Read Online An Awkward Commission by David Donachie - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: David Donachie
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accustomed to accept such sureties in lieu of settlement.’ Davidson actually laughed then, not very much, but enough. ‘Damn me, sir, without that sort of creditwe would scarce have a man able to serve. Even admirals are accustomed to pawning their plate or borrowing in order to take up their duties.’
The money was paid out by a clerk, and it was a ruminative John Pearce, mentally composing a stiff letter to his previous commander on the subject of his rank, who walked back to the hotel, there to find a letter waiting for him bearing an impressive Royal Treasury seal and franked as government post. It was clear, as it was handed over, that he was not the only one to be astounded; the hotel clerk who gave it to him had learnt how to grovel somewhat to a man who clearly had the ear of those in power. He waited till he was alone in his room to read it.
Lieutenant Pearce,
I am, on reflection, conscious of the commitment I made to you at Windsor and with that in mind I have made representations to my brother regarding your needs, unfortunately to no avail. You will understand that, at present, as the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Chatham is inundated with requests for employment from extremely deserving officers with exemplary service records, submissions he is often obliged to decline for lack of an available place. To ask him to elevate your claim above theirs would be grossly unfair.
Having read the letter you left with my secretary I am unsure of your purpose. Is your primary concern the release of those companions you claim were, like you, illegally pressed into the Navy and now on route to serve in the Mediterranean? Or is it that you seek employment for yourself?
Recalling what he had penned the night before, Pearce was sure that he had made plain what he sought, both verbally and in writing. He had, as a backstop, asked for a place if that would provide the only avenue open to him to help his friends.
While I cannot comment on the merits of your case, I can see that the proper place to make representations on their behalf would be to Lord Hood, the Commander-in-Chief on that station, who, as the senior naval member serving on the Board of Admiralty, might also be in a position to adjudicate on your assertions of improper behaviour on the part of an officer presently serving under his command. It would also be the case, that should you seek an opening, Lord Hood, as a serving C-in-C on active service, would be in a better position to offer you employment than even my own brother.
With that in mind, and in the hope that it will satisfy you, I have arranged for you to take passage on the packet carrying official despatches for Lord Hood, which sails, weather permitting, from Portsmouth every seven days. There is also private correspondence of a confidential nature, which you must undertake to carry, along with a recommendation from me regarding the granting to you of a place suitable to your abilities, which I can say with some confidence should have the desired effect. If Lord Hood can oblige me, given that he is a stout supporter of my government, owing as he does his position as a serving member on the Board of Admiralty to me, he will undoubtedly do so.
If you agree, please send the enclosed, pre-franked note by return, the information in which I will pass on to the First Secretary at the Admiralty, who can then have drawn up the requisite official instructions. Should you accept the offer contained herein, I consider, as I am sure you do, that my obligation to you is satisfied in all respects.
William Pitt had signed it with a flourish, affixing his official seal and a ribbon inside as well. The blank letter mentioned was indeed enclosed, that too government franked, and thus free to both sender and recipient.
Re-reading the letter, John Pearce was more conscious of the problems such an offer could create rather than theopportunities. To take passage on that packet was to take a journey into the
The money was paid out by a clerk, and it was a ruminative John Pearce, mentally composing a stiff letter to his previous commander on the subject of his rank, who walked back to the hotel, there to find a letter waiting for him bearing an impressive Royal Treasury seal and franked as government post. It was clear, as it was handed over, that he was not the only one to be astounded; the hotel clerk who gave it to him had learnt how to grovel somewhat to a man who clearly had the ear of those in power. He waited till he was alone in his room to read it.
Lieutenant Pearce,
I am, on reflection, conscious of the commitment I made to you at Windsor and with that in mind I have made representations to my brother regarding your needs, unfortunately to no avail. You will understand that, at present, as the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Chatham is inundated with requests for employment from extremely deserving officers with exemplary service records, submissions he is often obliged to decline for lack of an available place. To ask him to elevate your claim above theirs would be grossly unfair.
Having read the letter you left with my secretary I am unsure of your purpose. Is your primary concern the release of those companions you claim were, like you, illegally pressed into the Navy and now on route to serve in the Mediterranean? Or is it that you seek employment for yourself?
Recalling what he had penned the night before, Pearce was sure that he had made plain what he sought, both verbally and in writing. He had, as a backstop, asked for a place if that would provide the only avenue open to him to help his friends.
While I cannot comment on the merits of your case, I can see that the proper place to make representations on their behalf would be to Lord Hood, the Commander-in-Chief on that station, who, as the senior naval member serving on the Board of Admiralty, might also be in a position to adjudicate on your assertions of improper behaviour on the part of an officer presently serving under his command. It would also be the case, that should you seek an opening, Lord Hood, as a serving C-in-C on active service, would be in a better position to offer you employment than even my own brother.
With that in mind, and in the hope that it will satisfy you, I have arranged for you to take passage on the packet carrying official despatches for Lord Hood, which sails, weather permitting, from Portsmouth every seven days. There is also private correspondence of a confidential nature, which you must undertake to carry, along with a recommendation from me regarding the granting to you of a place suitable to your abilities, which I can say with some confidence should have the desired effect. If Lord Hood can oblige me, given that he is a stout supporter of my government, owing as he does his position as a serving member on the Board of Admiralty to me, he will undoubtedly do so.
If you agree, please send the enclosed, pre-franked note by return, the information in which I will pass on to the First Secretary at the Admiralty, who can then have drawn up the requisite official instructions. Should you accept the offer contained herein, I consider, as I am sure you do, that my obligation to you is satisfied in all respects.
William Pitt had signed it with a flourish, affixing his official seal and a ribbon inside as well. The blank letter mentioned was indeed enclosed, that too government franked, and thus free to both sender and recipient.
Re-reading the letter, John Pearce was more conscious of the problems such an offer could create rather than theopportunities. To take passage on that packet was to take a journey into the
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