A
Biographical
Tribute
to
the Memory of Trim
Matthew Flinders
I can never speak of cats without a sentiment of regret for my
poor
Trim, the favourite of all our ships company on the Spyall. This good
natured purring animal was born on board His Majesty's ship the
Roundabout in 1799 during a
passage from the Cape of Good Hope to
Botany Bay; and saving the rights and titles of the Parish of Stepney,
was consequently an Indian by birth. The signs of superior intelligence
which marked his infancy procured for him an education beyond what is
usually bestowed upon the individuals of his tribe; and being brought
up amongst sailors, his manner acquired a peculiarity of cast which
rendered them as different from those of other cats as the actions of a
fearless seaman are from those of a lounging, shame-faced ploughboy. It
was, however, from his gentleness and the innate goodness of his heart
that I gave him the name of my uncle Toby's honest, kind-hearted,
humble companion.
In playing with his little brothers and sisters upon deck by moonlight,
when the ship was lying tranquilly in harbour, the energy and
elasticity of his movements sometimes carried him so far beyond his
mark that he fell overboard; but this was far from being a misfortune;
he learned to swim and to have no dread of water; and when a rope was
thrown over to him, he took hold of it like a man, and ran up it like a
cat. In a short time he was able to mount up the gangway steps quicker
than his master, or even than the first lieutenant.
Being a favourite with everybody on board, both officers and seamen, he
was well fed, and grew fast both in size and comeliness. A description
of his person will not he misplaced here. From the care that was taken
of him, and the force of his own constitution, Trim grew to he one of
the finest animals I ever saw. His size emulated that of his friends of
Angora: his weight being from ten to I twelve pounds, according as our
fresh-meatometer stood high or low. His tail was long, large, and
bushy; and when he was animated by the presence of a stranger of the
anti-catean race, it bristled out to a fearful size, whilst vivid
flashes darted from his fiery eyes, though at other times he was
candour and good nature itself. His head was small and round - his
physiognomy bespoke intelligence and confidence - his whiskers were
long and graceful, and his ears were cropped in a beautiful curve.
Trim's robe was a clear jet black, with the exception of his four feet,
which seemed to have been dipped in snow, and his underlip, which
rivalled them in whiteness. He had also a white star on his breast, I
and it seemed as if nature had designed him for the prince and model of
his race: I doubt whether Whittington's cat, of which so much has been
said and written, was to he compared to him.
Notwithstanding my great partiality to my friend Trim, strict justice
obliges me to cite in this place a trait in his character which by many
will be thought a blemish: he was, I am sorry to say it, excessively
vain of his person, particularly of his snow-white feet. He would
frequently place himself on the quarterdeck before the officers, in the
middle of their walk; and spreading out his two white hands in the
posture of the lion couchant, oblige them to stop and admire him. They
would indeed say low to each other, 'See the vanity of that cat!' but
they could not help admiring his graceful form and beautiful white
feet. Indeed, when it is known that to the finest form ever beheld he
joined extraordinary personal and mental qualifications, the
impossibility that the officers could he angry with him must he
evident; and they were men of too much elevation of mind to he jealous
of him. I would not he an advocate in the cause of vanity; but if it is
ever excusable, it was so in this case. flow many men are there, who
have no claim either from birth, fortune, or acquirements, personal or
mental, whose vanity is not to he confined within such harmless bounds,
as was that of Trim! And I will say for him that he never spoke ill of
or objected to the pretensions of others, which is more than can he
said for very many bipeds.
Trim, though vain as we have seen, was not like those young men who,
being assured of an independence, spend their youth in idle trifling,
and consider all serious application as pedantic and derogatory, or at
least to he useless; he was, on the contrary, animated with a noble
zeal for the improvement of his faculties. His exercises commenced with
acquiring the art of leaping over the hands; and as every man in the
ship took pleasure in instructing him, he at length arrived to such a
pitch of perfection that I am persuaded, had nature placed him in the
empire of Lilliput, his merit would have promoted him to the first
offices in the state.
He was taught to lie flat upon on his back, with his four feet
stretched out like one dead; and in this posture he would remain until
a signal was given him to rise, whilst his preceptor resumed his walk
backwards and forwards; if, however, he was kept in this position,
which it must be confessed was not very agreeable to a quadruped, a
slight motion of the end of his tail denoted the commencement of
impatience, and his friends never pushed their lesson further.
