[Frontispiece: Charles Beresford, Admiral] THE MEMOIRS OF ADMIRAL LORD BERESFORD WITH TWENTY-THREE ILLUSTRATIONS FOURTH EDITION IN ONE VOLUME METHUEN & CO. LTD. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON First Published (2 vols.) . . . . October 6th, 1914 Second Edition . . . . November, 1914 Third Edition . . . . December, 1914 Fourth Edition (1 vol.) . . . . September, 1916 TO MY BROTHER OFFICERS OF THE ROYAL NAVY {vii} PREFACE This work is a record of my life from the year 1859, when I entered the Royal Navy, to the year 1909, when I hauled down my flag and came on shore. For the Introduction and the Notes, which have been written in order to amplify the personal narrative and to connect it with the historical events of the period, Mr. L. Cope Cornford is responsible. I have dedicated the book to my brother officers of the Royal Navy. As luck would have it, my career has been of a singularly varied character. And my hope is that, in reading its story, boys and girls, as well as their elders, may find pleasure. CHARLES BERESFORD _Admiral_ 1 GREAT CUMBERLAND PLACE, W. _June_ 1914 [Illustration: CURRAGHMORE] {ix} CONTENTS INTRODUCTORY NOTE CHAP. I. I SEE THE FLEET II. THE BEGINNING OF SERVICE III. THE SHIP OF HAPPIEST MEMORY IV. THE SHIP OF UNHAPPY MEMORY V. THE MIDSHIPMAN OF 1864 VI. STRICT SERVICE VII. THE CRUISE OF H.M.S. _GALATEA_-- I. TO THE ANTIPODES VIII. THE CRUISE OF H.M.S. _GALATEA_ (_continued_)-- II. MY TWO FAITHFUL SERVANTS IX. THE CRUISE OF H.M.S. _GALATEA_ (_continued_)-- III. TAHITI AND THE SANDWICH ISLANDS X. THE CRUISE OF H.M.S. _GALATEA_ (_continued_)-- IV. OLD JAPAN. NOTE XI. THE CRUISE OF H.M.S. _GALATEA_ (_continued_)-- V. WITH THE DUKE IN JAPAN XII. THE CRUISE OF H.M.S. _GALATEA_ (_continued_)-- VI. THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE XIII. FLAG-LIEUTENANT AT PLYMOUTH XIV. POLITICAL EVENTS OF 1873-80 AND POSTSCRIPT. NOTE {x} XV. AN IRISH ELECTION AND IRISH POLITICS XVI. MEMBER FOR WATERFORD, AND COMMANDER, ROYAL NAVY XVII. WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA XVIII. THE EGYPTIAN WAR-- I. THE BEGINNING OF TROUBLE. NOTE XIX. THE EGYPTIAN WAR (_continued_)-- II. THE BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA XX. THE EGYPTIAN WAR (_continued_)-- III. CHIEF OF POLICE XXI. THE EGYPTIAN WAR (_continued_)-- IV. GARRISON WORK XXII. PASSING THROUGH EGYPT XXIII. THE SOUDAN WAR OF 1884-5-- I. SUMMARY OF EVENTS. NOTE XXIV. THE SOUDAN WAR (_continued_)-- II. HOW WE BROUGHT THE BOATS THROUGH THE GREAT GATE XXV. THE SOUDAN WAR (_continued_)-- III. UP THE CATARACTS AND ACROSS THE DESERT XXVI. THE SOUDAN WAR (_continued_)-- IV. THE FIRST MARCH OF THE DESERT COLUMN. NOTE XXVII. THE SOUDAN WAR (_continued_)-- V. THE DESERT MARCH OF THE FORLORN HOPE XXVIII. THE SOUDAN WAR (_continued_)-- VI. THE FIGHT AT ABU KLEA XXIX. THE SOUDAN WAR (_continued_)-- VII. THE FIGHT TO REACH THE RIVER {xi}