Captain E. Palmer, of the Helvis, captured L’Etoile, 27th March, 1814.
Captain E. Hope, of the Endymion, defeated the President, 25th January, 1815.
The issue of these orders, and the grant of the medals, gave general satisfaction; but severe animadversions were offered in the London press against the want of public spirit, on the part of successive governments, in allowing such actions so long to remain without the honour thus tardily accorded. Many of the heroes who contributed to this glorious list of victories by sea and land, had passed away, their breasts unhonoured by the badge which they would have prized so much. It was no new thing for England’s braves to be neglected by their country, or rather, by those to whom the government of the country was so often unworthily committed.
GENERAL HOME INCIDENTS.
The year was remarkable for many railway accidents, resulting from the carelessness and mismanagement of the various companies, exciting public indignation, and causing uneasiness generally, in respect to personal safety in railway travelling. In the first six months of the year, according to parliamentary returns, one hundred persons were killed, and an equal number more or less injured.
In September an interesting event occurred in connection with the memory of the great national poet. In pursuance of the will of the deceased owner, the house at Stratford-upon-Avon, popularly known as the birthplace of Shakspere, was sold by public auction. When the writer of these lines visited the place, the house had nothing very remarkable in its appearance. It was old, of course, but did not look so venerable as might be expected. It was situated in the High Street of the obscure little town. It had been originally a mansion, but, at the date of its sale, part had been removed and the rest was let in small tenements. It was “knocked down,” in auctioneers’ phraseology, for the price of £3000, the purchasers being a committee appointed by an association formed for the purpose of obtaining possession of the building. The house was given to the government in trust to be preserved as a public memorial of the great man who first saw the light beneath its roof. This proceeding was very creditable to the national feeling, for though no certain proof exists that Shakspere was born there, still, as it was in possession of his father before, at, and after the birth of the great dramatist, there is probable ground for believing that it was his birthplace. It had been purchased from the descendants of the original possessor for £250, by the gentleman under whose will it was put up to auction.
During the autumn and winter, numerous disasters occurred at sea, especially on the east coasts of England and Scotland. By these wrecks many lives and much property were lost.
Few events in England excited such general interest among all classes as the arrival of Jenny Lind, the celebrated vocalist and actress. She made her first appearance at the Italian Opera House on the 4th of May, and was received with an enthusiasm never before lavished on any performer: during her stay in England this enthusiasm never abated.
Under the head of “General Home Incidents,” seems hardly the most suitable place to record the proceedings of the Hudson’s Bay Arctic Expedition. Yet, as it did not belong to the foreign or colonial affairs of the country, and as the expedition had been determined upon and ordered at home, this may be the most appropriate place in which to introduce it. From the nature of the transactions, it is necessary to give the relation in the words of the authorised report:—