THE ADMIRALTY. IT occurred to me, that the introduction of a few brief notices of the several administrations of the affairs of the Navy, under which, amounting to thirteen, Whig and Tory, I have served for forty years, and in all of which I must necessarily have borne a part, might not be considered as travelling out of the record of a Biographical Life. It is not, however, intended, by so doing, to give anything like a history of the naval transactions of that period, or of the many brilliant exploits that occurred in the course of a great portion of that time, each of such exploits and transactions furnishing, it may be said, a history of itself. I thought it might be interesting to bring together the names of the chief actors in the Principal Department of the Navy, the succession, duration, changes, and the cause thereof, where apparent; and to notice any alteration in the system of management that may have taken place; and, as next in weight and importance, I have added at the head of each article, after that of the First Lord, the name of the First Naval Lord, and of the First Secretary, who is required to have a seat in the House of Commons. I have acted as Second Secretary to all of them, with the exception of Lord Grey's short administration. May 15, 1804-June 12, 1805. ..... • On our arrival in London, General Frank Dundas, in laying before Lord Hobart, Secretary of State for War and Colonies, the public accounts and the proceedings on delivering up the Cape of Good Hope to the Dutch authorities, represented to his Lordship the several extra duties I had voluntarily discharged, with great inconvenience and expense to myself, and his inability to make me suitable amends, though the services were public and important; he hoped, therefore, I should be considered, for my six or seven years' services, entitled to some retiring allowance. Lord Hobart could only express his regret that he found his hands tied on that subject, he thought unjustly, but the precedent of refusal had been established by his predecessors, and had become the general custom (methought, with Hamlet, it is a custom more honoured in the breach than in the observance): all he could say was, that he should be most happy to make Mr. Barrow an offer of the first vacancy abroad that might suit him. This might pass for something civil : but I was more disposed to take my chance at home. I considered, therefore, that nothing further was to be expected from that quarter; but General Dundas did not relax his exertions in my behalf. In point of fact, Lord Macartney had turned me over to the General, as being one on whom he might rely for assistance in any difficulty that should occur; for that I knew the country and the people better than any other of our countrymen; and I may truly say that the General did not spare me. He now spoke strongly to his uncle Henry Dundas, who, though equally out of office with his friend Mr. Pitt, was not without influence. As already mentioned, Mr. Dundas, on reading my account of Southern Africa, had, in my absence, urged its publication; he now expressed to the General a wish to see me- "If you will bring him to-morrow, Mr. Pitt dines with me." I went, and nothing could be more flattering than my reception; he spoke of the satisfaction which my book had afforded him, that it strongly corroborated the opinion he had given in Parliament, that the Cape of Good Hope ought never to be parted with; but he suggested that I had left rather short one portion of the subject, which he had always considered of vast importance to this country: and that was, its geographical position with reference to India, as a half-way house between our settlements there and England; as a place of refreshment for our shipping and troops; its capabilities for supplying all kinds of produce; its ports and harbours along a great extent of sea-coast favourable to commercial enterprise. "These," he said, "with its capacities in general, which you know better than I do, are the points to which I allude, and which will, I think and hope, amply supply materials for a second volume." I took the hint, and said, "I will look up what information I possess, and endeavour to meet your views;" which I forthwith set about, and speedily produced a second volume, detailing the political, geographical, and commercial advantages of this Southern part of Africa, which had the effect of producing a second edition of the first volume. Nothing could be more delightful than this little snug party. The names of Pitt and Dundas were "familiar as household words," and the two had been as inseparable as their friendship was durable. They were now at Wimbledon for a season, and being relieved from the cares and toils of office, were as playful as two school-boys. Lady Jane Dundas and another lady, with two gentlemen of the family, the General, and myself, made up the party. Mr. Dundas asked me if I knew that the new Government had offered to Lord Macartney the office of President of the Council, and that he had declined it, assigning to his friends as a reason that he was sure Mr. Addington's government could not stand. It soon appeared that Lord Macartney was right. It had continued about three years, and in the spring of 1804 Mr. Pitt resumed the office of First Lord of the Treasury, and Mr. Dundas (now Viscount Melville) was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, his patent bearing date 15th May, 1804. A short time after this, when dining with Lord Macartney, he was called away by Lord Melville in the midst of the dinner, but returned speedily, without taking any notice of the visit he had received at that unusual hour; and as ladies are said to be curious when anything unusual occurs to their lords, so Lady Macartney expressed to Mrs. Barrow her wonder what could have brought Lord Melville at that hour—something, no doubt, about the new ministry then forming or already formed. Nothing, however, transpired that evening; but about twelve o'clock that same night, just as I had gone to bed, came a note from Lord Macartney to say, "You must be at the Admiralty tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, and send your name up to Mr. Marsden." I went accordingly, anxious, as may be supposed, to know what was going on. Mr. Marsden took me by the hand and cordially congratulated me. I asked for what? He seemed surprised, and said, "Don't you know that you are appointed my colleague, the Second Secretary of the Admiralty, in the room of Mr. Tucker, whose services Lord Melville has deemed it right to dispense with, on account of his well-known partisanship? But," he added, "Lord Melville desired to see you the moment you came, and he is now in his room." On being ushered in, "I am happy," he said, "to have had it in my power to give you the appointment of Second Secretary of the Admiralty. I am fully aware of the many important services you rendered to my nephew, after Lord Macartney had turned over to him the government of the Cape of Good Hope. I was very desirous of meeting the wishes of that nobleman on your account, and I have already told you that I have been much gratified with what you have written regarding that important settlement, which I have little doubt will speedily revert to us. Being all new here, I need not say how much pressed Marsden finds himself, with the only two lords that have yet joined-old Sir Philip Stephens and Captain James Gambier. Your appointment is made out, and the sooner you put yourself |