ADMIRAL SEYMOUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 63

ADMIRAL SEYMOUR.

The sailor-hero of the hour, who is leading the forces of progress against a dying civilisation, fighting the battle of the nineteenth century against the first, is one of those strong men on whom the British Empire depends in the last resort. When the politicians have done their talking, when the diplomats have said their last words, when Parliament has done its best and failed — then the power of England is in its ships and in the men who man- them. We know little of the men who guard our shores. They live out of the public eye. But they are at their post when danger comes, and in the hour of crisis it is in her sailor statesmen that the hope of England lies. And of these sailor-statesmen Sir Edward Seymour is in the front rank, esteemed as a sailor and trusted as a man, A BOY HERO. Admiral Seymour — he has been promoted a step by the Man-in-the-Street — has lived a sailor's life since he was twelve. Born in 1840, he entered the navy in 1852, and he was but a boy when ho helped to bombard Sebastopol. Though a child of the parsonage, his thoughts were all of the sea, and he longed for the life in which so many Seymours have distinguished themselves.) So that, having finished his educa.-

tion at Radley, he became a sailor bold at once, and from then till now he has been one of the bravest and busiest sailors of the Queen. He is quite at home with war in China. He was fightingjthere long J before he was twenty. By his pluck in the Crimea, where he took part in the bombardments of Odessa, Kerburn, and Sebastopol, he had won a 'medal and clasp before he was sixteen, and 1857 found him for the first time where he is to-day. ' it was a Seymour who was leading then — Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, blie present commander-in-chief at Portsmouth, and cousin of the hero . of the hour. The boy sailor took part under his cousin in the capture of Canton, and was present at the storming of the' Peiho forts. The situation was a remarkable parallel to the situation now. There had been delays in negotiations, and the plenipotentiaries had determined to go to the vicinity of Pekin and force an entrance in order to compel the Emperor to accede to their demands. Tkey found the forts of the Peiho River strongly defended. Eighty-seven guns threatened the British ships from two miles of earthworks, and the "shores wete piled •up to prevent landing. The Chinese were summoned to surrender, arid their answer was to fire on the British -'ships. There was an hour and a-half s fighting, and eventually the British advanced to Tientsin, the town with which Sir Edward' Seymour j's linked again to-day. " For his service's at the taking of the Peiho forts young Seymour was awarded a second, medal and clasp. TWO _SIDES OF WAR. The young sailor ' passed through many exciting experiences in the first China War. He was midshipman on the launch of his cousin's flagship, which was sunk during the destruction of a Chinese flotilla at Fatshan Creek. The sinking of the fleet, after a chase of six miles, was a terrible feat of war, and must have stamped itself on the mind of the young midshipman. He would probably not be blind, however, to the humourous side of war, for he recalls a singular proclamation issued by the enemy, which offered reAvards of various sums to Chinese soldiers who could succeed in cutting off the heads of British sailors. "Whoever cuts off the head of an English or French rebel chief," ran this curious announcement, "will receive a reward of 5000 dollars ; whoever cuts off the head of a rebel barbarian will receive' a reward of 50 dollars." A» living barbarian rebel was worth 50 dollars, and a Chinese ' traitor was ticketed at 20 dollars. But for burning or 'taking a large war steamer the reward was 10,000 dollars", and for burning or taking a shal-low-water steamer a reward of one-fifth oi that amount" was "offered. There was thus a curious mingling of terror and humour in Sir Edward Seymour's first Celestial war. IN EGYPT. Sir Edward obtained his commander shipin 1866, and four • years later"- he was on the coast of Africa, commanding H.M.S. Growler. Twelve years were to "elapse before he took part in an "African war, but in 1870 he received the special approval of the Admiralty for a gallant action he performed on the Congo, " where he rescued an English vessel from a gang of pirates. He was severely wounded in the action. In 1882 Sir Edward was again in Africa, and this time, as captain of the Iris, he distinguished himself in the bombardment of Alexandria. For this he wears the Khedive's bronze star, a medal, and the Osmanieh of the third class. AT IIOME. For the ten years following the Queen's Jubilee his duty lay chiefly at home. In 1887-9 he was appointed Naval A.D.C. to the Queen, a post which he filled for two years. In 1892, having reached rearadmiral rank, Sir Edward was appointed second in command of the Channel Squadron, and two years afterwards he undertook the responsible position of Superintendent of Naval Reserves. In this capacity he took part in the naval manoeuvres for five years in succession. His period of service as Superintendent of the Reserves was extended in order that he might help to carry out the Government's scheme for giv : ing the - reserves a better training at sea. In - 1897 he was honoured with a K.C.B. and the Commandership-in-Chief of the China station. Sir Edward, who is a grandson of the first baronet, and is unmarried, is high in the esteem of ,the Admiralty, and among his warm friends are Admiral Dewey and Prince Henry of Prussia, the Kaiser's brother. With the exception of the Mediterranean his "fleet is the most powerful British fleet ever commissioned for a foreign station in time of peace — at once an "honour and a responsibility . But Sir Edward is not likely to abuse his power. He has the reputation of being one of the finest tacticians in the navy, and he is as popular as a man as he is as a sailor. It may be truly said of him, with quite literal truth, that "they all love Jack."