Trim took a fancy to learning the art of nautical astronomy. When an
officer took lunar or other observations, he would place himself by the
timekeeper and consider the motion of the hands, and apparently the
uses of the instrument, with much earnest attention. He would try to
touch the second hand, listen to the ticking, and walk all round the
piece to assure himself whether or no it might he a living animal; and
mewing to the young gentleman whose business it was to mark down the
time, seemed to ask an explanation. When the officer had made his
observation, the cry of 'Stop!' roused Trim from his meditations; he
cocked his tail and, running up the rigging near to the officer, mewed
at him to know the meaning of all those proceedings.
Finding at length that nature had not designed him for an astronomer,
Trim had too much good sense to continue a useless pursuit; but a
musket ball slung with a piece of twine, and made to whirl round upon
the deck by a slight motion of the finger, never failed to attract his
notice and to give him pleasure; perhaps from bearing a near
resemblance to the movement of his favourite planet the moon, in her
orbit round the primary which we inhabit. He was equally fond of making
experiments upon projectile forces and the power of gravity. If a ball
was thrown gently along the deck, he would pursue it; and when the
gravitating principle combined with the friction overcame the impelling
power, he would give the ball a fresh impetus, but generally to turn
its direction into an elliptic curve (at other times the form of the
earth appeared to be the object of his experiments, and his hall was
made to describe an oblate spheroid). The seamen took advantage of this
his propensity to making experiments with globular bodies; and two of
them would often place themselves, one at each end of the forecastle,
and trundling a hall backwards and forwards from one to the other,
would keep Trim in constant action running after it; his admiration of
the planetary system having induced an habitual passion for everything
round that was in motion. Could Trim have had the benefit of an Orrery,
or of being present at Mr Walker's experiments in natural philosophy,
there can he no doubt as to the progress he would have made in the
sublimest of sciences.
His desire to gain a competent knowledge in practical seamanship was
not less than he showed for experimental philosophy. The replacing of a
topmast carried away, or taking a reef in the sails, were what most
attracted his attention at sea; and at all times, when there was more
hustle upon deck than usual, he never failed to be present and in the
midst of it; for as I have before hinted, he was endowed with an
unusual degree of confidence and courage, and having never received
anything but good from men, he believed all to he his friends, and he
was the friend of all. When the nature of the bustle upon deck was not
understood by him, he would mew and rub his back up against the legs of
one and the other, frequently at the risk of being trampled underfoot,
until he obtained the attention of someone to satisfy him. He knew what
good discipline required, and on taking in a reef, never presumed to go
aloft until the order was issued; but so soon as the officer had given
the words 'Away up aloft!', up he jumped along with the seamen; and so
active and zealous was he that none could reach the top before or so
soon as he did. His zeal, however, never carried him beyond a sense of
dignity: he did not lay out on the yard like a common seaman, but
always remained seated upon the cap, to inspect like an officer. This
assumption of authority to which, it must he confessed, his rank,
though great as a quadruped, did not entitle him amongst men, created
no jealousy; for he always found some good friend ready to caress him
after the business was done, and to take him down in his arms.
In harbour, the measuring of log and lead lines upon deck, and the
stowage of the holds below, were the favourite subjects of his
attention. No sooner was a cask moved than he darted in under it upon
the enemies of his king and country, at the imminent risk of having his
head crushed to, atoms, which be several times very narrowly escaped.
In the bread room he was still more indefatigable; he frequently
solicited to be left there alone and in the dark, for two or three days
together, that nothing might interrupt him in the discharge of his
duty. This was one of the brightest traits in my friend Trim's
character, and would indeed do honour to any character. In making the
following deductions from it I shall not, I think, be accused of an
unjust partiality. First, it must be evident that he had no fear of
evil spirits, and consequently that he had a conscience above reproach.
Second, it is clear that he possessed a degree of patience and
perseverance of which few men can boast; and third, that like a
faithful subject he employed all these estimable qualities in the
service of His Majesty's faithful servants, and indirectly of His
Majesty himself. Alas! my poor Trim, thy extraordinary merit required
only to be known, in order to excite universal admiration.
