Royal Naval Biography/Lind, James
SIR JAMES LIND,
A Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath.
[Post-Captain of 1804.]
This officer received his first commission in 1778; and served as senior Lieutenant of the Princess Royal a second rate, forming part of Lord Hood’s fleet, during the operations at Toulon, in 1793[1]. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place in 1795.
On the 5th Dec. 1800, Captain Lind, then commanding the Wilhelmina troop-ship, sailed from England for the Red Sea, in company with a squadron sent thither, under Sir Home Popham, to assist in the frustration of the designs of republican France, which was afterwards so successfully accomplished by the Anglo-Turkish forces in Egypt, as already mentioned in the course of this work.
Captain Lind’s next appointment was to the Sheerness 44, in which ship he captured, by stratagem, l’Alfred, French privateer, of 14 guns and 80 men. Observing l’Alfred in chase of the Sheerness, he disguised her as much as possible, and by standing away from his pursuer, and setting and taking in sail in the style of a merchantman, completed the deception, and ensured the capture of the enemy. After a short chase, the privateer ranged upon his quarter, fired a broadside, and commanded him to strike. Her summons was answered by a fire which killed 3 and wounded 6 of l’Alfred’s crew, when the astonished Frenchmen immediately hauled down their colours. The Sheerness fortunately had not a man hurt. This little affair occurred off Point de Galle, May 5, 1804: Captain Lind’s post commission had been confirmed at home on the 6th March preceding.
On the 17th Sept. in the same year, the French Rear-Admiral Linois, who had some time before been defeated by the homeward bound China fleet, seized on some country boats off Masulipatam, who gave him intelligence of Captain Lind’s former ship, the Wilhelmina, having left that place a few days previous for Vizagapatam road, with the Princess Charlotte Indiaman under her protection. Expecting to obtain some compensation for his late disappointment, M. Linois immediately proceeded thither, and the following day commenced a furious attack upon the Centurion of 50 guns, which ship Vice-Admiral Rainier had a few days before substituted for the Wilhelmina, having ordered the latter to convoy two other Indiamen, with some treasure on board to Calcutta. The particulars of what followed are contained in a letter from Captain Lind to the Vice-Admiral from whom he had received an acting order to command the Centurion in the absence of her proper Captain, then dangerously ill at sick-quarters. The following is a copy of the letter to which we have alluded, dated Sept. 19, 1804:
“Yesterday morning, whilst at anchor in this (Vizagapatam) road, and waiting till the Indiaman and the country ship (Barnaby), which you directed me to convoy to Madras, were loaded, 3 ships were perceived under the land in the S.W., coming down before the wind with all sails set. About 9-30 A.M. it was seen that they were enemies, a line-of-battle ship and 2 frigates: the former hoisted, -vlth her colours, a flag at the mizen-top-mast head, and I believe was the Marengo, Admiral Linois, and I shall so call her in this letter; the frigates appeared to be of 36 or 40 guns each[2]. For the information of the convoy, the signal of an enemy being in sight was hoisted, and soon afterwards one for the convoy, as they were best able, to put into a port in view. This was done that the two ships we had taken under convoy might get close in shore for protection, or, if necessary to run on it: the Barnaby complied with this signal; she ran on shore, but unfortunately afterwards got into the surf, and was totally lost.
“About 10 A.M., the headmost of the enemy’s ships, a frigate, was about half a mile from the Centurion, without any colours flying. Several shot were fired at her. About the same time the cable was cut, and topsails sheeted home, which were already loose for the purpose; by this means the broadside was brought to bear upon the enemy, and prevented the ship from being boarded or raked; by this manoeuvre, likewise, a frigate, that was within a cable’s length of the Centurion, and appeared to have an intention to board, got a close and well-directed broadside into her. The action soon became general, the enemy’s three ships directing their fire on the Centurion, their only object, for the Princess Charlotte had very early struck her colours. The Centurion stood in shore, the Marengo and one frigate on the starboard quarter, the other frigate on the larboard; they were all less than half a mile distant, and kept firing, which the Centurion returned: her fire was chiefly directed against the Marengo. About 10-45, the French ships stood to sea; and immediately after this I got on board, though with much difficulty and danger. I had been on shore to expedite the sailing of the convoy, and was not present in this early part of the action, for, till now, the Centurion had been under the direction of the first Lieutenant, Mr. James Robert Philips: and before I proceed any further in this account, permit me to notice the judicious conduct of this deserving and old officer, and his gallant defence of the ship against so superior a force as that of the enemy. I hope, Sir, his conduct will be thought worthy of a reward, and that he will be esteemed deserving of promotion.
“On my coming on board, I found the sails and rigging so very much cut as to render the ship not in a state to be worked, and therefore anchored at the back of the surf, about a mile and a half to the N.E. of the town: this situation was the best I had in my power to take, both for defence, and to prevent her falling into the possession of the enemy if overpowered.
