Forty Years of 'Spy'

Old Lord Londonderry hearing that he was not to be allowed to escape my eagle eye, sent me an invitation to visit him at Plas Machynlleth, he promised that I should have every opportunity of making a caricature, and at the same time he begged that I would not let him off in any way. So in due course I went down to Wales, and well do I remember the first morning of my visit. I came down a trifle earlier than the hour announced for breakfast, and walked absent-mindedly down the stairs and into the hall, and had said, "Good morning" before I realized that I had stepped into the midst of family prayers. I felt an awful fool. However, in spite of the episode I spent quite a long and most enjoyable time at Plas Machynlleth. Lord Londonderry was a most delightful host, he showed me his estate and took me to every place of interest near, and both he and Lady Londonderry were so kind that the pleasant time I spent there remains in my memory. While there I made a drawing of Lady Eileen Vane Tempest, now Lady Allandale, which was much appreciated by her mother. As Lord Londonderry had expressed a wish that I should not spare him in any detail I drew him taking snuff as was his habit, and even his gouty knuckles are suggested in the caricature. His lack of self-consciousness and refreshing sense of humour completed a personality that was for me at any rate delightful.

CHAPTER XII

VOYAGE ON H.M.S. HERCULES

Sir Reginald Macdonald's caricature.—H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh's invitation.—The Lively.—The Hercules.—Admiral Sir William Hewitt.—Irish excursions.—The Channel Squadron.—Fishing party at Loch Brine.—The young Princes arrive on the Bacchante.—Cruise to Vigo.—The "Night Alarm".—The Duke as bon voyageur.—Vigo.—The Birthday picnic.—A bear-fight on board the Hercules.—Homeward bound.—Good-bye.—The Duke's visit to my studio.

In July, 1880, I received an invitation from H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh to go for a cruise as his guest on board H.M.S. Hercules, which he commanded, and which was the flag-ship of the Reserve Squadron.

It was not an opportunity to lose, although one which had arrived by chance. It happened that Admiral Sir Reginald Macdonald, a great favourite at court and in society generally, was a victim of mine in Vanity Fair. I had known him previously, and always found him most cheerful and entertaining, but on the publication of the cartoon his merriment frizzled away, and he became severe.

A letter arrived from him upbraiding me, and saying it was not the act of a friend to depict him as a drunkard. In short it was quite a furious epistle, and revealed him in an altogether new light.

I wrote at once in the endeavour to persuade him that his idea concerning the caricature was entirely misconceived, but some days had elapsed bringing no answer when one morning he dashed into my studio with a most injured air, and so full of his grievance that he did not observe his great friend the Duke of Hamilton, who was sitting to me for his portrait at the time.

"Hullo, Rim![8 - R.I.M. (Initials of Sir Reginald Macdonald which became his nickname).] What's up?" inquired the Duke, whereupon my victim appealed for his opinion on my treatment of him; but he received only chaff in place of the sympathy he expected and very soon he withdrew. On the next day he called again as I was at my work, and his demeanour seemed altogether calmer: "Here is a letter I have brought you to read," he said. "It is lucky for you that opinions differ."

The letter was from the Prince of Wales and ran as follows:—

"My dear Rim,

"I have to-day seen your excellent portrait in Vanity Fair, do you think you could procure for me the original drawing as I should so much like to possess it."

After reading the Prince's letter and being aware of Sir Reginald's feeling in the matter, and also knowing that Mr. Gibson Bowles was the owner of the drawing I thought it diplomatic to make an alternative suggestion, which was to offer to draw a new sketch of him for presentation in full uniform and cocked hat.

The idea pleased him, and when it was completed he took it himself to Marlborough House. Not only did it meet with the approval of the royal recipient, but the Duke of Edinburgh, who happened to be there at the time, was so pleased with it that he wanted one done of himself like it, and this led to the invitation for the cruise of which I am writing. To quote Sir Reginald's letter to me he says, "The Duke of Edinburgh considers your sketch the best drawn, and without exception the most wonderfully like he ever saw, and in consequence he will be very glad indeed if you will come for a cruise as his guest during the following dates, etc...."

Previous to making a start I received instructions from Captain Le Strange, A.D.C., who was to pilot the Duke's guests to Bantry Bay on H.M.S. (despatch boat) Lively. In his letter he informed me that Admiral Sir William Hewitt, Admiral Hardinge, and Mr. Wentworth-Cole would be of the party on the Hercules; that he thought it would be a most jovial one, and that if I were a fair sailor I should enjoy the trip very much. He also said that H.R.H. had just taken his fleet of eight ships out for the first time, and that they seemed to work very well.

