HMS Captain 1870         

Listing of Memorials (cont)

Sutton, near Sandy, Bedfordshire

Princess Eugenie's Escape from the Franco-Prussian War. 

Not particularly relevant to the HMS Captain story, but added out of interest due to the sad coincidence that on the night Captain Burgoyne perished near the Bay of Biscay on the Captain, his brother was captaining his own yacht crossing the same stretch of water.

 THE EMPRESS EUGENIE IN ENGLAND

The facts connected with the Empress’s departure from Paris, said the Times, her embarkation at a French port on board an English yacht and her arrival in England may be briefly told, as coming from an undoubtedly authentic source.

It had become evident that the Tuileries was no longer a safe resi­dence for the Empress, among the signs of the times in this respect being the plundering of the Imperial apartments and the private effects of the Empress by the servants of the Imperial house­hold. The Empress, therefore, determined to stay no longer in Paris or in France: and without luggage of any kind, and in a plain carriage, she left Paris and drove to the port of Deauville, near Trouville.

But even here means had to be sought for reaching England. Fortunately for the fugitives, the Gazelle cutter lay in the harbour, and was to sail on the following day for England with Sir John and Lady Burgoyne. Lady Burgoyne had arrived on board that evening from Switzerland, but the yacht with Sir John on board, had been lying some ten days in the harbour waiting Lady Burgoyne’s arrival from Switzerland, which had necessarily been much delayed by the present state of things on the Continent.

The first intimation Sir John Burgoyne received that other persons wished to cross to England in the Gazelle with Lady Burgoyne was a few hours before the time appointed for the Gazelle to weigh her anchor, when the Empress presented herself, announced her rank and difficult position, and claimed his protection as an English gentleman. There had been no suspicion by Sir John Burgoyne of the Empress’s presence or intended presence in the port. Under such unexpected conditions he acted as an Englishman would act. Lady Burgoyne was introduced to the Empress, who became her guest for the voyage across the Channel.

It was not, however, before her time which had already been fixed - viz. at seven o'clock on the succeeding morning, the 7th inst. that the Gazelle gave signs of leaving harbour for England, and then with a large British ensign flying from her Peak, she sailed leisurely out of the harbour in charge of a French pilot. At 7.30 a.m. the pilot was discharged, and the Gazelle stood across Channel for England.

For thirty miles from the French land, the little cutter had a fair wind, but then the wind suddenly chopped round to the N.W. and the remainder of the voyage was made under a three reefed mainsail, foresai1, and storm jib in the teeth of a fresh gale. The Gazelle's seamen knew nothing of the Empress of the French being aboard, but they may probably have made shrewd guesses among themselves relative to her rank. However that may have been, no man left the deck during the night’s work across, and everyone seemed anxious to shorten the distance between the two lands as much as possible.

The Gazelle completed her voyage across Channel by dropping anchor in Ryde Roads (Isle of Wight) at 3.35 a.m. on Thursday. After landing at Ryde from the Gazelle, the Empress crossed by steamer to Portsmouth, and proceeded to Hastings to join the Prince Imperial, by the South Coast Railway and Brighton.

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