Nelson & His World

I very much enjoyed the extracts from Midshipman William Salter Millard's diary of Copenhagen from which Dudley Pope quoted extensively in ' The Great Gamble' and would really like to read the whole piece.

The diary was in the hands of his descendants when Dudley Pope had access 30 or more years ago but I'm not sure of its whereabouts now. Pope quotes only from the narrative of Copenhagen which was published in Macmillan's Magazine of 1895. I have combed on-line booksellers and Googlebooks in the hope of finding this piece, but without success.

There are numerous articles in the BL catalogue 'reprinted from Macmillan's Magazine', but the whole run of the publication doesn't seem to be there. I've also found various volumes of Macmillans for sale on used book sites, but none for 1895.

I don't want to give up and wonder if a more expert Googler can guide me to the published extract, either as an on-line Googlebook or a copy for sale?

One or two things came to light as I searched: The 'Sherborne and Yeovil Mercury' reported on 31 March 1806 that Midshipman W Millard of HMS Northumberland was wounded. Same man?

Roger Knight also notes that Millard never received a Lieutenant's commission which surprised me. He came over as an 'active' young man, though perhaps his wound ended his career? He certainly had a lively pen.

Anna

I knew it was impossible for the BL not to have a full run of MacMillan's Magazine - so I just did my own search.

What you need to do is to go to the basic BL search page.

Select "Catalogue subset search" from the row of blue buttons.

Then select the first option which is "Serials/Periodicals".

Search for Macmillan's Magazine on that page and you will find all the details.

Having said that - I believe they have a full run in B'ham Library. If I can get in there in the next couple of days I will check out the access/copying options.

That may be the easiest/cheapest route.

Mark

Mark:

many thanks indeed for that useful guide.

If you can arrange a copy of Millard's account from Birmingham Library - that would be wonderful. Send me a PM about costs etc.

I'd be happy to circulate it to anyone interested.

No rush - when you have time.

The 1895 volume of MacMillan’s Magazine is available online here: http://www.archive.org/details/macmilla ... 28grovgoog

However, the PDF link is incorrect. A PDF file is available here (15MB file): http://ia300211.us.archive.org/3/items/ ... ovgoog.pdf

The article is on pages 81-93.

Tony

Thanks for picking up on that. That's one less item for my library agenda!!

I must say it is remarkable what those folks at the University of Michigan have added to the Google Books project.

Some of the books etc. only have "snippet" views so I have ended up ordering copies of whole pages from them. The service is fantastic - very quick and reasonably priced. I have had to do a double-take that I am relying on a U.S. university to provide copies from British publications. But all credit to them.

Anna - or anyone who wants to print out the article from Macmillan's Magazine.

If you find you cannot print the selected pages then download the whole book to your P.C. Reopen it on your P.C. and do the print command from there.

I have found that has worked for me in the past and may save much "tearing out of hair".

If still struggling in any way report back here.

MB

Tony and Mark:

how very kind of both of you to take such trouble with my query.

All is well. I have Millard's piece printed off, and I shall settle down in front of the fire, this wintry afternoon, with a pot of tea and toasted crumpets and transport myself in my imagination aboard HMS Monarch at Copenhagen in 1801.

P.S. I note that Millard was another Norfolk parson's son - his father was Rev. Charles Millard, Precentor and Chancellor of Norwich Cathedral and Chaplain to Bishop Horne. And his son, who introduces the piece, is also a parson, though he has moved down to Maidstone, in Kent.

Well, that was an enjoyable read! Thanks again, Mark and Tony.

Many of the details were already in Pope’s account, but it was interesting and valuable to have the connected narrative, not only for the insight it gave into one ship in the thick of the action, but also to have Millard’s ‘worm’s eye view’, from the ‘buzz’ he describes as they set sail for their unknown destination, to his own active but low-level involvement, fetching ammunition, or ‘skipping along’ with messages. He captures at first hand the heat and stress of battle, the mangled bodies, the sight of whole areas of the ship ‘without a man standing’, the cheerful heroism such as the man who waves his bloodied fingers, having lost the tips, and shouts carelessly, ‘See, here!’ He describes his sudden ravenous hunger as the battle subsides, when ‘without ceremony’, he breaks open some stores and devours cheese and cold potatoes, not forgetting to share them, and the fresh water he found, with the other sailors; nor to send up refreshment to Lieut. Yelland, ‘who could not leave the deck’. Millard’s account also explains the confusion surrounding Yelland’s promotion, or lack of it, which I will add to the ‘Yelland’ thread.

Even more serendipitous was the discovery, as I was tidying up my shelves, of a letter written to Millard by his father, which adds even more to the picture of this obscure but lively character. It is quoted in the Nelson Society booklet, ‘Notices of Nelson’ by R.C. Fiske. Millard père’s letter (dated 16 August 1799) is full of domestic gossip interspersed with news of national and naval affairs – ‘the Fleets are out in the Mediterranean: but whether the French will dare meet us, or slip into Brest, it is impossible for us to conjecture;’ they are in ‘hourly Expectation of hearing the Result [of the grand Expedition against Holland’.] He then says he will ‘leave the remainder of the paper for your mother’. Mrs Millard gives him advice on penmanship: ‘Next time, put your lines somewhat nearer together; we land lubbers find that the most convenient method of making room in a sheet of paper. Never fear that your letters will be thought too long…. Have you drank any sea water and washed your eyes? I should like to hear they are better.’ Drinking sea water a cure for sore eyes? Did Nelson do this, I wonder?

Millard left the navy soon after the Peace of Amiens, not, his son notes, ‘from any want of aptitude or liking for the service’. So Millard couldn’t have been the man wounded in 1806. Maybe he left because of eye trouble?

Such a long post about a lowly and obscure officer may seem odd, and I hope I will be forgiven, but I do think these glimpses of shadowy, unremembered ghosts of history, suddenly revealed in vibrant life, are such satisfying and invigorating discoveries.

It's a remarkable account.

It brings to mind my old mantra . . . "To really know the big picture you must know all the little pictures".

MB