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Admiral Sir John Norris

Admiral Sir John Norris, a distinguished British naval officer, was born in Ireland about the year 1674. It cannot be expected that the biography of British seamen should present any great variety of character; still, how ever, it is not uninteresting, since it unfolds more fully and minutely, those features which make up the character of those men, on whom the fate of Britain mainly depended : for while the life of one eminent British seaman displays one feature more conspicuously than another, it must be useful and interesting, even on this account, that when taken in connection with {he lives of other British seamen, the whole character is brought more fully forth. Thus, in the biography of Sir John Norris, are perceived few of those more remarkable and rare qualities of a British seaman, while those less dazzling and splendid, though not less necessary in the common occurrence of a seafaring life, are easily distinguishable in his character.

Sir John Norris was of Irish extraction, and his family appears to have been respectable, both on account of its antiquity and situation in society. Early in life, he obtained what, at that time, was not uncommon, the king's letter, which gave him the lowest degree of rank in the sea service: he does not seem to have had an opportunity of distinguishing himself, till the battle of Beachy head^ when, acting as a lieutenant, his conduct was deemed so meritorious, that on the 8th of July, 1690, he was appointed captain of the Pelican fire ship. As he neither possessed much interest, many opportunities of bringing himself conspicuously and successfully before the notice of his superiors, nor that pushing disposition which creates opportunities where they do not exist, he was neither very quick nor very regular in his promotion.

In the year 1693, he had the command of the Sheerness, a frigate of twenty-eight guns: this vessel was one of the squadron under Sir George Rooke that convoyed the Mediterranean fleet- about ninety sail of merchantmen and three men-of-war, were captured. On the morning after the capture, the commander resolved to proceed to Madeira, for the purpose of collecting the scattered ships; and on this occasion, as well as during the engagement, Mr. Norris, in the Sheerness, was particularly active and successful.

Norris fought at the Battle of Malaga in 1704 and as captain of the fleet at the taking of Barcelona in 1705 was sent home with the despatches. In Sir George Rooke's engagement off Malaga, Captain Norris behaved with great gallantry; his ship belonged to Sir Cloudesley Shovel's division, and was, in fact, one of his seconds; consequently, this admiral having an opportunity of witnessing his conduct on this important occasion, not only bestowed his friendship on him, but soon afterwards when he hoisted his flag on board the Britannia, made him his captain. During the expedition to the Mediterranean, in the year 1705, for the purpose of assisting the Archduke Charles, Captain Norris signalized himself so much in the attack, that the archduke wrote a letter to Queen Anne, expressly recommending him to her majesty's notice and favor.

On the 10th of March, 1706-7, he was raised to the rank of rear-admiral of the blue, when he hoisted his flag on board the Torbay, and joined the Mediterranean fleet, under Sir Cloudesley Shovel; one branch of the important and arduous service on which Sir Cloudesley was engaged this year, he especially entrusted to Admiral Norris, and thus gave him an opportunity of signalizing himself soon after his promotion to the flag. In the same year served under Sir Cloudesley Shovel in the Mediterranean, and was actively engaged in the abortive attack upon Toulon.

After having been advanced to be Vice-Admiral of the White, on the 21st of December, 1708, having returned from the Mediterranean, he was appointed vice-admiral of the red; and on the 19th of November in the following year, he was promoted to the rank of admiral of the blue. In the beginning of 1710, he was ordered out to the Mediterranean as commander-in-chief. On that station, nothing interesting or important relative to him happened, except that by his judicious arrangements, he succeeded in repulsing the enemy on a descent which they made on the island of Sardinia. From this time till the year 1716, his life presented nothing remarkable.

In 1715 he started a long service in the Baltic, first protecting Anglo-Dutch traders, then in command of an Anglo-Dutch and Russian fleet against the Swedes. In 1717 he was Envoy-Extraordinary to the Czar. It does not appear that he was selected for this purpose so much on account of his diplomatic skill, (though it was not probable that any considerable degree of this could be required) as from his having become a favorite of the Russian Emperor, while he commanded the British fleet in the Baltic. Peter, it is well known, was extremely partial to seafaring men; and the character of a British sailor, standing pre-eminent for personal courage and knowledge of his profession, was well calcu- ted to excite his esteem, and gain his friendship. Nothing interesting or important occurred during this second expedition to the Baltic; nor had Sir John an opportunity of displaying his diplomatic skill in any delicate or difficult negociations.

Finally from 1719 to 1721 he commanded an Anglo-Danish-Swedish fleet against the Russians. Before his time, the navigation of the Baltic was very imperfectly understood by British seamen; at least, as far as regarded those particulars respecting its navigation, which were of the most importance to British ships of war. As, therefore, Sir John had sufficient leisure and the best opportunities, he caused nautical surveys to be taken of the coasts; and made accurate observations respecting the different channels, currents, and prevalent winds; so that by his means, it has been remarked, that the navigation of this sea became as well known as the navigation of the Thames.

At an advanced age, he commanded the Channel fleet from 1729 to 1744, in the War of Jenkin's Ear and the early part of that of the Austrian Succession, although he never had an opportunity to come to grips with an enemy fleet. Sir John till the year 1739, was unemployed. In the spring of this year, he was appointed vice-admiral of Great Britain; and on the breaking out of the Spanish war, the command of twenty- one ships of the line was given to him: his instructions were to cruise in the bay of Biscay; but, in consequence of meeting with very tempestuous weather, the fleet could not get down Channel, and were at length compelled to return to port. When the circumstances which gave rise to this Spanish war are considered; the popular clamor and deceit, by which the minister was forced to embark in it; and the high expectations of victory and riches, with which a Spanish war always used to fill the minds, not only of sailors, but of all the middling and lower classes of the people, one may well conceive the disappointment of the nation, when the formidable fleet of Sir John Norris returned to port, without even having seen the enemy.

In 1743, he was appointed admiral of the fleet; but this year he does not appear to have gone to sea. In 1744, hostilities with France required the most vigorous preparations for defence on the part of the British ministry ; the enemy had collected a large fleet in the Mediterranean, for the purpose of joining the Spaniards, and, at the same time, a formidable armament was equipping at Dunkirk. The object of this was soon known to be the invasion of Great Britain; and as this danger was nearer home, and consequently more alarming, a fleet of twenty-nine sail of the line was immediately collected, and the command of it given to Sir John Norris.

Being quite unprepared and unfit to cope with such a superior force, a French council of war was called, in which it was unanimously resolved that their only alternative was to return to Brest. This they certainly would not have been able to effect, had not Sir John's usual ill luck followed him; for on the turn of the tide he was obliged to anchor within two leagues of the enemy; and when the tide again became favourable to him, a dead calm, which had hitherto prevented the French from getting under weigh, was succeeded by a strong wind, which carried them down the Channel. Sir John pursued them, but a thick fog arising off the isle of Portland, they eluded his vigilance, and got safe back to Brest. His supposed ill-luck in the matter of weather procured for him the appellation of "Foul-weather Jack."

He in 1749, aged about 75. Charnock says, that he died on the 19th of July 1749; but this is certainly a mistake, for in the Gentleman's Magazine, his death is said to have happened on the 13th of June; and in the notice of it, he is stated to have been the oldest commander in the navy. At the time of his death he represented Rye in Parliament, and was the oldest admiral in the British navy, having seen sixty years' service.