the Red Sea, and thence southwards, examining both coasts as they went. Near Bender Gam, in Somali Land, they were attacked by the natives, taken prisoners, and detained until their ransom was duly paid. Dr. Heuglin, who had been severely wounded, crossed over to Aden and returned to Cairo, whilst Tegetthoff pursued his investigations by himself. In an open boat, and against the north-easterly monsoon of the Gulf of Aden, he crossed over to Makallah, coasted along to Ras Fartak, and crossed again to Socotra. After exploring this island, he went back to Aden, and so to Egypt and to Europe.
Whilst at Aden he received his promotion to the rank of captain of the third class; and after serving on shore at Trieste for a few months, he was, in the autumn of 1858, appointed to the command of the screw corvette "Erzherzog Fried rich," and sent to the coast of Morocco to inquire after the crew of a merchant ship wrecked there, who were said to have been carried as slaves into the interior. What with the Spanish war, the wanton attacks of some French ships and the threatening neighborhood of an English squadron, the whole coast was in a very disturbed state, and any Europeans, Austrians or others, thrown helpless on shore, would certainly be condemned to slavery if not to death. The "Erzherzog Friedrich" had examined the whole coast of Morocco east of the Straits without obtaining any tidings of the castaways. Before going west she put into Gibraltar for letters, and received orders to return at once to the Adriatic. War with France and Italy was imminent, and the safety of the ship, as well as the defence of the home ports, rendered her immediate recall necessary.
In the Adriatic, however, nothing was done. The French fleet, in overpowering force, swept the sea, but was not at first strong enough to attack Venice. Afterwards, when a number of floating batteries and ships of the line had been brought round, Louis Napoleon judged it opportune to send an autographic note to Franz Joseph; and on the basis of this, peace was shortly afterwards concluded. During this time the Austrian fleet was altogether unequal to any offensive measures, though such were indeed proposed. Admiral Jurien de la Gravière, who commanded the ships which instituted the blockade, tells us that
- The officers of the Austrian squadron were full of ardor; they were, even then, the same brave officers who afterwards triumphed at Lissa. They asked to be led out. They felt humiliated by the blockade: they would endeavor to raise it. But the archduke would not venture his fleet. If it should be lost, Austria would never sanction its being replaced. He chose rather to follow the example set by the defenders of Sebastopol, and applied himself to prevent our approaching the town. The line-of-battle ship "Kaiser," which had been lately launched at Pola, was anchored in mid-channel; and instead of completing her equipment, arrangements were made to sink her at once, if necessary, so as to close the only passage available for ships having even a moderate draught of water.[1]
We are told that amongst those anxious to make a dash against the French squadron Tegetthoff was conspicuous: and it seems not improbable that a man of courage and resource, such as he afterwards proved himself to be, might have cut off some of the small cruisers or store-ships in the Adriatic, and have made an unexpected diversion by an attack on the coast of France. But the attempt was not permitted; and till the close of the war the "Erzherzog Friedrich" remained as inactive as the other ships.
After the peace Tegetthoff was appointed aide-de-camp to the archduke, and in this capacity accompanied him to Brazil on board the steamer "Kaiserin Elizabeth." The account of this voyage has been written at great length by the archduke himself. Apart from the circumstance of its being the journal of a prince and emperor — round whose name such a halo of romance has circled — it is a very commonplace record of travel, and has here no special interest beyond describing to us how the archduke and his aide-de-camp T —— were ducked on crossing the line, and reminding us of the bond of union between Tegetthoff and the head of the Austrian navy. Of the two, Tegetthoff was five years the senior; he was altogether the stronger intellect, and there seems reason to believe that the relation between them was that of friend to friend rather than of commander to admiral, or of lordling to prince. It is certain that there was a close intimacy, and the archduke was able to advance his friend's interests at the same time that he advanced "those of the service.
On their return from Brazil, Tegetthoff was, on April 24, 1860, made a captain of the second class, and in this rank he commanded the frigate "Radetzky" in the Levant until the autumn of 1861, when she was put out of commission. On November 3 following he was advanced to the
- ↑ La Marine d'Aujourd'hui, p. 158.
