Nelson & His World

Following the mention of Captain Riou Inside Nelson's World, and Ned's special interest in him, I thought I'd give him a thread to himself in case anyone wants to comment or add information from time to time.

Further to Riou's contradictory reputation - gallant and good, according to his brother officers, brutal according to Nagle, I note that C.H. Fitchett, in the essay on Riou I mentioned INW, observes that Nelson didn't know Riou before Copenhagen but quickly formed a good opinion of him. He particularly commended 'the discipline' on board Riou's ship, HMS Amazon. Maybe he achieved it by the forceful methods already mentioned.

Most, if not all, of his fellow officers seem to have praised and admired Riou. There is a biographical sketch of his life in "Shipboard Life and Organisation" (edited by Brian Lavery) which precedes the reproduction of Riou's Captain's Order Book for the Amazon. According to this, Byam Martin said he was 'a delightful character' and with a 'deep sense of every Christian obligation'.

The Order Book is very detailed, listing every eventuality that may arise and what he expected should be done, and with very detailed instructions on preparing for action. Lavery identified several passages that had been taken from earlier Order Books by other Captains, suggesting that Riou was taking the best examples he could find to work by.

The orders show that he adopted the 'divisional system' (still in use in the Navy today) whereby the ships company is divided into two divisions (starboard and larboard) and then into parts. Officers acted as divisional officers, in charge of the group, responsible for their training and appearance, with regular inspections of clothing etc; Sunday 'divisions' (a parade "when every person shall be neat and clean") was implemented.

Although evidently knowing his 'Christian obligation', he was apparently moderate in imposing it, stating that the "Sabbath will be attended to as much as possible" and that when unoccupied the mens time must not "be idly spent".

He was also obsessed with keeping his ship clean; he goes on at length on the necessity of preserving cleanliness.

Reading the Orders, he clearly expected a well ordered and disciplined ships company, although there is no hint of how he might enforce the rules.

Hello,

Thank you for that special thread about Edward Riou.
It is very clear from his sip's logs that Riou relied extremely on the lash to enforce discipline. I formed the impression, that Riou was a rather stern disciplinarian using harsh means to achieve a - on his opinion - benevolent end. It is also very clear, that he basically had the well-being of his crews in mind going all the lengths to provide the Guardian's people with antiscorbutics for example. Here he seems to have learned form James Cooks and his pupil Charles Clerke, whom he accompanied in the Discovery during the third of Cooks Voyages. To do him justice - it is very clear, that he applied the same sense of discipline not only to his crews, but also, and most prominently to his officers and himself - something, which Jacob Nagle (another victim of the lash applied by Riou) possibly was not aware of.

Thomas Byam Martin (mentioned by PhiloNauticus) gives a good description of how Riou appeared to his contemporaries ;

“A pleasing gloom hung over his manly countenance, unlike anything I ever witnessed in any other person. His eye was peculiarly striking, beaming with intelligence, while every feature seemed to indicate all the qualities that most exalt and adorn our nature. His conduct in every situation private and public afforded a beautiful illustration of all the greatness and goodness his countenance so faithfully portrayed. There was a pensiveness of look and a reserve in his manner which sometimes made strangers regard him as cold and repulsive, but this first impression was soon removed, and all who knew him loved him.”

Here is a portrait of Captain Riou:


http://www.britishbattles.com/waterloo/ ... d-riou.jpg

I suspect it may not be uncommon for fellow officers to have had a different opinion of a man’s character to that of seamen who served under him. However, I would question the reliability of Nagle’s account – not his specific punishment, but in terms of his summing up of Riou. In the run up to the 1812 war, accounts of the suffering of American seamen pressed into the British navy, and of the brutality of British officers, were published as propaganda. Where exaggeration takes over from truth is impossible to tell. Nagle’s journal was presumably published much later, but may borrow from that tradition.

However the floggings mentioned in the other thread do seem harsh, although I was under the impression that ‘running the gauntlet’ was still a common punishment specifically for theft in the 1790s. It would be interesting to know the frequency of his floggings of 24 lashes and above, and over what period of time he continued to sentence men to that number of lashes. Maybe it was not uncommon for officers to go through a period in their career where they relied on excessively harsh discipline.

His violent measures on the Guardian were of course used in extreme circumstances, and may not be quite as severe as they first seem. With a sinking ship, a crew (that included convicts) that at one stage seemed to be openly mutinous – one had suggested throwing Riou overboard – he was struggling to retain control. I believe his broken arm was a broken bone in his hand, arising from another seaman blocking his blow when he hit a man refusing to obey his order. Or is there a different story here? His use of a stick was to get men on deck in the night when a sudden squall had taken the mainsail aback and he was in imminent danger of losing the mainsail altogether. I believe that after the ship reached safety he personally worked hard to obtain a pardon for those convicts on board who had helped keep the ship afloat.

