HMS LORD WARDEN

[Wooden broadside ironclad]

1883: At Queensferry, Firth of Forth - Visits Shetland Islands and Orkneys - Social life in Scotland - Marriage of Francie.

1883

AT QUEENSFERRY

12 October - Friday

33Queensferry naval base. Yesterday a lawn-tennis entertainment by Comdr. and wife. Ethel and Blanche Forman came over for it. Mrs Kennedy and party there. Mrs Grosvenor Stopford has got more in her little finger, than most of the other ladies on the ground, have in their bodies.

The easterly wind troubling me.

Dudgeon joined in place of Burnand. Hill was not much impressed with the Craigie-Halketts, and I do not wonder at it. They are pleasure seeking moths.

DEPART QUEENSFERRY

ARRIVE LERWICK

17 October - Wednesday

Left Queensferry on the 15th and arrived at Lerwick, Shetland Islands, this forenoon, after a wet passage, a gale of wind after us. The old brute rolled tremendously.

Went ashore with Hill and made large purchase of wool work through the medium of Mrs Johnstone, the chief officer’s wife. Fine full sized shawls at 19/-. Had 5 o’clock tea at Queen’s Hotel, 2/6d, and an interesting chat with a Merchant who sends over large quantities of fish to Hamburg and Danzig. This season he has despatched 25 steamers, averaging 5,000 Barrels each.

Mr Johnstone told me he had 1,800 at drill during the season.

21 October - Sunday

Mrs Rampim gave a dance to which a goodly number of our fellows went to on Friday night.

Yesterday the Skipper and I went ashore and inspected the Reserve men, drilling. They drilled uncommonly well. They average here 5 ft 8½ inches in height. Skipper then made a long and amusing speech to some fishermen about the advantage of entering the Service, I standing in the rear as a specimen of the kindly, genial and good hearted officer they would serve under.

But I doubt our getting many recruits here for they do remarkably well at the Fisheries; sealing, whaling, Baltic Trade. Besides every ablebodied man entering the Naval Reserve gets his £6 per annum and a small pension at the end of 20 years, and lives at home. So I should say the inducement is greater to remain on shore than to enter Her Majesty’s Navy. The only boys who have come off as yet are ne’er-do-wells and tailors’ boys, rejected on account of being toothless, sightless and deformed.

Last night a most successful Penny Reading. This day Mrs Rampim came off to Church and lunch, bringing Miss Cameron and Miss MacLeod, a ‘Sweet Girton graduate’ but a very nice girl and cousin to the MacLeods of Invergordon Castle, Cromarty. The Lieut interviewed the Skipper. A large budget of letters.

AT SCAPA FLOW

25 October - Thursday

This morning the Aneroid Barometer fell an inch very nearly, warning us that something was coming. It was blowing fresh at the time. At 8.30 am down came the wind, and, in a quarter of an hour’s time, it resembled a typhoon in its force. Down went our second anchor, away we veered on both anchors, braced yards to wind, and housed top masts.

The Firm, not withstanding both anchors down, and steaming full speed, could do nothing but slowly drag and on shore she went, but lay very quietly. About here the Aneroid went up very rapidly, the Mercurial showing hardly any sign and, about 2.30 pm, it sensibly moderated and at 4 pm there was just a fresh breeze. Just as we were sending relief to Firm, she came off all right.

Mail could not cross the Pentland Firth today.

27 October - Saturday

Kirkwall Naval Base. Yesterday, Napier, Corbet, Dudgeon and I having hired a dogcart went out and paid a visit to Maes How and the Druidical Stones at Stenness.

Maes How is a Pictish Tumulus, originally supposed to have been a Burial Place, and then, in later times used by Norwegians as a place of security in their piratical forage. You see this green mound in the middle of a field, about 36 feet high and 300 feet in diameter, surrounded by a trench 40 feet wide and in depth 4 to 8 feet.

