22 MY MEMOIRS

a sloop that had been captured by the insurgents and was flying a red flag; but this did not meet with Bismarck's approval. Then again our commander, Werner, in conjunction with the British armoured vessel Siwvftsure, was asked by the Germans and also by the Spanish municipal authorities of Malaga to seize the insurgent ships Almansa and Victoria; he did so, and put their personnel, together with their leader, General Contreras, on shore at Carthagena. But an order came from Berlin for the dismissal of Werner, and for the recall of our squadron from the roads of Carthagena. We heard afterwards that in Berlin, both Stosch and Moltke had supported Werner, whilst Bismarck insisted upon his dismissal and actually wanted to bring him before a court martial.

In Carthagena we had been co-operating with British ships, which to our shame we had now to leave in the lurch. At Gibraltar, Werner was relieved of his command. When he left the ship he read us a few letters from Stosch, and ended with the words, " That's what the man writes to me." He rebelled, so to speak. Hitherto we had been held in high esteem; it had been enough for our flag to show itself; when it was said " Frederico Carlos esta qui," the whole coast, filled as it was with insurgents, became quiet. But our position declined so much with the sacrifice of Werner, that we afterwards experienced great difficulties, and not only with the insurgents. Whilst many Germans had previously remembered their nationality, and whilst their numbers on the