by reason of the attraction of surfaces, ascends between the cap and nipple, and wets the powder in it; so that the clumsy alternative of the tallow and rosin must be resorted to. I advise him to let well enough alone, and not say anything more of one of the most eccentric and pernicious theories, which ever could tend to invalidate the efficiency of a modern army, or depreciate the means it possesses to so full an extent of annoying and crippling an enemy. His Reverence with his percussion powder also, (like Schwartz the monk, who invented the original composition,) will at last perceive, that Providence made men upright, but they have sought out many inventions. If we could catch a mastodon or megatherium on the banks of the Wabash, it is probable a better fortune could be made by showing it, than poor Mr. Birkbeck did by living in a log-house, and we might then be made assistant-professors of geology to Professor Buckland, or Mr. Sedgwick. Heaven and earth only know what revolutions our empire might not undergo by feeding on kangaroo mutton-chops, and tame guanas. At the assemblies we might hear--your ladyship's elephant stops the way; the Countess of St. Alban's baboons are next. The Derby might be run for by unicorns. As we teach leopards to hunt tigers, we might harness a pair of whales to a Greenland ship, for the purpose of blowing up their fraternity with Congreve rockets. Our packets to Bombay might sail with a team of sharks, instead of a couple of steam-engines. Mr. Whippy might be troubled to contrive a saddle for a dolphin. Turtle would be naturalized in our own country by the Court of Aldermen, in the Regent's Canal, or the New River, and a boa constrictor be made into soups or fricassees. AN OLD LIGHT-BOB. TRAITS AND INCIDENTS, NAVAL AND MILITARY. SOME OF THE SERVICES OF JOHN SOLOMON, ONE OF THE GIGS OF THE PALLAS AND IMPERIEUSE. THE grandfather of John Solomon was accidentally killed in the York man-of-war, of which he was carpenter: his son Edward, a shipwright in Plymouth Dockyard, was killed on the Hannibal on duty. At eleven years of age, his only son, John Solomon, was entered in the same yard: at seventeen he volunteered into the Pallas, and in that ship and the Imperieuse, served nine years and five months, during which period he was engaged in the services detailed, and received thirteen wounds. He was in the gig at the destruction of the fleet in Basque Roads; was re-entered in the yard in 1815, as a labourer, where he is now in the lowest class, for there are grades: though he is an active and efficient seaman of forty-two years of age, he never had any pension. Such are the rewards of the brave! SERVICES. J. W. Volunteered in cutting out of Almeira Bay, a ship letter-of-marque of fourteen guns, with five sail of merchant vessels, five men killed, fourteen wounded. In cutting out a gun-boat and merchant-brig at Cape Palos. Ditto, a national sloop and schooner from a bay six miles to the eastward of the Bay of Rosas. In boarding off Corsica a piratical ship, mounting six guns ; carried with a loss of three killed and six wounded. In launching and taking off three merchant vessels from the coast of Calabria. In taking and destroying Palinore with nine gun-boats; launched and carried off thirty sail of vessels. In cutting out a merchant brig from Minorca, and destroying the barracks. In taking and destroying Port Dantzic, with its batteries, and bringing out twelve merchant vessels. In cutting out of Quiberon Bay a merchant vessel, protected by a six-gun battery. In beating off an attack of 1100 men while storming Trinity Castle, in the Bay of Rosas, which was kept fourteen days. In taking Mount Gat, garrisoned by a company of soldiers, sixty in number, commanded by a captain and lieutenant, and destroying a two-gun battery and signal-house. In destroying with the gig only, two merchant vessels between Rochfort and Bourdeaux. In cutting out a ship on the coast of Spain with the gig only. In the expedition at Flushing. In the fire-ships that burnt the French ships in Basque Roads. In cutting out a ship, mounting eight guns, under the protection of a four-gun battery, at Valentia, on the coast of Spain. In cutting out of Palamos Bay a Spanish ship, under the protection of two towers, of two guns each. Since being in the Dockyard, jumped overboard and saved the life of a young man, a shipwright, who had fallen overboard from His Majesty's ship Superb, in harbour. "I do hereby testify that the above is a most correct account, and is not more than one-half the services this good and brave man has seen while under the command of the Right Hon. Lord Cochrane and the Hon. Capt. Duncan. One instance I beg to state that he has omitted. While on shore, in the Bay of Rosas, fifty French drove in about one hundred and forty Spaniards, when Solomon and seven more of the gigs went out from the citadel, and drove the French back with loss, having only one man severely wounded of ours. I humbly beg to recommend him as a brave, sober, good man, and worthy every encouragement, and