I am delighted to share with you the continuation of the story of Charles Austen’s ceremonial spadroon, a topic first introduced in my post on 29 September 2023.
Although Captain Charles Austen’s principal function was to sail his ship at sea, there were occasions when his commission required him to engage in activities on land. One such occasion concerned his brief involvement in South American politics shortly after the revolution against Spanish domination of that Continent. Charles’s activities, on behalf of British diplomatic interests in the area, earned him the gratitude of General Simon Bolivar, leader of the revolution, who rewarded Charles with a magnificent ceremonial sword. The narrative of this little know period of Charles’s naval career is drawn from Charles’s private journal for 1827, as well as the contemporary diary of the British Consul in Caracas, Venezuela, Sir Robert Ker Porter.[1] These sources reveal a personal account of Charles’s engagement in international diplomacy, so very different from what is usually read about him as a working naval officer in the Royal Navy.
On appointment to HMS Aurora in June 1826,[2] Charles’s orders were to sail to the West Indies where he became second in command on the Jamaica Station. Part of his mandate was to suppress the slave trade,[3] but he was also required to establish the presence of the Aurora in northern South American waters, as British foreign policy might require. Charles would already have some knowledge of the turbulent history of the liberation of Spain’s former colonies in South America, including Simon Bolivar’s military and political roles in this matter. In 1819 General Simon Bolivar had proclaimed the independence of what are now the republics of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. He thereby laid the grounds for their union as Gran Colombia, which became a reality in 1822, when the last of the Spaniards were driven from northern South America.
Map of Gran Colombia. Wikimedia Commons.
By the time Charles’s arrived in the West Indies, the political situation in South America had become tense and potentially explosive. With a crisis looming, Bolivar, the president of Gran Colombia, had returned to his home city, Caracas, Venezuela, in February 1827. Not only was there discontent within Gran Columbia, but a breakaway group was also trying to take Venezuela out of the union. Civil war threatened.
Britain, as the chief power in the Caribbean, wished to protect its economic and political interests in South America. In 1826, it had ratified a commercial treaty with Gran Colombia. Further, a very large debt was owed to Great Britain by Gran Colombia, deriving from Britain’s willingness to support General Bolivar financially in his fight for South American independence.[4] It was in Britain’s interest that Gran Colombia remain politically stable. Thus, in 1827, the Royal Navy stationed in Jamaica was mandated to provide assistance consistent with the political ambitions of General Bolivar, whose leadership Britain was currently supporting.[5]
Charles’s entrée into the world of diplomacy began when he was asked to transport His Excellency Alexander Cockburn, the British Minister to Gran Colombia from the Barbados to Venezuela so he could assess the political climate in Gran Colombia and negotiate directly with General Bolivar.[6] From April through June 1827, Charles was at hand, ready to transport Cockburn as required, and to take his dispatches to St Thomas and Jamaica, from where they would be sent forward to George Canning, Minister of Foreign Affairs in England.[7]
The Aurora arrived at La Guayra,[8] the port for Caracas, on 18 April. Once disembarked, Austen, Cockburn and their party began the steep mountainous route to Caracas, mounted on mules and horses. Charles mentions the ‘sublime scenery’, although they encountered some ‘hard showers’ and were ‘frequently embodied in a thick mist’. They climbed steadily on a zig zag path, and were finally rewarded with a fine view, which Charles described as ‘the City of Caracas and the valley extending inland beyond, seen below. [It was] certainly the finest sight my eye could behold’. The party arrived thoroughly wet, happy to shelter at the home of the British Consul, Sir Robert Porter and ready to accept the offer of dry clothes. Charles noted that Caracas at closer range looked much less enchanting than from afar. He observed: ‘the city before the earthquake [of 1812] must have been a very handsome one but now it has quite the appearance of desolation’.[9]
In subsequent entries Charles describes excursions to local scenic villages near Caracas and rides in the countryside, preferably on horse back as opposed to mule. It was the rainy season in which ‘a perfect torrent’, ‘a violent show of rain’ or ‘a storm descended’. Even so, Charles walked about Caracas, exploring the city and making courtesy calls with Sir Robert and Minister Cockburn, On one of these visit, Charles stopped to ‘thank [Mrs Mocatta] for a little pig she promised me’. He was presumably looking forward to fresh meat to enjoy once he was back on board the Aurora. Much to his surprise, the pig ‘turned out to be a guinea pig’.[10]
Cockburn and his staff made their headquarters in Caracas at the home of the genial and hospitable, Sir Robert Porter, whose house served as a centre for intense social activity and political discussion. Charles was invited there to join other dinner guests almost every evening he was in Caracas. He enjoyed Sir Robert’s generous and superior fare and he came to know members of the local English community who were closely attuned to political developments. He met, among others, Dr Thomas Cox, at whose house he was staying, Mr Morris Lievesly, Porter’s private secretary, and Col Edward Stopford, who edited an English newspaper in Caracas. One of Bolivar’s ADC, Englishman Col Belford Hinton Wilson, was a regular guest at most dinners at Sir Robert’s house. Getting to know him would have given Charles an additional personal insight into Bolivar’s leadership and political strategies.
