"That they considered themselves as secure from any attack that night. That some suspicion, as the 'Superb' approached, arose on board the Real Carlos' for, on counting their squadron, they reckoned one more than their number; that a report was made, but was disregarded by the Captain, who, with several of the officers, were still at the table smoking after supper. That the Captain with some other officers were killed or wounded by the 'Superb's' first broadside in the cabin, from which none of them moved till the 'Superb' fired. That, regarding her destruction, it was said her fore-topmast was shot away the first broadside; and being almost immediately fired into by a ship on their larboard side also, their confusion was very great and in firing, which they did from both sides, the fore-topsail, which was hanging down, caught fire, and occasioned the conflagration."

The ship that fired into them was speedily in a blaze, which their ship thought to be the English Admiral ; and it was said fore and aft, "The English Admiral is on fire; let us go under his stern, and send 'em all to hell together;" and they believe that in that effort they ran foul of the ship on fire, and thus occasioned their own melancholy fate.*

The Cæsar joined about one o'clock, and the squadron got back to Gibraltar about three in the morning.

* This narrative is briefly extracted from one drawn up by Sir R. Keats at the request of Mr. Ben. Tucker.

SECTION VIII.

ROBERT, VISCOUNT MELVILLE.

SECOND ADMINISTRATION.

Sept. 19, 1828-Nov. 25, 1830.

Adm. Rt. Hon. Sir G. COCKBURN... First Naval Lord.
Right Hon. J. W. CROKER ...First Secretary.

As Lord Melville's resignation had opened the door for the introduction of his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence into the high and conspicuous situation of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, so the retirement of the Duke afforded the opportunity of Lord Melville being, a second time, called upon to assume the place of First Lord of the Admiralty. His patent was dated the 19th September, 1828, and continued in force till the 25th November, 1830, when he was superseded by Sir James Graham; the Duke of Wellington's government having given way to that of the Earl Grey.

Nothing particular happened during the two years that Lord Melville's second presidency continued over the affairs of the Admiralty. Visitations of the DockYards, and a few changes in the system of their management, with some partial retrenchments, took place; but no warlike preparations were undertaken in these two years-peace prevailed both at home and abroad. The Admiralty, however, in this period of inactivity, was

beset with projectors of all descriptions. Steam-vessels were fast increasing in number, some for public and others for private purposes; and all the gear appertaining to them, the engines themselves, the boilers, the mode of placing them, the paddle-wheels, the paddleboxes, various kinds of propellers-all of them had a multitude of projectors, a class of persons who are never satisfied, if each of their individual projects be not practically put to the test, however obvious it may be to a disinterested person, capable of giving a sound opinion, that the invention, as it is called, is bad in principle and worthless in design. To avoid the enormous expense that would be incurred by submitting these projects to the test of experiment, the inventors were now generally given to understand, that facilities would be afforded in the Dock-Yards for preparing and trying their crotchets, but only at their own expense, and that a limited time would be allowed, when they must be removed at their own cost; which had the good effect of reducing the number of useless projects.

Then the dry-rot doctors, with their numerous nostrums, were the most pertinacious of all, and their various projects to expel the disease innumerable. All the mineral acids and the mineral substances, solutions of copper, iron, zinc, lead, were proposed, in which the wood already diseased, or to prevent disease, was to be steepcd. Some of our wise men in the Dock-Yards took it into their heads that steeping loads of timber in the sea would cure or prevent the dry-rot- the medium in which the ships themselves would permanently be soaked; others would steam out the enemy, and others again bake it out; as many different opinions were pronounced as to the nature of the

disease or the cause of it. For a long time the dryrot was a fungus, and their whole artillery was levelled at the mushroom, and thus the disease was to be cured at the expense of the material, in which it was supposed to be lodged. We are at length become as wise as our forefathers, and have learned, that the best and only preservative of timber, is to fell it at a proper time, when the sap is at rest and hardened in the wood; and then, to let it undergo a long and gradual dry-seasoning.

But Lord Melville was ever anxious to patronize any project decidedly advantageous to the Navy. In fact, it is to him that we owe the first introduction of the application of steam, as a locomotive power, to the ships of the Navy. So early as the year 1815 he directed the Navy Board to cause a sloop to be built of the name of 'Congo,' and to order a steam-engine suitable for her from Bolton and Watt, to be used as a trial in a ship of war. When ready, early in the following year, the engine was ordered to be sent to Plymouth, where it might be useful for pumping water. The 'Congo' was ordered to be fitted up as a sailingvessel, to be commanded by Captain Tucker on his intended expedition to explore the African river of that

name.

What objections may have occasioned this change I forget, but while this was going on, the ingenious Brunel took up the question of steam-navigation; stated all the difficulties that occurred to him-one of which was the external fitting, or propelling apparatus, and he undertook to obviate this objection by a practical experiment. There had been a steamvessel built a couple of years before, called the

'Regent,' I believe by a private individual, and purchased as a packet to run from Margate to London. He says, "On the 9th July, 1816, the 'Regent' left Margate with a strong gale of wind blowing right a-head, and against a very strong tide. When out at sea the gale increased very much, and the sea broke over the vessel for several hours. The covering of the wheels was stove in; they, however, received no injury, though they were now and then overwhelmed. The steam-engine yielding gradually, and for a moment, to a greater power, was soon in action again."

Lord Melville, in reply to Mr. Brunel's encouraging letter, says, "That the Board deem it unnecessary to enter, at present, into the consideration of the question, as to how far the power of the steam-engine may be made applicable to the general purposes of navigation; but as it would be attended with material advantage to his Majesty's service, if it could be used for the purpose of towing ships of war out of harbour, in the Thames or Medway, and at Portsmouth and Plymouth, when they would be prevented from sailing by contrary winds, desire him to submit his ideas on that part of the subject, if it appears to him to be practicable." To this Mr. Brunel answers, by recommending that, as this is a practical experiment, the 'Regent' (laid up for the winter) should be employed under the direction of some competent person. The trial was made; and from this period may be dated the introduction of steam-navigation into the English Navy.

Lord Melville was now so fully convinced of the great utility, which the naval service would derive from the application of steam as a propelling power, that he ordered a small vessel to be built at Deptford, by Mr.