Chapter 3: Changes

September 1819

The weather around Bermuda was pleasant and calm, although further south, the hurricane season had started. There was a lively shipping going on around Hamilton and less so in St. George harbour. Bermudian sloops and ketches, American schooners and clipper ships, and French brigs cast anchor in the harbours, landing or transferring cargoes.

Thomas had stationed three of his sloops in The Sound, the access to Hamilton, whilst his remaining sloops and, frequently, even the Salsette frigate patrolled the waters around the islands. Two more vessels, a Danish brig and an American schooner had been caught in illicit trading, but the large volume of legitimate trade let the Bermudian merchants and traders flourish nonetheless. The farmers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were recovering from the ravages of 1816, and commerce followed up.

Thomas himself had visited Hamilton twice, and at least from those traders who were introduced to him, he had not felt any animosity. The majority of the merchants profited from the suppression of smuggling, and even those who were not averse to some shady activities, seemed to toe the line carefully and to focus on their increasingly lucrative business.

The American economy was recovering, too, after the losses during the war and the ruined harvests, and more goods were now shipped through Bermuda and to the American ports, not only from the British Isles, but also continental Europe. At least, that direction was of little concern for Thomas, since no tariffs had to be enforced.

Now, one morning in late September, Thomas studied a visiting card.

Hector J. Lansing, Esq.

Consulary Agent

Ministry of Trade

United States of America

The man presenting that card was rather young, perhaps in his mid-twenties, and dressed fashionably. Yet, a discreet look at Mister Lansing’s hands had already shown Thomas that the man was no stranger to physical labour.

“Well, Mister Lansing, how may I be of help for you?” he asked his visitor. “Shouldn’t you make your call at the Governor’s Mansion?”

“Yes, Sir Thomas, I did that yesterday, and His Excellency recommended that I call on you.”

“Is that so? Well, once again, how may I help?”

“Thank you, Sir Thomas. As my card shows, I am in the consulary service, and I was given the task to establish a presence here on Bermuda. As you are doubtlessly aware, there is a large volume of trade going on between this lovely island and the American ports, mostly in the Carolinas. Not that this is a bad thing, but regrettably, a few of our ships were apprehended and condemned in recent months.”

“Yes, to my regret, that is true. Three in total, to my knowledge. We caught Dutch and French ships, too, even a Danish brig. They were all caught landing their cargo outside the harbours, thus trying to evade H.M. Customs.”

Lansing nodded. “I understand. My duty will however be, to investigate each such incident and report them to our Department of State.”

“You are most welcome to do so, Mister Lansing. If you wish, you may even study our reports of past captures. Each month, more than ten American merchantmen load and unload cargo here in St. George harbour and in Hamilton. They conduct their business here unhindered and pay tariffs when appropriate. A small number of them, however, choose to act in an underhanded way, in collusion with Bermudian elements, to be sure, and when they are caught, their cargoes and vessels are forfeit. I am sure that your own authorities act in the same way when they catch smugglers in flagrante delicto.”

“Yes, of course. I am not here to protect criminal elements in the least, Sir Thomas. Yet, my government wishes to ascertain that American ships are treated by the same standards as ships from other nations. Events in the past are still remembered at home.”

“Understandable, and I bear you and your mission no ill will. If you will, we can involve you in the proceedings from the start, if and when— God forbid — another American vessel will be apprehended. At the same time, you can perhaps pass the word to your merchantmen that the Royal Navy enforces the tariffs established by H.M. Customs around Bermuda, and that clandestine landings of contraband cargoes will be intercepted. My captains are quite adept at showing up unexpectedly.”

“I understand, Sir Thomas, and if you were to grant me a look at the past cases, it will help me to get a thorough understanding.”

“As I said, with pleasure, Mister Lansing. If you were to make an appointment with my secretary, Mister Crawley, he should be able to show you the records.”

“That is indeed all I can ask for, Sir Thomas. You are indeed very helpful.”

“Say nothing of it, Mister Lansing! Will you settle here in St. George or in Hamilton?”

“I may have to travel to Hamilton frequently, but the legal proceedings happen here in St. George. I already found accommodations with the Widow Denham.”

“That is good to know. Perhaps, I can invite you to dinner here at Navy House one of the next evenings? It is always good to get to know people on a social level, too. My wife will be delighted to meet you.”

“That is very kind of you, Sir Thomas. Of course, I shall follow your invitation with the greatest pleasure.”

“Perhaps tomorrow evening, then?”

“With pleasure, Sir Thomas.”

“Second dog ... Ha-hm, 6 o’clock p.m.?”

“I served as junior lieutenant in our Navy during the war, Sir Thomas. I understand naval parlance perfectly.”

“The better it is, Mister Lansing. Until tomorrow then!”

After some more pleasantries, Lansing left the office and Thomas instructed Crawley to hold the records for the three seizures of American ships ready. He also instructed him to make certain that the polite Mister Lansing would not be able to see any other documents. He remembered Captain Anson telling him that consulary agents collected information about their host country whenever possible, and the disposition of the Bermudian Squadron was better kept confidential. Then he remembered something: He had not asked for Mister Lansing’s accreditation letter.

“Welcome Mister Lansing! Please step in!” Thomas greeted his guest.

