805, he was appointed to H.M.S. _Tonnant_, and was senior lieutenant of her lower deck quarters in the Battle of Trafalgar, concerning which he gives several new and interesting details. During the battle he was slightly wounded in the left hand.
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Sailor of King George by Hoffman
- 2: Martin spoke as follows Captain Hoffman
- 3: Jamaica Dignity balls Collision with H
- 4: Requested to act as first lieutenant
- 5: Favourite Proceed to Accrah Sacred alligators
- 6: Author insists on having a carriage Drives to Arras
- 7: 335 340 list of illustrations
- 8: And Captain Elphinstone entered
- 9: The young officer is eating his breakfastesses
- 10: Said the elder midshipman to me
- 11: Illustration FALMOUTH HARBOUR
- 12: We tacked and stood again for Falmouth
- 13: Neptune introduced his young bride to the captain
- 14: That is not being of the Caribbean race
- 15: The fleet and transports soon cleared the bay
- 16: The bomb ship and some gun boats to assault the town of St
- 17: It had before been called Fort Bourbon
- 18: We discerned a flag of truce advancing towards our lines
- 19: Whilst the frigate is refitting
- 20: On the seventh day we sailed to cruise off Cherbourg
- 21: On the home station bargemen are scarcely known
- 22: The mids designated him The Martinet
- 23: The cockpitonians dubbed him Toby Philpot
- 24: The train was fired from the cockpit hatchway
- 25: Which we joined off the Island of Ushant
- 26: We also sent her into Portsmouth
- 27: Domingo and anchored in Cape St
- 28: And six eighteen pounder carronades
- 29: We had buried during the cruise forty three seamen
- 30: Making in the whole eight good seamen
- 31: It's only rum of the fore hold
- 32: I requested something to drink
- 33: And took on board a Capuchin friar and two mulatto officers
- 34: Was promoted as commander into a sloop of war
- 35: And the serpent towed on shore
- 36: For it was about mermen and mermaids
- 37: About midnight we found the vessel near the inlet
- 38: The barge was nearly alongside of her
- 39: And other anti scorbutic fruits
- 40: We had been rowing about an hour when we entered the lagoon
- 41: Asked for the alligator we had shot
- 42: Some crabs and two electric eels
- 43: Appealing to Nancy and her father
- 44: Don't be after splicing yourself until you have a commission
- 45: Four small schooners and a sloop laden with fruit
- 46: Found boarding her impracticable
- 47: ' This rum gentleman belonged to the after guard
- 48: Bringing letters for the squadron
- 49: In making the Havannah for a departure
- 50: The mutineers taken in the Hermione were but few
- 51: To cruise off the windward passages
- 52: Nathan was soon down the hatchway
- 53: That it makes my grog go too fast
- 54: Pumps were also sent from the dockyard
- 55: To day you hab for dinner salt junk and bargeman biscuit
- 56: I left some of my messmates with regret
- 57: It was a terrible mistake making me a purser
- 58: And had arrived at the Havannah
- 59: As the senior officer neared me in his boat
- 60: Which she had thrown overboard when the Nimrod chased her
- 61: The following day we anchored off the Isle de Vache
- 62: We arrived at Kingston at eleven o'clock without accident
- 63: As were she to be sent to Jamaica
- 64: Who would undoubtedly promote them
- 65: And desired him to write a note to the American Consul
- 66: For which I gave him an order on my agent at Kingston
- 67: Hipped a bumper of wine in his next neighbour's face
- 68: And tell the grooms to bring all the mules into the yard
- 69: With a midshipman and nine seamen
- 70: Nothing worth noticing occurred until the Trent
- 71: 'You said something about two swivels
- 72: And it smacks too much of ink and parchment
- 73: Nobody can lob like poor me one
- 74: We never flinch from the bottle
- 75: Paddy only wait answer from Massa Captain
- 76: A slovenly kind of woman hove in sight
- 77: No more cruising on horseback for me
- 78: The same afternoon we daylighted the anchor
- 79: We must send him to the dockyard for surgical aid
- 80: And a lighter came alongside filled with riggers from London
- 81: The admiral promised me some good seamen
- 82: I planted praters and tended cows
- 83: He dogrogated God's honour with emphasis
- 84: To watch Brest and the movements of the enemy's fleet
- 85: And the ship astern of us the Spartiate
- 86: After tacking and half tacking for six weeks
- 87: He declared it was the best sherbet he had ever drunk
- 88: My messmate wore a highly polished steel hilted hanger
- 89: Illustration THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR
- 90: With three hundred petty officers and seamen
- 91: Which had only her foremast standing
- 92: It immediately occurred to me that Lord Nelson had fallen
- 93: On the eighth day we arrived at Spithead
- 94: And received the address of a sword cutler
- 95: On entering it he introduced me to my future messmates
- 96: After cruising between Ushant and the Saints
- 97: Obliged to proceed to Portsmouth
- 98: On the tenth day we anchored in Funchal Roads
- 99: Anoder piccaninny girl hab it again
- 100: And addressed me as follows Massa officer
- 101: The marabout now came after it
- 102: Finding a current setting round the bight to the eastward
- 103: To prevail on him to make peace with the Fantees
- 104: Was one hundred and seven feet perpendicular
- 105: Where you have confined the surgeon
- 106: The eatables consisted of fowls stewed to death
- 107: I repaired on board and made sail for Sierra Leone
- 108: On the evening of the following day we anchored at Tobago
- 109: When the lower fort of the Moro opened its fire on us
- 110: And made sail once more for Jamaica
- 111: Dining one day with Colonel Drummond
- 112: The frigate you see off the Havannah
- 113: And are what the seamen vulgarly call rogue's yarns
- 114: His linen was the colour of chocolate
- 115: We sailed to cruise off Boulogne
- 116: I was much surprised to see Billy Culmer
- 117: Veer away half a cable and let go the small bower
- 118: Armed with swivels and muskets
- 119: And was soon again among tar jackets and tar barrels
- 120: And was soon in sight of detested Boulogne
- 121: Good for nothing rotten flotilla
- 122: We had now been aground about four hours
- 123: Commandant en Chef le Camp de Boulogne
- 124: And with it the principal gaoler
- 125: Whom the turnkey had so unceremoniously introduced
- 126: Who had the honour of being gouverneur
- 127: Where we dined at a fourth rate inn
- 128: When unfortunately the Baron de Beauchene died
- 129: In which they drank the downfall of Bonaparte and departed
- 130: On the first stage from Verdun
- 131: As I had never heard of Gueret before
- 132: About four leagues from Gueret
- 133: All they uttered was Vive les Poissardes
- 134: We arrived at Spithead in the evening
- 135: Captain Tyler gallantly placed the Tonnant
- 136: Opened a most destructive fire on the Apelles
- 137: About twenty minutes afterwards the Apelles
- 138: Petit soupers for petits soupers