“A battery of three guns at the town, under the command of Colonel A. Campbell, of H.M. 74th Regiment, had kept a fire on the enemy whilst within reach, but now we were too far distant to receive any support from it. I sent on shore to request guns might be brought on the beach nearer us: this I have since been convinced was totally impracticable, or it would have been done. We prepared again for action; and whilst thus employed, the enemy wore and stood towards us: the Marengo, after having repeatedly tried the range of her guns, came to an anchor abreast of us, and about a mile distant; dewed up her top-sails, furled her courses, and commenced cannonading. This threatening appearance of being determined to persevere and to succeed, only served to animate the officers and men of H.M. ship to greater exertions of defence with the lower-deck guns, the only ones that would reach the enemy, for she was too far distant for the carronades; but all the enemy’s shot reached us[3]. In the mean time one of the frigates kept under sail on our quarter, nearer than the Marengo, and annoyed us much by her fire; the other frigate carried off the Indiaman from her anchorage in the road. At 1-15 P.M., nearly two hours after this cannonading had commenced, and which had been kept up with much vigour on both sides, the Marengo cut her cable, hoisted her jib, and stood to sea. By some of her last shot our cable was cut, and we made some sail, and got further off shore before we brought up with the sheet anchor. When the Marengo first made sail, I supposed she intended to make a short stretch, tack, and renew the action nearer, and therefore made all necessary preparations to receive her; but she, the frigates, and the captured Indiaman stood to sea, and a little before sun-set bore up to the N.E., towards the bottom of the bay. What damage the enemy has sustained, or from what cause they declined further contest with us I cannot tell.
“After this full account of the transactions of the day, I feel it a duty incumbent on me not only to repeat the high sense I have of Lieutenant Philips’ services, but likewise to inform you that the other Lieutenants of this ship, David Pringle, Richard Coote, and William Fairbrother Carroll, displayed great gallantry and spirit on the occasion; the last-mentioned, though a young officer, has seen much service, and as his commission is not yet confirmed by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, may I request that you will be pleased to represent his great merit, to induce their Lordships to do it? To the zeal and energy of Lieutenant Warring, R.M. I am much indebted.
“To insert any thing in this letter in praise of the veteran and gallant crew of the Centurion, must be needless to you, Sir, who are well acquainted with them j but I cannot refrain from saying that they displayed great experience, and cool courage. The good discipline of the ship was conspicuous, and does great credit to their proper commander, Captain (John Sprat) Rainier.
“H.M. ship has received considerable damage in her masts, yards, and rigging. The fore-mast, mizen-mast, and main-yard are badly wounded, as well as several smaller masts and yards; several shot remain in the bottom, between wind and water; one came through into the gunner’s store-room. It is with pleasure I acquaint you, that very few men considering the long action, have suffered; none were killed, and only nine wounded; one of whom is since dead; the others are not in apparent danger.
(Signed)“J. Lind.”
Captain Lind in the foregoing letter alludes to the difficulty and danger he experienced in getting on board the Centurion. This requires some little explanation.
Immediately the approach of the strange squadron was announced to him, he hurried down to the beach, and jumped into a boat manned with natives, who rowed him some distance, ignorant of the cause of his hurry; but, immediately the fire commenced, they expressed a wish to pull back. This he very naturally refused, but neither by threats nor promises could he prevail upon them to proceed; whilst the firing lasted. For some time the boat was in the line of fire, and as he would not allow them to return towards the shore, the affrighted rowers were with great difficulty prevented by him from jumping overboard and swimming thither. At length a favorable opportunity was afforded by the enemy, and he succeeded in getting on board his ship at the crisis he has mentioned. His conduct during the second attack was most highly applauded by the commander-in-chief, who, when writing to the Admiralty, declared that he did not hesitate to rank the Centurion’s action “with the most famous of the defensive kind in the glorious annals of the British navy.” Captain Lind received the honor of knighthood on his return to England, in the spring of 1805; obtained the insignia of a K.C.B. Jan. 2, 1815; and died at Southampton on the 12th June, 1823. At the latter period we had not advanced sufficiently far in our present pursuit to apply to him for information – should this hasty sketch meet the eye of any of his friends we beg leave to say that any authentic documents relative to Sir James Lind’s services, if sent to us for the purpose of being published in the Supplement to this work, shall be carefully returned, when copied.
A painting (by F. Sartorious) representing the discomfiture of Mons. Linois, was exhibited in the Antique Academy, in 1805.
- ↑ See Vol. I. p. 236.
- ↑ The French squadron consisted of the Marengo, Semillante, and Atalante; the former an 80-gun ship, the two latter 40-gun frigates.
- ↑ The Centurion had long twenty-fours on her lower-deck, and 32-pounder carronades had been substituted for the long twelves which she had formerly mounted on the main-deck.