George Johnstone (Royal Navy officer)

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George Johnstone
3rd Governor of British West Florida
In office
Oct 1764 – Jan 1767
Preceded byRobert Farmar
Succeeded byMontfort Browne
Personal details
Born1730
Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Died24 May 1787 (aged 56–57)
Hotwells, Bristol
NationalityBritish
Relations
Military service
Allegiance Great Britain
Branch/service Royal Navy
Years of service1744–1787
RankCommodore
Commands
Battles/wars

George Johnstone (1730 – 24 May 1787) was a

director of the East India Company, a member of the Carlisle Peace Commission and the first Governor of West Florida
from 1763 until 1767.

Johnstone was born into a gentry family in 1730, and embarked on a naval career. Early in his service there occurred several incidents which revealed both positive and negative aspects of his character. He was involved in encounters with the enemy where he was praised for his bravery, and incidents where he was censured for disobedience. He rose through the ranks to his own commands and had some success with small cruisers against enemy merchants and privateers. After the end of the Seven Years' War he had made friends with several powerful figures, and was appointed Governor of West Florida. He achieved a measure of success in the delicate operations of running a new colony, but ultimately clashed with his political masters and failed to cultivate support amongst the wider sections of colonial society. Returning to Britain he became active in politics, supporting conciliatory measures for the Americans, and the removal of government interference from the affairs of the East India Company. His stance on the former led to his appointment as a member of the Carlisle Peace Commission, but he was accused of offering bribes and the Americans would have nothing to do with him.

Returning to active naval service with a lucrative posting as commodore, he cruised with success off Portugal, and was then entrusted with a secret mission to capture the Cape Colony from the Dutch Republic. While en route to the Cape, he was surprised by a French force sent to thwart his goal, and though he fought it off at the Battle of Porto Praya, he allowed the French to push on and reinforce the Cape. Thwarted in his mission, he had some consolation in discovering a valuable fleet of Dutch merchants, and capturing most of them. Returning to politics in England after the war he spoke on a number of issues, but was not asked to join an administration. He became a director of the East India Company towards the end of his life, before illness forced him to retire from business and politics shortly before his death in 1787.

Family and early life

George Johnstone was born in 1730 in Dumfriesshire the fourth son of Sir James Johnstone, 3rd Baronet of Westerhall, Dumfries, and his wife Barbara Murray, the oldest sister of the literary patron Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank.[1] He was a younger brother of William Johnstone (later Sir William Pulteney),[1] and an older brother of the East India Company official John Johnstone (1734–1795).[2]

War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War

He began his career at sea in the

fireship so that it could be towed away from a British squadron off Port Louis, Hispaniola.[1] He spent some time as a midshipman aboard HMS Lark under Captain John Crookshanks.[3] For reasons unknown Crookshanks refused to grant Johnstone his certificate, upon which Johnstone challenged him to a duel. The challenge being accepted, the two duelled and Crookshanks was wounded in the neck.[3] The end of the war in 1748 left him without active employment, though he passed his lieutenant's examination in 1749. He spent some time in the merchant service during the years of peace, captaining at least one merchant vessel to the Caribbean.[1] He was recalled to the navy at his new rank on the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, serving aboard HMS Bideford. He was however soon court-martialed for "insubordination and disobedience", and though he was found guilty his record of gallantry in combat was taken into account, and he was given a reprimand in 1757 and ordered to resume his duties.[1]

Johnstone went on to serve aboard HMS Dreadnought, seeing action at the Battle of Cap-Français on 21 October 1757 and receiving praise for his bravery from the squadron's commander, Commodore Arthur Forrest. Johnstone however made an enemy of Rear-Admiral Thomas Cotes as a result of a dispute over prize money.[1] His combative nature was also demonstrated in 1758 when, while serving as first lieutenant aboard HMS Trial, he demanded a court martial of his captain Thomas Cookson for alleged incompetence in sailing the ship. The proposed court martial was dismissed out of hand by Admiralty.[4] Despite these incidents, Johnstone was briefly made acting captain of the 70-gun HMS Essex in June 1759.[5]