Trim was admitted upon the table of almost every officer and man in the
ship: in the gunroom he was always the first ready for dinner, but
though he was commonly seated a quarter of an hour before any other
person, his modest reserve was such that his voice was not heard until
everybody else was served. He then put in his request, not for a full
allowance - he was too modest - nor did he desire there should be laid
for him a plate, knife, fork or spoon, with all which he could very
well dispense, but by a gentle caressing mew he petitioned for a
little, little bit, a kind of tythe from the plate of each; and it was
to no purpose to refuse it, for Trim was enterprising in time of need,
as lie was gentle and well bred in ordinary times. Without the greatest
attention to each morsel, in the person whom he had petitioned in vain,
he would whip it off the fork with his paw, on its passage to the
mouth, with such dexterity and an air so graceful that it rather
excited admiration than anger. He did not, however, leap oft the table
with his prize, as if he had done wrong; but putting the morsel into
his mouth and eating it quietly, would go to the next person and repeat
his little mew if refused his wonted tythe, he stood ready to take all
advantages. There are some men so inconsiderate as to be talking when
they should be eating, who keep their meat suspended in mid-air till a
semi-colon in the discourse gives an opportunity of taking their
mouthful without interrupting their story. Guests of this description
were a dead mark for trim: when a short pause left them time to take
the prepared mouthful, they were often surprised to find their meat
gone, they could not tell how.
Trim had one day missed a fine morsel from the hungry activity of one
of the young gentlemen who dined in the gunroom. Seeing him, however,
talking and eating at the same time, my persevering gentleman did not
give it up, though the piece was half masticated and only waited for a
period to disappear; but running up the waistcoat of our unsuspecting
guest, for Trim was then but a kitten, and placing one paw at each
corner of his mouth, he laid vigorous siege to his morsel; and whilst
the astonished midshipman inarticulately exclaimed, 'G_d d _n the cat!'
Trim fairly took the piece out of his mouth and carried it off. This
was pushing his enterprises too far, and he therefore received a
reprimand which prevented them in future.
The gunroom steward was, however, more particularly Trim's confidant;
and though he had dined with the masters, he was not too proud to sit
down a second time with the servant. William had such an opinion of
Trim's intelligence that he talked to him as to his child, whilst my
four-footed master, looking up in his face, seemed to understand him
and to give rational answers. They had the following conversation after
dinner on the day of Trim's audacious enterprise just related:
'Do you know, master Trim, that you have behaved very ill?' - Me-ew?
'It is very well to play your tricks with them that know you, but you
should be more modest with strangers.' - Mew!
'How dare you say that I gave you no breakfast? did I not give you all
the milk that was left, and some bread soaked in it?' - Moou-wow!
'No meat! What! you grow insolent? I'll chain you up; do you hear
sir!' - Me-ew.
'Well, if you'll promise to behave better, you shall have a nice piece
off the cold shank of mutton for your supper, you shall.' - Mew-wew!
'Gently, master Trim. I'll give it you now, but first promise me
upon your honour.' - We-wee.
'Come then, my good boy, come up and kiss me.'
Trim leaped up on his shoulder and, rubbing his face against William's
cheek, received the mutton piece by piece out of his mouth.
In an expedition made to examine the northern parts of the coast of New
South Wales, Trim presented a request to be of the party, promising to
take upon himself the defence of our bread bags, and his services were
accepted. Bongaree, an intelligent native of Port Jackson, was also on
board our little sloop; and with him Trim formed an intimate
acquaintance. If he had occasion to drink, he mewed to Bongaree and
leaped up to the water cask; if to eat, he called him down below and
went straight to his kid, where there was generally a remnant of black
swan. In short, Bongaree was his great resource, and his kindness was
repaid with caresses. In times of danger, Trim never showed any signs
of fear; and it may truly be said that he never distrusted or was
afraid of any man.
In 1800 , the Roundabout
returned to England by way of Cape Horn and
St. Helena; and thus Trim, besides his other voyages, completed the
tour of the globe. Many and curious are the observations which he made
in various branches of science, particularly in the natural history of
small quadrupeds, birds and flying fish, for which he had much taste.