Sir Robert Ker Porter by L. B. Shaw (1840). Alberto Vollmer Foundation.
The twentieth of April was a special and memorable day for Charles. Cockburn was officially presented to General Bolivar and Charles was one of the accompanying party which included Sir Robert Porter and ten officers from the Aurora. On arrival they were greeted by a Guard of Honour and the stirring sound of trumpets. At the gateway, the General’s staff in full dress met the party and led them to a suite of handsome rooms, known as the great Salon of Audience. After a short wait, Bolivar appeared and ‘welcomed with great suavity- as well as dignity, the British Envoy, Mr Cockburn.’[11]
General Simon Bolivar by Antonio Salas (1825). Wikimedia Commons
After Bolivar and Cockburn had effusively praised Britain and Colombia respectively,[12] the focus fell on Charles. He knew he was also to be presented to Bolivar, so he had carefully put on his full dress uniform as was fitting for the occasion. A note of pride and pleasure suffuses his description of the event: ‘I was presented by His Excellency [Mr Cockburn] to the Liberator and paid my compliments in a few words of French, and then my officers were presented in succession…. [During conversation that followed, Bolivar], placed me at his right hand and paid me marked attention, and in truth we all left him much pleased with our reception.’[13] Charles was now officially identified as part of the English community that was expected to maintain good relations with Bolivar and to support his initiatives, as long as they remained consistent with British policy.
Several days later, Sir Robert Porter and Minister Cockburn approached Charles with a request for his services that would bring him closer to Bolivar and give Charles an even more active role in British diplomacy. Transport would be needed to convey the Liberator, a few of his staff and a part of his bodyguard, together with Minister Cockburn, to Cartagena (a port on the north coast of Colombia, bordering the Caribbean Sea). The Aurora was the frigate of choice for this purpose. Charles was presumably flattered to be asked to carry out such a mission. He had never had so illustrious a passenger aboard his own ship.
During the following weeks, Cockburn and Porter tried to persuade Bolivar to go immediately to Cartagena, the first stage of his journey to Bogata, capital of Gran Colombia.[14] They were fearful that Bolivar’s political future, as President of Gran Colombia, was under threat from an ambitious rival, Vice President General Santander. Bolivar, they thought, needed to make a personal appearance at Bogata ‘in order if possible to quell the Santander party and displace its Chief’.[15] Presumably, Charles was aware of the opinions of the Minister and the Consul, but with the timing for Bolivar’s departure yet to be established, Charles carried on with other tasks. He sailed first to Les Roques[16] and then on to St Thomas, carrying dispatches from both Minister Cockburn and Sir Robert.