will be an acquisition to any ship he may serve in. "Given under my hand, this 2nd day of April 1828. "WILLIAM BURNEY, "Gunner of H. M. S. Britannia, late Imperieuse, with Lord Cochrane and Capt. Duncan." HAULING DOWN A FRENCHMAN'S JACK. MR. EDITOR,-When men of high rank in the Army and Navy distinguish themselves by acts of heroism, a thousand pens and millions of voices are put forth to laud their achievements; but the humble aspirant, the obscure hero, who performs the most gallant deeds, falls * West of Toulon. upon the field of glory with no other fame than being placed on the list of killed, save, perhaps, in the affectionate remembrance of some comrade, or messmate, who retains a lively recollection of the manner in which the hero died. If the following little narrative should be deemed worthy a place in your Journal, it will probably be an inducement to me, at some future period, to furnish you with some more of a similar nature. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, Portsmouth, 5th Oct. 1831. When His Majesty's Ship Tonnant was in close action with the French Rear-Admiral's ship Algesiras, the latter had her bowsprit over the chess-tree of the former, so as to admit of a raking fire from the Tonnant, which did great mischief to the enemy. The fore-top of the Algesiras was full of French riflemen, who commanded, by an incessant fire, the upper decks of the Tonnant, which the marines on the poop, and officers and men on the quarter-deck, were suffering from considerably. In the midst of this carnage, an ordinary seaman, named Fitzgerald, made his way from the main rigging of the Tonnant, by the sprit sail-yard of the enemy, to the bowsprit of the Algesiras, and with his knife cut down the French jack, amidst the loud cheers of his shipmates, and the shouts and groans of the Frenchmen. Notwithstanding the heavy fire of musketry, and many hand-grenades thrown out of the fore-top of the enemy, he had regained the main rigging of the Tonnant, where his gallant exploit terminated from a grenade which struck him in the back: he sunk between the two ships, with the tri-coloured winding-sheet under his arm, accompanied by the admiration and regret of every officer and man in the ship. This fine fellow was an Irishman, of the humblest origin; but the greatest man of the great house of Fitzgerald never displayed more intrepidity or coolness in the hour of danger, than this poor Fitzgerald did. A RESURRECTION. MR. EDITOR,—Should you consider the enclosed anecdote worthy of a place in the United Service Journal," it is at your service. I witnessed the burial of Carnes, and have often heard Hullock tell the story. I am, &c. Manchester, October 11th, 1831. ASAPH SHAW, Lieut. 31st Regt. In 1799 the 31st regiment was serving in Holland, and at Egmontup-Zee crossed bayonets with the French regiment bearing the same number; a ball fired during the retreat of the latter regiment passed through the jaws of a soldier of the 31st named Robert Hullock; in the course of the afternoon he was buried in the sand hill where he had fallen, by a soldier of his regiment named John Carnes. During the night Hullock recovered, and having been but lightly covered with sand, crept out and crawled to a picket of his regiment posted near. He was sent to hospital, recovered, and was serving with his regiment in Malta in 1809. His face having been much disfigured, and his voice scarcely intelligible (a part of his tongue and palate having been carried away) he had for some years served as pioneer to his company; a soldier of it died, and Hullock, as a part of his duty, dug the grave, in which he was found, on the arrival of the body for interment, still at work, though then near ten feet deep. On being drawn out and asked his reason for making it so unusually deep, he replied "Why, Sir, it's for poor John Carnes who buried me, and I think, Sir, if I get him that deep, it will puzzle him to creep out as I did." On the burial service being read, he proceeded to fill up the grave, and actually buried the man who ten years previously had buried him. Hullock was discharged and pensioned in 1814. S. THE ACTION OF BENEVENTE, AND CAPTURE OF GEN. LE FEVRE. In a letter from a Corporal of the 7th Hussars. MR. EDITOR,-The following is the copy of a letter, written by John Lomax (who was a corporal in the 7th Hussars,) to his sister, on his arrival in England after the battle of Corunna. He was born of respectable parents in the parish of Dean, near Bolton, in Lancashire, and received some education in a free grammar-school (called Dixon Green,) in the same parish. His father was a soldier, and as he wished to follow the same profession, he enlisted about his twentieth year, and was afterwards engaged in the battle of Corunna; I have read your useful and entertaining Journal from its commencement, and if you think the following letter worthy of a place in its pages, it would much oblige, W. G. Bolton, Sept. 9th, 1831. DEAR SISTER,-I avail myself of the earliest opportunity of informing you of my safe