These, with his remarks upon man and manners, if future leisure should
enable me to put into order, I may perhaps give to the world; and from
the various seas and countries he has visited, joined to big superior
powers for distinguishing obscure subjects, and talents for seizing
them, these observations may be expected to be more interesting than
the imaginary adventures of your guineas, shillings or half-pence, and
to possess more originality than the Turkish spy.
Trim was not only a stranger to England, but also to a house and to the
manner of living in it: the king of Bantam's ambassador was not more
inexperienced in these matters than be. I took a lodging for him at
Deptford, placing him under the guardianship of the good woman of the
house, who promised to instruct him in the usages of terra firma; but
she knew not what she had undertaken. He would go out at the sash
window to the top of the house, for the convenience of making his
observations on the surrounding country more at ease. If it came on to
rain, the sash was put down. This would have been an invincible
obstacle to other cats, but not so to Trim: he bolted through the glass
like a clap of thunder, to the great alarm of the good hostess below.
'Good Gad, Trim,' exclaimed she on entering the chamber, 'is it thee?
They said thou wast a strange outlandish cat, and verily I think thou
art the devil: I must shut thee up, for if thou go'st to treat
neighbours thus, I shall have thee taken up for a burglary; but come, I
know thy master will pay the damage: has thou cut thyself?'
Woe to the good woman's china if Trim got into her closet. Your
delicate town-bred cats go mincing in amongst cups and saucers without
touching them; but Trim! If he spied a mouse there he dashed at it like
a man of war, through thick and thin: the splinters flew in all
directions. The poor woman at first thought an evil spirit was playing
pranks in her cupboard - she opens the door with fear and trembling
when, to her infinite dismay, out jumps my black gentleman upon her
shoulder: she was well nigh dead with fear. Seeing how much mischief
was done to her dear china, the pride of her heart, she seized Trim to
beat him soundly; but instead of trying to escape, the droll animal
rubs his whiskers up against her chin and falls to purring. She had no
longer the heart to strike him; but after a moment's hesitation, she
heaved a sigh and picked up the pieces.
I took him up to London in the stage coach, and as there were no fine
ladies to be frightened at the presence of a strange cat, he was left
at full liberty. He was not in the least disconcerted by the novelty of
his situation; but placing himself upon the seat, and stretching out
his white paws, conducted himself reasonably lire any other passenger;
to the admiration of two gentlemen who did not cease to make inquiries
concerning his education, manners, and adventures, during the whole way
to town.
A worthy acquaintance in London took Trim into his family; but he soon
requested me to take him back, for 'such a strange animal,' said be, 'I
never saw. I am afraid of losing him. He goes out into the streets in
the middle of the day, and rubs himself against the legs of people
passing by. Several have taken him up to caress him, but I fear someone
will be carrying him off.'
I took him on board the Spyall
to make a second voyage to the South
Seas. Trim now found himself at home; and his gentleness and
extraordinary confidence, joined to the amusement his droll antics
furnished them, soon made him as great a favourite with his new
shipmates as he had been on board the Roundabout.
We had several dogs on hoard the Spyall,
but
Trim
was
undisputed
master
of
them
all.
When
they
were
at
play
upon
the
deck, he would go in
amongst them with his stately air; and giving a blow at the eyes of
one, and a scratch on the nose to another, oblige them to stand out of
his way. He was capable of being animated against a dog, as dogs
usually may be against a cat; and I have more than once sent him from
the quarterdeck to drive a dog off the forecastle. He would run half
the way briskly, crouching like a lion which has prey in view; but
then, assuming a majestic deportment, and without being deterred by the
menacing attitude of his opponent, he would march straight up to him
and give him a blow on the nose, accompanied with a threatening mew! If
the dog did not immediately retreat, Trim flew at him with his war cry
of Yow! If resistance was still made, he leaped up on the rail over his
head and so bespattered him about the eyes that he was glad to run off
howling. Trim pursued him till he took refuge below; and then returned
smiling to his master to receive his caresses.