By 1 May Charles was back in port at La Guayra, anxious to reach Caracas overland in time for a lavish feast in the dinner salon at the President’s House. On this occasion, Bolivar was assisted by the Intendente, the Mayor of Caracas, four members of the High Court, three Generals and his own staff. Charles was impressed by the ‘knives and forks of pure gold.’[17] Sir Robert admired the setting, noting the patriotic décor which featured ‘allegorical paintings, touching the revolution and South America, inscriptions of battles, and other acts connected with its separation from the old world.’[18] He described the menu with relish. Guests were offered ‘various native edible birds, several sorts [of fish] from La Guayra, besides turtle in various ways, and a huge land tortoise into the bargain; wild deer, Lapa,[19] or rattish Sylvan pig of the woods, and mountain pork besides. The dessert and all its sweet et ceteras … equalled the first and second courses’.[20] After such an amazing spread Charles declared himself to be ‘plein gorge’.[21] He was particularly pleased that Bolivar had ‘received him in a friendly manner’ and likely surprised when Bolivar asked Charles ‘if he could [transport] a horse which [Bolivar] intended to present to our Gracious King’.[22]
Finally, on June 19, Bolivar announced he would sail with Cockburn from La Guayra to Cartagena within ten to twelve days, accompanied by a bodyguard of about 150 men. Charles arrived at La Guayra on 21 June, presumably in readiness to transport Cockburn, Bolivar and his party, but meanwhile there had been an unexpected development. On the previous evening, Captain Chambers of the frigate HMS Druid (46 guns) had arrived in port, bringing orders from Admiral Charles Elphinstone Fleeming, Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station. Captain Chambers had been sent to Venezuela for the express purpose of conveying President Bolivar and Minister Cockburn to Cartagena. In consequence, Charles was precluded from having ‘the gratification as well as the honour of being the bearer of the President to that port’.[23]
Charles must have been hugely disappointed. He had already been thinking about Bolivar’s comforts aboard the Aurora for he had altered the bathing arrangements ‘in expectation of conveying General Boliva and suite to Cartagena.’[24] It was some consolation that on 23 June Mr Cockburn and Charles were invited to wait upon Bolivar at the Presidential House in Caracas. There, in Sir Robert’s words, the Liberator presented Charles ‘with a handsome sword, expressing his regret that it was not his good fortune to be Captain Austen’s guest to Cartagena’.[25] Conceivably, Bolivar had meant to give Charles the sword in thanks after the disembarking from the Aurora at Cartagena. Yet even though the arrangements had been changed, Bolivar must have appreciated Charles’s supportive actions, and so the sword represented a parting thank you after all.
Admiral Charles Austen with his Ceremonial Spadroon, a gift from General Bolivar, 1827.
With kind permission of the Jane Austen’s House.
And what a splendid object it is! Charles’s ceremonial sword or spadroon has ‘a canon-shaped cross guard and eagle-headed pommel. The loop guard is in the form of a rope, which is held in the eagle’s mouth, and loops around the canon. The grip is made of carved ivory. The steel blade has been etched with decorative patterns, with gilded decoration. The scabbard has been decorated with eagle and sun motifs on one side, and on the other side is inscribed the dedication to Charles Austen from General Simon Bolivar’.[26] It reads” Presented to Charles John Austen R.N. commanding HMS Aurora at the City of Caracas, 1 March 1827 by Simon Bolivar the liberator of his country as a mark of his esteem’. The date is puzzling as Sir Robert’s diary confirms that the presentation occurred on 23 June 1827.[27]
Subsequently Charles brought the sword to England in late November 1828 when he sailed the Aurora home. It has been treasured by Austen descendants ever since. Happily, the public are now able to admire the sword as it is currently on loan to the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, England and is displayed there as part of the ‘Command of the Ocean’ exhibit.
Charles remained in contact with Sir Robert until he departed from South America in July 1828. Sir Robert’s diary records that he ‘bid adieu to one of the most worthy naval personages in command in this quarter.’[28] As for General Bolivar, the rock star of South American revolution, his political ambitions were thwarted during the several years that followed. He resigned as the President of Gran Colombia in 1830. He died of tuberculosis in 1832.
This essay first appeared in The Jane Austen Society Report for 2024.
[1] Charles Austen, Private Journal, 1 January-27 April 1827, HMS Aurora Jamaica Station, AUS/121 and 28 April -31 July 1827, AUS/122 (hereafter Journal); Sir Robert Ker Porter’s Caracas Diary 1825-1842: A British Diplomat in a Newborn Nation, ed. Walter Dupouy, 1966 (hereafter Diary).
[2] Charles’s appointment to HMS Aurora (38 guns) came about under unusual circumstances. He was on half pay in Plymouth in 1826, hoping for a commission which would return him to the active sea service. (Charles had not been at sea since his frigate, HMS Phoenix (36 guns) was wrecked in a terrific storm off the coast of Cesme, Asia Minor, in February 1816.) Learning, by chance, that Captain Maxwell of HMS Aurora had died suddenly just as the ship was about to sail to the West Indies, Charles immediately made his availability known to the Admiralty, who agreed to commission him as the new captain. He sailed four days later on June 3.
[3] Britain and the United States had abolished the slave trade in 1807-08, followed by France and Spain, but the trade was still going on in a clandestine manner. See Clive Caplan, ‘The Ships of Charles Austen’, Jane Austen Society Report for 2009, p.153. On 29 August 1826, Charles captured the Spanish slave brigantine, Nuevo Campeador, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Havannah and sentenced to be condemned. See Devoney Looser, ‘Heroics all at Sea’, Times Literary Supplement, 8 July 2022.