I think that the old adage, 'desperate circumstances call for desperate measures' could be applied to the Guardian incident and I believe this is what Riou was attempting to apply. However, the accounts of Riou's apparent excessive use of force very likely came, initially, from the convicts themselves and the stories would appear to have stuck. The convicts, not being seamen, would not perhaps have understood Riou's intentions where he was working desparately to keep the ship afloat, and they, again not being seamen, would not have understood the workings of the ship and were understandably frightened. I would suggest here that the fact that the mainsail was aback might have been a danger to the mast itself, in that the ship could have been dismasted.

I would also suggest against other evidence, that the 'stick' that Riou used may in fact have been a 'starter', normally used by the bosun and his mates to speed up slackers - and so its use was nothing out of the ordinary, to Riou. Quite possibly, to the convicts Riou's behaviour was harsh and inhumane, whereas in actual fact he was only doing what would have come naturally to any seamen faced with a dire situation.

Oliver Warner in his 'Portrait of Lord Nelson' mentions, of course, the tragic loss of Riou to the unequal opponent of the Trekoner battery. After having given the observation, 'What will Nelson think of us?', Riou then goes on to exclaim, 'Come, then, my boys, let us all die together!' Warner goes on to say, 'The words were scarcely uttered when the fatal shot severed him in two. Thus, and in an instant, was the British service deprived of one of its greatest ornaments, and society of a character of singular worth, resembling the heroes of romance.'

Tony,

Nagle was transferred later to the Sirius, Captain Arthur Philip, sailing to Botany Bay and to the "Netley" Schooner, Captain Francis Godolphin Bond. He gives both a very positive character. Also, his memoirs are written in retrospective, so there should have been no need for propaganda.
No different story for the Guardian - yours is the more exact version of my rather rough story.

Devenish,

The only other accounts besides that of Nagle that are hinting a special brutality on Riou's behalf are his own official journals and his journal of the Guardian incident. That applies also to his beating his people with a stick. Even Nagle doesn't call Riou directly brutal, but hints more at an excessive attitude towards of cleanliness and harsh and correct discipline - which is affirmed in Riou's own Captain's Orders.

Ned:

I have access through my library membership to the digital archive of The Times newspaper which I have just been browsing for mentions of Captain Riou.

There are many references, none of which, I think, would add to the material you already have, but it is interesting to read contemporary reports in The Times of the survival of the 'Guardian'.

There are also advertisements for a theatrical representation of the Guardian story which took the town by storm and was played in many venues: 'an entire historical representation of a late historical event called 'English Heroism' in which is particularly and correctly given a living picture of the GUARDIAN frigate commanded by Lieut. Riou in her perilous situation in the South Seas embayed among stupendous ISLANDs of ICE.....'

(This event was preceded by 'tight rope dancing by The Little Devil, Master Bologna and La Belle Espagnole'. Quite an evening!)

There is also the mention of an occasion when Riou, in the 'Beaulieu' frigate successfully chased 'a large ship' (unnamed) into Cape Francis.

For copyright reasons, ( not to mention my technical incompetence) I don't think it is possible to post Times material here, but if you think any or all of the reports/mentions would be of interest, I can transcribe them for you.

Tycho

Thank you for that very handsome offer! Last year, I already had an opportunity to scan through this vast and valuable database and take the necessary notes, so I won't cause you any additional work this time.

I think it is in the "Gentleman's Magazin" (on google- books) that I first saw - to my great surprise - similar advertisements for that theatrical representation of the Guardian's fate.
I am not really sure whether the text book - if available - would be really valuable

But possibly someone of you could tell me whether it was something really special having the Guardian Accident displayed on stage or whether everything unusual was directly processed into a theatrical play at that period?
I have formed an idea about Edward Riou having become some kind of "pop star" in his time, as he has survived a real thrilling adventure at a time (of general peace) were such thrilling news happened very seldomly. Most probably, the same incident in 1797 would never have roused the same amount of intrest.
But this idea still lacks confirmation...

Ned:

the 18th century theatre was a very vibrant place and staged a variety of productions, including commemorations of battles.

'There was a wealth of talent, and the two great rivals in London, Covent Garden and Drury Lane, presented, [as well as plays], opera, ballet, and spectacular battle pieces'

Jack Russell: 'Nelson and The Hamiltons' Anthony Blond 1969

In November 1800, in Nelson's presence, the 'spectacle' The Mouth of the Nile' with a representation of the Glorious First of August appeared after the comedy 'Life'.

If you look at the 'Nelson and the Theatre Royal, Bath' thread, you will see details of a post-Trafalgar event there and I think Mark has details of a similar one in Birmingham. I am sure a trawl of the Times advertisements would reveal more. It might be worth getting in touch with the archivists of the two great London theatres who could probably provide interesting material.

The theatre was seen as a useful tool in encouraging and sustaining patriotism. Songwriters such a Michael Dibdin were encouraged to produce patriotic songs, and these too were often used in performances.

The Dublin theatres were particularly encouraged to promote the English ascendancy in Ireland at a time when there was agitation by groups such as the United Irishmen.