By 1759 Johnstone, by now in poor health, found himself without a ship. After a period of delays, the

George Rodney in January 1762 of the British declaration of war against Spain. Rodney was able to use this early notice to capture a number of valuable prizes, before the Spanish in the region became aware that they were at war. Johnstone was promoted to post-captain in May 1762, shortly before the end of the Seven Years' War.[1] On 11 August 1762 he received command of the 24-gun HMS Hind.[7][8] He was appointed to the 24-gun HMS Wager before the end of the year, but received a new commission before he could take it up.[7]

Governor of West Florida

The expanded West Florida territory in 1767.

Johnstone was appointed colonial governor of West Florida in November 1763 by the Prime Minister, John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute.[1] Johnstone was friends at the time with the dramatist and fellow Scot John Home, who was Bute's secretary. Johnstone was one of several Scots appointed by Bute to govern all four of the new British colonies, which provoked much criticism from the opposition. Johnstone became notorious for cudgelling a writer for The North Briton over his comments on Bute's appointments.[1] Johnstone took up his position eagerly, feeling that his new province's strategic location would give it a profitable future, and envisaging West Florida as 'The Emporium of the New World'.[1]

He arrived at his capital,

illegitimate
children, all of whom he supported: George Lindsay Johnstone (later a member of Parliament), James Primrose Johnstone, Alexander Johnstone and Sophia Johnstone.

British politics

He returned to

North Ministry's schemes for Indian reform, and laying the blame for the chaos in Bengal at Clive's door.[1] He found favour for doing so with the company's court of proprietors, who made him chair of a proprietary committee aiming to block plans for company reform. Despite these efforts, the Prime Minister, Lord North, was able to pass an act regulating the East India Company in 1773.[1]

Johnstone supported the

slave trade, calling it 'a commerce of the most barbarous and cruel kind that ever disgraced the transactions of any civilised people'.[1] He tended towards pragmatism on other affairs, believing that while taxing Americans was legal, it was inexpedient, and that sending troops to America would be ultimately fruitless and that to maintain order would require the garrisoning of forces in the colonies at great expense. Instead he urged conciliation to redress colonial grievances.[1] His temper occasionally got the better of him, leading to difficult situations, and on one occasion a duel with Lord George Germain.[9]

The Carlisle Peace Commission

Johnstone's stance on conciliation probably led to his selection by North to form part of the peace commission sent to America in 1778 under

guineas.[1] The charge was never proved, but the Continental Congress voted to have nothing more to do with him, and Johnstone returned home in 1778, before the rest of the commissioners.[1]

Return to the Navy

In 1779 Johnstone was offered, and accepted, a post as commodore of the Lisbon Station , despite his previous attacks on the ministry, and his support for conciliation over military intervention. He justified himself with the argument that since France had entered the war on the American side, he could no longer support staying out of the war.[1] He was promised an assignment on the Portuguese station, before which he cruised off the French coast in his flagship HMS Romney, looking for evidence of invasion preparations.[1] It soon became known that the French and Spanish fleets intended to unite and form a large single fleet to invade England. Johnstone took Romney to join Admiral Sir Charles Hardy's Channel Fleet, and pressed him to seek battle.[1] Hardy instead preferred to avoid action at first, wearing down the enemy fleet at sea while his own continued to refit and resupply from the naval bases along the English coast. Hardy's tactics were successful, and rather than confront a fresh and well-equipped British fleet, the enemy armada abandoned their plans and returned to French ports.[1]

Johnstone went on to cruise off the Portuguese coast, making several captures that brought him a sizeable sum of prize money.[1] In particular Romney, while cruising with HMS Tartar and HMS Rattlesnake, chased down and captured the 34-gun Spanish frigate Santa Margarita on 11 November 1779.[7][10] The following year his ships captured the 38-gun Artois on 3 July 1780, and the 18-gun Perle on 6 July 1780, both off Cape Finisterre.[7][10] Despite these successes he still tried to maintain his influence in politics, suggesting that Spain be offered Gibraltar in exchange for leaving the war, but achieved no apparent backing or result.[1]

