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.

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    sails having suffered little. [Her stern and quarter stove in, many of her guns were dismounted, and 300 of her men killed or wounded.] Many of the prisoners expressed great disatisfaction at the Admirals conduct.— Many of the prisoners were loyalists, but being in the requisition were obliged to go on board, or the guillotine would have been the consequence. They had been told that great numbers of emigrant French were on board our ships. Speaking of the quantity of Shot fired on the occasion, the Admiral Gardner] said it had been calculated that 60 tun of Shot had been fired 3y the Queen, in the three days. Two Shot are put into every charge, and He believes they even sometimes put in three. But two are recom¬ mended by the Ordnance. Speaking of personal fear, He said Lord Howes Chaplain, who had been recommended by the Bishop of London, was so overcome by his fears during the action as to be totally unmanned. He quitted the Ship immediately on her coming to Portsmouth, of course lost the opportunity of preaching before & being noticed by the King. The Admiral dined with the King twice. The 2d. time abt. 26 were present.—The King sat at the head of the table & helped fish &c, and nothing cd. exceed the ease, and good humour which prevailed. The King speaking familiarly & the officers conversing with each other. When Admiral Bowyer who lost a Leg, was carried to the Cockpit, a Turnicot was applied to stop the bleeding. This being done the Admiral insisted on those sailors being first dressed who had been wounded before him. One of them who had lost a Leg (a Taylor belonging to the Land forces aboard the Barfleur) swore He wd. not be dressed before the Admiral, that his life was of less value, and he wd. wait.— This Mr. Davis, the Chaplain of the Barfleur, told Admiral Gardner. July 19.—The Admiral told me Lord Chatham is an earlier riser than is reported. The Letters are regularly sent to him about J past eleven o’clock.—His habit is to sup at home about Twelve o’clock and to go to bed abt. two.—Fie seems but of a middling constitution as to strength, frequently ailing. The fatigue He underwent while attending the King at Portsmouth almost overcame him. July 24 .—Downman [whose beautiful little portraits now realise large sums in the sale rooms] called on me to solicit my vote to be an Associate. He told me He had heard I had mentioned his name for which he expressed his acknowledgments. July 25.—I called on Hickel,* in Russell St. He has made a great many portraits of members of the House of Commons. There are to be two pictures. The majority being conspicuous in one with Pitt, speaking.—The minority in the other, with Fox, speaking. Hickel was 4 days with Fox at St. Anns Hill. Burke insisted on being placed on the opposition side and of it being filled as before the late change of political sentiment. * Anton Hickel, an Austrian portrait painter who came to England from France when the Revolution broke out. The picture referred to, which contained ninety-six life-size portraits, is in the Vienna Art Gallery. A photograph of it belongs to our National Portrait Gallery.