One then enters into the interior by a small door at the side, passing along a passage, which is lined and roofed with great blocks of stone, and is 48 feet long and 2 feet 4 inches high. You then find yourself in the central chamber which is high and 15 feet square on level of floor. The roof is peculiarly formed, by the four walls converging towards the top by successive projections of each stone or flag - commencing about 6 feet from the level of floor, as is usually found in the Pict’s houses and in the other more primitive subterranean dwellings known as ---. The top of the chamber would thus necessarily be of a small dimension and the aperture easily closed by one large flagstone.

Out of this central chamber on three sides are cells, 6¾ feet long and 4½ feet wide, 3½ feet high and 5 feet 8 inches long. You get into them by small openings. The inside of this chamber is strengthened by buttresses 9 to 10 feet high and 3 feet square at the base. No lime or mortar of any kind has been used. There are a number of Runic characters scratched on the stones, which have been deciphered, and most of them relate to Piratical Rascals varying from the 9th to the 12th century.

The stones of Stenness are worth seeing. There are about twenty standing and a good number fallen down. The circle is about 120 yards in diameter, the largest stone is about 18 feet high, 4 feet wide and 2 feet thick.

AT CROMARTY FIRTH

1 November - Thursday

Cromarty Firth. Napier and I walked out to Haverburn, about 7 miles off, but it being a very soft day we missed the turning of road and managed to make it 9 miles. Arriving at the house we found Mackenzie and wife were up at Ski Castle, Sutherlandshire.

We were very hungry and let the cook know. She grasped the situation at once and gave us a splendid lunch. Thus fortified, we trudged back a little moist. The walk out is very pretty, the foliage of the Larch and Beech trees most exquisite colouring.

2 November - Friday

Dined at Invergordon Castle and met Munro of Foulis, who told me Munro of 42nd was going to be married. Mrs MacLeod, poor thing, is dying of cancer, and has been for some years. The Misses MacLeods are very nice girls. After dinner some fellows came up from the ship. A little dance took place in the billiard room.

Advised Cadboll [?] to put his son in the Gunnery.

Came off at 12 o’clock, having been rather bored during the evening.

3 November - Saturday

Haverburn and wife came off to lunch with me. I had not seen Mrs Mackenzie for 9 years. They have now three girls. Eva, 11 - Alice and another. Colin Mackenzie of 79th, her brother, was best man at Meta’s wedding in 1874.

Unmoored and proceeded to sea, in company with Firm.

AT QUEENSFERRY

9 November - Friday

Arrived here last Monday. On coming up to the Buoy against a good tide and wind, the boat had not reached, owing to the ship coming up too quick. So after several bungles on the part of coxswain, and partly owing to wind and tide, our connection with buoy carried away and eventually got the ship athwart the buoy and carried away everything. So down went moorings to bottom, a depth of 13 fathoms at dead low water, 16 fathoms as it then was.

Gibson, the Comdr. went off on leave and next morning Hayward and I went out at daylight with sextants and fixed accurately the centre of moorings and at 9 am one of boats creeping got hung up. At 1 pm, after several attempts on the part of the divers (one getting done up through going down 17 fathoms) a wire hawser was shackled on, and at 4 pm we had safely got the moorings in.

16 November - Friday

On Tuesday last went out and spent the evening at Pelkemmet, Sir Wm. and Lady B - two most charming people. Met Dr Gray, clergyman of Liberton, there. I should say a clever man. Returned on Wednesday to the ship. Had invitation from Sir David Baird of Newbyth to shoot.

Heard from her Ladyship and Francie, both very bitter with complaints against each other. Poor old Father - not a lively time for him.

Dined with Luke last night at Philipstoun, Col Hare’s. Met Capt. Leckie of 97th, Miss Leckie, Mrs Pratt and Miss Hare, the latter giving Luke’s hand a most hearty squeeze on saying good-night. Miss Hare is a most charming little thing.

Mrs and Miss Ada Dundas came off to tea and music yesterday afternoon. Mrs D. plays very well.

18 November - Sunday

Walked out yesterday with Napier and Luke to Otterston and found the four girls at home. Had tea with them and we all promised to come out and skate when their lake froze over.