I am pretty certain that gallant Captain Riou would have been a popular hero at the time. The Navy was much admired generally, and this is reflected in the literature of the time. A very interesting source is Jane Austen, (1775-1817). It is pity that the producers of TV 'costume drama' reduce her to nothing more than a writer of trivial romances, since her novels are actually psychologically penetrating, stylistically elegant, structurally perfect, brilliantly observant, and an accurate reflection of the period in which she lived. Contemporary fiction often holds up the mirror to, and reflects an age with sharp intensity. In her novel 'Persuasion', Jane Austen describes with amused irony a young girl's ecstatic outburst on the merits of sailors. Louisa Musgrove is 19, and voicing, through the devices of fiction, the ardent admiration in which sailors were held in her day:

Louisa 'burst forth in raptures of admiration and delight on the character of the navy - their friendliness, their brotherliness, their openness, their uprightness; protesting that she was convinced of sailors having more worth and warmth than any other set of men in England; that they only knew how to live, and they only deserved to be respected and loved'.

A man like Riou, famous for his 'Guardian' exploit, not to mention the flashing dark eyes, would have fulfilled the role of a modern day pop star.

As a sideline, have you a copy of Captain Riou's will? Or the website of a descendant of one of the 'Guardian' convicts which has a picture of the ship painted by Captain Riou? Even if you have, I thought I'd post them as others might be interested.

http://www.geocities.com/winsomegriffin/HenryCone.html (Scroll down for the painting)

http://www.captaincooksociety.com/ccsu4536.htm

I am very curious about the writing box and papers which he directs in his will to be delivered 'unopened' to his 'esteemed friend' Mrs Charlotte Hartwell.

A final point - and apologies for the length of this post - Ludovic Kennedy in 'Nelson and his Captains' quotes an additional sentence to Byam Martin's striking portrait of Riou:

'There was an innate modesty in the man which made him utterly unconscious of the admiration with which he was regarded by all classes'.

Maybe Nagle's view was an exceptional one.

Oh you never need to apologize for a reply that contains so much valuable information - the longer the better.

The "unopened box" to be delivered to Mrs Charlotte Hartwell has been intriguing me for years now. I have never been able to track any reference to women in Riou's life besides his mother and sister and that to Mrs Hartwell. However, she seems to have been friend to the family, but ...

The connection with Charlotte may have been the mainspring of Riou's "interest" during his career in the RN.

Anna Charlotte Maria, daughter of Captain Jonn Elphinstone RN, Vice Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Russian Fleet, was married to Captain Francis John Hartwell RN in 1781. Hartwell was knighted in 1802 when he stood proxy for Lord Keith (the other Elphinstone) at the instalation of Knights of the Bath. He was created a baronet in 1805. After being Commissioner at Sheerness and Chatham, and Commissioner of the Navy, he was superannuated as a Captain in 1814.

There are some interesting observations (towards the end - keep reading!) about the art of 'spectacle' in the late 18th century theatre - with a reference to sea scenes. De Loutherbourg, who was instrumental in developing the art, worked at both Covent Garden and Drury Lane, so he might have had some input into the 'Guardian' spectacle.

http://info.anu.edu.au/mac/Newsletters_ ... _movie.asp

W.H. Fitchett's essay on Riou to be found in 'Nelson and his Captains' can be read here:

http://www.archive.org/details/nelsonhiscaptain00fitc

The book was published in 1902, not 1911 - that's the date of my copy. The style is very dated and the content is a celebration rather than a critical analysis of Riou's career. The 'broken hand' incident, for example, is described thus: 'Riou, in toiling with a gang of 'idlers' - chaplain, purser, etc - in throwing cargo overboard, had his hand crushed.'

Nevertheless, it is an interesting read, and, if you haven't read it, there may be the odd snippet that you haven't come across.

There is the vivid record of the boatswain published in the 'Historical Records of New South Wales', idiosyncratic spelling and all. 'The commander had a strong resolution, for he said he would soner go down in the ship than he wold quid hur.'

Riou's letter to the Admiralty Secretary, written on Christmas Day, is a brief masterpiece of chivalry and dignity:

H.M.[sic] Guardian 25th Decr., 1789. Lat 44 deg. S; Long. 40 deg. East.


Sir,

If ever any part of the officers or crew of the Guardian should ever survive to get home, I have only to say their conduct after the fatal stroke against an Island of Ice was admirable and wonderful in everything that related to their duties, considered either as private men or his Majesty's service.

As there seems to be no possibility of my remaining many hours in this world, I beg leave to recommend to the consideration of the Admiralty, a sister, who if my conduct or services should be found deserving any memory, their favour might be shown to her, together with a widowed mother.

I am, Sir, remaining with great respect,
Your ever Obedt. and humble servant,

E. Riou


I imagined (ridiculous!) Riou walking off his ship looking as he did in his portrait. However, a spectator (unnamed) at Cape Town recorded, 'They looked like men from another world - long beards, dirt and rags covered them.’

Interestingly, Fitchett notes that also on the Guardian was Midshipman Pitt, the son of Lord Camelford. There was much rejoicing at his survival, after his having been feared dead, but of course he had a rackety career subsequently, and eventually died in a duel.