return from Spain, after there suffering a long and fatiguing march of above 900 miles, over roads that were very mountainous, which we had to travel night and day. We arrived at Corunna on the 8th of November, disembarked on the 10th, and began our weary march on the 15th. We joined Gen. Moore's army at Toro, about 300 miles from Corunna, and from Toro we proceeded to the province of Salamanca. On the 23rd of December we turned out at seven o'clock at night in order to have a general engagement by break of day on the 24th; the roads were very bad, and the weather cold, as the snow was so deep that it was almost impossible to march. We could not get our infantry or artillery up in time in the morning in consequence of the snow, which prevented our attacking them, but on the 24th the French received considerable reinforcements, which made us retreat on the night of the 24th. On Christmas morning a party of our regiment engaged one of their pickets, four to one in number against us, but we either took or killed them all, except two that made their escape. Our Colonel had his arm broken when making a cut at a French officer: we then retreated to Benevente. On the 29th the French cavalry crossed a river about two miles from the town ; we had destroyed the bridge, but it was fordable; there were only our pickets there at the time. We sent into the town to acquaint Lord Paget, but we charged them three times before he came with our regiments, the 10th, 15th, 18th, and 3rd German Legion; the pickets consisted of a party from each cavalry regiment, each finding an equal number for duty the night before, about 100 altogether. They came over a quarter of a mile from where we were posted, and formed in front of us; we gave them three cheers, which they returned; we charged them, and they met us sword in hand. When we closed with them there was not a word heard to be spoken, but cutting away as fast as possible for about ten minutes; but they were too powerful for us in numbers, which made us fall back about 200 yards and form again; they could not form so soon as we, their numbers were so great; we charged them again before they could form and front us, cutting right and left for fifteen minutes, when we fell back as before, leaving each time several of our men killed and wounded. In this charge I received a cut in the head. We formed again, thinking not to charge them any more until Lord Paget came with the regiments in town, but kept skirmishing with them; at length they charged us, and we met them full charge, (though small in number to them,) cutting away as before, many fell, but more on their side than ours. By this time Lord Paget had nearly come up with our regiments, the 10th, 15th, 18th, and 3rd German Legion. The French saw them coming, and began to fall back whilst we were in their ranks; they were six deep, many of whom we cut down in the river, what were not killed were drowned, that fell off in charge. I had another cut in the head, but neither of any consequence. I was well satisfied, for we took their commanding officer, Gen. LeFevre. I made a cut at him, but he would not give himself up; he got wounded in the back of the neck; he soon gave up his sword, and I caught his bridle reins and dismounted him. I did not think that fighting was such hard work, but it is the hardest work I ever was at ; but I never had better sport in my life. The French are very artful in giving point with their long swords; these men were Bonaparte's Guards, never beaten before, but we let them know we were Englishmen. They formed on the other side of the water; we brought two guns to bear upon them with spiritual (spherical) case shot, which laid some of them low, and made the others go over the hills which were close by; from the hills they sent us a few shells and balls, but they did no damage. After the engagement was over I had several cuts in my pelisse, my cap was so cut that I could not put it on again, and a pistol shot had gone through it about an inch above my head. We then retreated to Corunna, 300 miles more; many of our men died through fatigue and hunger; on the hills near Villa Franca there were several men, two women, and a child, tired and hungry, frozen to death. There was a general engagement three days at Corunna, on the 15th, 16th, and 17th of January; there were few of the cavalry on shore at that time. I was not twenty yards from Gen. Moore when he fell by a cannon-shot-I was at the time orderly to Gen. Slade this was on the 16th; I embarked on the 17th and arrived at Plymouth on the 23rd. We are now at Exeter, but where the rest of the regiment is I do not know, but I believe what are left of them are at Portsmouth. There is one transport vessel wrecked with seventy of our men and three officers on board. There are 31 of us here and not a single horse, and our appearance is pitiable enough, as we are quite ragged. My duty to father and mother, and love to brother and sisters, Your loving and affectionate brother, Exeter, Feb. 6th, 1809. JOHN LOMAX, Corporal 7th Hussars. |