He had asked about the man’s credentials at the governor’s mansion, and Argyll’s aide-de-camp had assured him of the consulary agent’s bona fide documents. Nevertheless, Thomas had placed young Isaak Campbell in his anteroom, too, ostensibly for the young man to learn more from Mister Crawley. However, Mister Lansing had made no attempt to look at more than reports of the captures.

“Good evening, Sir Thomas.”

A footman, a former sailor with a missing hand, took Lansing’s hat, coat and walking stick, whilst Thomas led his guest into the dining room, where he proceeded to introduce the man to his household. He was clearly surprised over Mirabel’s looks, causing her to smile sardonically, but he caught himself quickly. He was polite again when he bowed to Teresa and very flustered upon meeting Catriona Douglas, who sported a slight tan and freckles from her frequent excursions to the beaches together with Teresa. Robert and Harriet-Anne were introduced with their full titles, and Lansing greeted them formally. Then he surprised Thomas by turning back to Mirabel.

“Milady, you must think me an oaf for staring at you as I did. My sincere apologies. It is just that you remind me strongly of a very dear young woman I met years ago when attending St. John’s college in Annapolis. I meant no disrespect.”

“And I did not perceive any. Please, be at ease,” Mirabel answered easily and a little disingenuously, but the apology had been sincere enough. “I take it that you are a Marylander?”

“Yes, Ma ... milady. I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay, the eastern shore. My father is an attorney there and a member of the State Assembly in Annapolis. You know Maryland, milady?”

“No, but we have a very dear young friend who hails from Baltimore. She is the daughter of Mister Curry, the shipowner.”

“Melinda Curry? I heard that she lives in England now.”

“She spent a lot of time at our home in Surrey, and one cannot but love her,” Mirabel smiled. “But please, be seated. We placed you between Teresa and Missus Douglas. I hope that you won’t mind.”

“I see it as a hardly merited privilege, milady!”

They settled around the dining table, and soon, soup was served as the first course. As the dinner proceeded, Lansing thawed considerably, and upon Catriona’s gentle probing, his life as a student and young officer came to light. He was twenty-seven years old and a bachelor. He had also served as a junior lieutenant in USS Congress, 38, in the Second Barbary War off Tripoli, and when she decommissioned in late 1815, his father obtained employment for him in the Department of State.

Of course, that led to a telling of Thomas’s own exploits on the Barbary coast and his protracted feud with the Dey of Algiers. Mirabel had her say, too, telling of the Dey’s ill-fated intrigue at Gibraltar and how the Dey’s agents had perished off Algeciras. Being a naval officer, Lansing could not help but laugh over that.

“It is a small wonder that you were able to reduce the smuggling so quickly, Sir Thomas. That was — and I beg your pardon — a crafty way of solving a problem.”

“I suspect that such thinking was instilled in Sir Thomas from early youth. His late grandfather, Captain William Grey, was a wily old fox, too, and played a large part in his education,” Robert remarked. “I still remember the stories the old man told us boys. I owe some of my successes to them.”

“Oh, are you related?” Lansing asked.

“No, we were classmates at the Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth. The Greys invited me to stay with them during the winter breaks, since my home in Kilmarnock was five days away in either direction. I had a brother and two sisters for which Sir Thomas envied me, but I had no grandfather, and I envied him for Old Bill Grey.”

“What sort was the schooling at that academy, if I may ask?”

“Challenging and rewarding,” Robert answered. “The academic teaching was on par with many a public school, but we were also taught seamanship whenever possible. Now renamed the Royal Naval College, the curriculum is even more demanding.”

“There is talk at home about having such an institution,” Lansing explained. “I was lucky to have gone through a good schooling, but many of my fellow midshipmen were woefully ill-qualified as navigators.”

“Yet, such is the way for the majority of officer candidates in the Royal Navy, too,” Thomas admitted. “In the rated ships, the volunteers have qualified sailing masters for their classes, but if you look at unrated sloops, the volunteers often learn nothing of value.”

“Even in rated ships, not all sailing masters are up to teaching proper navigation,” Robert added. “Yet, with the sheer number of midshipmen needed in the Royal Navy, they would need a full score academies to meet the demand during war time.”

“The United States Navy is of course smaller, so an academy training would be feasible,” Lansing opined.

The conversation then shifted to other topics such as the devastating effect of the failed harvests, and Lansing made big eyes when Thomas related how he had purchased surplus Navy provisions to bring his estate through the years of food shortages. He was even more astonished finding out that Harriet-Anne had shown the same foresight and initiative on her own estate, and she could not help but needle him.

“Why, you seem surprised, Mister Lansing, that a mere woman may have more on her mind than pretty clothes.”

“I beg your pardon, milady, for showing my prejudice, but you are not at all like the society ladies I met in my life.”

“I shall take that as a compliment. I was a silly girl once, but it was Thomas’s grandfather, too, who made me wish to better my education. I did not like it at all when he referred to me as ‘that inane chatterbox’. Thomas, too, had a similar opinion of me, hadn’t you, Thomas?”

“To my shame, I had,” Thomas admitted. “Since then, I learned what an accomplished lady she is.”

“Is it usual for a group of close friends to be appointed to commands in the Royal Navy?” Lansing asked.

“I am afraid that nepotism and interest dictate many postings,” Thomas admitted. “Captain Bryce is an old friend, a distinguished officer, junior to me and he was available. It was an easy decision.”