On July 10th, I started from Paddington by the afternoon train for Plymouth, and discovered in my vis-à-vis of the railway carriage, Mr. Wentworth-Cole. Captain Le Strange met us at Plymouth, and we dined at Devonport, and were escorted on board at 11.30 p.m. Shortly after we weighed anchor, the wind got up, and the yacht Lively did full credit to her name. Through Sunday and Monday it blew a big gale, and Admiral Hardinge did not show up on deck until we steamed into Bantry Bay, where I was relieved to see the ships coming in with us for I hoped for steadier boards to tread. On Monday evening, the two Admirals moved to the flag ship and Wentworth-Cole and I followed shortly afterwards. It was the first time I had boarded a man-of-war and the formalities of the quarter-deck were not less striking because I was still feeling somewhat rocky. However, the sound of the bugle seemed to pull me together, and the Duke, having received me most cordially escorted me to his state cabin to which my own was adjacent. It was evident that the comfort of his guests was to be well considered, as by this time I knew that a picked marine had already been selected to valet me, and information had leaked out that the services of an experienced cook from Gunters' had been obtained.

By degrees I became acquainted with the Captain and Commander and officers of the ship and I soon settled down.

On the following morning a trip had been arranged by H.R.H. for us to steam to Glengariff on the Lively. The weather was very fine and after an early breakfast on board her we set out (Mr. Mackenzie of Kintale joining us). It must have been quite three o'clock before we reached Glengariff, and sat down to lunch in the hotel. During our meal a young American visitor anxious to see if royalty ate like ordinary beings seated herself at a table adjoining ours, and fixed her eyes steadily upon the Duke. She even ordered marmalade to make believe it was her midday meal, but we were informed afterwards that she had lunched. Evidently her interest had not diminished, as when seeing us seated on the lawn drinking coffee, she refreshing herself in a similar way, drew up close to our party with the same inquisitive intention whilst taking it for granted that she also was a centre of interest to us. The proprietress gave her a hint and she vanished.

By this time we were replenished, and, after a stroll to Cromwell's Bridge, the owner of the hotel brought her book out for us to sign our names in, and on our departure presented not only the Duke, but each of us with a bouquet. Our host, Mr. Mackenzie, with his friends, proceeded to Killarney, while we returned on the Lively to Bantry.

The officers on board the Hercules were most friendly, and willing to help in giving me a good time. Every one was pleasant, and the chaff came readily, especially when I was supposed to discover from the stern walk where the rudder was. In time I became more accustomed to the routine, and learned to know when I might venture on the Captain's bridge, or pace the deck without getting in the way. Among the many interesting men whose acquaintance I made on the cruise was one Cole, a paymaster in the Navy and quite a character. He was a very clever amateur draughtsman, and had accompanied the Admiral on several of his cruises. His drawings brimmed over with humour, especially in a kind of log-book in which he sketched the event of the day which was greatly appreciated by H.R.H. He was full of fun and the favourite of all, but owing to a peculiarly deep-pitched voice, and a somewhat serious expression exaggerated by the fact that he wore blue glasses, some one had christened him "the Sepulchral."

Whilst the Reserve Squadron was anchored at Bantry waiting for the Channel Fleet to join us, much of the time was spent—when the Admiral was not engaged on duty—in taking trips on the Lively to various places, or on fishing excursions. There was the inspection of the coastguard station in the vicinity of Ballydonogan, and afterwards we went on to a place called Killmakillog to fish for trout on Glanmore Lake.

It was on the occasion of our trip to Waterville that a tramp, a rough looking customer, approached the Duke with a letter which H.R.H. passed on to me with the directions to give him half a crown.

The letter ran:—

To the Prince of Great Britain and Ireland.

"May it please your highness,

"That having served in the 88th of foot during the Crimea War and afterwards in the East India Mutiny—drink alone disqualified me for pension.

"I pray you will help to live one of her Majesty's loyal soldiers.

    "Daniel Moriarty."

The terrible Irish famine was nearly at an end. To the Duke had been allotted the mission of official inquiry and relief; but although much had been done officially to relieve the general suffering, on our daily trips we frequently came across cases of great distress, usually where the peasantry refused relief outside their own homes. During one round we came upon a particularly painful scene. Walking into an old cabin which was apparently empty, we discovered through the dim light which penetrated from a hole in the roof, the weird figure of a very old man scantily clothed in the meanest rags. Stretched upon the floor by his side lay a young boy in the same deplorable condition. The old man spoke a few words of welcome in a feeble voice, and the miserable lad tried to rise to come forward. It was the most painful scene I can remember, and it would have taken the genius and human understanding of Hogarth to depict in detail. Needless to say such a case of dire distress was immediately relieved.

The Duke of Edinburgh was most kind-hearted, and he did much personally as well as officially to relieve the distress in this district. I was told on the best authority that he distributed within a very short time over £200 from his private purse in individual cases of extreme need.

