In the dusk of the evening of October 2d, 1804, several catamarans, led by the flag-ship _Monarch_ with Admiral Keith in command, stole quietly into the harbor of Boulogne. Seamen, in black jerseys, waistcoats and trousers, with black caps pulled over their faces, managed to paddle each raft into position, attach the torpedoes and get away in safety. But the French ships swung about and avoided the bombs; only one wrought destruction upon a small vessel with a crew of twenty-one men. The other bombs drifted ashore and exploded without serious harm, and at early dawn the British sailed away, without losing a man, but with so slight accomplishment that it was termed a failure. Fulton was present, as were also Sir Home Popham and Viscount Melville. The inventor’s disappointment must have been great. The attack was followed by a storm of protest in England. It was considered unlawful warfare,—the just idea of mercy construed as unfair such a form of siege. Others made fun of it, and a merry wag wrote a ballad for the newspaper, supposedly sung by the Secretary of War: See here my casks and coffers, With triggers pulled by clocks! But to the Frenchman’s rigging Who first will lash these blocks? Catamarans are ready, (Jack turns his quid and grins) Where snugly you may paddle In water to your chins. Then who my blocks will fasten, My casks and coffers lay? My pendulums set ticking And bring the pins away? “Your project new?” Jack mutters, “Avast! ’Tis very stale,— ’Tis catching birds, land-lubbers, By salt upon the tail.” In December another trial of the submarine torpedo-boat was made against the Red Fort in the harbor of Calais. Only one of the two bombs exploded and little damage was done. So passed several months,—months of entreaty on Fulton’s part,—months of cautious planning on the part of the British statesmen. It was an open secret that they did not like that sort of warfare. Any man less persevering than Fulton would have thought their lack of interest a sufficient dismissal. But Fulton eagerly continued to plead for a more extended trial of his new device. He explained that the partial failure of the early attempts was due to lack of knowledge in the men employed to handle the explosives. He lost no faith in his plan and urged that it be adopted “as a system” by the English fleet. Finally his persistence was rewarded; Mr. Pitt gave permission for a public demonstration of his plan at Walmar Roads, near Deal Harbor, within a mile of Mr. Pitt’s country residence, Walmar Castle.