t of
attending always, and in full uniform; a detail he did not require of
other officers. Thus the divinity that hedges kings was, by due
observance, associated with those to whom their authority was delegated,
and the very atmosphere the seaman breathed was saturated with
reverence.

The presence of Lord St. Vincent on these occasions, and in full
uniform, gave rise to an amusing skit by one of the lieutenants of the
fleet, attributing the homage exacted, not to the flag, but to the great
man himself; and this, becoming known to the admiral, elicited from him
in turn the exhibition of practical humor to which allusion has just
been made. Parodying the Scriptural story of Nebuchadnezzar's golden
image, the squib began:--

"I. The Earl of St. Vincent, the commander-in-chief, made an Image of
blue and gold, whose height was about five feet seven inches, and the
breadth thereof was about twenty inches" (which we may infer were the
proportions of his lordship). "He set it up every ten o'clock A.M. on
the quarter-deck of the _Ville de Paris_, before Cadiz."

Passing from hand to hand, it can be understood that this effusion,
which was characterized throughout by a certain sprightliness, gave more
amusement to men familiar with the local surroundings, and welcoming any
trifle of fun in the dulness of a blockade, than it does to us. At last
it reached the admiral, who knew the author well. Sending for him on
some pretext, an hour before the time fixed for a formal dinner to the
captains of the fleet, he detained him until the meal was served, and
then asked him to share it. All passed off quietly until the cloth was
removed, and then the host asked aloud, "What shall be done to the man
whom the commander-in-chief delights to honour?" "Promote him," said one
of the company. "Not so," replied St. Vincent, "but set him on high
among the people. So, Cumby," addressing the lieutenant, "do you sit
there,"--on a chair previously arranged at some height above the
deck,--"and read this paper to the captains assembled." Mystified, but
not yet guessing what was before him, Cumby took his seat, and, opening
the paper, saw his own parody. His imploring looks were lost upon the
admiral, who sat with his stern quarter-deck gravity unshaken, while the
abashed lieutenant, amid the suppressed mirth of his audience, stumbled
through his task, until the words were reached, "Then the Earl of St.
Vincent was full of fury, and the form of his vi