The terrible Irish famine was nearly at an end. To the Duke had been allotted the mission of official inquiry and relief; but although much had been done officially to relieve the general suffering, on our daily trips we frequently came across cases of great distress, usually where the peasantry refused relief outside their own homes. During one round we came upon a particularly painful scene. Walking into an old cabin which was apparently empty, we discovered through the dim light which penetrated from a hole in the roof, the weird figure of a very old man scantily clothed in the meanest rags. Stretched upon the floor by his side lay a young boy in the same deplorable condition. The old man spoke a few words of welcome in a feeble voice, and the miserable lad tried to rise to come forward. It was the most painful scene I can remember, and it would have taken the genius and human understanding of Hogarth to depict in detail. Needless to say such a case of dire distress was immediately relieved. The Duke of Edinburgh was most kind-hearted, and he did much personally as well as officially to relieve the distress in this district. I was told on the best authority that he distributed within a very short time over £200 from his private purse in individual cases of extreme need. When the Channel Squadron under Admiral Hood (afterwards Lord Hood) joined us life on board became more ceremonious and eventful. Admiral Hood gave a dinner-party for the Duke on board the flag-ship _Minotaur_, and Admiral Hewitt accompanied H.R.H. During their absence I was inspired to caricature the latter. When they returned, the Duke took up my sketch, and it tickled his fancy immensely, in fact I had never seen him laugh so much. Sir William was getting very stout at the time, and I had noticed that he always fastened the bottom button of his jacket leaving the upper ones loose, doubtless with the intention to give an appearance of slimness to his waist. The effect was ludicrous, and I had endeavoured to put on paper my impression of it. I fear, however, that poor Sir William did not appreciate the joke. The next day the Duke inspected some of the ships, and I was privileged to accompany him and found it a great opportunity to increase my knowledge. The combined fleets lying at anchor made a glorious naval picture. The ships were seventeen in all, of which I remember:-- _Northumberland_, Captain Wratislaw; _Defence_, Captain Thrupp; _Valiant_, Captain Charman; _Audacious_, Captain Woolcombe; _Warrior_, Captain Douglas; _Achilles_, Captain Heneage; _Hercules_ (flag-ship), Captain Townsend; _Lord Warden_, Captain Indsay Brine; _Hector_, Captain Caster; _Penelope_, Captain Nicholson; _Agincourt_, Captain Buller; _Minotaur_ (flag-ship), Captain Rawson; _Salamis_ (despatch boat), Commander Fitzgeorge; _Lively_ (despatch boat), Commander Le Strange.