[4] In 1826 the principal on Gran Colombia’s debt came to nearly seven million dollars. See William Armstrong, ‘British Representation in Venezuela in 1826’, Caribbean Quarterly, 1960, Vol.6, no.1, n.9, p.23.
[5] According to Brian Southam, ‘in this power struggle, the support for Bolivar visible in the British naval presence was crucial’. See Jane Austen and the Navy, 2nd edition, National Maritime Museum, 2005, p. 177 (hereafter Navy).
[6] Cockburn was ‘sent from England to strengthen British ties with an area of South America judged worthy of cultivation and alliance’. See Navy, p. 177.
[7] He also took dispatches for Sir Robert Porter, British Counsel in Caracas.
[8] The modern spelling is La Guaira.
[9] Journal, 18 April 1827.
[10] Journal, 13 May 1817.
[11] Diary, 20 April 1827, p. 239.
[12] Ibid., According to Sir Robert’s diary, Bolivar, speaking in French, praised Britain, its King, Ministers and ‘virtuous magnanimity in the Cause of Liberty, not only for the support it lent Colombia during her struggle but also for the firm aid she had afforded to the young Country since her regeneration’. Mr Cockburn had already emphasized the ‘personal attachment the King of Great Britain entertained for [Bolivar] as did her ministers and Nation at large, Bolivar being regarded as the founder and giver of Independence to South America and the unspoken savior of Colombia’. Cockburn also assured Bolivar of ‘the cordial and unceasing friendship of England’. Diary, 20 April 1827, p. 239.
[13] Charles had already caught a glimpse on Bolivar on 19 April, which was the seventeenth anniversary of Colombian Independence. In honour of the day, Bolivar attended High Mass at the cathedral. Charles happened to be passing by and slipped into the church. He found the décor ‘gaudy’ but ‘the service with the music imposing’. (Journal, 20 April 1827). Charles could see Bolivar standing by the high altar and described his expression as a ‘thoughtful and almost melancholy cast of countenance’. On the occasion of his presentation, Charles described Bolivar as ‘a small man with a fine countenance… I should take him to be about 45 years of age, though his dark hair is very lightly touched with grey’. (Journal, 20 April 1827).
[14] Sir Robert’s diary entries for April into July provide more detail about the perpetually changing political situation within Gran Colombia. He speculated about Bolivar’s most effective course of action. Sir Robert also assessed the level of threat posed by Bolivar’s political opponents. See Diary, pp. 232-266.
[15] Diary, 25 April 1827, p. 240.
16 Les Roques consists of 350 Islands, 160 km west of La Guayra.
[17] Journal, 1 May 1827.
[18] Charles was impressed by ‘a group of Colombian, British and American flags painted at the head of the room, [with ] all the Liberator’s great Battles written in Festoons under the corners’. Journal, 20 April 1827.
[19] A large South American rodent.
[20] Diary, 1 May 1827, p. 243.
[21] Meaning he felt stuffed.
[22] Journal, 1 May 1827. During this conversation Charles records that he ‘blundered in my French and was annoyed’.
[23] Journal, 22 June 1827.
[24] Journal, 9 May 1827.
[25] Diary, 23 June 1827, p. 260.
[26] My thanks to the sword’s owner, David Willan, for this fine, detailed description.
[27] Diary, 23 June 1827, p. 260. The presentation could not have occurred on 1 March 1827. Charles’s journal relates that he was in the Caribbean, not in South America. He spent the day at the Dockyard (most likely Antigua). That evening he entertained guests for dinner. The party, which included Captain Wilson of the 93rd Regiment (who was stationed in Antigua) ended with ‘cards and liquors in the after cabin [of the Aurora]’. (Journal, 1 March 1827).
[28] Diary, 5 July 1828, p. 392. According to Sir Robert, Captain Austen ‘promised in person to deliver [my recent drawing of General Paez] at Esher [the home of his novel writing sisters, Jane and Maria]’. Charles had read Maria’s novel, Honor O’Hara, in Caracas in April 1827. He would presumably be happy to complete this commission when he could. Both Porter sisters were intrigued to learn about their brother’s interactions with General Paez and General Bolivar. According to Devoney Looser, Jane was delighted with the gifts ‘Robert sent home from the Americas, including items said to be Bolivar’s (a ribbon, hair) and General Paez’s (hair)’. See Devoney Looser, Sister Novelists: The Trailblazing Porter Sisters Who Paved The Way For Austen And The Brontes. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022, p. 378.