Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p2.djvu/529

  “An occurrence happened yesterday of a very disagreeable nature – as a British officer I could not but feel highly indignant. The ‘Lord of the Isles,’ merchant steam-boat, (William Benson, master,) with three hundred troops from Brest, and several barrels of gunpowder on board, entered the Douro with a British red ensign and mast-head pendant, both flying until the latter was by my directions hauled down, with a view of prosecuting the party according to the act of 3 Geo. IV. Chap. 110, sect. 2.

“I regret that an abuse of the British flag, and such an usurpation of the pendant, should have occurred at this moment; but believing that it was one of H.M. packets, the officer commanding the fort at Sampaio permitted the ‘Lord of the Isles’ to pass perfectly unmolested. Upon investigating the circumstance, I discovered that the master of the steam-vessel was excessively drunk, and that an officer from the ‘Don Pedro,’ now cruising without the bar, had been sent on board the steamer to conduct her into the river. I shall take upon myself to protest officially against such an unjustifiable proceeding, and I hope that H.M. Government will approve of the measure. The British flag has been already so much abused, that it will be to me a matter of the greatest difficulty to remove from the mind of the Visconde de Santa Martha the impression that I, as senior officer in the Douro, have not participated in the deception practised.

“Upon the instant the deception was discovered, I sent Commander Belcher to communicate verbally with the General in command on the southern side of the Douro. He was not so fortunate as to see the Visconde de Santa Martha, but communicated with an officer of rank, who seemed to be satisfied with his statement. I trust the deception in question will not eventually affect the egress and ingress of H.M. steamer Echo. The position in which H.M. squadron are placed precluded the possibility of seeing the steam-boat usurping H.M. pendant until she had anchored.”

Commander Glascock’s prompt and unexpected disavowal of any participation in this gross deception, considerably tended to remove those suspicions and unfavorable opinions which, from the constant abuse of the British flag, the royalists had much reason to entertain; but, from that moment, he was stamped by the constitutionalists as a “rank Miguelite,” and rumours of the most malicious tendency were circulated to his prejudice throughout the city of Oporto. Previous to the arrival of the “Lord of the Isles,” for want of powder, the constitutional batteries were unable to return their opponents’ fire.

