Sect. IV.—THE MANNER IN WHICH HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF A MIDSHIPMAN IN THE ROYAL NAVY.
After he had left the privateer he was soon discovered, and brought back to the Renommée frigate as a deserter. It is mentioned in the “Sketch,” which says nothing of the rock scorpion adventure, that when Clapperton first joined the Renommée frigate, which was commanded by Sir Thomas Livingstone, having heard that his uncle, a captain of marines on board his Majesty’s ship Saturn, which had arrived at Gibraltar for the purpose of watering and refitting, he sent him a letter describing his situation on board the Renommée; that his uncle having previously been a messmate of her captain, Sir Thomas Livingstone, interfered with him in behalf of his nephew, and through his interest got him promoted to the rank of a midshipman.[7] All we can say to this statement is, that Clapperton himself, whose heart was most grateful, never spoke of a letter he had written to his uncle, nor that he was in any way indebted to that gentleman for his promotion in the navy. He seems never to have seen his uncle till he met him in London after he had engaged to go with Dr. Oudney to Africa. In a letter to a friend, dated London, 1st September 1821, he says, “my uncle has been to see me several times, and was truly kind. He is a perfect gentleman, without any nonsense.” Now, the correspondent to whom he thus writes, declares that Clapperton never mentioned to him that he had ever written to his uncle, soliciting his interest in his favour, or that he was in any respect indebted to him, in the first instance, for his promotion in the navy. But while he said nothing to his friend of his uncle in connexion with this matter, he frequently gave him a most circumstantial and graphic description of the manner in which this promotion took place. And as it is in keeping with the rest of the romantic and eventful life of our hero, and, above all, as it is his own account, we hasten to lay it before our readers.
When he was apprehended as a deserter, and brought back to his old birth on board the Renommée, his captain, Sir Thomas Livingstone, having previously observed that he possessed a strength of body, a robustness of constitution, and a fearless daringness of spirit, which might be turned to good account in the naval service, which, at that time required to be sustained and strengthened by attaching to it men of such mental and bodily qualities as these, asked the deserter, if he should pardon his delinquency, and raise him to the rank of a midshipman, would he give him his solemn pledge, that he would no more desert, but do his duty faithfully? Clapperton, with the bold and dauntless air and bearing of the captive British prince, who “had been the admiration, the terror of the Romans,” when led in triumph through the streets of the mighty capital, still “walked the warrior, majestic in his chains,” replied that he was not yet prepared to give a final and decisive answer to such a question, and therefore asked time to consider on what he should determine. “Are you not aware, Sir,” rejoined the captain, “that I can order you to be flogged as a deserter?” “That I know you can do, and I expect no less,” was our hero’s reply, “but still I am unprepared at present to decide on your proposal.” The result, however, of this extraordinary conversation was, that the captain ordered him into solitary confinement, with an admonition to lose no time in coming to a speedy determination as to the course which he should adopt. In this situation his reflections took a wise and a prudent turn, and led him quickly to resolve to give his generous captain the assurance of fidelity which he required of him; and, on doing so, he was promoted to the rank of a midshipman on board the Renommée frigate, where he had first served as an impressed sailor boy, and on the deck of which he had stood in the capacity of an apprehended deserter. Afterwards, on his own request, he was allowed to go on shore during a specified period of time, on his parole of honour. It is very true the account of his promotion through his uncle’s interference in his behalf accords better with the ordinary course of things in such proceedings than that stated above. But we think, that if Clapperton had been aware that he was indebted to his uncle on this occasion he would not have concealed the fact from his friends; and likewise we think, that the disparity of his condition as a common sailor, and that of his uncle as a captain of marines, would have been sufficient to deter him from making himself known to his uncle, or asking any thing from him. For though his feelings of honour sometimes rested on mistaken principles, they were always very sensitive; and so we are decidedly of opinion, that in the circumstances of this case he would have felt equally unwilling to expose his own servile condition to his uncle, and to compromise his uncle’s dignity by making the captain of marines appear the near kinsman of the common sailor. We happen to know a case in point which illustrates this view of the matter. During the late war, one of the sons of a gentleman in Argyleshire, absconded from his father’s house, and for a while it was unknown where he had gone, till he was discovered by one of his brothers, a captain in the army, as a common sailor on board a man-of-war. The captain instigated by fraternal affection, was anxious to procure an interview with his brother, and so sent him a note, informing him where he was, and expressing his earnest desire that he would endeavour to meet him on shore. The answer to this kind and brotherly invitation was an expression of wounded pride. “If,” said the sailor, “Captain M. has any business to transact with Donald M. let him come on board H. M. S——— and transact it there.” And we think Clapperton would have been apt to feel and act nearly in the same manner in the circumstances in which he and his uncle were relatively situated on board the Renommée frigate, and the ship Saturn; though at the same time, it is not unlikely that Sir Thomas Livingstone having discovered his deserter’s connexion with his old messmate, was disposed not only to remit his punishment, but likewise to give him the chance of retrieving his honour and of benefiting his country. Neither do we think it is the least unlikely that Sir Thomas and Captain Clapperton may have had mutual communications respecting our hero, but we can see no reason for believing that he was in any way made privy to them, but many to make us believe the contrary. Now raised to the rank of a midshipman, he performed some hard service on the coast of Spain, in which he was wounded on the head—a wound which, though it seemed apparently slight, afterwards gave him much annoyance. He remained on board the Renommée, and under the command of Sir Thomas Livingstone, to whom he was so deeply indebted, till the year 1808, when the frigate was brought to England and paid off.[8]