d say. Thompson was for
bringing him to a court-martial, which I would most gladly have done, if
it only were to get rid of him; but I had a long conversation with old
Swinburne on the subject, and he proved to me that I had better not
attempt it. "For, d'ye see, Mr Simple, you have no proof. He did not run
down below; he stood his ground on deck, although he did nothing. You
can't _prove_ cowardice, then, although there can be no great doubt of
it. Again, with regard to his not renewing the attack, why, is not a
captain at liberty to decide what is the best for His Majesty's service?
And if he thought, in the crippled state of the brig, so close to the
enemy's coast, that it wasn't advisable, why, it could only be brought
in as an error in judgment. Then there's another thing which must be
remembered, Mr Simple, which is, that no captains sitting on a
court-martial will, if it be possible to extricate him, ever prove
_cowardice_ against a brother captain, because they feel that it's a
disgrace to the whole cloth."

Swinburne's advice was good, and I gave up all thoughts of proceeding;
still it appeared to me, that the captain was very much afraid that I
would, he was so extremely amiable and polite during our run home. He
said, that he had watched how well I had behaved in the action, and
would not fail to notice it. This was something, but he did not keep his
word: for his despatch was published before we quitted the roadstead,
and not the name of one officer mentioned, only generally saying, that
they conducted themselves to his satisfaction. He called the enemy a
corvette, not specifying whether she was a brig or ship corvette; and
the whole was written in such a bombastic style, that any one would have
imagined that he had fought a vessel of superior force. He stated, at
the end, that as soon as he repaired damages, he wore round, but that
the enemy declined further action. So she did--certainly--for the best
of all possible reasons, that she was too disabled to come down to us.
All this might have been contested; but the enormous list of killed and
wounded proved that we had had a hard fight, and the capture of the brig
afterwards, that we had really overpowered her. So that, on the whole,
Captain Hawkins gained a great deal of credit with some; although
whispers were afloat which came to the ears of the Admiralty, and
prevented him from being posted--the more so, as he had the modesty not
to apply for it.