Assignment to the Cape

Johnstone was then given command of a squadron that was assigned to carry out an expedition to the

Pierre André de Suffren to foil Johnstone by beating him to the Cape and reinforcing it.[a][11]

Battle of Porto Praya

Johnstone at first made for the

Annibal and Héros, and the 64-gun Artésien, fired broadsides into her, and raised the French colours.[14] Moored as he was Johnstone could not easily bring his remaining warships to engage the French, while his smaller ships were useless against the large French warships. In the smoke and confusion several of the transports fired into the East Indiamen.[13]

Combat de la baie de la Praia dans l'île de Santiago au Cap Vert, le 16 avril 1781, by Pierre-Julien Gilbert

Recovering from their initial shock the British soon began to fight back effectively. Captain Ward of HMS Hero took men from nearby ships and used them to bring his ship into range of the French, whereupon he boarded Artésien, killed her captain, Cardaillac, and took twenty-five of her men away as prisoners.[15] After two hours of heavy cannonading the French found themselves in a dangerous position, as Annibal lost her mizzen mast, followed shortly afterwards by her main and foremasts. She had by now sustained casualties of two hundred dead or wounded, and with the British preparing to board her, Suffren decided to retreat.[15] He brought Héros in to tow Annibal to safety and made for the open sea, taking with him as prizes the East Indiamen Hinchinbroke and Fortitude, the fireship Infernal, and the storeship Edward.[15] Johnstone immediately ordered a pursuit, but his heavily damaged ships took some time to get out of the harbour, by which time Suffren's fleet had disappeared.[14] The British ships taken by Suffren were all recaptured over the next few days, as they were considered too badly damaged to be of use and were abandoned. Though Johnstone had beaten off the superior French force, the race was now on for the Cape. Johnstone assumed that Suffren would either make for the West Indies or Brazil to refit and resupply, but was mistaken. Suffren simply rigged temporary masts on Annibal and made for the Cape.[14] Johnstone stayed at Porto Praya to carry out repairs, thus abandoning any chance of beating Suffren to his destination.[14]

Arrival at the Cape and Saldanha Bay

Johnstone's forces arrived at the Cape, where he sent HMS Active ahead to reconnoitre. Active found a Dutch merchant, the Held Woltemande, which had recently departed the Cape, and after fooling her into thinking Active was a French frigate, captured her.

packets Zon and Snelheid, which were sent further into the bay, near to Schapen Island. They had been given orders to burn their ships if attacked, while even if they were captured, the loss of their equipment on Zon and Snelheid would make them useless.[17][18] However the Dutch were largely unprepared, and only on Middleburg had stores of combustible material been prepared. They cut their anchor cables and ran onshore, where their crews set fire to them, but the British were able to board them in their boats and extinguished the fires on all but Middleburg, to which Johnstone personally attached a line to, repeating the success of his youth, and had towed away from the remaining Dutch ships.[18] The five ships fell into British hands, as did the two packets, which were captured without any attempt being made to destroy them. After equipping his ships, Johnstone left the bay with his prizes, leaving only Zon and Snelheid, which were considered too old to be of any use.[19]

Having failed in his objective to capture the Cape, Johnstone decided to send the troops and supplies on to the East Indies station, detaching his best warships under Captain James Alms of HMS Monmouth to escort them, while he returned to Britain with the ships Romney, Jupiter, Diana, Jason, Terror, Infernal, one light cruiser, two victuallers, and the Dutch prizes.[19] He stopped on his voyage home at Lisbon, where he married Charlotte Dee, daughter of the British vice-consul, on 31 January 1782.[1]

Aftermath and return to politics

Johnstone attempted to place much of the blame for his delay in chasing the French on a subordinate, Captain Evelyn Sutton of HMS Isis, and deprived him of his command and substantial prize money. Sutton was arrested and court-martialed, but acquitted.

