Volume 1

The Farington diary / edited by James Greig.

  • Joseph Farington
Date:
[1922?-1928]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Farington diary / edited by James Greig. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    105/464 (page 63)
    [Gardner] that a Marquisate, was no object to them, as Lord Howe had rank enough, and they had no son. The Admiral* said Lord Howe had been much hurt at the attacks made upon him daily in the publick prints, before the late engagement, expressing his belief that He might be injured in the minds of the Seamen. He talked of throwing up his command which the Admiral most strongly urged against. [He was charged with “ spending his time in dodging in and out of Torbay.”] The French fleet [defeated by Howe] went out to sea full 500 miles from Brest, having as it appeared certain intelligence of the return of their convoy from America. The certainty with which Lord Howe followed their track caused Admiral Gardner to suppose that He must have had certain information of their scheme, but Ld. Howe assured him He gained his intelligence only from the Ships the fleet casually met with. Many French Merchantmen See were taken, but so determined was Ld. Howe not to weaken his Ships by putting seamen into his prizes, that He burnt them every one, though some of them were of considerable value. What a proof of his little regard to property when compared with a sense of publick duty. When they first saw the French fleet the Admiral thought the French did not know them, but took them for the Convoy.—The French bore down and the English proceeded towards them without altering a sail. On the first of June, Lord Howes Ship did not fire but a single shot before the Queen Charlotte, had passed through the French line. That shot was fired by a man after whom Lord Howe went with his sword drawn.—Mr. Bowen, Lord Howes Master, told his Lordship He did not see how He cd. get between their [the enemy] ships ; Lord Howe told him to direct the Queen Charlotte against the Bowsprit of one of them, [the Montague] which being done the French ship was obliged to give way to avoid the consequence. By this He showed the folly of the French decree against breaking the line. The Queen Charlotte suffered considerably before she got into action. So did the Queen [Admiral Gardner’s ship].—The French firing in¬ cessantly while the English Ships generally speaking reserved their fire. I asked him if He thought the French fought better on this than on any former occasion. He said He thought they seemed less desirous than He has before seen them, to avoid an action ; but their comparative inferiority in close action was still the same. He is convinced they will not stand to their guns as the English do. The French Admirals Ship [The Montague, Rear-Admiral Villaret- Joyouse] went of in apparently very good condition. Her masts and * Alan Gardner (1742-1809) was attached to the Grand Fleet under Lord Howe, and commanded the Queen, which suffered greatly in the action of June 1. For his services he was made a baronet and given the rank of Vice-Admiral. On February 14, 1799, he was made an Admiral of the Blue. Commander-in-Chief of the coast of Ireland in August, 1800, in the following December he was created a Peer of the United King¬ dom, and assumed the title of Baron Gardner of Uttoxeter. After commanding the Channel Fleet for about a year, be retired, and died on January 1, 1809. In the Painted Hall, Greenwich, there is a picture by Loutherbourg which wrongly shows the Queen Charlotte on the Montague's lee bow. Bowen, the ship’s Master, is reported to have said, on seeing the picture : “ If we could have got the old ship into that position we must have taken the French Admiral.”