Went ashore this afternoon and had 5 o’clock tea with the Kennedys, and had a yarn with Cochrane who is ranching out in the NW of Canada.

He has a ranch 100 square miles and has a splendid time of it, coming home from October to March. He told me how they manage with regard to the cattle. The cattle are allowed to roam about from one ranch to another and sometimes wander 100 miles away. After the cows have calved, and while the calves are still following, the cattle in every ranch are driven into corrals. There they remain until the owners come round and pick out their own cattle. Of course all are branded.

The ranchers make their own Laws, being a long way form Winnipeg. Death for stealing, or for setting the grass on fire (wilfully, I suppose). They are very strict about not allowing any liquor into the Territory, one reason being that if an Indian gets hold of it, he is like a madman.

Cochrane told me he had not touched a drop of anything for 6 months and did not until he was at the Inverness Meeting. He says you quite lose the taste for it. They find tea and coffee quite sufficient on the ranches.

His headquarters on his ranch is his log-hut, but during the last six months he has only slept in it 3 or 4 times, as he generally sleeps in the open air, the climate being so fine, and generally being miles away from his headquarters. He tells me he is in the saddle every morning at 7 o’clock and generally rides 30 to 50 miles!

This life goes on for two months and another month is taken up squaring up, so three months, one may say, is the period of work. The rest of the time the cattle are allowed to roam about as they like. Returns are very good, 30 per cent. The herds increase 50 to 70 per cent per annum. £2,000 would start a Ranch with 500 head of cattle, and only just do it. He has been told by Admiralty that he must serve, or resign, so he is going to do the latter.

He told me Rupert of Spring Gardens, Jamaica, had when in England and going round a paper mill, been struck with the idea of making sugar, or extracting it in the same way from the cane, that pulp is from soft wood: viz., boiling it with some acid and then running it off to precipitate xx the acid.

Rupert got Rothschild, Murietta [?] and McGarel-Hogg interested and they have taken out patents everywhere. Rupert is to have half profit. Young Hogg bought 5 shares from Rupert for £30,000 on the understanding that if it turned out a failure, he is to have Spring Gardens. From experiments made in England, they find they can get 5/5ths instead of 3/5ths of sugar out of the cane, so if it succeeds, it will quite revolutionise the sugar trade and, it is to be hoped, put the snuffer on the French Beetroot Sugar.

Sir T. Tancred, Chief Contractor for the Forth Bridge, one can see his head is screwed on the right way.

19 November - Monday

Blowing hard and raining, so decided it was more comfortable to stay at Mess than dine at Dundas Castle.

6 December - Thursday

Went out to Inveresk dined and slept at Sir Alex Milne. Met his brother Mr Milne-Home, or it should be Mr Milne-Forman-Home; he married a Miss Forman-Home of the same family.

Sir Alexander told me a great deal of the inner workings of the Admiralty. When Ward Hunt came into office, there were 35 ships required relieving, and there was not a single ship available to do so, so entirely had the Liberals allowed the Service to be depleted of ships. He shewed me a copy of a letter that the Naval Lords had written to the Government, on the weakness of the Navy. Many other interesting things he told me.

16 December - Sunday

Yesterday, my dear sister Francie married Edward Banbury of 53, Queen’s Gate, The Revd. Carr Glyn performing the service at St Mary Abbots, Kensington. They looked a very pretty couple standing up together at the Altar. I felt so relieved when I saw them married securely and I trust happily, and I hope the dear girl will have many a happy day to make up for the last two years and more and my earnest desire now is to see my dear, patient and sweet sister Edith happily married.

Poor girl, she has had a hard time of it these last two years. I call her cruelly treated, and at times made ill and alas! the result of this long and continual worrying and bullying has been to make a naturally sweet girl tend to become and think sharply of things in general. It is a blessed thing that the dead cannot see what goes on below here, for I sometimes think if my sainted mother was able to see the life her daughters lead, what pain would wring her heart.