During our circumnavigation of Australia in the years 1801, 1802 and
1803, Trim had frequent opportunities of repeating his observations and
experiments in his favourite science, natural history, and of exerting
his undiminished activity and zeal for the public good. In the Gulf of
Carpentaria, from the unhealthiness of the climate, the want of his
usual fresh food, and perhaps from too much application to study, this
worthy Creature became almost grey, lost much of weight, and seemed to
he threatened with a premature old age; but to the great joy of his
friends, he re-assumed his fine black robe and his accustomed
portliness, a short time after returning to harbour. Only once was Trim
known to he guilty of theft: he had a soul above it; but one unlucky
afternoon a cold leg of mutton in the pantry tempted him. Being unable
to carry it off himself, he got the assistance of Van, a Dutch cat on
board; and they had so far succeeded as to get it down off the shelf,
and were dragging it together into the hold, when lot the steward came
and surprised them in the fact. Van made his escape, but Trim, ever
confident, made no efforts, and was seized and beaten soundly. He took
the blows with philosophical patience; but no sooner was lie set at
liberty than he ran after his false Dutch friend, and repaid him with
interest the beating he had received. The recital of this unfortunate
anecdote of my friend Trim will, I hope, he received as a proof of the
impartiality of the history; and I advertise the reader not to seek in
it for any political allegory, but to be assured that the facts were
really such as they are here related.
The Spyall being found to be
rotten, Trim embarked on board His
Majesty's ship the Janty to return to England, and was shipwrecked with
us upon a coral bank in the Great Equinoxial Ocean on the night of
August 17, 1803. The imagination can scarcely attain to what Trim had
to suffer during this dreadful night, but his courage was not beaten
down. He got to Wreck Reef Bank with the crew, and passed there two
long and dreary months, during which his zeal in the provision tent was
not less than it had been in the bread room, and his manners preserved
all their amiability. When vessels arrived to our assistance Trim
preferred following his master on board the Minikin schooner to going
with the rest of the ship's company to China in a large vessel, giving
thereby a memorable example of faithful attachment.
The Minikin, being very
leaky, was obliged to stop at the Isle of
France; and there poor Trim, his master and few followers were all made
prisoners, under the pretext that they had come to spy out the
nakedness of the land, though it was clear as day that they knew
nothing of the war that had taken place a few months before. Trim was
confined in a room with his master and another officer; and as he
possessed more philosophy than we did, he contributed by his gay humour
to soften our straight captivity; but sometimes also he contrived to
elude the vigilance of the sentinel at the door, and left us to make
little temporary excursions in the neighbourhood. It is probable that
he made some new secret acquaintances in these visits, for they became
more frequent than was prudent; and for fear of accidents, we were
obliged to shut him up after supper.
On our being removed to the Maison Despeaux amongst the prisoners of
war, a French lady offered to be Trim's security, in order to have him
for a companion to her little daughter; and the fear of some
clandestine proceedings on the part of the soldiers of the guard
induced me to comply, on finding it would I give no umbrage to His
Excellency the French governor and captain-general. A fortnight had
scarcely passed when the public gazette of the island announced that
Trim was nowhere to he found, and offered a reward of ten Spanish
dollars to anyone who would conduct him back to his afflicted little
mistress. My sorrow may be better conceived than described; I would
with pleasure have given fifty dollars to have had my friend and
companion restored to me. All research and offers of recompense were in
vain, poor Trim was effectually lost; and it is but too probable that
this excellent unsuspecting animal was stewed and eaten by some hungry
black slave, in whose eves all his merits could not balance against the
avidity excited by his sleek body and fine furred skin.
Thus perished my faithful intelligent Trim! The sporting, affectionate
and useful companion of my voyages during four years. Never, my Trim,
'to take thee all in all, shall I see thy like again'; but never wilt
thou cease to be regretted by all who had the pleasure of knowing thee.
And for thy affectionate master and friend, he promises thee, if ever
he shall have the happiness to enjoy repose in his native country,
under a thatched cottage surrounded by half an acre of land, to erect
in the most retired corner a monument to perpetuate thy memory and
record thy uncommon merits.
A lovely illustrated
edition of
this text is available at the State
Library
of
N.S.W., published in Australia for the Library by Angus
& Robertson with the help of
Nauticalia from whom the British printing may be purchased.
The nicest aspect of Flinders' essay is that it describes so modestly
his incredible career.