Chiltern Hundreds in 1787 to resign his seat.[1]

Death and legacy

George Johnstone died at Hotwells, Bristol, possibly from Hodgkin's disease, on 24 May 1787.[1] He was survived by his wife Charlotte, by whom he had one son, John Lowther Johnstone. He also had four illegitimate children, including George Johnstone (1764–1813), who became an MP.[22]

John later succeeded his uncle,

6th Baronet of Westerhall. George Johnstone had achieved small-scale success as a naval officer, serving with undoubted courage, but had not been able to succeed when given a major command.[1] His poor strategic planning had led to his force being badly surprised at Porto Praya, and despite having rallied and successfully beaten off the French, his assumption that Suffren would not head immediately to the Cape proved his undoing and handed the French an important strategic victory. He achieved some successes as the founder of the colony of West Florida, despite ultimately failing to win the support of his political masters and the wider civil society, and would later rate his time in Florida more highly than his comparatively greater success as a director of the East India Company.[1] He was a renowned orator when speaking in opposition, but was never asked to join an administration and several of the high-profile causes he supported ultimately failed.[1]

Notes

a. ^ de la Motte was later uncovered, and tried for treason. Found guilty, he was executed at Tyburn on 27 July 1781.[11]

b. ^ The death of sitting MP Peregrine Cust on 2 January 1785 forced a by-election. Harcourt was declared duly elected by a majority of 17 votes when the polls closed after five days on 9 February (118 votes to 101), but a petition led to an investigation that uncovered evidence of bribery and corruption. Harcourt was declared not to have been elected, and Johnstone took the seat in his stead.[21][23]

Citations

  1. ^ required.)
  2. ^ Haden-Guest, Edith (1964). L. Namier; J. Brooke (eds.). "JOHNSTONE, John (1734-95), of Denovan and Alva, Stirling". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  3. ^ a b Ralfe. The Naval Biography of Great Britain. p. 364.
  4. JSTOR 30147364
    .
  5. ^ Winfield. British Warships in the Age of Sail. p. 46.
  6. ^ Winfield. British Warships in the Age of Sail. p. 304.
  7. ^ a b c d Charnock. Biographia Navalis. p. 497.
  8. ^ Winfield. British Warships in the Age of Sail. p. 252.
  9. ^ Ralfe. The Naval Biography of Great Britain. p. 365.
  10. ^ a b Winfield. British Warships in the Age of Sail. p. 148.
  11. ^ a b c d e Couzens. Battles of South Africa. p. 18.
  12. ^
    JSTOR 1777505
    .
  13. ^ .
  14. ^ a b c d Couzens. Battles of South Africa. p. 19.
  15. ^
    JSTOR 1777505
    .
  16. .
  17. ^ .
  18. ^ a b Couzens. Battles of South Africa. p. 20.
  19. ^
    JSTOR 1777505
    .
  20. ^ Winfield. British Warships in the Age of Sail. p. 150.
  21. ^ a b Cobbett. Cobbett's Parliamentary History of England. p. 788.
  22. ^ Stokes, Winifred; Thorne, R. G. (1986). R. Thorne (ed.). "JOHNSTONE, George (1764-1813), of Hanover Square, Mdx". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  23. ^ Burke. Annual Register. p. 225.

References

External links

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Cockermouth
1768–1775
With: Sir George Macartney to 1769
Sir James Lowther 1769–74
Fletcher Norton
1774–75
Succeeded by
James Adair
Preceded by
Philip Honywood
Philip Honywood
Succeeded by
Philip Honywood
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel
December 1780 – 1784
With: Hon. Thomas de Grey to 1781
Viscount Malden
1781–84
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Ilchester
1786–1787
With: Benjamin Bond-Hopkins
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded byas Governor of Spanish Florida Governor of British West Florida
1763–1767
Succeeded by