When the Channel Squadron under Admiral Hood (afterwards Lord Hood) joined us life on board became more ceremonious and eventful. Admiral Hood gave a dinner-party for the Duke on board the flag-ship Minotaur, and Admiral Hewitt accompanied H.R.H. During their absence I was inspired to caricature the latter. When they returned, the Duke took up my sketch, and it tickled his fancy immensely, in fact I had never seen him laugh so much. Sir William was getting very stout at the time, and I had noticed that he always fastened the bottom button of his jacket leaving the upper ones loose, doubtless with the intention to give an appearance of slimness to his waist. The effect was ludicrous, and I had endeavoured to put on paper my impression of it. I fear, however, that poor Sir William did not appreciate the joke.

The next day the Duke inspected some of the ships, and I was privileged to accompany him and found it a great opportunity to increase my knowledge. The combined fleets lying at anchor made a glorious naval picture. The ships were seventeen in all, of which I remember:—

Northumberland, Captain Wratislaw; Defence, Captain Thrupp; Valiant, Captain Charman; Audacious, Captain Woolcombe; Warrior, Captain Douglas; Achilles, Captain Heneage; Hercules (flag-ship), Captain Townsend; Lord Warden, Captain Indsay Brine; Hector, Captain Caster; Penelope, Captain Nicholson; Agincourt, Captain Buller; Minotaur (flag-ship), Captain Rawson; Salamis (despatch boat), Commander Fitzgeorge; Lively (despatch boat), Commander Le Strange.

I was introduced to several of the Captains, and among them were some whom I was destined to draw years after as Admirals for Vanity Fair.

On the evening of the inspection the Duke gave a return dinner-party on board the Hercules. Admiral Hood was, of course, the principal guest, and I had the privilege of being placed next him at dinner. The Hercules having no band of its own, that of the Minotaur was lent for the occasion, and several of the leading officers were present, notably Captain Heneage of the Achilles—known as "Pompo"—who was certainly the beau of the combined fleets. The immaculate appearance of this distinguished officer in these days at sea was certainly one of the distractions of the voyage, and as Admiral Sir Algernon Heneage, he is still to be seen in the West End, an ornament and a great favourite in London Society. Eventually he came to my studio and I made a characteristic drawing of him.

As we were still waiting for the Bacchante (with the young Princes on board) to join us, H.R.H. arranged a fishing excursion to Blackwater for an off day. Commander Le Strange was to conduct us. The Lively weighed anchor at 7 a.m., and we arrived at Blackwater at 10 o'clock. Unfortunately as a bag containing my fishing-rod, footgear and other articles of wearing apparel appropriate to a voyage of this kind had failed to reach me yet from Cork, I was altogether unprepared for the excursion. The Duke hearing of my predicament, very kindly offered to lend me a rod, at the same time he impressed me with the fact that he valued it greatly, and that I must take great care of it. It had been a birthday present given to him by the Prince Consort, and bore an inscription in silver to that effect.

Mr. Mahony, the landowner, drove to Blackwater to meet us, and from there took us to Loch Brine, where the fish were plentiful. He with H.R.H. went out in a boat to fish leaving us to pursue our sport from the bank. I scrambled on to a rock from which I cast my line, when alas the rubber soles on my shoes played me false, and I was in the water, and the rod in pieces. What was to be done? All sport was at end for me! I turned to my companion who advised me to say nothing about it, and give it to the coxswain to mend. In a weak moment I resolved to keep my own counsel, but imagine my consternation a little later, when the Admiral joined us for luncheon, and exclaimed, "You are a nice fellow, breaking my rod!"

I had quite forgotten how water carries sound. Every word of the discussion had been overheard by H.R.H. I was non-plussed and the matter passed off without further comment. Then we all sat down to lunch with a good appetite, but it was a poor day's sport for me, and we returned to the Lively, and dined at 9 o'clock.

The next day Mr. Mahony and his family came on board; later in the day we returned to Bantry, and shortly after the Bacchante came into the Bay. The young Princes lost no time in paying their respects to the Admiral, who at once invited them to dinner. I sat next to Prince Eddy who was a perfectly natural boy, and to my mind immensely tactful, for he immediately commenced to tell me of the success of my latest cartoon in Vanity Fair—which happened to be Lord Shrewsbury. On the next day the combined squadrons weighed anchor and started for the ten days' cruise to Vigo.

The naval evolutions and drill were exceedingly interesting to watch by day, and, on the second night out, came the great excitement of a "Night Alarm." This proceeding might be described as the supreme episode of naval drill. It may come at any moment, and although I was let into the secret it seemed to arrive with startling suddenness to me. We were at dinner when the alarm was given. "There's not a moment to be lost," said the Duke. "Stick to me and we'll go down." A fleeting impression of the blue jackets and marines turning out of their hammocks like one man, then in a flash every officer gave his word of command—All hands were at the guns—Every man in his place!—Lights out! and so on.

