THE DRESS OF THE NAVY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 75

THE DRESS OF THE NAVY.

Sir John Dalrymple-Hay, whose 84 years have not in the lea-st. spoiled the crispness of his intellect nor -the accuracy of his memory, lately gave us some interesting details'as to the. dre^.qf.the navy as he can remember it. It was in 1833 that, he joined the Thalia, a ship of 42 guns, bearing the flag of Rear-admiral Patrick Campbell, and bound for the South African station. Lieutenants in those days wore but one epaulet, and the full dress coat had red cuffs and collar, wliich was altered a year or two later to white. The white or blue trouaers were stiapped tightly down over high Wellington boots ; and the headgear was an ordinary chimney-pot black hat with a scrap of gold lace, and a button on one side, generally called "the lightning conductor." Young Hay had. very rapid ps>ntotion. He came in for the first Kaffir war, and deaths, either in~action or from the terribly unhealthy conditions then prevailing, were frequent. In less than 10 years he was flag-lieutenant to his father's old friend and kinsman, Sir Thomas Cochrane, commanding on the China station. It is easy to guess at- the misery caused by the wearing of Wellington boots in the tropics ! All sorts of dodges were resorted to under the kindly cover iof the trouser -strap. But the Admiral's eye was sharo^ and detection

An ingenious Chinese^ bootmaker hit upon an expedient which he declared wc-ald \ d-eccive any. Admiral _ever born. .This was t£ 1 low shoe, constructed, ,'.Y'^th»-a : * fract /piece/ i and a back piece .going'hrgK^lp^tlie^anicie'i and giving all the effect of a* Wellfngto'ii' boot. This clever device he named, in his" pigeon English, "Cheaty Cochs,"' after Sir. Thomas, and footgear after this patternbecame very popular.. One fine day the Chinaman was ordered on hoard to measure the Admiral Tfor a pair |of boots. "You like Cheaty Cochs?" he asked, blandly. The' Chinaman proudly explained his invention, urging its manifest advantages, and guilelessly assured his patron that with footgear of that fashion jhe would never be found out. Luckily the oddity of being urged to cheat himself so tickled the Admiral's sense of humour that from that day forth he not only winked at evasion of the regulation boots, but was [ suspected of wearing "Cheaty Cochs" himself. Admiral Sir John Dalrymple-Hay is one of the few "salts" now left us of the old' school. He was a comrade-in-arms of Sir Henry Keppe], and fought alongside, him, first in the encounters with slavefl'bn the" African coast, then at the capture of Bey -^ rout and St. Jean d'Acre., Be; was already^ a veteran -of world-wide experience '.wtieirhe, commanded the * Hannibal at the siege of Sebastopol. He likes to remember that among his commands he can count Nelson's Victory, 'whence he superintended the difficult work of drafting men for the fleet in war time. His stories are as J*acy as Admiral Keppel's own, and his corner at the United Service Club is the rendezvous of a group of men — not only naval men — who delight in his 'flow of talk. Unlike Keppel, who was one of the smallest men in the service, Sir John is a splendid figure even yet," and the loss of an eye' from a shooting accident marred ar uncommonly handsome visage. Lady Hay, a daughter of the late Lord Napier andEttrick, died only three or four years ago.