Chapter XI.
French-Algerian Expedition, 1830.—Civil War in Portugal.—Loss of the steamer Rival.—Mutiny on a Transport.—Loss of the Lord Blaney.—The Margaret, first screw passenger steamer trading from Hull.
Early in the year 1830, the French Government, fitted out an expedition against the Dey of Algiers, and an agent of the former was instructed to contract with the City of Dublin and the St. George Steam-Packet Companies for the employment of some of their first-class boats as transports in the expedition. The vessels chartered were ordered to proceed immediately to Toulon to embark French troops for service in North Africa. This was the first instance of steam vessels being extensively engaged in warlike expeditions. At this date, Portugal was engaged in a prolonged and sanguinary civil war, in the course of which vessels belonging to both of the famous Liverpool steamship companies were again employed.
Don Miguel (surnamed the Usurper) had about the year 1826 assumed the government of Portugal. It is calculated that in the short space of five years he imprisoned 26,270 of his beloved subjects; 16,000 were transported to various places; 13,000 were forced to fly from his paternal government; 13,700 perished on the scaffold; and 5,000 were either in concealment or wandering about the kingdom to avoid a similar fate. Finally, Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, on behalf of his daughter Donna Maria of Portugal, took active measures to recover the throne. A number of British steamers were engaged as transports or privateers in the civil war that ensued. Amongst other vessels was the “ill-fated steamer”[16] Rival, which sailed from Greenock on the 22nd December, 1832, bound for Oporto, with about 400 volunteers for Dom Pedro, and foundered in Galway Bay, with the loss of nearly 500 lives. Some spars, bedding, and ship’s papers were washed ashore, but as not one of the passengers or crew escaped, no particulars can ever be known of the circumstances attending the fatal disaster.
The Lord Blaney was one of several of the St. George Steam-Packet Company’s vessels chartered for the same service. It appears from a record of magisterial proceedings (August, 1831) before Mr. H. Leach, of Milford, that the agents employed by Dom Pedro hired 200 seamen at Liverpool, and induced them to ship on board the Lord Blaney, under a pretext that they were merely wanted to navigate British transports across the Atlantic, to convey some regiments of Portuguese from Rio de Janeiro to Europe; but no sooner had the Lord Blaney got fairly into the Irish Channel than the officers threw off the mask, and acknowledged their destination to be Belle Isle, for the purpose of manning Dom Pedro’s fleet. Finding themselves thus entrapped, the seamen exhibited signs of mutiny, and a violent gale of wind having forced the steamer into Milford Haven for shelter, the whole body of tars went ashore with bed and baggage, declaring their intention not to fight under any flag but that of England. After completing her engagement with Dom Pedro, the Lord Blaney was placed on the Liverpool and Newry service, and on the 18th December, 1833, she was lost with all hands (45) whilst on a voyage from Newry to Liverpool. A subscription list was opened for the benefit of the families and relatives of the crew and passengers. The City of Dublin Steam-Packet Co., although in active opposition to the St. George Steam-Packet Co., headed the list with the handsome donation of £100. Two, at least, of the City of Dublin Steam-Packet Co.’s vessels took part in the Portuguese war, the Leeds and the Birmingham. The latter steamer, under the command of Captain Beazley, arrived at Falmouth about the 15th July, 1833. She brought despatches from Lagos which contained intelligence of the most important and decisive nature, nothing less than the complete defeat and capture of the fleet of the Usurper. The news was received with the utmost satisfaction in England as well as Portugal.
The Margaret steamship sailed from Hamburg to Hull on Friday, 19th October, 1845, with a number of passengers and a full general cargo. Shortly after leaving the Elbe she encountered a north-west gale, and after beating against it for two days, she was driven on to a dangerous bank called the Memmett, near Juist, at the entrance to the river Memm. The moment she took the shoal, the sea, which was running very high, swept several overboard. The long boat was launched and an attempt made to reach the shore, but owing to it being crowded it capsized, and every soul in it perished. From advices received, it appears that altogether sixteen of the passengers and three of the crew were lost. Those who remained on board the vessel, after severe privations, were rescued. The Margaret was owned by Mr. Pimm, of Hull; was several years old; was about 250 tons burthen, and was rigged as a three-masted schooner. She was worked by a screw propeller, and was the first vessel of that description engaged in the passenger trade from the port of Hull.
Arrival of Sirius P. S. at New York, 23rd April, 1838.
FOOTNOTES:
[16] There is some doubt as to whether this vessel was a steamer or a sailing brig. “The Liverpool Mercury” speaks of her as the “ill-fated steamer, Rival”; but the “Glasgow Herald” only refers to her as the “brig Rival.”