On Saturday the weather turned stormy, and I found that even a man-of-war didn't glide smoothly through a rough sea in the Bay of Biscay; and, although I managed to put in an appearance at Church service on Sunday, I thought it more discreet to remain in my cabin during the gale; but on Monday the Duke, finding that I didn't appear at the luncheon table, sent for me, and with difficulty I dragged myself to my place.

"Now," said he, "I am going to be your doctor, and you must take the prescription I give you. It is the only cure for sea-sickness." So at his suggestion I drank one glass of champagne and presently another, but when it came to the third proposal I politely declined, for although the first two glasses had a most comforting effect "yet another" would have proved the last straw. "Very well," said he, in mock sternness, "when you want medical aid in future don't come to me for it." But I was better.

We continued our voyage with three incidents on the way. A man overboard—the funeral of a stoker on board the Hector, which was impressive, the court-martial of an offender on the Defence, and a sudden dense fog that came on suddenly when the ships were manœuvring and crossing one another. Every light was ordered out, and I went on the bridge where I found both Sir William Hewitt and the Captain. The former, who realized the danger of the situation, and who was always ready with chaff, said to me:

"You had better go down to your cabin and get a wicker chair ready for emergency. There will be no life-belt for you in case of a collision as there are only just enough for the crew and of course they come first."

I needn't say that the precaution didn't recommend itself to me. I thought to myself if the ship goes down I shall go with her; but the fog cleared off quite suddenly, and although three of the ships were lost to sight they turned up in the morning.

During the cruise I heard on all sides how highly regarded the Duke of Edinburgh was as a seaman and a commanding officer, and he was undoubtedly much liked by those with whom he came in close contact. To his guests on board he was kindness itself, and he could be most entertaining. He told us his experiences of boyhood, how he had been treated just as any other middy, and subject to their backslidings also if one might judge by the account of severe punishments which had their place in the stories. He talked much of Russia, and told us how well the palace was guarded, that none but members of the Imperial Family were allowed to enter by the principal entrance, and that on one occasion he, being unrecognized by a sentry was challenged, and that he had to beat an ignominious retreat, and go round by the equerries' door. Not only were his experiences and travels most interesting, but he had an extraordinary good ear for dialect; with him a good yarn lost nothing in the telling, and he could hit off a type in a very few words. When he had an half-hour to spare in the evenings we would play a game I introduced of "drawing consequences," which is played in much the same way as the ordinary schoolroom game, except that one fills the required space with contributory drawing in place of the usual words. H.R.H. came out well under its inspiration, and the combined results of our drawings were occasionally very amusing.

One evening he produced a crystal and inset was a very tiny portrait of Dowager Empress of Russia, which the company mistook for a miniature, and thought it marvellous that any human eye could see to produce it. I at once detected that a photograph was behind it, and that it was in fact a very minutely reduced and tinted photograph. I am afraid I destroyed the general illusion. The Duke smiled, he was very sincere in his love of art, and particularly proud of the talent of his sister the Princess Royal—Empress Frederick of Germany, whose pictures he spoke of in the highest terms, an opinion which I had heard frequently endorsed.

On Thursday we sighted the Spanish coast, and on Friday there was a big drill and evolutions; and on Saturday the Fleet arrived in Vigo Bay at 12 o'clock. Of course the two flag-ships were the centre of interest, and on our arrival there was the usual demonstration in connection with naval events. The Duke received visits from officials, and in the afternoon gave me his first sitting. It was a splendid evening. H.R.H. gave a big dinner-party. The Minotaur band came over to the Hercules, and there was a fine display of fireworks ashore and the bay was illuminated by the flashes from the search-lights, and the general appearance of the Fleet enlivened by the movements of boats and pinnaces going to and fro between ships and shore.

In celebration of his birthday (August 6th) the Duke had arranged a picnic for the Princes and their middy friends, Mr. Dalton (the Prince's tutor) Cole, who as usual brought his sketch book with him, Wentworth-Cole, and Commander Le Strange were also of the party, but the presiding spirit was the Duke in his best form, full of fun, and most anxious that the boys should have a good time.

On our journey out in the pinnace I remember that Wentworth-Cole was the victim of a practical joke instigated by me for the amusement of the Royal Middies. He was wearing a hat with several ventilatory holes on the summit of the crown. It suddenly occurred to me that these would make suitable receptacles for matches; so, when he was engrossed in the scenery, I found an opportunity of filling them up, in which occupation Prince George lent willing aid. When a chance came I lighted the heads of the matches, but hearing a titter, Wentworth-Cole turned round, discovered the plot, and saved the situation.